The Lord's Tender Mercies

This is the first weekend we have been home in four weeks. It has been an eventful month. The first weekend in May, we were in Lima for a Conference of all Mission Presidents in the South America Northwest Area, including Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. It is always a great experience to be taught by the Area Presidency. We stayed at the Westin Hotel in Lima and were treated to a lot of delicious food. There was a lot of talk about how we can bless the lives of the missionaries, but in my mind I was thinking what a blessing the missionaries are to me. They inspire me to work harder and to be more dedicated. Many missionaries tell me that they pray for us every day. What a tender blessing to us! This really touches my heart. When I am discouraged, they always make me feel better. They have given me so much encouragement in learning Spanish. They always tell me how well I am doing. It means so much to me. I love these choice young people.

One of the biggest blessings of going to Lima was that they let us go a day early so that we could attend the temple. It had been six months since Mark had been and two and a half months for me, so we were very happy to go. When we first arrived there, they gave us two blue cards that said we had an appointment for the 2:30 pm session. We went to eat a quick lunch, then returned to the temple. Not knowing that the blue card was really important, Mark left with both of them. When I got to the new name booth, the woman asked me for my "tarjeta", which means card. I had no idea what she was talking about and asked if I needed my recommend. In frustration, she finally left to get a worker that spoke English.

While she was gone, I remembered the blue card, and explained to another woman there that I did not have the card, it was with my husband. Next, the English speaking woman came and I explained to her that I did not have the card. Apparently, you are not supposed to be allowed to go on the session without it. The Lima temple is extremely small and there was a big demand that day because it was a holiday. So I needed that card! At this time, another worker came (this is four now) and they explained to her that I did not have my card, it was with my husband. She asked for his name and was just about to leave to retrieve it, when another worker appeared who was the Veil Coordinator (that's a very important position in the temple). She heard my story and said, "It's fine, just let her go. They already have the card by now!"

So I made it through the booth and arrived at the session. By the time I got to the session, though, I was feeling a little discouraged and depressed to be, once again, the stupid person that did not understand Spanish. It's an experience I have had many times here in Peru. But then the session started and the Lord blessd me with an incredible tender mercy. I could understood every word of the session as clearly as if it was being spoken in English and I mean every word. Usually it takes great effort for me to understand native speakers. But not this day. I was blessed with a doubly sweet experience in the temple that day and was able to relax and feel uplifted and inspired, especially because I was blessed with the gift to understand a foreign tongue.

In Lima, we took the opportunity to visit a fountain park. They claim it is the largest fountain park in the world and it was pretty amazing. There are all different types of fountains, all lighted up and four or five splash pads where kids and adults were having a lot of fun getting wet. The main attraction was a row of fountains where there was a show with lights of all colors, lasers and music, traditional and modern. It was very well done and very entertaining. We also had some wonderful frozen yogurt and were treated to hot off the griddle crepes with orange sauce and ice cream. They were delicious! The best part of the trip was rubbing shoulders with such wonderful people and trading "war" stories. We got to spend several hours with the Marlers who will be taking over part of our mission on July 1st. Jenner Brown, nephew of Julie and Tucker, is one of their assistants. They are wonderful people and we feel very assured that we can trust them with our missionaries!

              My husband was so excited to take a selfie!
              


                                            The fountains in Lima were so pretty at night!

The next week we were in Cajamarca for four days for interviews, Multi-Zone Conference, Pensionista Training and Stake Conference. It was an intense four days. I had some great experiences in interviews. I can actually carry on a conversation with the Latino missionaries now and I was feeling like all my efforts to learn Spanish have really been worth it. My favorite question in interviews now is "What have you learned recently in the scriptures?" The missionaries and I have had some very spiritual experiences as we have shared insights and feelings about the scriptures. Most missionaries learn to love the words of Christ when they are serving a mission. That alone will be a great blessing to them throughout their lives. It was our first run through of our Zone Conference and everything went very well. Our emphasis was on using the scriptures in their teaching, working with members and the doctrine of the Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob 5.

                                            Pensionista in Cajamarca. She and her family

                                           own and operate a bakery. Those are two wood 

                                           burning ovens behind us where all the bread is

                                           baked. It is delicious and never burned! The shelves

                                           to the left are always filled with bread every day

                                           of the week, except for the Sabbath.

This is the only modern convenience in the bakery:

Not Elder Lalli, but the huge bread mixer! He is holding

a cake that the pensionista made for us. It was absolutely

amazing! We ate it in the car with our bare hands.

The day of the Cajamarca Stake Conference was Mother's Day. I was showered with special notes and little gifts from the missionaries. They were so sweet! This trip was a little bittersweet for us because it was the last time we will ever be in Cajamrca which means the last time that we will see the majority of these missionaries. Two areas in our mission, Cajamarca and Guadalupe, will become part of the Trujillo North Mission on July 1st. After Conference they gathered around us, lingered and we took pictures with each missionary. Then they followed us out to our car. I will never forget the sight of those sweet missionaries waving goodbye and watching us as we drove out of sight. It really touched (and broke) my heart. They are such wonderful young people that we have had the priviledge of knowing.




                                        Mother's Day gift from my sweet thoughtful husband
                                         waiting for me when we got home from Cajamarca!

