WEEK 18 ~ New Temples and Eternal Blessings for Peru

Arequipa, Peru

I know it seems like we are always playing on our mission .... not always.  However, because of our assignment as area auditors, we are required to travel throughout the area to meet with and train our 35 Assistant Area auditors in all five countries in the South America Northwest Area.  We finally were able to travel to the Southern half of Peru where we held another AAA training meeting in the beautiful, colonial, and historical city of Arequipa.  Before we met on Saturday, we spent two days in the old part of Arequipa, walking the four hundred year old cobble stone streets and visiting the many historical colonial buildings and cathedrals.  We felt the spirit of the area, especially as we gazed upon the breathtaking, panoramic view of three snowcapped volcanoes rising over the valley and city which was literally built from the white volcanic rock that once flowed from these three sister volcanoes. 

We stayed at the Hotel Casa Andina, a 1600's restored colonial mansion.  It is nestled in the heart of the colonial district and from where we took our daily walks to the places you see above.  The air was clear, crisp, and clean, quite a change from the current conditions in Lima.

We couldn't get enough of the unique blend of colonial Spanish and indigenous cultures.  It was absolutely amazing, a surreal combination of the ancient, the old, and the somewhat modern ... but not really.  Yes, hard to describe.  We did have a feel for the special pride the residents take in their city and surrounding beauties.

Our trip was especially "special" as we were given a guided tour of the valley of Arequipa by our dear brother Alejandro Nunez and his dear and kind wife, Mildred.  They took us to the other side of the valley where we  climbed a tower overlooking the green fields, blue skies and the three volcanoes.  We were able to see clear across the valley to the slopes of the Arequipa temple site. We then drove to the site and looked across the valley from the other direction from the temple site. It will be beautiful on the hillside under the shadows of the three volcanoes. Alejandro and Mildred are now and forever our friends, brother and sister.  Such good and humble people. Just today, we were blessed to attend the dedication of the new Trujillo temple in northern Peru. We will be there in Trujillo this coming weekend for training of the assistant auditors and will attend the newly dedicated temple on Friday.

One place we were told NOT to miss visiting was the Santa Catalina Monastery.  This really is a city within a city. At its height, the monastery housed approximately 450 people (about a third of them nuns and the rest servants) in a cloistered community. In the 1960s, it was struck twice by earthquakes, severely damaging the structures, and forcing the nuns to build new accommodation next door. There are approximately 20 nuns currently living in the northern corner of the complex; the rest of the monastery is open to the public.  We found the many arched paths and living areas fascinating.

We loved our trip to Arequipa, one of our “highlight” visits so far.  We want to return next year to experience more of this amazing valley in the ancient shadows of these towering, majestic 20,000 foot volcanoes.   Hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo. 

WEEK 17 ~ New Sights, Sounds, Smells, Savory Foods and Good People

This blog is kind of a continuation of last week since our trip included Bogota, Colombia. I just couldn't get it all prepared since there were so many pictures to organize. I hope you are enjoying our experience as we see such diversity in the different countries.

Bogota, Colombia

We had arranged for a bike tour for most of the day. It was not what I expected. I hoped to see some cathedrals, plazas and parks, but instead we rode through heavy traffic, streets and sidewalks full of holes, dirt and lots of people. Sometimes we were on the back roads, then it was more pleasant riding. The tour was a good history lesson on the troubles of Colombia. We saw the National University, lots of graffiti and painted murals everywhere on every bridge, wall, building or gate. 

We passed through the plaza where riots took place, a chocolate factory (but we couldn’t go in), a coffee factory with a little tour and time to relax in the café, and the busy market with every kind of fruit, vegetable, fish and meat you could imagine. That was the best part of the whole ride.

The tour guide was kind enough to mention to us that the tour included the red light district which we opted out of. One of the young guides took us around and back to the shop where we waited for our taxi. While we were waiting, Joe engaged in a conversation with Manuel Sanchez. It was obvious he was looking for truth and is searching different religions at this time. He spoke English pretty well and we told him of the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Jesus Christ. He knew of the Church and lived close to a building, so we encouraged him to check it out and learn from the missionaries what we believe. He said he would and Joe has his follow-up information. That was such a blessing to be with this young man having chosen not to follow the tour.

