Week 61 ~ Missionary Life

We are constantly reminded while serving here in Peru; 

Be humble

Be teachable

Be thankful

Be cheerful

and always

Be prepared..

Last week was filled with memories and well wishes with good friends. We love our mission and each other. As we celebrated our anniversary, we know we are so blessed to share our lives together, to grow and experience this service in Peru. It just makes us more bond together because it is so different from the lives we had with Jon and Eileen. This mission identifies us together and will be the foundation for the rest of our lives.

The office had an old sewing machine donated so I checked it out until someone else needs it.  At first I took it to my desk so Joe could take it home for me and, oh boy, did that cause a stir among the workers. It was almost as though they had never seen one before . . . really. They were inspecting it and laughing because they saw the movie with Wil Smith in Pursuit of Happiness where he was carrying a sewing machine around and had it on the bus. The bishop came in and even thought there should be a sewing class for the Relief Society sisters. Oh dear. Anyway, Joe managed to get it home in addition to walking his bike. I must say, I feel like the proud owner of a sewing machine!

Joe often takes a bike ride and this is one of his favorite places in the early morning hours.  Except for a little yappy dog it is a very quiet and peaceful place.  The ruins are called "Huaca la Puruchuca", ancient ruins at the base of the mountain surrounding La Molina. This particular morning he rode the bike to the base of the ruins and walked up to explore.  It was a very quiet and serene morning. 

The temple is being cleaned this week. They put scaffolding around the four spires and pressure wash everything, then the walls, etc. There is no rain here so the buildings get really dirty but the church makes sure our buildings are always beautiful. Looking out from our office window, there were three men cleaning the concrete sides and windows of the MTC, three stories high. Downtown, the government buildings and cathedrals are so dirty and with no rain, there is no way to get them clean.

       

Always cleaning

Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday

Week 60 - COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA

The last few days have been full as we traveled to Cochabamba, Bolivia to conduct a meeting with Assistant Area Auditors from all parts of Bolivia. We arrived a day early to enjoy a little sightseeing and, of course, the fresh air, cooler weather and beautiful countryside. There’s not a lot to see in Cochabamba but there are big tours to the mountains and national parks that are the draw here.

In the pictures above, notice the man with his son. I took the picture to show how small the people are here. His son is maybe three years old. As we walked we came to this darling little girl who was only one year old. Her mother (and other members of the family I suppose) were nearby and smiled as we wanted to take a picture. The mother turned on the little radio to music and the little doll did her little dance which cost us a few coins. If you look closely at the city picture, you can see the temple in the distance, a view from our hotel room.

We had a few wonderful experiences in Cochabamba while walking and sightseeing. One place we stopped at was an antique shop. Of course, Diane was intrigued and the shopkeeper was outside washing the sidewalk. In talking with her, we found her husband had just passed away 7 months earlier with cancer. The shop was run by her husband and now she didn’t know what to do and her knees gave her so much pain. Joe talked with her at length about eternal families and the temple. Every resident in Cochabamba knows about the beautiful temple, but she thought it was only for the leaders of the church and not for all. Joe explained it was for all worthy members of the church, rich or poor, old or young, single or married. She was quite surprised. We left a pass-along card and she gave her permission to have the missionaries. She is pictured second down on the right. Diane even had a dream about helping her organize her shop, making it more appealing to show off the wonderful treasures she had "piled" up.

Then later in the day, we met a young man who was a sidewalk vender (top left) selling linens and old city photographs. As he showed his wares, Joe talked to him about why we were there and that his son David had served as a missionary in Cochabamba 15 years earlier. He was so nice and welcomed our conversation. Although we didn’t talk about the beliefs of the church, we left with a friendship and he was aware that we were missionaries for the Church. Maybe there was a little seed planted for our taking time to visit. While we ate our lunch at an outside patio café, we found our server was LDS (bottom right). She was so excited to have us there for lunch. Small world. Our missionary tags open many doors. Such a joy to be out of the office for a few days among the people!

The vendor squeezing orange juice was so cute we wanted to take her picture. We have learned to always ask and she agreed if we would buy a cup of juice for 7 Bs (about 1 dollar). Joe gave her a 10 Bs paper bill which she quickly whisked into her pocket to begin making the juice . . . no change given. We just looked at each other with surprise but no words. The juice was very fresh and although she didn't like having her picture taken, we got her to smile.

Saturday we met with six of the AAA’s. They are such wonderful men! We work with the best and enjoy their spirit and friendship. The wife of Ariel Escobar (middle picture) came to prepare a refreshment and lunch for our group. It was like eating dinner there was so much food; pasta, rice, mashed potatoes and gravy, all the varieties of vegetables including herbed new potatoes, chicken and beef. There were three kinds of juice, one of which was so delicious. It was peaches with the pits still in, boiled for 8 hours continually adding water which creates a syrup. Add a little cinnamon and cloves and serve cold. For the refreshment break, Gladys had prepared salteñas, similar to chicken pot pie or empanada that you hold in your hand. She will be sharing recipes with me. They are totally Bolivian!

We attended the temple in Cochabamba after our meeting. It is such a beautiful temple and about twice as big as the one in Lima. Really! We were quite amazed and now understand more fully why another temple has been approved for Lima. It was exciting to meet three other missionary couples serving in the temple and after visiting for a bit, found several things in common.