The following week we had a Multi-Zone Conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, then on Thursday we headed to Jaen. The group in Jaen is only one zone and 18 missionaries, so it is a little bit smaller, but the Spirit was just as strong. We were able to go to some lessons with four of the missionaries. The sisters I was with taught the gospel very well and taught naturally as a companionship. They used the scriptures and answered questions. I was very pleased with their lesson and got to bear my testimony of Joseph Smith and the living prophet. We did more interviews, trained the Pensionistas and spoke in Stake Conference. At one moment when we were training the Pensionistas, as I stood in the front, for a moment I had the thought, "What in the world are you doing? You are training Pensionistas and talking in Spanish!" Ten months before, I had no idea what a Pensionista was or how to speak Spanish. It is amazing how the Lord is able to work with our weaknesses and use us as instruments in His work.

                                              The big event: Zone Conference! 1 of 4!

We had an experience in Jaen that reminded us that the Lord is always watching over us in this work. On the way home from the evening session of Stake Conference, our brakes went out completely! Luckily we were close to our hotel. We were supposed to drive home the next day after the second session of Stake Conference, but knew that would be impossible without getting our brakes fixed. We had visions of being stranded in Jaen for days. There are hardly any cars in Jaen. so just finding someone to fix the car was a challenge. Thanks to connections in the church, we found a bishop who knew a good mechanic.

                                         
                                            The miracle car with new mattresses for
                                                      missionaries on the top.
           

There is always something that needs to be

fixed when we visit apartments.

The greatest miracle was that the mechanic was able to find the parts to fix the car and by the time Conference started we were ready to go! We have waited for car parts for a month in Chiclayo, which is much larger than Jaen! How this happened, we do not know, but know that the Lord cares for His servants. Our brakes could have gone out when we were on a windy road next to a ledge. This reminds me of a scripture in 1 Nephi 17:3, where Nephi says:"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them." We certainly felt that means had been provided for us to accomplish what we were commanded.

 Youth in Cajamarca practicing for the cultural celebration

 June 20, 2015. Night before the Trujillo Temple Dedication.

We were touched to see them working so hard to

prepare to dance for a prophet.

We have felt the need to emphasize using the scriptures more effectively in our teaching in the mission. One of my new favorite scriptures is D&C 11:21. This is a well known and oft quoted scripture, especially in missionary work. The Lord says. " Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men." I feel the first part of this scripture gets emphasized a lot. Of course it is important to obtain a knowledge of the scriptures before you can teach them. But the part that I was really impressed with is the last part. The power to convince men and change their hearts comes from the Spirit and the word. It's not the Spirit alone or the word alone, but both used together. Missionaries know they cannot teach without the Spirit, but sometimes fail to understand or forget the power of the scriptures combined with the Spirit.

We challenged the missionaries to search the scriptures more diligently and to learn the scripture mastery verses. They are really key scriptures in missionary work and answer a lot of questions and concerns that investigators can have. I really have a testimony that this is true, because I have been in lessons where a spirit of doubt has been changed to one of belief almost instantly when scriptures have been shared combined with testimony. There is power in the scriptures! They change the hearts of men! At times, I think we are afraid that those we teach, investigators or even our own children, will not understand the words of the scriptures. That is why it is our job to teach them what they mean. I believe they can understand anything that the Lord impresses upon their hearts. Remember the experience of Joseph Smith, an unlearned boy, but when he searched the scriptures his heart was touched and changed forever.






                                                      A beautiful garden in Cajamarca.

My husband taught the allegory of the olive tree and reminded the missionaries that this is about them. They are working with the Lord and His prophet to lay up fruit against the season. How exciting it is to know that we are fulfilling prophecy in our day. We are part of the allegory! We will have joy with the Lord in the fruit of His vineyard. What an exciting time to be involved in missionary work. Every member is a missionary! I have talked with many missionaries about the prophecies of Nephi in 2 Nephi about the last days and the gathering of Israel and how exciting it is that we are actually helping to fulfill this prophecy. This has always given me a desire to serve a mission and I am thankful that the Lord has answered this prayer.

Farming in the Andes.

This past week we had a visit from our friends the Sutphins from Rock Springs, Wyoming. Bro. Sutphin was our bishop when we first moved to Wyoming and Mark and I had the opportunity to be their hometeachers for the year that we lived there. When they found out about our call to Peru, they said they would come visit us and they kept the promise! We had some interesting experiences with them. One of the most interesting was a tour of a sugar factory. We saw how tons of sugar cane is brought from the fields, washed and ground down, over and over again, about five times. Finally the cane juice is separated from the by-products. The sugar is made from the juice. The by-products are ground down and burned to power the whole plant. It was pretty amazing and we were covered in soot after we went out in the yard! At times, when the wind is blowing the right direction, we actually get little pieces of black soot on our window sill, from the plant 60 miles from our house!

We also took them to the Pimentel Beach, where we watched fishermen in their little reed boats, fight the waves and go out to check their nets. They got about one or two fish from each one. It looked like a very hard way to earn a living to me. We went to the Mercado Modelo and walked for miles and found some great souvenirs and gifts. Also saw some very interesting sights (like cow guts and chicken feet, my favorite!) Mark took them to the nicest newest park in Chiclayo that is lined with statues of ancient Gods of the native people. We shared some fun meals and good conversation. They tried some Peruvian dishes like ceviche and goat. Friday they left for Trujillo and were able to get into the Open House of the Trujillo Temple which will be dedicated on July 21, 2015.

This apartment literally had the sink

in the shower. No wasted space.

That could save you

a lot of time. 