After the tour, we made a very quick clean up and change to attend the temple. It is a beautiful building and we enjoyed our session there. I listen to the endowment in Spanish and each time I attend, it is a little easier to go through the veil in Spanish. This time I didn’t have a help card and did okay. It was a beautiful experience and a quiet refuge from the crazy city of Bogota.

Our day Saturday started promptly at 7:30 when Jesus Lopez picked us up at the hotel. It was a very fine meeting with both the brothers from Colombia and those from Venezuela. As US citizens, we are not allowed in Venezuela because we probably wouldn’t get out alive. It is very dangerous there and the people blame their problems on the sanctions of the United States when actually it’s their corrupt government. Even Columbia has so many problems, but I found the brothers to be of strong faith and commitment to their testimony. They were a happy bunch and we had a great meeting and enjoyed lunch together.

The people of Colombia and Venezuela have a hard life! In Venezuela, there is a terrible shortage of food and the people are only allowed to shop one day a week, and that day has to correspond to the number of their ID card. When they shop they have to stand in line for at least two hours and then, when they get in the store, they are limited as to what they can buy. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, there is no food. Those with money hire a “line person” to stand in line for them. There are no Bishop’s Storehouses so the people have to help each other.

  

While the men finished the agenda items during the afternoon, I walked around the mall across from the hotel. This was bigger than any mall I’ve been in!! Four levels of shops, restaurants, a movie theater, banks, food court and a play area, all set up in a maze. I actually got all turned around and came out on the boulevard opposite the hotel. Even though most don’t have money and the country is in trouble, they sure have the fine clothes and other luxuries available at the mall. Our hotel was close to a university so we saw quite a young crowd, and all the women I saw wear the tight pants fitted into boots . . . every one! Here in Lima we don’t see many who smoke cigarettes but in Colombia, we saw it everywhere BUT it is still prohibited in the restaurants and stores.

We are having a wonderful time during our few months of travel. We have two more meetings in Peru requiring air travel, one to the north of Peru and one to the south. We are always glad to get back to our little apartment in Lima. We just feel really fortunate to be able to see other parts of South America, the people and culture!

WEEK 15 ~ Every day is a new journey

 Coming in on the plane, Quito, Ecuador is such a beautiful place, green and lush with lots of hills and mountains and farming. As soon as we got to the hotel and had a bite to eat, our AAA friend, Arturo Espinoza, came with his wife, Betty, and took us on an auto tour around town and up the hill to the Quito Penecillo with a complete view of the city at night. We are standing next to The Madonna statue overlooking Quito.  Tradition says she is the one that protects the city.  We, as Latter-day Saints, also remember and think this is a sacred place as it was the very spot where President Spencer W. Kimball stood and dedicated the land of Ecuador for the preaching of the Gospel on October 9, 1965. We enjoyed the friendship of the Espinosas as we spent the evening with them in this beautiful and significant capital city of Ecuador.  

 Basilica del Voto Nacional

The next day was even better as we went to the Basilica del Voto Nacional and even climbed the bell/clock tower there on the left all the way to the top. Phew! It really took our breath away with Quito at 9,000 feet. The church was started in 1883 and not dedicated until 1988. The construction continues and legend says when the Basilica is completed, the end of the world will come.

 Cruz Loma Tram

Betty Espinoza took us on the Teleferico tram straight up the hill where we enjoyed the site of Quito during the day spreading in every direction. The height was about 15,000 feet and quite cold with spectacular views. 

 

Presidential Palace

This palace is used as a home for the family when the cabinet meets or other political business. The presidential address given to the people is also given in this building. It was really nice to see the beautiful gifts on display throughout the rooms given to Ecuador from other countries. We even saw the crystal bowl as a gift from Hillary Clinton. The huge bouquets of beautiful roses, almost 100 roses in one vase, were incredible. Some of the arrangements were arranged with large pieces of driftwood. 

Center of the Earth, the equator just outside Quito. We went to the traditional monument which was quite uninspiring. It was pretty costly to get in but the monument was not much more than a monument and a lot of tourist shops. With a little detective work, we found another rival museum a short walk up the road, the Inti’ Ñan. We really liked that one with better displays and visual experiments to interact with the magnetic forces at work. It was pretty amazing. We saw a sink of water that swirled one way in the north hemisphere, on the line the water went straight down and, on the south of the line the water swirled the opposite direction. There were a few other experiments that defied gravity and reason because we were at the center of the earth.

