So I’ve decided that Christmas
didn’t actually happen. We had a holiday here on the 25th of December with
Christmas trees and lights and Santa, but it was just a Peruvian holiday
they call ‘Navidad,’ not Christmas. Christmas isn’t Christmas if there
isn’t chips and salsa, gingerbread houses, taco soup, Samuel the Lamanite,
Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah song, Lucky Nuts, stockings, and a long car ride to
Grandma’s house early in the morning. I’m looking forward to Christmas in
2016 because that’s when it’ll actually be Christmas again and not
‘Navidad.’ Navidad was good, though. We had a ward Navidad party, and they
had me dress up as Santa. We handed out gifts to all the kids. Our
pensionista’s family got a cute little puppy for Navidad. And at night on
the 25th, all the missionaries in Arequipa went to the Plaza de Armas to
sing Christmas hymns. Then we went to contact/talk to the people there. I
also got to Skype home and talk to the family, which was great.

New Year’s is this week, and we won’t be doing anything as missionaries.
Our mission president gave us permission to stay up until midnight on
Christmas Eve, but not for New Year’s. Everyone is going to be drunk and
crazy, so we need to return to our rooms like normal at 9:00. I hope you
all enjoy the holiday, though!

The missionary work is always progressing here. We didn’t teach a whole
bunch of lessons this week because of the holiday, but we did find a new
investigator that now has a baptism date for January 17. We also have a
couple new families that we are teaching and visiting. My Spanish continues
to improve and get more fluid and casual. When we’re in a lesson, I can
basically talk without having to translate or think about what I’m saying.
When we’re talking about other things, though, it’s a little bit harder
because I don’t know a ton of vocabulary outside of the Gospel stuff.

I hope everyone had a great actual Christmas and that you all enjoy the New
Year! It’s weird to think that during all of 2015, I won’t once step foot
in my house, or even in my country, but that’s okay because Peru is great!
I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and emails!

-Elder Kehoe

The pictures are of the Paneton that we always eat here during Navidad, me
as Santa with our new puppy and our pensionista’s daughter, and us in the
Plaza de Armas singing