Recently I have been studying about the Spirit in Preach my Gospel. I have thought a lot about the revelation that we receive to help us in this calling. Like President Monson always says, "When you are on the Lord's errand, you are entitled to the Lord's help." I believe there are also other reasons why we are able to get so much help and inspiration. First, I believe it is because of all the prayers that are offered in our behalf. We have our entire large family praying for us, all 206 missionaries in our mission, and all the members and temples of the church praying for us! We can feel the support of those prayers! Another reason is because the Lord loves the missionaries so much and is so concerned about their welfare. He is relying on us to help them in the areas where they need help and to make sure that their physical needs are met. It has been such a blessing to feel the love and concern of the Lord for His servants. They truly have been called to labor with Him for this last time!

Some of our missionaries live in such luxury. We visited

Elders Oswald and Anderson in La Cria, Pomalca and

were surprised to find them living such a lavish lifestyle!

Most of our missionaries live in one room apartments,

but these Elders have a house all to themselves. Here are 

some of it's features:

Sitting Room with plush furniture.

Custom built tin roof.

Their own private gym!

Private garbage burning area. No messy garbage removal.

Custom made ping-pong table.

If ye are Prepared, ye shall not Fear.

Last week we had "changes". We sent home 5 missionaries on Monday and welcomed 7 new missionaries on Tuesday morning at 8:00 am. This was a smaller group and it is nice because it can be a little more personal. Then at 11:00 am, other transfers and change of companions was revealed to about 100 missionaries. It is pretty crazy. The first couple of times that Mark and I did this, it was pretty hard and we got a little stressed out. But eventually, we figured out what we were doing and it got a lot better. We have learned now to relax and enjoy the process.





                                                A fine group going home: Zone Leaders and
                                                                Sister Training Leaders
                                       



When the new missionaries arrive on Tuesday morning, we have a fun tradition. The first thing we do is take them to the beach! It is the only time on their mission they can go there. The beach is off limits to missionaries. The beach is about 15 minutes from Chiclayo and is in a small town called Pimentel. We take the missionaries down on the beach and have them make a boat out o fa pice of thin paper. Then my husband tells them a story about Fernandez Cortez. In the 1500's he came from Spain to conquer Mexico. Many before him had tried and failed. But this time was different. After getting settled on the land, Cortez commanded his men to burn all the boats. For these men, the decision was either to conquer or die because they were never returning to Spain.



                                               An excited new group at Pimentel Beach

After telling this intriguing story, my husband commands all the missionaries to burn their boats! They are each given a lighter and literally burn their boats. My husband explains that there is no going back and we are all Peruvian now. It is a powerful moment for some. But if nothing else it is really fun! Who knew that a mission could be that fun!

My husband always makes the Assistants get a trash barrel full of water to throw the burning boats in. After getting soaking wet a couple of times, they got smart and started asking people on the beach to fill it up for them. It has been a good thing, as some have been curious about what we are doing and we have been able to make a few contacts!




                                          Those are two huge headless fish hanging from the
                                           trunk of the car. There were two on top also. No
                                           wrap or cover. This was a definite Peruvian
                                                                  moment for us!

The past week has been pretty memorable for us. On Saturday, April 18, 2015, Mark had the priviledge of baptizing a man that he had the opportunity to interview. It was a great occasion. His wife has been a member for a year and three months. She bore a beautiful testimony at the baptism. They also have a six year old son. These to me, are always the best baptisms, that unite a family in the gospel. It is such a beautiful thing for the whole family to be members and to start preparing to go to the temple. This is what missionary work is all about.



                                         
                                              Baptism of Antonino Maldonado Mendeza

On the following Saturday, April 25, 2015, we had the priviledge to witness the baptism of Jose, Lisbeth, Joseline and Daniella. What a wonderful occasion. The Spirit was so strong and there were so many members there to support them. I had the opportunity to play the piano and the hermanas who taught them, sang a duet of "When I am Baptized" and "He Sent His Son". There have been a few times in my fifty three years when I have felt the Spirit so strongly helping me to play each note on the piano perfectly, but this was one of those times. Through music, a beautiful spirit was brought to the baptism. After the baptism all four, individually, bore their testimonies and it was unforgettable, the spirit we all felt. These are true converts to the gospel. They bore their testimonies of the Book of Mormon, of Joseph Smith, of the restoration of the gospel and of Jesus Christ. It was absolutely a perfect day.





                                             The Baptism: Hermana Thruston, Daniella,
                                            Lisbeth, Jose, Joseline and Hermana Hebdon

The morning of the baptism, Jose and Lisbeth were married, after 17 years of living together! It was pretty exciting. After the baptism we were invited to a celebration in honor of them and their marriage. It was our first official "fiesta" that we have attended in Peru and it was pretty fun. Their were decorarions, music and tons of food, including a wedding cake! They kept bringing plates of food around and we were expected to take some. A few times I tried to decline, but Jose got a little upset with me! We had crackers with a cream cheese mixture, potato balls with mustard, wontons with ham in them, little pastry shells with chicken salad and little chocolates with marshmellow in them. Thank goodness, it was nothing too unusual for us. Those were the h'doeuvres. Next we had the main course, greasy fried chicken (a staple in the Peruvian diet), a really good tamale, very moist, but only one bite of chicken in it and a beet and potato salad, which was actually really good. We also had maracuya juice, which is passion fruit and it was very good. I really liked it. I know Eric and Brian really liked that when they were here!

The Newlywed Couple 

Before we left, Jose thanked us profusely for all we had done for them, which really wasn't that much, but I was impressed with his humility and gratitude. He walked us to our car, to make sure we were safe and said that he hoped all of God's choicest blessings would be upon us. That is a touching thing that Peruvians say to family and friends that they love a lot. We had kind of tried to get out of going, but knew that we needed to fellowship these good people. I was really glad that we went. It was a wonderful experience to be with the saints of that ward and feel of their love and their spirit.