The displays of tribal life at the Inti Nan represent the ancestral culture in Ecuador, that of the Waorani tribe and also the Quichua people. There are two pictures of real people as of the last five years, people who are currently living in the Amazon jungles of Ecuador. There were ritual artifacts on display as well as hunting, fishing and basic living tools.

WEEK 14 (continued) ~ "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20

This is a continuation of our trip to Ecuador last week. These blogs will also be used to create our mission book when we get home. We can't possibly share all our pictures but there are a lot of them here!

In conjunction with our meeting with the Assistant Auditors, we met at the Guayaquil temple for a session together. It was in Spanish but the spirit was great and the temple so beautiful. I went through the veil in Spanish. We met at the Kennedy Stake Center for our training meeting with left to right Richard Prado, Alturo Espinosa, Gustavo Villacres, and Carlos Purunacajas. We were staying at the Hampton Inn which was close to everything.

We walked to the Bolivar Park after church last week. That was a unique experience because it was full of iguanas, big ones, and they were very friendly. Many of the people were feeding them lettuce so it was fun to watch. We walked around the Metropolitan Cathedral which was typical of the Catholic churches. It was just loaded with beautiful flowers which are so plentiful here. The Metropolitan Cathedral was right across the street.

 

We walked up the hill Las Penas with 468 stairsteps to the top. There was a little lighthouse and small church at the top with a wonderful panoramic view of the city and river. It was pretty hard on Joe’s knees so I’m glad he was at least able to do it. It was a unique walk up with the little shops, residential houses and gardens, and cobblestone streets with art galleries. Joe bought a bottle of water at the top from a local street vendor. He was so thirsty I had to ask him if the bottle was sealed . . . it wasn't. Poor Joe, in the garbage can in went!

We went on a tour of the mangroves just south of Guayaquil. In the map at the top, the brown area is where the mangroves were. Also with us on our tour was Richard and Jo Webber. They were fun to be with! It was a great experience, first with a canoe ride along the river to see the birds and mangrove forests. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean so it rises and falls with the tide. One of the pictures above is a man coming out of the swampy jungle with a catch of crabs for the day which is when the tide is low. He has as many on his back as he has in the front. The crabs always leave a hole and the men just reach in and pull them out! It is unlawful to collect the females which is evident from the larger holes. Also in the little pictures is a wasp nest, a nest of baby rodents, a tarantula in a hole, our two guides Mario in blue and Jairo in white, mangos high in a tree, the mangled tree roots that fall out of the top of the trees, and a tree trunk that looks like a rose stem with thorns.  The second part of the trip was a hike in the beautiful jungle where we heard the howler monkeys in the trees but we couldn’t see them. They were very loud!

Week 14 ~ It is said that "man can't live by bread alone" ...... but chocolate sure helps

Hello all.  Sorry it's been several weeks since our last blog.  We had a ten day trip to Ecuador and Colombia for training with our AAAs in those two countries.  We wanted to begin this blog entry with our first stop  in Guayaquil Ecuador.   Come enjoy the journey with us!  In this blog section we begin with our trip to a small cacao finca where we met the Lara family of 10, 9 sons and a daughter, Ninfa, who is the "heart" of this delightful small family business.






Ninfa showed us her family cacao finca that was started with her grandfather.  Now she and her 9 brothers, father and mother run this marvelous 15 hectare (about 38 acres) family farm.  She showed us the process from start to finish of how they get from the planted seed to the finished chocolate.  In these photos we start with:
1. Planting of the best cacao seeds taken from the cacao pods on their farm
2. The seeds are grown in small black plastic bags that keep the seed warm and moist
3. The seed grows (in about 2 weeks) into a seedling which are sorted into the best of the best
4.  Can you guess how many seeds are planted during an 8 months period  ...... by hand?
     (over 100,000)

Here Ninfa is showing how they speed up the process of getting the cacao trees to produce fruit.  When her grandfather and then father began this cacao farm, it took four years for the seedlings to grow into a producing tree.  Some years ago Chinese came to the farm and asked if they could show the family how to "graft" small branches from mature producing trees into the seedlings.  They spent days "schooling" the family on the process.  Now these hybrid seedlings grow to mature trees in about a year.

