Christmas in Cusco

[On Christmas day the entire family gathered around the computer and we anxiously awaited our Skype call from Connor.  The time for the call came and went -- with no word from Connor.  About 30 minutes later we did get a Skype call from him but the reception was so bad we could barely make him out and couldn't hear him very well.  We decided to wait to try the call tomorrow.  Evidently the internet / cell phones / communication in Cusco was very overloaded on Christmas day!]

[Before our rescheduled Skype call we got the normal weekly email from Connor.]

Hey guys.  So the big news is that I will be transferred this week.  I am going back to Puno!  It is the exact same zone that I was in when I served in Juli, but luckily this time I will be in the main city of Puno.

[Puno is the second biggest city in Connor's mission, and is a 7 hour bus ride from Cusco.]

My new companion is a gringo named Elder Lara (from Arizona) that has recently finished his training, I think he is fresh out of training so I will be his second companion.

My sector is called Mirador. In the Huajspata district, in the Bellavista zone.  My sector is actually on a mountain.  From what I have heard, you have to take a car to get up, but it is pretty flat once up there!  I sure hope that is right!  Lol.

Pictures from this week:

Our Baptisms!  Here are those pics I promised from our most recent baptisms! LOVE IT :)

Mission and Zone Christmas Parties

[You have to do a bit of "where is Connor" in the first three pictures!]

[He is at a table on far left of the pic about three rows back]

[He is one of the Elders taking a picture in middle of the group.]

[He is in line for food - about middle of the picture.]

[Middle of pic under the framed picture.]

I have been here with my greenie now for almost 5 months.  So Puno is probably going to be my last area!  Is crazy to think that I will have served two years and only been in 4 places!  Cusco to start; Juli forever; back to Cusco and now to Puno!

We had a fairly casual Christmas yesterday.  We did go to church for just the first hour and then spent some time with some members and our recent converts.  Was fun, but really bummed me out when we couldn't talk live at the at the end of the day.  Oh well.

We have a key to the member's apartment across the street from us and will log in for our Skype call in a few hours.  See you then!

-Elder Barry

[Our day-after Christmas video chat with Connor was awesome!  We had so much fun and just loved being able to see his face and talk / laugh / LOVE him.]

[Here are a few pics.]

[Small video of him speaking in Spanish and explaining to us what he did that day!]

[Last small video of him just answering a question re: what he misses most about USA]