Last week was actually a very eventful week for us. We had a Stake Conference the weekend of April 18-19, Changes on Monday and Tuesday, a visit from President Uceda of the Area Presidency, and a Young Women "Standards Night" that we were asked to speak at. I spoke or bore my testimony about seven times this past week. President Uceda met with us for three hours and listened to every thing going on in our mission, listened to our concerns and gave us some very good counsel. It was so nice to talk to him. He is so positive and so kind and he speaks excellent English. He has been a member of the church from the very beginning of the church in Peru and he is very aware of the challenges that are here. He has an incredible amount of experience, wisdom and insight. We will be going on a mission tour with him in August or September.



                                                      A memorable Stake Conference

                                           



The Standard's Night was an interesting experience because we were prepared to talk about modesty and dating and there was only one Young Woman who came. They invited all the women in the ward, so we had a group of about 25 more "mature" women. They were very gracious and polite listening to information about dating and eternal marriage. The idea was to try to get a lot of less active Young Women to to come, but they didn't! We did have the sister missionaries there who invited us, so there were three Young Women who hopefully benefitted from it.





                                            The Young Women and sister missionaries of
                                                the Los Andes Ward in La Victoria Stake

This coming Thursday we will have the opportunity to travel to Lima for a conference for three days. Mostly, we are excited to attend the temple. It has been six months for Mark since he has been able to attend and only 2 1/2 for me, but we are used to going more than that and we miss it. We will be having a new temple dedicated in Trujillo on June 21, same day as the Payson Temple, but it is not in our mission so I don't know if we will be able to attend it. Trujillo is about two and a half hours from Chiclayo.

We have now experienced three earthquakes since we have been in Peru, one in Lima and two while we were in our apartment in Chiclayo. The last one was just Sunday. We are always on the seventh floor of the building and it is a little disconcerting. We can't just run out in the street and I am not jumping from the window as Brian suggested. The buildings here are built the same as those in Nepal, mostly bricks and no steel or support. Pretty much everything would just crumble. We decided after the one on Sunday that we should put together an emergency kit, in case we have to leave fast. It is amazing how much better I feel now that we are more prepared. It is a good feeling to know that we are spiritually prepared, also, for whatever may come. I know the gospel is true and that because of the atonement of Jesus Christ we will live again. I know that I will be with my husband and my family for eternity in the presence of our Heavenly Father and His Son. I have had a strong testimony and faith in our Father's plan for my whole life. The Holy Ghost has born witness to me on too many occassions, that these things are true, to ever be able to doubt.

A Whole New World

I have always wanted to write about the Mercado Modelo (Central Market). Shopping in Peru can be quite a different experience than in the United States. The market is in the center of Chiclayo. From what I understand, every city in Peru has a similar market. There are many goods and services that can only be found in the market. For instance, I decided to sew a skirt and the only place to buy material or thread was at the market. It was the only place we could get ribbon for Christmas. The market is rows and rows of booths with goods and services. In Peru, they have a different mentality about shopping. Services and goods are grouped together. If you want to buy a cell phone, you can go to a sort of cell phone mall with 20 cell phone stores all together. I guess that way you don't have to walk or drive allover the place to compare products or prices. The market is the same. If you want tennis shoes, there are about twenty booths with tennis shoes all lined up in a row. Services are arranged the same. When I went to buy fabric, I passed at least 20 taylors, sewing machines all set up and plugged in, with people busily cutting material and sewing. It's really amazing because they are virtually outside. I think it is convenient to pick out material and then hire someone right there to sew the article of clothing that you want. There are also dozens of shoe making and repair shops.



                                                    They are driving like this! No wasted
                                                                 space ever in Peru!

Other products you can buy at the market: wood products, souvenirs, any type of clothing (shirts, skirts, socks, underwear, bras, all kinds of shoes, flip flops, etc.), toys, party decorations, wrapping paper, jewelry, watches, fresh flowers, dried flowers, craft making products, all kinds of foods; birthday cakes, grains, fruits, vegetables and fresh meat. The meat is not packaged or refrigerated. It is all just sitting out on counters, like many places in Europe. The meat market and smells a bit.  You can find anything there. Chicken feet, chicken guts, cow intestines and utters, hearts, fish, shrimp, octopus, lobster, squid, pork, pork head, beef, tongue, chicken and more. I  try to avoid it, but it seems to be right in the center of everything. You can also get smoothies, pastries, Peruvian dishes, empanadas and drinks. The market is very interesting, very hot, and stuffy, but it is something you need to experience when you are in Peru. It is like a maze and very hard to find your way around. There are no signs or directions.




                                             It's a pig's head and I am not sure what else!

When Eric and Brian came for Christmas, we went to do some shopping at the market. A popular item for kids here in Peru is a crude type of wooden top. After watching two boys ages 4 and 6 play with their tops and throw them down expertly on the pavement, Eric and Brian decided that they wanted to buy one. So we found our way to the wooden products and they both bought a top. The fun part was when they tried to use them and found out it was not as easy as it looked. All of the Peruvians loved watching the Gringos trying to get the tops to work. The top has a string wrapped around it that has to be placed correctly and unwound properly in the way it is thrown down in order to get the top to work. Several men came by and offered tips and advice about how to work the tops. It was pretty funny. I think my boys are still trying to figure out how to work them!