 Once they reach maturity, cacao trees flower continuously during the entire year. The flowers of the cacao tree are tiny pink and/or white five-petaled blossoms. They are found on the trunks and lower branches of the tree, while in general, trees produce their flowers and fruit only on the smallest branches. Botanists refer to this phenomenon as cauliflory. Fewer than 5% of cacao flowers are pollinated.  These flowers can only be pollinated by small, gnat-like midges that can work their way through a cacao blossom's complicated parts.

It would seem that only 5% of the flowers producing fruit would not be very productive, however we learn that this is natures way of thinning the tree and allowing the "correct" amount of pods to grow, not burdening the tree with too much weight.  Even then workers need to prop the branches up to prevent them from breaking and destroying the tree.  Amazing how mother nature takes care of its own. 

Cocoa beans, the base for making chocolate, are the seeds of the cacao tree. They are found inside the cacao pods, surrounded by a sweet white pulp. Each pod contains between 20 and 60 cocoa beans. A variety of chemicals, including theobromine which is very similar to caffeine, give the seeds a bitter flavor. Beans can only germinate within 2 weeks of being harvested. When monkeys, birds, humans or other animals break open the pods to reach the delicious sweet pulp, they spit out the bitter-tasting seeds. This is the clever adaptation that the cacao tree evolved so that its seeds hit the forest floor and sprout into new trees.  We tried this sweet pulp.... yummy!

After showing us the orchard of cacao trees and pods, we were shown how they harvest the cacao beans and remove the pulp surrounding the beans.  Most of the pods on this farm are picked and then sold to larger companies that separate the beans and pulp.  The process of getting the cocoa bean to a dry state ready for grinding into chocolate is explained this way:
1.   Harvesting involves removing ripe pods from the trees and opening them to extract the wet beans. 
2..  The pods are harvested manually by making a clean cut through the stalk with a sharp knife    
3.   The pods are opened to remove the beans within a week to 10 days after harvesting. 
4.   The best way of opening the pods is to use a wooden club, striking the central area of the pod, causing it to split into two halves.  
 5.  After extraction from the pod, the beans undergo a fermentation and drying process. After 48 hours the pulp begins to separate from the bean.
 6.  The beans are left to dry and "die" at which point chemicals are released that allows for the breakdown of the cocoa bean. 
7.  When they are completely broken down through the fermentation and drying process they are ready for dry roasting. Here we see Ninfa's father, Estalin, with me stirring and heating the beans in a big cauldron.  
8.  When ready the beans were put into a hand grinder and at this point the pressure of the grinding made the beans release a dark chocolate paste, Estalin then mixed it with a little brown sugar and then made us some hot chocolate. Diane said it was the "BEST" Chocolate she had ever tasted.  

Estalin also was delighted to talk to us and told Diane and me, that we were the first Mormons ever to visit his finca.  We were honored to be his guests.  Maybe his little grandson will remember us happy gringos who loved his grandpa's cacao farm!

Week 13 ~ "I must be willing to give up what I am to become what I will be" Albert Einstein

We spent the day at the Larco Museum.  It was a marvelous display of the many different cultures that are part of Peruvian history through the ages.  It is supposedly one of the largest displays of antique pottery in the world and covers a time period of 2000 BC to 1500 AD.  It contains an amazing array of jewelry and accounting and numbering strings called “quipus.” The Inca could actually read these knotted strings like a book.  We were just so impressed and awed by the knowledge of these incredible cultures.  

Really, honestly, most of our weeks (about 80%) are spent doing the same thing over and over, get up, shower, read scriptures, have breakfast, couple prayer, walk the daily walk of “death” to the office.  If we want to get there the 5 minute route, which has been every time we have gone to the office, we walk along a narrow street which is probably the only street in all of Peru that doesn’t have a speed bump.  The traffic goes from a two lane to a four lane right in front of our apartment.  They hurry to try to get ahead of each other and then fly through this little opening where we walk at about 50 mph (no kidding).  There is construction on one side where we walk where they have tried to make a walking path with ……….. construction tape.  I kid you not.  It makes us feel perfectly safe and protected …. NOT! Then we get to another place where we have to wait for the traffic to pass and then make a mad dash to get around some bushes right next to the road.  We literally have to walk or run into the road to get past that point.  From there it is a short relaxed walk the rest of the way to the promised land.  Kind of like life.   But that is what we have to do if we want to make the quick five minute walk.  The other way takes about 15 minutes through quiet streets and a park, nice but not nearly an adrenaline rush.  

