These guys were dancing and entertaining the kids in the mall.
Yesterday morning from 8:30 am to 1:30 we went to our ward in Magdalena and had splits with some members of the ward. Karen went with Maria Elena to 8 inactive members in perhaps the largest zone of the ward. Luckily for Karen Maria speaks some English. They spoke to someone at 7 of the homes. Some promised to come back and even attend tomorrow.
I went with Santiago a 17 year old priest, to the furtherst part of the ward to 22 homes. We found that several of the people had moved and perhaps aren't inactive afterall. Several said that they would come to church, though we didn't see any of them today. We even talked to a neighbor of one of the sisters we were looking for that said she would like to know more about our church and would love to have the lessons. Today we turned her name over to the elders working in that area to go teach her and Karen and I feel that we don't have time right now to teach her with the changes the president is making. In the area we were working was this Catholic church that I had to take a picture of.
After leaving the Magdalena ward we took a bus home, changed our clothes and caught another bus to Jockey Plaza. The largest mall here in Lima. It is larger than any I have been to in the Salt Lake valley. In fact at the end of it after finally buying our light globes at Ace Hardware we had our choice of having dinner at TGI Fridays, Bennihanna, Lone Star or Tony Romas. We walked all around this three story mall complete with an 8 Plex Movie Theatres and a large Bowling Alley.
When we got home my feet were killing me.
Nicolle told me how to post to our blog just a bit different from the way that I was doing it.
This is a picture of us with Margot. She turned 15 which is such a big deal in the Hispanic world. We sponsored her, which in a way makes us her God Parents. She was so appreciative of us buying her outfit.
Once again we had a very busy week. The highlight was going to celebration of the 7 girls attaining their 15th birthday that were in this Catholic school. It's almost as if the girls were in a orphanage. None of them are living with their families. Our ward helped to sponsor each of the girls. We purchased their wardrobe. Karen and I sponsored a girl by the name of Margot. A very pretty girl when she smiled. Because of being one of the sponsors I spoke to the girls using a microphone as did the other sponsors. One of the sponsors was a councelor in our Stake Presidency. It was a very fun and uplifting evening.
Today at church we met Elder Nunez of the Area 70. He visited our ward and bore his testimony. He actually served a mission here in Peru about 1979.
Today we had two convert confirmations. It is so interesting from the time we have been here to see the people grow after the church comes into their lives. Even their dress. The first week or two they may show up in levi's or pants, but over a period of time they have dresses and nice slacks. It is nice to see all the Aaronic Priesthood wearing white shirts as they officiate in the Sacrament. Also today, every person that bore their testimony really bore their testimony and no one gave a travel log.
When they say Peruvian time. The Bishop started the meeting right at 9:00 am and I turned around and the chapel was not even half full. Fifteen minutes later the chapel was packed. We do not have daylight saving time here in Peru. So now we are two hours ahead of Mountain Standard time.
In another 2-3 weeks it should start to get warmer than it is and we will see the sun all day long instead of just a couple of hours each day if we are lucky. Karen will really appreciate that, though she rarely goes out during the day to see the sun anyway.
This week we were busy but didn't do anything out of the ordinary. The mission was running out of money. I am not to let the cash box get below 3,000 soles, but because I didn't have my carnet I couldn't go the bank and get any money. Finally on Friday I got my carnet and received 5,000 soles. On Thursday we locked the safe and couln't find the combination to get in. Usually I only have to use my key to get in but I must have turned the combination and it locked. Almost a day later I found the combination in an old binder on top of a bookcase.
Thursday we met with Fernando and talked to him. He was to come to the office on Friday evening with his novia but they did not show up. We will have to check that out.
When we got our carnet we were at the Immagration office for 5 hours standing in line. I received my carnet but Karen never did get hers. It seems that their computers went down between me getting mine and she hers.
We are anxiously awaiting this week. On Wednesday Elder Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve will be here in Lima and will talk to all the missionaries in all the missions at the MTC.
We have been going to the office before 9:00 and coming home some time after 7:00. In the morning after breakfast we read in the Book of Mormon and study Spanish before heading out. It is an exhausting schedule some times. We are learning Spanish ever so slowly. Karen gets frustrated that she isn't learning faster than she is, but she is progressing every day.