Last week I had an interesting experience with an hermana in the mission. She called me because she had a cold sore on her lip and wondered what she could do to help it get better. I suggested a cream that she could buy at a Pharmacy. So she went to buy the cream and the person attending her told her that she needed two other medications. She bought the medicines and then called me to make sure they were okay. I had never heard of them before, so I told her I would do some research to see what they were. I looked around and felt a little uncomfortable with them. I called Dr. Bart, our area medical advisor and asked him what he thought about the medications. He said they were not appropriate for a cold sore. So they sold her two medications that would not help her in any way. Pharmacies are a little different here. So are the laws regulating them. I advised her that she probably should not take them!

I had the opportunity to help teach Jose and Liseth and their two daughters, Daniela and Joseline. The lesson was on the creation and the Word of Wisdom. What a great thing to teach! The whole family has a baptismal date now for April 25th. The plan is that Jose and Liseth will be married on April 25th. In Peru, in order to help more couples get married, they have group weddings that are much less expensive and less paper work. They are called "Matrimonio Masivos", (massive marriages.) So they will be married in one of these ceremonies and then be baptized the same day. So far, they are doing very well, attending church every week and all the many activities of the church. Last Sunday, I saw the girls and it was the first time I had seen them in dresses. They looked so nice. It has been so amazing to watch them progress. There has especially been a great change in Liseth. In the first lesson, she did not participate at all and acted as if she was not very interested. But that has totally changed. She is very engaged and participates in all the discussions now.

The lesson on the Word of Wisdom went very well. That day as I was studying and preparing, I felt strongly impressed to share the experience of my brother Bobby with throat cancer. He was diagnosed with it when he was only 39 years old, which is highly unusual. Basically, I shared that he was healed and his life spared from a horrible cancer and brutal treatment that included painful radiation, chemotherapy and a tube in his stomach for nutrition. He was unable to eat for aobut two months. Every time I read the last verse of the Word of Wisdom, D&C 89:21, I think of him. It says: "And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them." Bobby has lived the Word of Wisdom all his life and was totally worthy of that blessing. I bore my testimony that the promises and blessings of the Word of Wisdom are true and we all felt the Spirit and were very touched by the truth of this scripture. Liseth said, "It really shows that God exists, doesn't it?" Sharing past experiences in Spanish is difficult for me and something I am working on, but the Lord truly blessed me with the gift of tongues and they understood the meaning of the experience through the Spirit.



                                                          A fine group going home!

The water causes some challenges for our missionaries. They get mosquitos bites and they get infected. One hermana has had terrible infected bites and then she fell on her knee and had a terrible huge scratch and that got infected too. Stomach infections and parasites cause problems also, even though the pensionistas use only bottled water. At the beginning of the month, two missionaries went to do service and were very hot and thirsty. They had not brought water with them and they were offered water that they knew was probably not filtered. One missionary declined drinking the water, but the other missionary drank it and thought he would be okay. He got violently ill; diarrhea, throwing up massive amounts and a temperature of 106 degrees. When I found out, I sent him immediately to the hospital. He ended up being admitted for one night where they had to keep his temperature down and keep him hydrated with an IV and medication. He was doing better the next day, but I don't think either of those missionaries will ever drink unfiltered water again!

Parasites cause problems like stomach aches, nausea and diarrhea. Some missionaries have stomach issues for their whole mission, but they refuse to give up! Other issues: There have been dozens of ingrown toenails. Usually they are infected by the time the missionaries give in to getting treatment. We have dealt with lice and fleas on many occassions and dog bites too. It is amazing to see the sacrifices missionaries make and their dedication to the work. They just keep on going no matter what.


                                               The sweet fruit of sacrifice and diligence!

Yesterday we interviewed two missionaries who are serving in a very small town, of about 6,000 people and the whole town is without running water. The water main to the pueblito broke. A big truck with a tank comes with water about once a week and the water is rationed. The missionaries only get two buckets of water every two days in order to bathe and flush the toilet. And they say it looks and smells terrible! After their interview's, we brought them to our home to take a shower and have a bowl of fruit loops with cold milk. That is a real treat for our missionaries! I think they felt a little revived and rejuvenated. They were hoping the water would be fixed when they returned to their apartment. Everyone please keep your fingers crossed!


                                                          Gorgeous views of Chota!

Last week was challenging for me. It was extremely busy and I also got sick. We had our Leadership Council on Tuesday which is an all day meeting. Mark had three meetings with stake Presidents that night, then for the next three days we had interviews with 28 missionaries a day. In the midst of all of this, I had another bout with diarrhea and severe migraine headaches. Then, also, Wednesday night, while Mark was at another meeting, our water filter in our bathroom broke, so in the midst of everything else, with very little time, Mark was trying to fix the water. One night it flooded our bathroom. We kind of felt like everything was against us. At the end of the week we were exhausted and Mark had to leave to go out of town for two days. He went to a small branch named "Chota" to call a new Branch President. As we talked when he returned home, I told him the good thing about last week is that this coming week has to be better!

  

President at work - every six weeks!

The Board. Where all change happens.

                                             

There are so many things I have learned to be thankful for that I totally took for granted in the past. Some of these include: clean water, windows with screens, insulated windows, carpet, beautiful floors, painted walls, comfortable furniture, air conditioning, heating, nice fabric stores, backyards and front yards, (the kids here play in the streets), paved roads and clean streets. There are so many foods I am grateful for: Any kind of lettuce, baby spinach, fresh milk, creamy yogurt, cheddar cheese, whole wheat bread, croutons, canned soup, sour cream, cottage cheese, lemons, to name just a few. On Easter I realized how thankful I am for white eggs. I love the beautiful colors of dyed Easter eggs, but there is only one kind of egg here: brown. You cannot color a brown egg! Eggs come in one size and one quantity: 15. I am thankful for holidays, special days, decorations and all the fun traditions we have in the United States.





