Out of the Office

The office couple returned to the mission yesterday, so we are out of the office after today.  We filled in for 2 1/2 months.  I don't need to be there anymore, but Tim is there this morning updating Elder VanDusen on the the financial stuff.  The Area changed a few things financially while they were gone, so they are going over that today and getting the month end done.  

Last week was quite busy.  It was transfer week and the office has a lot to do to prepare.  We lost 6 missionaries who completed their mission, 2 missionaries for health reasons and 1 missionary who was visa waiting and left for Ecuador.  We then received 20 missionaries on Wednesday.  7 Latinos and 13 Gringos (only 3 of them were Hermanas - 1 Latina and 2 Gringas).

In the meantime, Hermana Sheely (my English Connect instructor), is taking time off.  Her husband who is the 2nd counselor in the mission presidency (and is Gringo), is having health concerns and they are heading to the States to get medical care.  (I sure hope we aren't next.)  In order to teach the Latino missionaries English, we teach a beginning class on Thursdays for an hour and an intermediate class on Fridays using Zoom for both.  Because I don't speak Spanish, Hermana Sheely teaches the classes (she has about 4 years experience teaching these classes), and I take care of all the technology and administrative part of it.  I do join her during the classes and help out where I can.  Now that she can't teach, I am preparing the lessons (powerpoints) and Tim is helping me with the Spanish when we teach together.  So last week I was taking care of the office responsibilities for the transfers, the teaching responsibilities (teaching and admin) and my usual responsibilities (such as the weekly bulletin) all while fighting a sinus infection.

I share this because I want to express how strengthened I felt during that time.  I know my Heavenly Father is watching over and strengthening us.  I tend to feel a lot of anxiety when I'm under a lot of pressure like that, but this time I never felt like I couldn't handle it.  I did at one point, take time out to realize that I had bitten more off than I could chew, and I canceled classes last week because I just didn't have the time or energy because of my illness to prepare the lessons.  But I felt peace about it rather than failure and guilt like I tend to do.  I'm really grateful for the watchful care we are receiving.  By the way, Tim was also sick, and I know he feels the same way I do.  There were days he needed to be in the office and was able to get there.

Here are some fun photos of some of the missionaries that went home:

These are the 20 missionaries who arrived last week:

Let's see.  What else . . .?

Two of the office elders had a birthday last week.  Their pensionista is also our house cleaner, so she invited all of us over for lunch and cake.  One of the office elders is brand new in the office since the transfers.  We worked for a long time with Elder Quispe in the office and he was transferred out.  He's now a zone leader about 6 hours away.  We'll miss him.  

Elder Bruno's birthday.  He's from Lima.

Elder Collin's birthday.  He's new in the office and from Idaho.

For pday this week we went with the Chipmans on a hike to a waterfall just outside Arequipa.  The drive there was just as much an adventure as the hike.  

Shoe repair

We ended up accidently driving down this outdoor market.  It slowed us down quite a bit.

Then we came upon this, which held up traffic.

We came across a little town with the central plaza and church all cities have.

This was a really fun hike.  A lot of stream crossings.  It hasn't rained in months and we came across a few waterfalls until we reached the largest one at the end of the hike.  We'd like to see how much water there is during the rainy season in February and March.

Now that we are out of the office, we are excited to get back into the field.  Our first trip out was with the Mission Leader of the Alto Libertad ward.  We've been out with him before to visit those who aren't coming to church and those who are being taught by the young missionaries.  We were able to catch a couple of people at home.  We also met with a couple of people who were working in their tiendas (small stores).  We tried to meet with a women who is being taught by the missionaries, but she is being treated for cancer and was at the hospital.  We really enjoy that.  

This is the home of a member who helped us out finding people.

This was the home of a member who couldn't see us, but asked us to return.

This is the home of the women with cancer.

And I had to share another photo of a dog on a roof.

And this is just a fun peruvian photo.  We get these guys all the time driving around and blasting through a megaphone peddling whatever.  I think this guy is actually wanting junk.  It can be very disruptive during a church meeting or zone conference.

Two More Weeks in the Mission

It's been two weeks since we were in Tacna.  While there Socrates (the mission driver in Tacna) took us to about 14 pensionistas.  It took us a couple of hours on Thursday after we arrived and all day Friday during zone conference.  We took a lunch break and ate with the missionaries.

We finished up the pensionistas on Saturday morning.  I've probably mentioned before, but the mission pays the pensionistas to feed the missionaries.  The pensionistas sign a contract stating that they will follow certain guidelines in order to avoid the missionaries getting sick.  For example, they don't feed them pork, lettuce, strawberries, and unpasteurized milk and cheese.  And we give them each a water filter for their kitchen sink.  We did our initial visit 6 months ago and wanted to make contact and see how things are going.  Some pensionistas had changed as well, so they hadn't been visited at all.  

