Half Way Through

As of last Monday (October 22) we hit our half way mark.  The time definitely flew by.  

During the last couple of weeks we've said goodbye to 8 missionaries and welcomed 20 new missionaries.  The mission has really been growing lately.  We are up to about 170 missionaries.  In November only 6 leave and we are expecting about 20 again.  

Saying goodbye to the missionaries in front of the Mission Home where the Chipmans live.  Elder Manwaring's (next to President) family arrived a few minutes later.  Tim and I were asked ahead of time to video their reunion.  It went very well and was very emotional.  Most missionaries fly directly home after their mission, but some families come to Peru to meet their missionary here and see the sights.

The new missionaries arrived two days later and they were interviewed and sent to their assigned areas on Thursday.  

The following week Tim went to Liderazgo.  Once a cambio, President arranges for the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders to meet in person for training.  I don't attend because it is all in Spanish and I use the time to prepare for English classes - preparing powerpoints, homework, and taking care administrative stuff.

This involves a 4 to 7 hour bus ride for some of them depending where they are coming from.  The other weeks President holds these meeting by Zoom.

We recently had to send a missionary home to Lima for health reasons.  The Chipmans asked Tim to accompany him home, so he flew out a couple of weeks ago and returned the next morning.  The Chipmans were on the same flight so they could continue on to Ecuador for a mission leader conference.  So they were gone all last week.  They came home just in time for Zone Conferences this week.

Here are some photos of us at Zone Conference.  We attended the two that were here in Arequipa, but did not drive out to Tacna for the third.

We are participating in role play.  The missionaries are teaching us.

Lunch time

I prepared treats for the missionaries who completed and turned in their homework and gave out certificates to those who moved up to English Connect 2.  This is the first zone conference.  Below is the next day (Hermana Chipman took more photos).

Umacollo Zone, Zamacola Zone, Manuel Prado Zone and Selva Alegre Zone

La Costa Zone, Central Zone, Hunter Zone, Paucarpata Zone and Service Missionaries

After zone conference on Tuesday, Tim and I went with the La Costa Zone missionaries to the temple.  They were supposed to go last zone conference, but the temple was closed.  We really enjoy setting this up and attending with them.

We're still going out at night with the missionaries.  Mainly with those in the Alto Libertad Ward.  We lost a missionary who had to return home early (in addition to the missionary Tim accompanied) and another missionary was transferred to the area.

We are visiting an inactive hermana and her daughter

Sometimes we have to squeeze into a taxi.  It's very common here.  Today I saw a young child on a lap in the front seat of a taxi hanging his head out the open window.

More dogs:

This was a new puppy at the home of a member of the ward who we gave a message to below.  She is also in our temple preparation class on Sundays.

The ward asked Tim and I to teach a temple preparation class for new converts.  One of our students is quite elderly and we are excited to go to the temple with her.  We have taught 2 lessons so far.  In addition to the 2 powerpoints I prepare each week for English Connect, I also prepare one for this class.  This hermana is hard of hearing and doesn't see well, so we wanted to put some large visuals up on a screen to help teach her.  Her family members also attend the class.  The ward will also have them meet with the family history specialist so they can bring their own names to the temple.  We feel really blessed to have a temple so close in our mission.