                                                 Homemade ladder. He was way up there.

Easter was pretty special for us because we did get to focus more on the true meaning of the day. Everyday, the week before Easter, we had the opportunity to read about the events in the Savior's life and follow His course to Gethsemane and Golgotha. Our beautiful Easter Book, made by our sweet sister-in-law Eileen, made it easier to visualize all the events. What a week it was for the Savior! I tried to imagine what it was like for Him to know for so long ahead of time the ordeal that He would go through. There are many things in life that I dread doing, but nothing in comparison to what he was going to experience. It is the first Easter that neither Mark or I had one piece of Easter candy, but amazingly, we still felt the same joy of the triumph of His Resurrection. What a blessing to have the Spirit of Peace from Conference fill our home. We have so much to be thankful for and it is all made better through the Atonement and the Grace of Jesus Christ.

It's all about Perspective

I'm tired of summer now. Ready to move on. February and March have been pretty hot and humid. We range from 62% to 100% humidity. It gets really high when it rains. The past week, it has rained almost every day and it is a mess; no drains, dirt roads and moto-taxis. It is not a good mix. The weather in Chiclayo, for the most part is really quite pleasant. It is mild and temperate for a good part of the year. Even when it is warm, it always cools off in the evenings. It's just the humidity that can kill you and the fact that air conditioning is almost non-existent. When you get in a small room, with no ventilation, you feel like you could suffocate. Shopping is miserable. There are only about three stores in the mall with air conditioning, and they are my favorite ones. The rest of them are sweat boxes. Air conditioning in homes does not exist, but we have some air conditioning units in our apartment! We have units in five rooms of our apartment. The kitchen, laundry room, exercise room and all 5 bathrooms have no air conditioning. I really hate cooking right now. Our kitchen feels like a sauna! It is a place I just try to avoid whenever possible. Recently, a native Chiclayan woman told me that it will start cooling down very soon. I am still waiting.

My idea of a small house has really changed now. We thought our house in Wyoming was pretty small with 3 small bedrooms and 21/2 baths. It really changes your perspective when you visit a family of five that is living in a one room apartment. They were recent converts to the church. They had literally one room and shared a common bathroom with many other people. They had two twin beds pushed together in the corner where all five of them slept. They had three chairs. We, the missionaries, sat on the chairs and they all sat on the beds. They had one dresser, one set of shelves and one table with a cook stove and a small refrigerator. No sink or running water in the apartment. Just two adults with three children that were well fed, well dressed and read the scriptures very well. Peruvians, especially the women, are so resourceful. They are able to do so much with so little. I really respect them for that.

Each Sunday I look around church and marvel at how well the saints always look, because I know that many of their houses have dirt or dirty cement floors. You always know if missionaries are praying with the families they teach. Preach my Gospel asks them to have a kneeling prayer at the end of the lesson. Their suit pants are always dirty! Most of the saints live on dirt roads and walk to church. Some have no running water to bathe in. Some of the smaller, more remote areas in our mission only have water for certain hours of the day. So you have to fill up and be prepared when those times come. We have missionaries who take showers with a drain and a bucket.

                                                                We love our sisters!

Summer has been brutal for the missionaries. They come into the mission office with bright red cheeks. They have no air conditioning in their apartments, but they do have a good fan. Of course, there is the hot sun and the humidity, but there are also hundreds of mosquitos. I cannot describe what some of the sister's legs look like. They are covered in huge bright red mosquito bites and many of them get infected or have allergic reactions which are very painful. It is not a good thing when it rains here. It makes big mud puddles of water and more mosquitos. Imagine horrible dirt roads with huge craters in them. Now imagine those same roads with huge puddles of water. When it rains, the mud puddles are very difficult to get around. It is simply a mess! Normally it does not rain a lot here, but March has been an exception.  Those are not days when you really want to go out. Twice it has rained on Sunday when my husband was gone and I had to walk to church. Thank goodness all the roads from our apartment to the church are paved. But the humidity last Sunday was awful. I was dripping sweat all over the piano and my hair was soaking wet!


                                             "Sisters, sisters, never such devoted sisters!"

I have had some amazing experiences teaching with sisters. It has been such a great experience to be in lessons where investigators had sincere questions like, "Why do we need a prophet today?" or "Why do we need the Book of Mormon?" and then see how our study, preparation and the Spirit guided us in what to say and how to answer their questions. I have realized that I do have the authority to teach because I have been set apart as a Missionary. It was amazing to me, the answers that came to my mind. It was especially amazing that I found the words necessayr to explain my thoughts in Spanish. The gift of tongues is so real. The most exciting thing that I learned is how necessary and powerful the scriptures really are. They answered every question that the investigators were struggling with. The most vital to know are the scripture mastery scriptures that the church has emphasized in seminary. They are the key to many concerns.