This couple is a new pensionista.  He told us he is 80 years old and she is a little younger.  It's a lot of work to feed three meals a day to the missionaries.  Although they do have sister missionaries.

Another dog on the roof during our pensionista tour

We also ate dinner at the hotel with the Chipmans and the Oteros on Friday night.  The Oteros are the senior couple from Lima who have been assigned to Tacna, so we don't see them very much.  They are going gangbusters down there though.  They are fantastic missionaries!

Chipmans, Oteros and Tim and I

The next day, Saturday, was Peru Day.  It's like Independence Day in the States.  The stake there was holding a celebration, so we stopped by.  A lot of dancing and food.  We are a little wary of eating potluck here, so we ate lunch at the hotel.  

                              

The next day we went to Stake Conference in Tacna where the Chipmans spoke.  Tim, Lisa and I arrived early (President was already there), so we waited outside where it was sunny and warm and played with this stray dog.  He liked to chase the reflection of the phone around on the ground.  

After the meeting we left for Arequipa and made it home safe and sound after a 5+ hour drive.  I don't remember if I have described what it's like to drive on the roads here between cities.  They are all 2 lane roads (no freeways) and you can go as fast or as slow as you want.  There is a lot of driving up steep hills behind slow trucks and then straight aways where you can floor it and pass all the trucks you need to.  The drive to Tacna is 230 miles and it takes 5 to 6 hours depending on the traffic.  It would take more like 3+ hours on a freeway.

Here are photos of the last zone conferences:

Zone conference for Pichu Pichu and Misti Zones

Zone Conference for La Costa and Chachani Zones

Zone Conference for Tacna and Ilo Zones (we were out visiting the pensionistas)

I failed to mention that a couple of weeks ago we hosted a Family Home Evening at our home.  Something we've been wanting to do.  The Elders brought a family of 4 over - a mother, son and 2 daughters.  The Elders taught a lesson and Tim and I shared our testimonies.   Then, of course, we served a treat.  They were about an hour late (Peruvian time + traffic), so we couldn't do much more than that because the missionaries have a curfew.  It was a lot of fun and we hope to do that more.  

Anyway, the week was a lot more of working in the office and teaching the missionaries English.  Last week Hermana Sheely couldn't teach, so Tim filled in to help translate for me.  I thought we made a good team.  

We feel pretty tired after a day at the office, so we haven't been making an effort to go out with the missionaries in the evening.  We missed it so this last week we toughened up and arranged to go again to the La Joya branch about an hour and a half away to the Branch Family Home Evening .  Javier took us again.  The President has been concerned about the baptismal font they use out there so this is us checking it out:

They fill it with a hose and its pretty awkward to use.  Also on the other side of that wall is a very far drop which isn't safe for children.  Sometimes they get special permission to baptize in the river nearby which is pretty cold, but very cool. 

This is Elder Orben giving the lesson

Here is the game we played.  Again, it required Spanish so I stepped out and took photos

I got another good video of Tim though:

This is Tim's version of the Chicken Dance.

We also tried to go out with the Hermanas last week.  Just before we left to meet them, President called and asked if we could fill in for a missionary that was sick.  We told him we had already committed to the Hermanas.  Then the Hermanas called and said their appointments had cancelled, so we told them not to worry, that President had asked us to help the Elders.  So we called the Elder who was sick and he said all their appointments were video calls, so he could do it.  So we struck out all the way around 😢.   Tim then went back to the office and got some more work done and I worked from home.

Somewhere along the way we went for a hike with the Chipmans down below the temple on our day off.  We ran into some sheep:

A house built upon a rock

This is the river that runs through Arequipa

The next day we drove out to the coast (La Curva) for a Branch Conference where President Chipman spoke.  

Inside during sacrament meeting

The building where the branch meets

On our last p-day we met Bryan and Alicia for lunch.  She is our friend who was recently baptized and Bryan is her fiance who is a returned missionary.  I believe I've written about them before.  We try to stay in touch and are excited for their wedding.  They were going to the temple after lunch to do baptisms.  We got caught up on some things and then went to dinner with the Chipmans and played cards after.

A couple of other things I failed to report - we have felt 2 1/2 earthquakes since we have been here.  One was about a 7.2 out on the coast of Peru, south of Lima.  It was an unpopulated area and didn't cause much damage.  We are on the 7th floor so our building sways.  It was the middle of the night, but

we happened to be awake enough to feel it.  We felt a smaller aftershock later on that night.  Then we felt an earthquake about the same size in northern Chile.  It also didn't cause much damage because of its location, but those are good sized earthquakes.  A faraway volcano has also erupted, but nothing serious.