We know that the Gospel is true. We love to give the Joseph Smith story and know that it is true. We know that there is a value in us being here. Already we have freed up two of the better missionaries in the mission. One became an assistant to the president and the other a Zone leader.
We had a very busy and exhausting week. Elder Vaca left for Cuzco and so Elder Cleverly is flying solo. Sister Cleverly and Elder Barry are on their own also but Elder Worsham who is now the Assistant to the President is in the office frequently so they can ask him questions.
Last Monday the missionaries that are going home started to arrive. We had 19 missionaries going home and there was luggage and missionaries everywhere which made it difficult to do much working. They kept coming in so that President Elmer could interview them. We left the office early to go to the other side of the city, to the Area Offices, to the monthly Home Evening with the other American couples that are serving down here. It took us a good hour to get over there by bus. Soon we will take a picture of the busses that we ride on. We can go from our apartment to the Area Office, MTC and Temple for about .30 cents. Transportation is quite reasonable here. When we got to the Area office the home evening was already in progress. We were to take about 5 minutes and tell something about General Conference that had a special meaning to us. Just as we finished we felt our first earthquake. It lasted for just under a minute and was fairly strong though I don´t think there was any damage anywhere in the city or country.
On Tuesday the Elders went to the temple with the President and Sister Elmer in the morning and then had lunch with the president. In the afternoon we went to the Magadalena chapel where we had a testimony meeting for the 19 departing missionaries and the chapel was full of all the members that came to bid them farewell. In the evening the elders left for home and a few with their families went to Cuzco and Machu Pichu. We didn´t get home until quite late.
On Wednesday the new missionaries arrived from the MTC here in Lima. There were 19 of them and we were included with this batch of new missionaries making 21 in total. Also we received new missionaries that were called to go to Bolivia but are unable to because of the unrest in the country. The president brings all of the missionaries together in Lima at the time of changes. He has the new missionaries sit up on the stand and the other missionaries down in the chapel. After he introduces each new missionary and tells something about them he then announces the new companships.
Thursday happen to be a holiday in Peru. All banks closed, no correo, etc. We finally were on our own. The President and Sister Elmer left for the Providences. President Elmer interviews every single missionary every month and we have exchanges every six weeks. We know that the changes for when it is time for us to go home will be June 29, 2010.
Friday was the day to teach brother Fernando. He came by the office and told us that his novia couldn´t attend and so we rescheduled for next week and they will both come. We also met a single woman that has never been married that said she would like to have the discussions. There is a Chineese restaurant right across the street from the office. It was very crowded and she said that we could sit with her. She had heard of our church and would like to know more. She said that if we had any problems whatsoever or needed to go any place she would go with us. She gave us her telephone number and address.
Saturday we went to the temple. There were 100´s of people outside the temple waiting to go in and inside it had all that it could hold. Five or six busses came in from up north, Trujillo and Piura. After our session we ate in the cafeteria. We then caught a bus and went directly to the grocery store. We took a taxi home with all of our groceries.
Yesterday we went to our meetings and after we had been home for about an hour sister Swan came to our place from Cuzco with her mother and another friend to hang out until it was time to go to the airport to head home to Lehi.
On Saturday night we went to a park that had all of these colored lights. It was very impressive. We took Frenando with us.
This is as we enter Wongs. The escalator goes upstairs where they sale electronics and housewares. Notice the Toyota car in the forefront.
At the checkout counter at Wongs.
This shows how the fruits and vegtables are displayed. Just like a Albertsons.
This shows how they display and sale the bread. They are all very good.
Scott and Mark and families. Deseree our Spanish tutor.
Chuck and Andrea and family. Scott and Mark with their mother.
Kyle and Melissa at barbeque at Andreas before we entered the MTC
Shaeleen and Keigan
This is the Senior group that entered the MTC with us, August 4, 2008.
Today we were to have flown out from Salt Lake to Lima. We would have arrived just before 11:00 Lima time. But all of the missionaries going to Peru have been delayed until possibly 28 August 2008. We will use the extra time to study Spanish in a class 6 hours a day.