Our weeks keep us busy and our weekends make us look like we are really having fun, fun, fun …. Which we are!  We have also had some very tender experiences with the members and with non-members who we associate with on a daily basis. 

Like last week when we went to the Larco Museum in downtown Lima.  It takes quite awhile to get there… so we learned.  We decided to take a bus as far as Jocky Plaza, a popular and upscale shopping mall.  We thought we would be closer to downtown and that our fare would be half as much for a taxi from there.  The bus fare was 1 sole each (about 60 cents). We got off the bus and hailed a taxi and were told it would be about 20 soles.  Diane was not happy.  I really didn’t know how much it was supposed to cost.  Finally a lady came up to us and asked if we needed help, in English.  We told her our situation then she said, that’s a good price.  The taxi driver who wanted to take us drove up and said he would not cheat us and he really wanted to take us and that 20 soles was more than fair.  We got into the cab and he took us downtown.  We were pretty shocked to realize how far it was.  It was a lesson to us and especially a wonderful experience to speak to this good man who was driving and wanted us to know he was an honest man.  He really went out of his way and helped us understand better the taxi system and the distances and fares between different locations.

            During our ride, I began to talk with him about our mission and the Church, living prophets, and the Book of Mormon.  He had heard some about the Church and had friends who belonged.  He and his wife had just had a little baby girl several months before.  We talked about the eternal nature of the family.  He was very interested and touched.  It was a time I could have kicked myself for not having a pass-along card with me.  We exchanged information though.  He told me without any prompting that he would go to our Church the next day.  He lives a few blocks away from a chapel.  I had heard that promise before so I told him, “I know you are an honest man because you went out of your way to prove that to us today.  So when I ask you something and you say you will do it, I know you will keep your promise.  Will you go to the LDS Church tomorrow and will you seek the missionaries out and invite them to your home?”   He said “yes, I will do it.” I will follow up and see.  

WEEK 12 ~ Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there

                                                           Train Trip to Huancayo

We caught the train to Huancayo Friday morning. The taxi picked us up at 5:30 and the train pulled out of the staion at 7:00. We were expected to arrive in Huancayo at 7:00 in the evening, a 12 hour train ride over the Andes Mountains BUT we didn’t get in until 10:30 at night. They served the passengers breakfast and lunch but no dinner. We ate all our snacks and played cards, the same game over and over.

The train ride was just great . . . for the first 10 hours. We went through 68 tunnels and numerous bridges, climbing in elevation to 15,680 feet! The views were pretty spectacular as we traveled through the canyons and over the mountains. The local villages and pueblos along the way only have the train come through once a month during the summer months so the people and children would wave to us from their doorways and windows. I can’t imagine living so close to the tracks!!  When we got to the top elevation, I would get woosy dizzy just standing up to take a picture out the window. Whew, breath deep. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see the little towns on the other side of the mountains which are part of the Huancayo mission. We’ll see them on our way home. We are taking the bus back to Lima tomorrow morning which is supposed to only take eight hours.

When we arrived at 10:30pm, there was still cultural dancers to greet us. In Mexico there would be a Mariachi band, in Italy some violinists, but here our greeting was a dance group symbolic of the African slaves who worked in the mines. Strange at such a late hour.

We stayed at a great resort in Huancayo located up on the hillside overlooking the city. We had a room like a little cottage chalet that was just delightful. The morning was glorious with blue skies and cool fresh air and pine trees. It was picturesque like being in the Austrian Alps, a huge difference out of Lima!

After a wonderful breakfast overlooking the valley, we went back into the city and checked into the Turismo Hotel. We spent the rest of the afternoon sightseeing, first to the silversmith and to the weaver’s shop. The owner shared with us the Quechua code of honor. Can you find the three ideals they live by? I bought a woven wall hanging that shows life in the Peruvian mountains to bring home.

