Hermana Katie Garff: Merry Christmas, Family Castillo, and A 4-Way Skype

Merry Christmas Everybody!

There were many "best parts" about this week, but the greatest events were definitely caroling in the park with all of the other missionaries, seeing my friends, the Castillos, and Skyping!

Funny: During our Skype session, my companion and I decided to sing songs in both English and Spanish for our families. One day, I was reading the lyrics to my song in Spanish, and I totally rammed into a pole...smart, haha!

Cultural: Bolivians celebrate Christmas with a large Christmas dinner that starts at midnight. They like to eat 3 different kinds of meat: chicken, pig and turkey as well as a special fruit cake called panetone. I don`t like it a ton, but it is definitely not bad:D It was just funny as we had to eat it about 7 different times during the day, haha!

These past few weeks I have been working on a musical number with the young adults in my ward. They sang Silent Night and I accompanied them on the piano. It was so powerful, and it was also a blast matching my companion the whole day, because everyone called us penguins!

Spiritual: A few days ago we sang and contacted in a park filled with lights for about 3 hours. It was awesome, and the feeling of singing with 20 other missionaries is oh, so powerful and we were able to contact hundreds of people during that short time!

Family Castillo! They have been good friends of my family for many years, and it was such a blessing to be able to see them today! They treated us to lunch, and gave us great words of love and encouragement. I love this family!

Family Castillo!

Skyping was such a blessing. I love my family so much, and from the second I opened the Skype call to this very moment, I am still full of an overpowering sense of joy and love for them, and for the great plan that our father in heaven has for us. I know that I can live with my family forever!