Week 27 ~ "We learn by repetition"

Joe is busy teaching an English class to many of our office workers and also teaching Spanish to many of the senior missionaries. As part of the challenge to read more, We had the great idea to go to the library and get some simple children’s books to pass around. We Googled for public library close to us so as not to be confused with the many school libraries dotted on the map. We found a big library close to us, so Monday we took the bus about 20 minutes to the big national library. Great idea gone awry. When we got there, we had to go through a security gate and a guard house with well-armed guards. We thought wow libraries must be very important in Lima.  Joe said "maybe they have to have heavy security because of all the wild children who may try to leave with a book in their backpack."   He told them we had come to see the children’s books. They looked at us kind of funny and said “well, we have a few children’s books. but not many”. They politely directed us to the information desk where Joe told them, “we have come to apply for a library card and would like to “prestar" or check some children’s books out.  They smiled and politely said we could look but had to make a special appointment to do so and would be accompanied by a guard.  we thought, “wow, they really love their books and want to make sure we don’t have crayons with us to color in their books.  We were asked what kinds of books we were interested in and we said “children’s books”.  After conversation they replied….. guess what?  “We have a few children’s books but no many”  It suddenly dawned on us that this was a different kind of library.  Joe said, “this isn’t a public library where we can borrow books and take them home is it!”  They laughed, yes actually laughed and said we could try and take them home but would be chased by about 35 policeman.  This library is THE National Library of historical books and records.  We just laughed out loud.  Bet they really thought we were crazy gringos.  Only in the U.S. can you borrow books, take them home for a few weeks and then bring them back.  Not so in Peru. The few library here are only to read books at the library or use a computer. We are so blessed to have a wealth of information and books available at the local library.

Thursday evening we went to the circus! All the senior missionary couples loaded a bus to go downtown Lima. Cesar Aedo is in our ward and is the circus owner/manager. He was the comedy relief clown for the show and man, was he funny . . . and an excellent mime artist. We saw incredible acrobats and strength talent. Cesar’s son did a fabulous fire dance routine. There were no animals involved but lots of balance, strength, and, oh my goodness, limber bodies with bones that bend! We didn’t get home until after midnight that night. 

The taxi picked us up at 4:30am to travel to the Lima airport to meet the new missionary couple arriving from Wenachee, Washington, Roy and Mary Merrill. They will be serving a humanitarian mission, working with five areas: wheelchair distribution, vision, well baby care, emergency response and sustainable clean water service through wells, traveling a lot to the different areas. Tuesday about 2:00, we picked up the Merrill’s to introduce them to the office staff, show them around and have them meet the other senior missionaries. We had dinner with them, along with four other couples, at Don Mamino’s. A good chance to visit and get to know them.

Thursday we were privileged to have Elder Bednar in our office for a devotional. He has been in and out of the office for two days causing some excitement, and then he spoke to us. His message was clear, “we learn by repetition!” It’s okay to hear the same conference talks over and over, to repeat the same lessons on Sunday. When all the members are paying a full tithing, then they won’t talk about tithing any more. When all the members obey the Word of Wisdom, we won’t need to hear about it anymore. He also discussed the current condition of the Quorum of the (10) J and mentioned that another four members of the Quorum are in their 80’s. When asked about lessons he had learned, Elder Hales stated, “When I can no longer do everything I have always done, then I will do the things that matter most.” We will see a lot of change in the next few years.

The same day Elder Bednar was at our office, there was a very large police eviction happening across the street with armed guards and creating quite an excitement. Turns out it was an eviction of a group of people from the premises. All their belongings ended up on the street, they were escorted out and the gate locked.  No, those people in yellow shirts are not "Mormon Helping Hands".  The shirts actually read " Equipo Desalojo de Molina" or eviction team of Molina.  Guess this is their version of "Helping Hands".  Evictions of so many people (who are actually squatters) sometimes are nasty, thus the reason for so many police. 