My favorite part was to see the little Peruvian Quechua women in their native dress, multiple colorful skirts (polleras) of hand-woven wool cloth called bayeta, colorful shawl to carry their load or to carry children called k'eperina, a bowler hat, stockings and always long traditional braids. In the pictures below, notice how all the women have these long braids. Can you find the cow walking right across the street in town? How many dogs to you see with the woman waiting to cross the street? What do you think they carry in their back shawl? In the mountains, we didn't see any trucks, just bikes with these carts attached to carry large loads. In the field, do you see the women digging up papas (potatoes)?

Our last stop was to the gourd shop where we watched the old art of carving them. They showed us how they shaded and colored the designs with a burn stick. The harder they blew, the darker the colors. 

The other technique was to rub animal fat all over the carved design and then add a black paste that was made with grass reeds. After rubbing it on very well, wipe it off and the designs are highlighted. Fascinating! Can you tell which technique was used in the pictures?

Our tour guide took us to the Parque de la Identidad (Identity Park) made almost entirely with rock giving recognition to the great people of Huancayo. Actually, our gourd artist, Eulogio Medina who we had visited earlier in the day, was also honored at the park for his contribution in preserving the tradition of decorating gourds. His monument is the large gourd in the middle of a pond with a plaque to his name. It is a very beautiful park with walkways, fountains, bridges and gardens. In the bridge picture, you can see the stone castle in the back built for children to climb and explore. Visitors could also walk up and across the entrance gate looking over the entire park. It was wonderful with lots of water, music, flowers, children and benches for just sitting, reading, pondering or for the sweethearts who visit often. Ironic that such a beautiful park was surrounded on four sides by a dirt road full of potholes and no parking. Sad.

It was a wonderful trip. We love sharing with you the wonderful sites and experiences of Peru.

Week 10 ~ “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.”

Dear Friends and Family,

The past two weeks have been like a jet passing overhead, you see it for a few moments, turn your head and look back again and it's gone.  We are realizing we probably won't be able to write in this blog every week, thus week 10 is a combined weeks 9 and 10.  

BOLIVIA IN-COUNTRY MEETING - SANTA CRUZ 

We were busy preparing for our first trip outside of Peru, a country wide training meeting with our Bolivian assistant area auditors or AAAs.   The meeting was planned and carried out by this group of wonderful men from La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz.  

We met in Santa Cruz where we gathered the night before with some of the men and then met for breakfast and a day long meeting on Saturday.  The picture you see is of four of our AAAs Diane and me, left to right:  Jose Padilla, Saul Yerbales, Ernesto Peralta, Diane, me, Rodrigo Diaz.  Miguel Pinedo was missing because of sickness.  Brother Peralta (from Santa Cruz) was huge in planning and making sure everything was just right.  

He asked that Diane and I take some time on the agenda to introduce ourselves.  I did the talking in Spanish and Diane just waited patiently.  She had told me that she felt too self conscious to say anything in Spanish.  

When I was done and had shared my testimony, out of courtesy to Diane, I asked if she wanted to say anything.  I was stunned when she said she did and then stood up and began to speak ...... IN SPANISH! She spoke for about 4 minutes, sharing an experience she had with a senior sister missionary who works in the area office.  Diane asked her one day if she was going to "work" and the sister said "oh no, I don't go to work, I go to the office to serve."  She then spoke of the joy of service and then bore her testimony.  All the while I was sitting there with my mouth agape and tears rolling down my cheeks.  I had no idea she has spent the past two weeks every day and before going to bed memorizing her testimony so she could share it.  Even though it was a bit rough in some places, the spirit of what she was saying was conveyed clearly and powerfully.  It set the tone for the entire meeting and the men referred to it from time to time. 

The meeting was very productive and the men were very prepared as we spent the day training and then I closed teaching the principles of why we do what we do. After being with these dear brethren for two days, we felt they were much more than just 5 of 35 AAAs in five countries.  We are connected to them and them to us.  We look forward to the other five upcoming country meetings in Ecuador, Columbia and Peru (3).  

SANTA CRUZ CENTRO MAIN PLAZA

We spent an extra two days in Santa Cruz celebrating Diane's birthday on April 19th and our anniversary on April 20th.  We stayed in a delightful hotel in downtown Santa Cruz, "The Senseses".  It was right next to a beautiful family park with many trees and benches.  The atmosphere was one of family friends gathering on a beautiful evening to sing and stroll and play .... and attend mass at the "Basilca de San Lorenzo" which was built in 1770 and sits right at the head of the park.  We loved the evening and the mingling even though it was obvious we were gringos and stuck out like a sore thumb.  Yet all were pleasant and kind.  The Group of men in the picture above did a little sing and dance and suddenly noticed Diane taking their picture.  They then tried and tried to get her to come down from the crowd to dance with them.  Diane was so embarrassed and politely declined to their obvious disappointment.

