The day after Boxing Day email

Sharing some laughs with the Amaya family Christmas Eve
Elder Rios being his funny self
Everyone's getting their cameras ready for the group shot...
"Merry Christmas!"

It's all smiles on Christmas Day at our home after our phone call with Ryan

Boxing day is traditionally the day following Christmas when wealthy people in the United Kingdom would give a box containing a gift to their servants. It's a public holiday in Canada as well. All libraries were closed so today we got a late email from Ryan:

Merry Christmas again!!

That was such a fun phone call!! Haha now having gone through 2
Christmas phone calls, the one from last year was way weird for me.
This year it seemed more normal, I guess because I am used to only
talking to you twice a year, or because everybody changed more during my first year. Anyways it was great to hear your voices and it has rejuvenated me for the time I have left.

Yeah Mom I was thinking about the same thing you were on Sunday. This being my last Christmas as a missionary and Blake's last with the family for 2 years. I think it was inspired that we were just 2 years apart, so we can have 4 straight years of being reminded of the importance of missionary work. Blake is in for the greatest experience of his life! I know it was hard before I left too, but this is exactly what I needed in my life.

Ok so nobody told me that the NBA just started up again!! How did that work out? Will there be playoffs? Just wondering ;) Yeah so Sunday was a pretty relaxing day. Right after the call we went to church and had a special music and the spoken word type program, and I think that it was a church-wide thing. Then we had dinner with the Morales family: pasole, tamales, chicharon. I don't know them very well but we had a really nice time. Yes we went by the Amayas on Christmas eve right before dinner, and she shared a sweet message about what the gold, frankincense and myrrh represent. It was nice to be in the home of members to get a little taste of being with family for Christmas. I was able to write the Corbins a thank you yesterday, so grandma and grandpa will be next Monday but if you could tell them thank you for me in the mean time...Like I said on the phone, Heavenly Father has blessed us so much, I can't believe it. When Elder Christofferson came to our mission, I remember him saying something like the mission puts you way in debt with Heavenly Father, but He is not collecting. Wow thank goodness ha. I know that all He requires is a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Nothing much really happened during the week. We talked to a man from Peru for quite a while, trying to resolve his doubt of Joseph Smith having 10 wives ughhh. He was so hung up on that even though he loves the teachings of our church. We could have argued our point all day long using the scriptures, but it just turned into a back and forth thing. We brought it back to the BoM and he is not willing to read and pray to find out if he was actually a prophet. Missionaries are called to teach the elect, so we dropped him. There are a lot of promising things happening though. Remember that man Fanor we found, and he and his wife Adeleida got baptized this summer? Their 18 year old son is now getting baptized on the 8th!! So sweet to see the chain
reaction happen just by inviting one person to learn about the gospel. Luisa and her son Brandon came to church and they loved it! We went by their house and sang a Christmas carol, and the husband who is against any religion really appreciated it, which is not like him. Hopefully he will start to come around!

Well I hope that you have a safe trip to Utah and all have a happy New Year! I know Blake will have the time of his life in Provo this winter!

Thanks for all of your love and support and letters :) Love you all!

Elder Draper