Week 26 ~ Don't burn the beans!!

I started cooking the black beans in the morning after soaking them all night and then went to the office! I forgot to turn off the beans! Very fortunately, Joe came home after the English class to meet a man installing an upgrade to our internet service. When he opened the door, the smoke was so thick it looked like fog. He found the pot still on the stove, the beans were ashes and the pot had seen its last day! He opened all the windows and using fans tried to get the smoke out of the apartment. When I came home, it was still so bad! I cooked bacon, sausage, potatoes and onion to try and get the smell down or at least covered up, but no! We should have gone to a hotel for the night because it was making us sick to our stomach and headache to be in it. I got up in the middle of the night because the smell was so bad. All day Saturday, we washed all the bedding, sprayed vinegar on the drapes and couch, ran the fans, and then today another missionary gave us an 0-zone diffuser that is filling the apartment with an orange smell. Our lesson to all . . . DON’T BURN THE BEANS!!

WEEK 25 ~ Maestro Cheney

Hello to all,
We enjoyed another very busy week in the office.  Every minute of our day is full and rewarding.  A few weeks ago our co-workers approached Joe and asked him  if he could teach them an English class.  Some of them speak a little English, most do not.  They agreed to spend an hour overlapping lunch for the class three days a week.  Joe decided to use some of Blaine Ray's TPRS, translating his Spanish power points into English for the class.  It has been a hit, very tiring for Joe but still very rewarding. We also decided to offer a Spanish class for the senior missionary couples who want to practice their Spanish.  Joe is teaching two days a week using the same TPRS program.   We are having a lot of fun and hopefully learning too.

Yesterday we were invited to an exclusive regatta club in Lima. We met this cute young couple at our jungle trip to Iquitos who were included in our group. They live right here in Lima so it was fun to get together with them again. The resort is really a mini town but very tight security and membership rules. They conduct many sports events and competitions, rowing, regatta races, beach volleyball, basketball, badminton, tennis, squash, and a huge Olympic pool. The Club is located right on the coast with three private sandy beaches, nice clothing and sports shops, video game arcade, a huge play structure area and lazy pool, and many fast food and high-end restaurants. We sure enjoyed just walking around and enjoying a fabulous lunch. I bought two scarves :).The weather, though cloudy, was very mild and comfortable. The Club was right next to the fishing pier and it was delightful to see the brightly colored fishing boats bringing in their catch, the dozens of pelicans wanting their share, and the open-air market selling the catch of the day. Oh, it made me smile to hear the waves and seagulls and to smell the salty air!! We even thought it might be worth it to have our own membership BUT, alas, it’s about $40,000 USD in addition to a monthly fee.

     The temple here has been closed for a few weeks. They replaced a lot of the stone on the front of the building and some other stuff. We’ve missed not attending but will start up again on our weekly schedule this week. We have five new missionary couples this month and it’s fun to get to know them. One couple, Craig and Lesley Raeside from Australia, have the cutest accent! It’s great to hear them speak Spanish! Also the Burtons from Utah, Blunts from Medford, Oregon and Merrills from the Seattle area are coming in this week and Mike and Marilyn Woods arrived a few weeks ago. That makes us one of the old timers. It makes for a fun bunch to have activities and Saturday day excursions.

We are loving our mission and realize more each day the tremendous challenges and rewards found in this area. 1,299,577. Only Mexico has more members at 1,344,298.  It also contains the 4th largest number of congregations at 1,874 all of which we monitor and are intimately involved with in  the bi-annual financial auditing process. It certainly keeps us very busy and we have a great office support team. We are so blessed to be here.  

It is missionary "rich", meaning the hearts of the people are opening more and more to the message of the restored gospel. The other day we took this picture of all the missions in our area, the South America Northwest Area. We didn't realize that this area has the second largest membership of any area in the world.