QUEMBE RAIN FOREST WALK 

We spent our anniversary taking a taxi out to a very delightful nature preserve/resort.  Diane discovered it and we decided to give it a try.  The taxi ride took about 45 minutes and the closer we got to our destiny the less confidence we were that we were in the right place.  The road went from four lane asphalt to two lane, to dirt road and then to just ruts in the road.  By the time we pulled into Quembe, we were a little skeptical of what we had read in the advertisement.  But as soon as we walked through the gate another special and delightful world opened up to us.  We took a guided tour of the preserve that contained a butterfly preserve and an aviary that was absolutely huge and full of all kinds of exotic birds as well as parrots, Maccaws, and Tucans.  We loved the lush rain forest fauna.  The weather was perfect as was the day.

QUEMBE con 18 PISCINAS 

One of highlights of the day at Quembe were the 18 swimming pools.  They were built to look natural.  There were four huge pools above the others.  These four were featured by a volcano like structure that spewed water and waterfalls cascading down into the four upper pools. 14 other pools were built below.  These flowed into each other with waterfall slides that looked natural but were for anyone daring enough to take a trip down.,.... which these two 60+ kids did.  Fortunately no bruises or broken bones, just childlike glee. You may notice there were no other people there tht day and we made sure we swam, sat, slid into, or dipped our feet into all 18 pools. It was a resort all to ourselves.

Diane writes: When I returned to the office, I had two birthday boxes waiting for me with numerous birthday cards and wishes. Thank you all very much!! Birthdays are fun and it was especially unique because one of my good missionary friends in the office also shares her birthday on April 19, so we even had a little office rah rah with a wonderful chocolate cake. They have amazing desserts and ice cream here, that’s for sure. Lydia Acosta gave me a darling little gift bag with the best chocolate bar and a bottle of nail polish, so I ate the chocolate while I gave myself a pedicure for the Santa Cruz trip and the polish looks great.

Week 8 ~ "Our daily discipleship will determine our eternal destiny"

Sometimes our days get off track centered on personal worries or cares or self. Being on a mission really helps us focus every day on our discipleship to Jesus Christ, what we are doing and how we can better serve him. This is such a great experience to be in Peru and share our testimony often, see the Gospel in action, and work with the Saints here. 

We spent a good part of the week planning and organizing our training sessions with the Assistant Area Auditors. We will be meeting with our assistant auditors in Ecuador in May in conjunction with the open house of the new temple in Trujillo. What a blessing that will be to the Saints there! We will be meeting in Santa Cruz, Bolivia next weekend and will stay an extra two days to celebrate our wedding anniversary and my birthday. There will be a report on that visit next time. We are planning a meeting in Colombia to include the Venezuelan Brothers since we are not allowed in that country as US citizens. We will have three more individual training meetings here in Lima with the different areas of Peru. Actually, we have 15 assistant auditors just in Peru. We look forward to meeting personally the men we communicate with by email and phone and who serve so faithfully in their callings, helping and training some 200+ stake leaders in their districts regarding the collection and distribution of sacred funds.

Friday we went to dinner at Chili’s with the Acosta’s at Jocky Plaza. It was a little drive but the Acosta’s are great to be with. They are so unassuming in their manner and service and we enjoyed talking about his travels and experiences as an assistant to the Ambassadors in South America and Africa, including all the title, pomp and ceremony of that calling, the uniform, the red carpet, the parties and diplomatic performance. He was also a mission president in Mexico. Our little Manny Acosta, a three-starred general serving for 30 years in foreign affairs. Now he serves as an aide to the Area President, and his wife Lydia is mother to us all. Such firm dedication, faith and testimony! They live right above us and we love them. After dinner we went grocery shopping and didn’t get home until almost 10:30!

