Traditions, Travels and Training

           Changes! Always great to be together!



My husband and I feel like we have been through some kind of strange initiation now because we have both had a root canal here in Peru. I actually had two, but my husband was the most brave because he was the guinea pig and had his first. He went to two other dentists and finally found this endodontist who is fantastic. We recommend him to everyone. His name is Dr. Noa. He is very professional, honest and skilled. His office is pretty modern too. We have had no problems with our teeth since having the procedures. What a blessing! We would not be able to serve if we were in pain or our teeth were rotting out!




                                                                  Missionary Life

The President is always fixing something!

I learned something I didn't know during interviews in July. It is customary and expected that any person working on or in your house will be given food. For example, a missionary was telling me that a sister in their ward was supposed to help with an activity, but did not show up. Another woman explained that the sister could not come because she had men putting a new roof on her house and she was expected to cook for them. When we first came to Peru, we kept going to our refrigerator to get leftovers and they were always gone. I thought my maid was throwing them away because most Peruvians do not keep leftovers. One day my husband walked in the kitchen during lunch and realized our maid was following this same pattern. He said, "Edna is sitting in the kitchen eating the same things we are!" We now understand that this is a normal custom here in Peru. We are responsible to feed her each day because she works in our house. I still wish we had those leftovers to eat!

Our favorite restaurant here in Peru is right across the street from our apartment building. We watched the whole process of it being built. It is very nice not to have to fight the downtown traffic and just walk across the street to eat. Although it is taking our lives in our hands to cross the busy street we live on! The food is very delicious. They make two salads that I love, the "Maximum Salad" and the "Tropical Salad".  They also have imported beef from the U.S. The steaks are fried, not grilled, (very unhealthy), but they have such a delicious flavor. They are always tender and cooked perfectly. The waiters and waitresses always fight over us because they know we will give them a big tip. That is not customary here in Peru. Tips are not expected and are rarely given. We like to give them as much as we can to help them out. They work so hard here for very little.




                                                               A Missionaries shoes.
                                                                They work so hard!
                                             

                                                       Going Home with worn out shoes.

Yesterday we went to the Central Market to buy some material and ribbon for making some Christmas gifts. I was looking for some brightly colored Peruvian tablecloths that they make here. While we were looking for them, (of course, they were very difficult to find) several people directed us to a back street right outside the market. There are other markets surrounding the main market and they are just like zoos, literally, so chaotic, dirty and congested. We passed by dozens of cages full of turkeys, chickens, chicks, rabbits, quinea pigs, pigeons, ducks and free roaming roosters walking around on the sidewalks and cockle doo dooing. Like I said, it was a zoo! Just amazing. On our way back, after not finding the tablecloths, just as I walked by one of the roosters, it let out a very loud cock-a-doodle doo! It scared me to death and I jumped and let out a little yell. I think the Peruvians thought that was funny; the American lady afraid of the roosters!

                                              Sisters, Sisters, never such devoted Sisters.

These markets are so essential and important to Peruvian life. They could not survive without them. Many people rely on the fresh food and meat, everyday, because they do not have refrigeration. All those animals in the cages are sold and raised by the people for food. Practically anything that moves here is eaten, except for dogs and cats. And there are hundreds of them roaming the streets.



                                           Animals always everywhere. Love the cows.

Last month we had interviews; 130 to be exact.We also made a trip to Jaen to interview 16 missionaries serving there and to visit a branch in a small town called San Ignacio. This is the most northern unit in our mission. This are is absolutely gorgeous. The drive was so scenic and beautiful. Green mountains, palm trees and other vegetation. It was our first time visiting there. The Saints were so warm and receptive and we were impressed with the strength and size of the branch. The Spirit was strong in testimony meeting and the lesson in Gospel Doctrine was amazing, the best I have heard in Peru. The teacher had visual aids, an object lesson and was a very effective teacher. He was enthusiastic and funny. Every time somebody read a scripture, as they were reading, he would yell out, "Ah hah!", as if we had just discovered something amazing. Mark and I couldn't help chuckling every time he said it, because he did it so much, He obviously had a great love for the scriptures. I did not realize until then that they say "Ah hah" in Spanish, but I guess they do! It was a great privilege to be there and many thanked us for coming and bearing our testimonies.




                                                        A giant woman welcomed us to
                                                           San Ignacio! Not sure why,
                                                              but it's a good picture.

                                                              Giant Man at the park

                                                       

                                                       
A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity and privilege of attending a very special baptism. The spirit and joy of the gospel were so strong in the meeting, that I am sure, now that I think about it, there were others there from the other side. The woman being baptized was probably in her early sixties. She is the mother of two children. Her husband died from head trauma when he was very young. She was left to raise her two children on her own. I have no idea how she supported herself, but I am sure it was not easy. Then, three years ago, her adult son passed away. Since then she has had health problems and suffered from depression. But now the gospel has changed her whole life. Depression has been changed to joy with the knowlege that her family can be eternal and she can see her loved ones again. She has hope and peace in her life. Her goal is to go to the Trujillo Temple in one year. I can't even imagine what that day will be like for her, to kneel in the temple with a proxy and be sealed to her sweetheart. After the baptism, as I congratulated her, she took my hand and expressed her deep gratitude for the gospel. Everyone there wept for joy together. I have never been to a baptism like that in my life.

               
                                                   Baptism of a Mom and her daughter.