Week 24 ~ More of the Amazon Experience

    Our stay at Ceiba Tops was delightful.  The idea for the resort/jungle experience was was conceived by an American, Peter Jensen, some 60 years ago.  He wanted people to come and experience the Amazon River and Jungle and yet he did not want them to be completely uncomfortable to do it.  He located some land along the river and began building simple huts that provided adequate shelter and protection from the daily down pours and copious mosquitoes.  Some years later a lodge/mess hall was added, then more huts, a swimming pool, and finally modern air-conditioned-hot water cabins.  Ceiba Tops is far from being a luxurious 5 star resort "play ground."We were glad it wasn't, but it was comfortable, and very well planned, nestled unobtrusively just off the river and into the jungle with the actual feel of the jungle with all the night sounds and glowing in the dark eyes of the cayman, tapir and who knows what else kinds of animals.  The food was delicious and the workers incredible.  It really was the only location on the Amazon with electricity, kind of like an oasis in the jungle.....  Can their really be an Oasis in paradise?  Anyway. We loved it!

 The second day we had several options, rest and enjoy the jungle around the lodge or go fishing.  I opted for the latter, Diane stayed at Ceiba Tops and took a hike into the jungle.  The courageous Amazon "fishermen" took some small skiffs and ventured into some of the Amazon tributaries to look for the ferocious, and voracious flesh eating Piranha.  We were given a little stick for a pole, some fishing line, a hook, and cut raw meat.  It took a while but I finally got the hang of it and pulled in two Amazon catfish and two "dangerous" Piranha that became part of our dinner later that night.  They don't look so scary or dangerous now, do they!!

We also went to the native village of the Yagua. Joe learned how to blow a dart from a blow gun and hit the target several times. They also did a little jaunt in a circle to the beat of a drum. The (actor) natives were dressed in the traditional skirts and grass headdresses and the women were topless except for the grass around their necks. I had brought some little candies and toys for the children and giving it away was the highlight of our visit there.

We visited the little villages of Indiana and Mazan, really unique interaction with the locals in the motocars and markets. The fish loaded on the tables fresh out of the Amazon, some still breathing.  I loved to see the children. I brought some candy to share with them and bring a smile. We drove the motorcar from Mazan back to Indiana where we had a boat ride back to Ceiba Tops. The ride was an incredible experience seeing the back country of the rain forest. We saw a lady washing her clothes in the Amazon, the rain coming down enough to flood the road. The road, well, it was more like a sidewalk just enough room for the motorcars. There were houses on stilts with thatched roofs, no glass windows and no electricity, often no furniture except for some lounge chairs. There was one man who was cutting the bananas from the tree and loading them onto his little buggy. It was a great ride back to the boat. Since it was a national holiday, the children were everywhere. It poured rain every day but only lasted for an hour or so.

We've had a number of opportunities to travel throughout the South America Southwest Area.  We've been to the high mountains of Peru, visited a cacao finca in Ecuador, enjoyed the beauty beneath the shadows of majestic volcanoes, but our most memorable and interesting experience thus far was our little jaunt to Iquitos Peru and the humble, simple life along the Amazon River.

Week 23 ~ An Amazon Experience

Well the past week was one of those kinds of July weeks that just wraps itself around your mind and stays there for as long as you want it to.  Diane and I decided to go to the Amazon jungle (the Selva).  We had heard so much about it and ever since childhood, stories of the “jungle” intrigued and excited our minds.  We left last Saturday and flew to Iquitos, with a short stop in Pucallpa and then on to Iquitos. Iquitos is the largest Peruvian city in the Amazon jungle. We enjoyed a few days in the city attending church, walking the streets and walking along the riverfront. Iquitos is the center of the mission.  People seemed to know of the Mormons (in a very favorable way) wherever we went. There are three stakes in Iquitos and we saw several ward meeting houses as we rode about.  We heard from one missionary there are about 80 missionaries in the surrounding area, towns, and in Iquitos itself, a city of about a half million people. The sun was just setting and the sunset was beautiful on the Amazon River. There were some little tourist shops where we bought a few bracelets and trinkets. 