Joe and I had plans to go to the Larco Museum downtown Lima Saturday. We have heard how wonderful it is and full of artifacts from the past civilizations in the area. But, as we were ready to go, we get a call inviting us to the beach. Now, how can you turn down an invitation to the beach!! So we quickly packed a picnic lunch and put on our sandals and sunglasses to meet up with the Gonzalez’s who have a van. It was loaded with our friends from the mission, the Kendall’s, Cannon’s and Bart’s along with the MTC President, Jose and Sister Monica Gonzalez from Colombia. We drove about 1.5 hours south of Lima to the most beautiful beach in all of Peru, Playa de Santa Maria! We truly felt like we were back in California, beautiful warm water, sand and resort neighborhoods. It started out foggy but soon gave way to a sunny day with a warm breeze. I even got a little teary-eyed when I sank my feet into that cool sand and heard the surf and seagulls. Even here so far from home, I felt a piece of home! We spent most of the day playing in the surf up to our thighs, walking along the beach, visiting and resting. Just wish we had a frizbee! Got home about 4:30 tired but rejuvenated, bringing plenty of sand home with us in our shoes, pants and hair!

Joe's Journal Entry
One day this week at the office I w­­as putting my food in the fridge in the cafeteria when I began talking to Isabela Carrera, one of the cleaning ladies.  She told me about her life and I was touched and amazed.  I learned that she lived in a little pueblo about two hours from the office.  She gets up at in time to catch a bus at 4:30 am every morning and to work by 6:30.  She then works until 4:30 pm and takes a bus home again, day after day.  She told me about her conversion and how her Pappi had taught her many things about religion from the time she was a little girl.  He had been raised by a step father who taught him about the earth and the seasons and spiritual things.  Two things her father taught his children really stayed with her.  One was tithing, that if you made10 soles you paid 1 to the Lord.  He said if she ever found a church that taught the law of tithing it a true church.  The second thing she remembered was that the name of the true church would be named after Jesus Christ.   She remembered her father’s teachings and for the next number of years (she is now 66 yrs. old) she grew up and lived her life watched and observed.  Then one day in 1986 she met the missionaries and began taking the lessons.  When the Elders taught her the principle of tithing she began to cry and knew she had found the true Church and it was named after Jesus Christ like her father told her.  Isabella was baptized and later her husband and all of her children.  She now has a total of 10 children, 9 daughters and 1 son.  One of her daughters passed away.

She told me that when it was time for her and her husband to be sealed, they were in their home asleep the night before they were to get on a bus for the temple.  She began dreaming and had a vivid dream about the temple and specifics of the endowment even though she had never heard anything of the temple ordinances.  Her dream was very detailed and as it continued she was beckoned by a man dressed in white telling her to wake up.  She suddenly awoke and realized she had overslept and had just enough time to catch the bus with her husband for the temple.  They got there in time for the session and when she went in, she again cried and remembered her dream with a detailed account of the endowment which was exactly the same she had dreamed the night before.  Amazing story.

One more story about Isabella.  She told me when she was a little girl her mother got very sick, so much so that she was hospitalized and then suddenly slipped into a coma.  She was “gone” for nearly 7 days.  On the 7^th day her Pappi told his children that “Mommy” had died.  Suddenly Mommy awoke and she saw her children crying and asked what was wrong and if Daddy had spanked them.  They told their mommy they were crying because Daddy had told them she had died.  She then told them where she had been.  She said, “I left my body and went toward a light and then there was a beautiful place with flowers and trees and I was on a path that was like gold.  There were many people on the path with me and they kept leaving the path.  Some went to the left and some went to the right.  I didn’t know which side to go to, left or right, so I stayed on the path until I found myself alone.  I kept walking and suddenly I saw a man dressed in white and shining brightly. I walked up to him.  He smiled, and I felt great great peace and love.  He told me that I wasn’t suppose to be there yet and I needed to go back along the path and to the place where my children and husband were.  He said your children are crying for you and need you.  I turned around and began walking and then suddenly I awoke and saw my children crying.”  Isabella said that she always remembered her mother’s story and years later when she joined the Church she understood what her mother had seen in the spirit world.

I was so touched listening to this good and humble woman who works so hard for so little but knows who she is and her purpose in life.  I felt I was standing on sacred ground with this sweet humble elderly woman with bad knees and arthritic fingers.  She radiated light and love and understanding.  I can learn much if I will listen and feel God’s love flowing through these dear, humble people.