Christmas morning

We received stockings filled with fun goodies from friends who
taught and baptized Karen and her family.
Our Christmas tree was made from hand prints of our kids and grandkids. We have decided to keep it up all year. We have some additions coming and it will be fun watching it grow. One gift that was very special and a surprise was from Noemi, our adopted granddaughter. She gave us some home made Peruvian Christmas ornaments. During the morning and early afternoon we called our kids and other friends on Skype on our computer.

Our six missionaries, Elders Barry, Rodriguez, Worsham and Briggs and Sisters Coombs and Gonzaga arrived at 5:00 p.m. for dinner. Joe Elmer, our president's brother, brought us a spiral sliced ham from Cost Co. After eating a scrumptious dinner of ham, turkey, salads and mashed potatoes, Kay read/told the Christmas story intermingled with us singing Christmas hyms. Our window was open so our neighbors and the guards at the end of the street heard our sweet heart felt singing.We had a very fun time together. The missionaries left at 8:00 p.m. to go to the office to make their phone calls home for Christmas.

Manchay Christmas

There are several American couples down here who get together a couple of times a month. For Christmas we went to one of the poorer branches and a Christmas program for the children. The Cleverly's, Anderson's and Drake's were in charge of the treats for the kids. Some of our friends in St. George donated $100 which bought cookies, candy, candy canes, crayons and the printing of 10 page booklets of the Christmas story for 70 kids to color. Sister Elmer picked up the bags to put the treats in when she went to Salt Lake City to her son's wedding. Here we are filling the bags. Sister Hawkins made 150 pop corn balls to go into the bags and to give to the parents. The Ramirez' also purchased 70 one peice nativity sets, one for each child. We did the Christmas Story with the kids enacting the parts of Joseph, Mary, shephers, angels and the wise men. The choir of gringos and the congregation sang Christmas hymns. We were all very humbled when we left. This is what Christmas is about.

For the Christmas story we had Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus, Shepherds, angels, and of course the three wise men.

Some of the couples that helped with the Manchay Branch Christmas program. These are the nativities we gave to each child. We presented the program on Sunday evening. It was so fun to sit on the stand as a choir and sing the Christmas hymns in between the different parts of the Christmas story as the youth acted out the parts.

The kids and the parents of the Manchay branch were so appreciative of this Christmas program. From the money that every couple donated we were able to buy several cases of scriptures to be put into the branch library. We gave each of the parents a popcorn ball.

Kids getting their Christmas treat sacks and nativity after the program. The parents were delighted that they got a treat too.

Waki

During the week Waki, owner of Lamoni Tours, told us that on Saturday he would take us on a tour of Lima for free. Waki and Lamoni Tours does all of the transportation for all four of the missions here in Lima. He provides transportaion for the missionaries from the MTC to the offices. From the offices to the airport, etc. He told us that if any family or friends came down he would have by far the least expensive transportation from Lima to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. Karen and I along with the 2 elders working in the office headed out. He first took us to the ocean and down by the water. Then off to Pachacamac. From there he took us to a Columbian restaurant to eat. Waki paid for everything. We had a very fun and enlightening time. Unfortunately we didn't see much of Lima as we spent most of our time at Pachacamac.

Pachacamac

Pachacamac is a site where several cultures existed starting in 200 AD. Next came the Huaris in about 680 AD. Pachacamac means world creater. He was a god of fire and the earth. The peope tried to keep him appeased to avoid his anger displayed in the form of earthquakes. It was always a very important relegious site with pyramids and temples. The Incas took over after the Huaris in about 1450 AD. They built the long structue Acllahuasi (house of the chosen women). The most beautiful girls between ages 8 and 20 lived there. The rulers would go there and select their brides, often more than one. Some of the girls were chosen to be sacrifices. If a girl did not get chosen she had a choice of staying there and becoming a mamacuna and then would teach the other girls or she could return to her home and family and have a family of her own. The Incas built the sun temple here and it is still pretty much in tact. We climbed to the top of it. The Incas used a zig zag walkway to their temples and structures. When the Spanish conquered the Incas they sent a force to Pachacamac and destroyed the "god" thus ending the worship of Pachacamac.

The ancient cultures built this highway which extended from Argentina to Ecuador. It is the llama highway.

These hills are the beginning of the Andes Mountains

Countryside surrounding Pachacamac

The Pachacamac ruins are situated southeast of Lima about 25 miles and between the city of Lurin and the ocean. Karen was afraid that she would never get to see what it looked like outside of Lima or any country or where crops were grown. The picture of the rows of crops are red chile peppers. They are very hot.

Notice the picture above, you can see an island off the coast out in the ocean. Also that is the Panamanian highway.
The picture to the right shows some men on horses getting ready to play polo. Click on the picture to view.

Columbian restaurant

After we returned from Pachacamac, Waki took us to this little Columbian restaurant to eat. We first were served an appetizer that consisted of small flat fried cakes, like our pan cakes, made from mashed bananas and corn meal with fried sliced sausages in the middle of the platter. We were given a couple of small dishes of pico de gallo, like ours only chopped very fine. The main dish was a white corn cake fried then split and a filling of chicken/beef/white cheese. Very filling and very, very good. We had hoped to get some bunuelos, a fried corn ball with cheese, but they did not feel like making them. We also were served a pitcher of a juice like beverage. It was very tasty and resembled apple cider with pulp. It is made partially from the stalks of sugar cane that is boiled then sqeezed. The inside of the restaurant only had a couple of tables. The cooking area was very small.

P day with the Anderson's

As we have gone to the Area office to home evening with the other
American couples we met Brother and Sister Anderson. Only they aren't an American couple. Brother Anderson is from Canada. Sister Anderson is Peruvian. They have been married 30+ years. They are actually snow birds. During the winter they live in Peru. In the summer they live in Canada. For Christmas our group is
helping a branch over by the temple. We divided up assignments
and Karen volunteered to be in charge of the treets. Sister Anderson is helping Karen. So Saturday we went to Chorillos with the Anderson to a store that sells in bulk. A store very much like Sams Club or Costco. That is where we bought the candy.

After buying our treets we stopped at a small restaurant that specializes in fish. Across the street was this fire station. The building is all red.

The Andersons speak English, Spanish, French, some German and some Russian. They work in the temple on Thursdays.

Overlooking ocean at Chorillos

After lunch we walked a couple of blocks to look at the ocean from

Chorillos. Looking back along the shore you can see Miraflores.
Notice the trycycle like taxi.

Inka Market

We spent a couple of hours at the Inka Market. There are
thousands of little shops or spaces where they sell their wares.

Karen bought a little Peruvian decorated purse, some post cards, a Peruvian Nativity Set and a figurine of a couple sitting on a bench with the woman holding a small child on her lap. While we were there we saw some dancers.

We walked back from the Inka Market to the Andersons house. We walked down this beautiful tree lined walkway with 3 lanes of traffice on both sides of us.

Sunset into the Pacific Ocean

Not far from where we were was a light house.

Yesterday on our P day we watched the sun slowly sink into the ocean. We had spent a complete day going to Miraflores and Chorillos. The sunset was off the coast of Miraflores. We were on our way home after spending the day with the Anderson's. Click on the pictures to see in more detail.