Some of the pictures below: left column the riverfront, us with the Amazon behind, Joe buys a t-shirt and a little girl playing princess outside. The middle is the plaza where our hotel was and the right column, the perfect picture while we were stopped at an intersection (love this picture of an elderly man leaning against a post), in a motocar going to church and the national guard getting ready for the Independence celebration in the plaza. The bottom five, the iron house created by the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris (his practice project I guess), another picture of the plaza from our hotel window, a typical neighborhood, and our friend we met, Gerald Mayeaux, originally from Texas now runs a restaurant/bar called Yellow Rose Texas. It was completely full of sports memorabilia since he played professional baseball for Texas.

When we arrived in Iquitos at the airport, not realizing motor taxis and motorcycles are the primary mode of transportation (very few cars and buses) we opted to take a regular taxi.  It would be our last since regular car taxis are just so scarce.  The streets are full of motor taxis, morning to night, circling the streets and the city square, like massive group of motor cycle gangs,  putt putt putting along, with one or two cars in the mix.  When we landed and had gathered our luggage, we were immediately “assaulted” or a better word, swarmed by taxi drivers.  We quickly realized that 95% were “motocars” or motorcycle taxis.  These are a made to order (mostly made by Honda) combination of a motorcycle and a buggy, with a seat that holds 2 comfortably, 7 or 8 if you’ a Peruvian family) with a canopy covering the top to protect against the sun and the rain. They don't know what a seatbelt or helmet is. One site we saw was a man driving with his two-year old daughter behind him and then his wife, nursing her little girl. We saw the same lady a few minutes later with the baby on her hip talking on a cell phone. 

We also visited the Quistococha Lagoon and zoo. The zoo was not much to look at but the big cats were the best. We felt bad about the animal habitats that were not very good. The zoo is part of the Quistococha Lagoon so we walked down by the beach and found the locals just hanging out there, families and sweethearts. There were several open-air eating places with the fish to cook on the table. So we sat down and put in an order and enjoyed the best grilled fish ever, eating until only the fish skeleton was left! 

Week 22 ~ Men of Faith, Commitment and Testimony

This blog represents more of the a "typical" week for us and our mission.  Not every week do we have the opportunity to spend our p-day visiting the many interesting places in this marvelous country of Peru.  Most of the days this week were spent planning for our "in country" meeting with our Peru Central AAAs. We did spend Tuesday evening, along with other, missionary couples, at a wonderful cultural event full of dancing and singing to celebrate the Peruvian Independence day.  We had a marvelous training meeting with seven amazing brethren from Iquitos, Huancayo, and Lima.  This now completes our nearly four months of training in four countries, including North and Souith Peru.

We have been enriched by these 35 wonderful brothers who are serving so faithfully, mostly on there own.  They are talented and knowledgeable, many of which are former stake presidents, mission presidents, and even area 70's.  We now enter the midyear audit cycle and then will begin planning our area wide training in December.  We are so thankful for the experiences we have had the past 5 1/2 months and await the next 6 months with wonder and anticipation.  

Week 21 ~ And God said, "Let the Earth bring forth every living creature . . . and it was so."

Actually, this has been a very average week and nice to stay at home but, then again, I guess nothing is very average with our mission although we get accustomed to the events of each day. We interact daily with the leaders of the area, the Area Presidency and 16 Area Seventies for the South America Northwest Area. We have wonderful and dedicated men who serve as area auditors. Our immediate supervisor is the Area Controller and also part of our office is the Local Unit Finance manager dealing with all the tithing and fast offerings and disbursements in the South America Northwest Area.

