The day before the Newmans left for their tour, the Chipman's daughter Allie and her boyfriend arrived. We met up with them for dinner before they all headed out to Lake Titicaca. We plan to also make the trip out there sometime while we are here. It is about 109 miles away, but takes 5 hours to drive there. We had a nice visit with them and took another stroll down to the plaza.
We were treated to a Michael Jackson impersonator
Then Tim and I took the tour of the cathedral on the plaza on p-day. It was very beautiful and quite interesting.
This pipe organ has 1,280 pipes. Someone comes into play it each Sunday at 11:00. It was damaged in 2001 by an earthquake when the roof caved in and has since been repaired.
This was constructed in France in 1879
Mass is held here each Sunday
This is a smaller room where Mass is held each day
Top of the organ pipes
Looking down on the organ
On top of the cathedral with Misti volcano in the background
One of two bell towers
Plaza de Armas down below
Where the roof was repaired after the 2001 earthquake
This last week we went to two Family Home Evenings with sister missionaries in the Misti Zone which we enjoyed. On Wednesday we went to three lessons with the elders in the Chachani Zone. We taught Gustavo who is in his twenties and scheduled to be baptized on May 11. We taught an 8 year old girl and her parents. The parents aren't members but her older brother is and would like to see her baptized. The parents seem to be good with it. We then met up with two sisters at the church. One is a recent convert and the other is taking the lessons. The power was out in the church, so we took chairs outside where it was still light. However, it got dark pretty quick, so we had to use the flashlights on our phones. It got to be too cold for the Peruvian missionary. Missionaries from Lima say it is too cold for them in Arequipa where it is 75 degrees every day.
On Thursday we went out with different elders in the Chachani Zone. We taught a 20 something man about chastity and the Word of Wisdom (guidance for a healthy lifestyle). Then we met with a widow and her daughter who are members. Finally, we taught Alicia who currently lives with her boyfriend. He is a member and a returned missionary. They plan to get married in the next couple of weeks and her date to be baptized is May 25.
They ordered pizza for us. It was a good time!
We also went to immigration on Monday morning to pick up our DNI cards, so we are official now. Our visa expires after 6 months, so we had to get this card (kind of like a green card). It expires 4/11/28, so I guess we are legal until then.
I think that is the worst photo I have ever taken.
We arrived at immigration before it opened and stood in line in the direct sun - no shade nearby. The Latinos were all wearing puffy coats and sweaters. Even coats with fur around the hood. I was dying of the heat in a short sleeved shirt.
After our English Connect class on Thursday, Hermana Sheely asked if I could go with her shopping for decorations for a devotional they were putting on that night for prospective missionaries in their stake. She showed me several banners she wanted to order, as well as buy flowers and tablecloths. The amount of things she wanted to buy would have cost a fortune in the States, so I asked her how much all of that would cost. She assured me it wouldn't be very much. We ordered about 5 large banners which came to $16.00. We also bought bunches of flowers for center pieces which cost about $25.00. I don't really like to shop, but the Peruvian experience was really fun. This is the market where we bought the flowers. I have posted these before, but here is a reminder.
Then outside are rows and rows of small shops on the streets. I need to take photos of the shops. You walk down a street of all shoe shops, then all party supply shops, then all eyeglasses, then barbershops, etc. I asked Hermana Sheely how you know which shop to buy from - there are so many to choose from right next to each other.
In other news, we have a new senior couple in the mission - Elder and Hermana Otero from Lima, Peru. He was a sealer in the temple and she was a temple ordinance worker. They have been here in Arequipa training and just left for their assignment in Tacna. So we have three senior couples in the mission now. The three couples went out to dinner together when they first arrived and then we had dinner at the Van Dussen's (the other couple who work in the office) also. They will be really great for the mission!
Elder and Hermana VanDusen (office missionaries) are in the back and the Oteros are in the front
This weekend the Area President was in town to reorganize a stake presidency - Elder and Hermana Zeballos. On Saturday Tim and I went to lunch at a restaurant near the mission home. The Chipmans were there with Hermana Zeballos and Allie and Jacob. Elder Zeballos was in meetings and couldn't be there. They invited us to join them and during the lunch we became aware that the Zeballos' were good friends with Kailie's (our daughter-in-law) family when they lived in Chile. I texted Kailie and let her know who we were with. Hermana Zeballos asked us to come to the stake meeting to meet her husband later that day, which we did.
At the restaurant with Hermana Zeballos
At stake conference with the Zeballos'
And this is how they decorated for stake conference. These flowers are real.
More fun photos:
They love their dresses here
And their meat
We ate at an authentic Peruvian restaurant. I ordered fish and Tim had a huge chunk of pork that he couldn't finish
Inside one of the many taxis we ride in. They are all 5 speed and drive in crazy traffic. I think the taxi drivers must have very strong left feet.
And finally another roof dog
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