One investigator named Jose, wondered out loud what was different about the Mormon Church from all the other churches and why we needed the Book of Mormon. I told him I believed that we need the Book of Mormon because it is another witness of the Bible. It confirms that the BIble is true. It is such a simple concept and something that I have always known, but something I had studied in Preach my Gospel that day and felt impressed to share with him. Preach my Gospel says, "Far from competing with the Bible, the Book of Mormon supports it, exhorts us to read it, and testifies of the truthfulness of its message." Such a profound truth. That simple idea was "delicious" to him and saw his faith and his desire to know more increase from that moment on. Peruvians are very religious people and they love the Bible.  I also told him that there are many false doctrines in the world and the Book of Mormon teaches us the truth. I had him read 2 Nephi 28:7-9. He agreed that those words were true and said that he has friends who think it is okay to drink and to steal, but he said, "Those things are not right." The power of the sciprtures convinced him of the truth. At the end of the lesson, he gave a beautiful, sincere prayer and at the end of the prayer he had tears running down his cheeks. We knew the Spirit had touched his heart through prayer and the Word of God.

The rest of the story; I happened to be at that building for church, where those sister missionaries meet and serve, the following Sunday. I was looking for them to get a report about another lesson they had taught. I was happened to be looking at the door at the moment when Jose walked in with his entire family; his "wife" and two teenaged daughters, 14 and 15 years old. I had the priviledge of greeting them and welcoming them to church. Jose was wearing a full suit, a shirt and tie, very unusual for an investigator. He said, "How do I look? Just like a Mormon, right!" He was very proud of how he looked. It was so cute! The talks that day were perfect and testified of several things we had talked about in the lesson. In Gospel Essentials class, they were all totally engaged and interested in the lesson on the Plan of Salvation. I kept thinking, I hope they are hooked! It was wonderful to feel the joy of knowing you may have been an instrument in some way in helping someone find the truth, D&C 18:15,16. I don't get to experience that side of missionary work very much, (my own fault) but hopefully I will more in the future, because it is very fun and rewarding!

Now the funny part of the story. The "wife", Lisset, cares for her 96 year old great aunt in their home. Sometimes homes here are arranged in very interesting ways. The aunt's bed was right there in the corner of the "living room." She was sound asleep and many times during the Joseph Smith story she would snore right out loud. Then she started talking in her sleep and they would laugh at her. It added some fun sound effects to the story! It was pretty funny! The great aunt had been Lisset's excuse for not coming to church in the past. When they came to church the first time, I asked her who was with her aunt and she said, "Oh I got someone else to watch her."

We have talked many times in the mission, that when people become truly converted, they overcome all the obstacles to memebership in the church. It is something that Elder David L.Evans talked about at our Mission President's seminar. He said that in missionary work, we always talk about problems in the culture that impede the work. He also said that every culture has problems. They are just different. However, when people become truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, then all the cultural problems go away because they are willing to make changes in their lives. It is so true! The sad part of the story of Jose and Lisset and their family is that they are not legally married. They can never progress and be baptized until they get married. I think they are becoming converted, so hopefully they will repent and change their lives.

Sunday, the whole family came to church again. I cannot wait to see their progress and how they change their lives. Investigators in our Area are required to attend church for at least three Sundays all three hours in order to be illegible for baptism. Another investigator that I taught, Francisco, came to church yesterday also. His Dad was the one who felt that maybe we don't need prophets today. The sisters gave him a copy of the Proclamation on the Family. He started to read it and said, "This is beautiful and amazing. There are so many families today with so many problems." I told him that was exactly the reason why we need prophets and that the whole document was written by prophets. He was very surprised and impressed. We read Hebrews 13:8, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and always. I told him that if Jehovah needed a prophet in ancient times, then he still needs one today. He agreed that this is true! Once again, the power of the scriptures convinced him of the truth!

                                                             Common sites in Peru

My husband had an exciting trip this weekend. It is the first trip he went on without me. We decided I should stay in Chiclayo for several reasons. He traveled with the Assistents and his counselors to a very small remote area in our mission called Celendin. He needed to call a new branch president. That is a story all in itself, but the trip home was the most exciting part. It had rained a lot while they were there and the roads were very treacherous on the way back home, lots of mud and rock slides. Elder Lalli had just mentioned that if a rock hit them, he was the one who would die! Then the windshield was hit by a boulder about the size of a softball. Little shards of glass covered the dashboard. Another one hit the side of the car. You can see the results in the pictures. We are just glad that Elder Lalli lived to tell about it. He entitled these pictures "Elder Lalli Rocks!" I think he got that right!

These past, almost nine months, have been very difficult for me and I have struggled with many things. I think I am learning to enjoy the things that are good about being here. One of those "good parts" is that I have the opportunity to work with my husband and spend more time with him each day. I have always wanted Mark to be able to come home for lunch. But with his teaching schedule and distance, it has never been possible. Now, his office is 1/2 mile away and we always eat lunch together and usually every meal together everyday! It is fun to talk about all that has happened, because there is always a lot! Being on this mission has helped me to love and appreciate my husband more. He is an amazing man with such a pure and honest heart. His only desire is to do what is right; what the Lord wants him to do. I have realized more what a blessing he is in my life and how many times he has been the answer to so many of my prayers. He really is an angel to me. I am so grateful that the Lord loved me enough to give me him. I am grateful for the experiences I am having and am excited to see the blessings that continue to come.



                                            Mark had a new friend in the room with him!

Wedding Bells and Blues

Saturday night, we enjoyed the Open House of Brian and Megan via Facetime. It was such a great occassion to have the opportunity to visit with family and friends. Some of those we got to talk to: My Aunt Diane, cousin John and his wife Tasha from Sandy; Jan, Flo and Amy Bright from Kennewick, Washington; Matt and Andy Dame, who we knew in Florida Florida, Connie Pelfrey (Mark's college friend), The Cannons (Brian's mision president and wife), Kay and Susan Page of Riverton (missionary companion), all of Mike and Pam's family, who are always so supportive and all of Mark's brothers and sisters. It was so good to talk to all of them and we really appreciated Mike and Pam opening their home for the Open House and all their help with Brian while we have been away.