Also as part of our daily encounters, we associate and share with mission presidents, the MTC president, and temple presidents. In fact, the temple president for the new Trujillo temple we are very close to as they were the area auditors before us. We were at the grocery store the other night having taken a bus to get there, and the mission president got in line behind us and gave us a ride home. Our mission president President Boswell, is from Bentonville, Arkansas and Tessa knows of them although they left for their mission before Tessa moved there. When I visited Tessa in November, we actually went to the Boswell’s home so I even know where they live. We received a new Lima Central mission president this week, President and Sister Larson from . . . Caldwell, Idaho! They know Joe’s sisters very well!

We enjoy being with the other senior couples who are serving here. The Murrays are from Walnut Creek, California and we know so many of the same people and places. Brother Bill Murray serves as a real estate lawyer and Sister Billie Murray is writing up the history of the Saints in Peru. We love the Clarks, Ron and Bonnie, who are also from Eagle, Idaho, and also know Joe’s sisters very well. Here we are in Lima, Peru and it is just an extension of home.

We celebrated Joe's birthday over the weekend with a party at the office and then more surprises for Joe at home, especially the weight set. He was so excited he immediately did a workout.

Joe and I went to the Parque de las Leyendas (Park of the Legends) which included the Lima Zoo. It was a beautiful day. We felt adventurous so we caught a bus right outside our apartment building and rode it all the way to the zoo, about an hour to downtown Lima. The park was very nice, not that there were a lot of animals but what they had was great. My favorites were the large variety of monkeys from the Amazon regions, some monkeys as small as a little kitten. They were so cute. They didn’t have the gorillas but many other varieties with funny faces, including the howling monkeys from Ecuador we heard but couldn’t see when we were there. Another highlight were the cats! They were beautiful, two white tigers, an orange tiger that really gave us a show, a pitch black panther, couger, leopards, and the most beautiful black jaguar we have ever seen, in addition to the beautiful traditional brown/gold jaguars. Wow. We also enjoyed the hippopotamus pool; they were so active and playful in the water. Of course, there were also amazing birds and other jungle animals. We really enjoyed our day there.

BUT, as part of the experience, the zoo is built around pre-Inca ruins, so we were able to see ruins that date before the Spanish conquest right in the middle of Lima. There were six huacas, ceremonial/burial centers. Since they were so close together, I just imagine they were families or tribes in each huaca but they all interacted together in trade, farming and hunting. Most of the huacas had restricted access by a main entrance with a walled perimeter. Because the climate here is so dry, these ruins survived even though they are made of handmade adobe bricks. There was a museum also that had artifacts found at these sites with explanations and models of the huacas. It was all quite a unique experience at the zoo.

It was nice to be at home for our weekend. There are many interesting places to see right here in Lima to visit on our days off. We hardly want to see a Saturday go by where we don't get out to explore the area around us. It is all so very unique.

WEEK 19 ~ Temple of the Mountain God vs.Temple of the Lord

Week 19 in the missionary lives of Elder and Sister Cheney began with preparations for our 6th country meeting.  We left Thursday early afternoon and flew up the coast to the second largest city in Peru, Trujillo, to meet with our AAAs. of northern Peru.  We were especially excited for this trip because we knew we would be able to see and experience the beautiful and newly dedicated Trujillo temple.    

We were so blessed to be able to attend the  temple.  It was absolutely stunning.  While in the celestial room, as I was sitting there waiting for Diane to enter, I was watching with silent interest, a scene unfold before me.  There were two Americans in the session with us.  They were both waiting for someone to come through the veil into the celestial room.  As I watched, several women began to slowly enter the room.  I didn’t realize at the time that the ones I was watching were sisters.  One was waiting for another and then when she entered they embraced and cried.  Then another and another and another entered the room and they all joined together in a tight circle hugging each other and weeping with obvious joy.  I just watched quietly, touched by their overwhelming happiness.  When it settled down and one of the American brothers was by himself, I approached him and asked him what the occasion was for so much joy and happy elation.  He told me the women were all sisters (5) and it was the first time they had all been together in over 40 years. He and the other man were married to two of the sisters and had come down to be with them in the temple and witness their wives and their sisters be sealed to their parents who had long since passed on.  I was touched and felt that this indeed was a heavenly scene that would be carried out many times in the spirit world as dear souls leave this world and enter another to join with their loved ones once again. 

