Katie on a Mission: CHRISTMAS!!!!

And some of the other food...overflow to the kitchen!

Yummy snacks for the Christmas party!!!

Yay for Christmas! I was in the States the last two Christmas', so this was only my second Christmas in Peru. The first year I was here, I spent Christmas in Iquitos, and this year I was here in Arequipa. On December 17, I had a party at my little apartment, with 15 or 16 people. It was those who were still in Peru from the USA and the Peruvians who work in the office. We had a fun time together, sharing traditional North American snacks, including, but not limited to, homemade hard candy, carmal popcorn, and lots of spiced and candied nuts! We had a great time sharing the Christmas story with each other.

My cousin, Beth, is a missionary in Venezuela with Campus Crusade for Christ. She and two of her co-workers came to Arequipa to visit over Christmas and for the additional reason of renewing their visas for Venezuela. Chelsea and Lindsay went to Cusco and Machu Pichu for a few days and Beth and I had some time together to do things we wanted to do. We went to the Mirador in Sanchaca one day. The "Venezuelans" were here for two weeks, and we had a good time visiting with one another. We went on the local bus tour of Arequipa and went down town several times to the Plaza de Armas and surrounding area. It was a blessing to have family here for Christmas!