Our youngest son Brian was married in the Newport Beach Temple on February 14, 2015. It was such a memorable occasion. Many have asked about my trip back to the United States and what it was like. Some of the questions have been: Was it weird being in the United States? Did you feel guilty? What was the food you most wanted to eat? What was the first American food that you ate? Well the answer to those questions is: No, it felt wonderful, normal and natural! No, I felt wonderful, normal, natural and exactly where I should be at the time! (With my family) Cheescake. A burrito at Tacotime. Eric and I arrived at the airport about the same time and were picked up by Lisa and Hayden. We mentioned that we were pretty hungry. Lisa asked where we would like to eat. I saw a Tacotime and said to go there. Lisa said, "No, you don't want your first meal in the United States to be there:" I said, "Are you kidding?! This is amazing to be able to drive up to a Tacotime, order a burrito, receive it in two minutes and it eat in the car! This is not even possible in Peru!" That was the best Burrito Supreme I have had in years!

We were able to spend five nights in a beach house with our almost our entire family. Mark was not able to come, but it did include all thirteen of our grandchildren and it was wonderful! Most importantly, we had some time to visit with our family. My Dad and Linda were able to come from Utah, also my brother Tim, my brother Bobby and family and my sister Charlene and family. We also were blessed with the company of Mike and Pam, who just fit in perfectly with our whole wild crew. We relaxed and played on the beach, made donut runs to Newport Donuts, went to the temple with Megan, had dinner at Balboa Pier with both the Williams and the Greenwoods, rode the ferris Wheel and danced with hula hopos (CJ is the hula hoop champ).

We attended all the wedding festivities including the temple ceremony, lunch at a Mexican Restaurant with all my family and dinner and reception at a ranch just outside of Bakersfield, California. It was a perfect week and a perfect day for Megan and Brian. The dinner and reception were beautiful and perfect with words spoken, feelings shared, tears shed and dances danced. What a great night! Mark was able to join some of the festivities with the help of Chris and Facetime. He made sure that his voice was still heard even though he was not there! We appreciate all the hard work and planning of Megan and her Mom. My only complaint was that I did not get a piece of cake. And everyone kept telling me how good it was!

                                      My Dad and my baby brother Tim, 16 years younger
                                   


I also had the priviledge of  flying to Indiana with Lisa, Hayden and their family and spend four very fun days in Indianapolis. Lisa and Hayden have a beautiful home and live in a very nice area. They have a huge backyard and a beautiful neighborhood. It did not feel like I was in a big city. Lisa and I went to the Children's Museum, which was incredible, with Beckham, Ellery and Coast. We even got to ride the carousel! Lisa and Hayden treated me to Cheesecake Factory (yes, I had cheesecake) and Red Lobster, two of my favorite places. They also had record cold days while I was there, -25, so I got a very diverse taste of two completely different climates. I also had a dental checkup and physical exam on the insistence of my husband. He really likes to make sure I am well taken care of.

The only part of my trip that was not perfect was not having my Eternal Sweetheart by my side. It was not Valentine's Day for me without him there. We all missed him very much. Eric had the priviledge of being a witness to the sealing in my husband's place, but it was hard to look over and know that Mark was not there. I only had one breakdown. Just too bad it had to be in the temple endowment session in front of a lot of people, but after that I was okay. I think I even missed Mark more at the reception when many feelings of love were expressed in our family. It was strange to look around on the dance floor and realize that I had no one to dance with. I have to thank Eric for filling in with a lot of things and making sure I was taken care of all day. My husband has set such a good example for my sons of what a husband should be and how he should treat his wife. I have no doubt that Eric and Brian will be superb husbands if they follow in the footsteps of their father.

Sunday was a hard day for me. Little "Cutter Mark Brown", our thirteenth grandchild, was blessed on Sunday, March 1. We have never missed any other Brown blessing in Cheyenne, Wyoming. So I have to admit that I mourned a little bit that day. But there have been so many blessings to outweigh the sacrifice. I have never felt such relief and gratitude for a safe delivery as I did the day that Cutter was born. When Julie started her labor, the fluid was brown, which is not a good sign. I was worried all through the night. The next morning, when Cutter was born perfectly normal, without any problems, I knew that the Lord had granted us a special blessing. How thankful I am that all of my son-in-laws are worthy priesthood holders who bless the lives of their families and are worthy to give them blessings. I am grateful for children who are teaching my grandchildren the gospel by holding family home evening and scripture study. We are also so blessed to have the technology that we can see and speak with our family anytime that we want or need to. It has really made this separation so much easier.


It was a blessing for me to attend a Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, partake of the sacrament the exact same way that we do in the United States and feel the same strong spirit. I was uplifted and comforted by the testimonies that were born and the sweet spirit that was present in the meeting.  I am grateful for the words of the scriptures and of the hymns that speak peace to my heart on occasions when it is troubled.

More holiness give me, More strivings within,

More patience in suffering, More sorrow for sin,

More faith in my Savior, More sense of his care,

More joy in his service, More purpose in prayer.

I do know that my Savior lives and that he suffered and died for me. I know that it is only through His help and His strength that I can overcome my challenges and my weaknesses. It is because of my knowlege of Him and what he has done and suffered for me, that I want to serve. I hope that I can be a more humble and willing servant.