Saturday was a special day for training.  All the brother AAAs were in attendance.  In fact Diane and I walked the short two blocks to the institute building from the hotel, arriving 10 minutes early and all of them were there waiting for us.  We were amazed.  It was a wonderful meeting to be with these dear brothers, Enrique Montoya (Trujillo), Oswaldo Mendoza (Trujillo), Jose Montalvan (Chiclayo), and Roberto Merrino (Piura).  We loved being with them and were able to get to know them and learn of their families and children and their employment and Church experience.  This is the best part of our mission, to be with and learn and love these dear brothers.  Each time we meet with another group of men it is the same.  Diane bore her testimony.  I was especially proud of her.  She is just getting better and better and more and more confident with her Spanish.  Her sweet words brought the spirit into the room and it remained for the entire meeting.   I introduced both of us and  spoke of our beloved spouses who had passed on  and of how we came to be where we are now.  I always love telling the story and it always brings a tender spirit into my heart.  We had a wonderful training being together all day. We ate together, took pictures, embraced and said farewells. We left with our hearts full of love for these good good men.  

Trujillo Cathedral next to our hotel at Plaza de Armas

Below are the excavations of the temples of the sun and moon built 1500 years ago. The temples are made with tens of thousands of mud bricks that didn't hold up under the elements of time, but the ruins are pretty amazing. These kinds of experiences are what we really enjoy seeing, Peru's past, certainly more than we're used to seeing in America.

I walked around the Plaza de Armas, took some pictures and then was waiting for Joe to finish up with his meetings. As I was sitting on a bench, a taxi pulled up and a young man got out and came up to me. He said he had seen my name tag and wanted to talk more, asked a few questions and was willing to give me his name, Franco, and number for the missionaries to contact. He spoke English very well but I just wanted Joe to be there.

The other young man we spoke with was our waiter at the restaurant in our hotel.  His name is Jackson.   At the time we were the only ones in the restaurant.  As he waited our table he took a moment and began asking us questions.  He wanted to know why we did what we did.  I explained a who we were and why we were on a mission.  I spoke of the temple to him and its purpose.  He knew about the temple being built and was very impressed with its beauty.  He has an 8 yr. old and his common law wife is ready to have a baby.  I gave him a pass along card and asked him if the missionaries could come by.  He agreed very humbly.   Now we have some follow-up we must do.  

The temple being built in Trujillo has had enormous and profound impact on this area.  When we checked out of the hotel Sunday morning, the receptionist told me how much she loved “our new building”.  She had gone to the open house (Las Puertas Abiertas).  She was so impressed.  She told me that now she is just waiting for the temple in Arequipa to have an open house in three years so she can go.  I didn’t have time to tell her she did not have to wait three years to go into the temple again.  These dear people are truly ready and waiting for the gospel.  We just have to open our mouths and share our testimonies. The new temple will be such a blessing for Trujillo.

We have two missionary couples leaving for home this week and they will be missed, Val and Julene Kendall and Greg and VevaSue Bart. Val and Julene were working with the ESL for the Latin missionaries, encouraging them to learn English as part of their missionary experience. Speaking English will provide more opportunities for success after their mission. Julene has worked with mission presidents, conducted surveys and sent monthly newsletters, and Val is a graphics artist and has created posters and flyers. Greg Bart is a doctor and provides health services for the missionaries throughout the area. VevaSue is his support companion, a down-to-earth American country girl.  Each of them served for 18 months and now we think, we have 18 months to go.

What a week we've had.  Now our travel is finished for a season.  We have one more meeting with our AAAs from central Lima on July 18th.  Our experiences throughout the Area have been incredible and life changing and we are happy we can share with you.

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!