We just finished our Zone Conference this past week. We love spending that time with the missionaries, but it is also a relief when it is done. It takes hours of preparation to get it all pulled together. This time we focused on three talks by Elder Bednar, "Ask in Faith", "Converted unto the Lord", and "Seek Learning by Faith". Elder Bednar will be visiting our mission on August 29th and we are all pretty excited. He will hold a meeting with our missionaries for three hours and has asked us all to read those articles to prepare for his visit. We want them to be well prepared for this special experience. We all learned a lot about prayer, faith, testimony and conversion. This was our first Multi-Zone Conference that we only held for two sessions, instead of four, now that our mission is smaller. It was pretty nice. We did not have to do any traveling. The missionaries from Jaen came to Chiclayo and joined with three other Zones. Each Conference had four zones combined. Each one lasted for about six hours.


                                             We could not do anything without our Office
                                                          Elders. (For Sister Banks!)

I don't know why some things come so easily and others are a great struggle. I spoke about President Benson's talk on Pride and from the very beginning I felt so much opposition in speaking about this topic. I had doubts about understanding the article and speaking about it. I had doubts about having time to prepare, etc. In the end, I had plenty of time to prepare and was able to understand the words, but still doubted my ability to speak in Spanish. I spent several hours preparing a powerpoint presentation. The day of Zone Conference, I felt sick with fear. I was so afraid to speak in Spanish. While I was waiting for Mark to give his introduction and give my presentation, I realized that we had never sent my powerpoint from the home computer to Mark's laptop. So in other words, we did not have any of my visual aids. Right at that moment, when I realized that, I should have been in a total panic, but I had the most profound feeling of peace come over me. I felt and knew that everything would be fine and I felt no fear at all anymore. Just great peace and calm. It was an amazing experience. I was able to adjust my talk and do it competely different on the spur of the moment with the Lord's help. It went very smoothly and well. I felt so blessed. The Lord is so merciful!


                           

Zone Conference. It's always wonderful 

to be with the missionaries.

The next day, I did my presentaion again, and I struggled a lot. But when I began to bear my testimony, the words began to flow with no struggle at all. I have had this experience  on so many occasions in meetings with the missionaries. Especially when I meet with the Hermana Leaders. The words just flow out of me when I am bearing my testimony, with hardly any effort or thinking about it. The gift of tongues is real. I know, because I have felt it. The Lord knows that missionaries need to be buoyed up and edified and we are always blessed with an outpouring of the Spirit. I know this work is true and that it is the work of God, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." We are trying to spread the most important message in all the world; the message that Jesus Christ lives and directs His church and that he suffered and died for each one of us. Every single person on earth needs to know this! I am so thankful for the wonderful young adults of this church who are willing to do this important work. If there is one thing I have learned here, it is that missionary work is not easy. These missionaries are so dedicated and diligent. They are such an example to me. I know the Lord watches over, protects and cares for them in every way. They are loved!



                                               Just knocking another door! So dedicated!

Dedicated Builidngs and Dedicated Saints

Yesterday, (June 21, 2015), was the dedication of the second temple in Peru, the Trujillo Peru Temple. What a great event it was for the people of Peru. Church was cancelled in all of Peru and the dedication was broadcast to every Stake Center in the country. President Uchtdorf dedicated the temple with Elder Bednar assisting him and four seventies. President Uchtdorf told the Saints that the Lord must be pleased with the people in this temple district or he would not have chosen to put a temple there. He got very emotional when he said this. It touched my heart because I have come to love the faithful Saints here so much and feel their dedication to the gospel and love for the Lord.



The dedication was done in three sessions at 9:00 am, 12:00 noon and 3:00 pm. It was a very full day for everyone. It was so amazing to walk into the chapel full of people and feel the reverence that was there. I was so impressed. You could not hear one person talking. As soon as we sat down, I had the same peaceful feeling that I always have in the temple and I knew that we really were an extension of the House of the Lord. We don't have the opportunity to attend the temple often, so it gave me great joy to feel that wonderful feeling. There was a video going of pictures of temples and scenes from the inside with the tabernacle choir singing hymns. Finally, the scene changed to the Celestial room of the Trujillo Temple and it was almost like we were there. It was so beautiful!

All of the Stake Presidents in the entire temple district and their wives were invited to attend. All of the wives of the General Authorities were also in attendance. Each session had a choir of local Saints. The music was inspiring. The morning session began with Elder Bednar conducting. First, of course, was the Cornerstone Sealing Ceremony which is always fun to watch. All of the General Authorities and their wives contributed to the sealing of the mortar. President Uchtdorf directed this and his comments were always positive! Every now and then he would throw in some Spanish words, so then the translator would speak in English. It was great. Five children were asked to come and add some mortar and the Peruvian Saints were very excited about that. They took pictures of two little girls who were so beautiful and precious!

We had the priviledge of listening to the Temple President and his wife, the matron, Pres. Uceda and Pres. Uchtdorf. I was so impressed with the sweet testimonies of the Temple President and his wife. She shared the story of her conversion of when "the missionaries knocked on her door", about reading the Book of Mormon one day and knowing it was true and then praying and receiving a witness that the gospel was true. Her testimony was so simple and so sincere. Stories like hers always touch my heart because this is the work we are doing. It helps me to remember why we are here and why it is such a great priviledge to serve. Pres. Uceda gave such great counsel to the Saints. As I have mentioned before, he has lived in Peru his whole life and was here in the very beginning of the work in Peru and he understands the needs that are here. He counseled the Saints 1) Have a visible picture of the temple in your home. 2) Buy your own ceremonial clothes now. 3) Always have a temple recommentd. Don't ever let it expire. 4) Fill out the "My Family" booklet and do the work for your family members. 5) Attend the temple often. That is great counsel for all of us!

President Uchtdorf talked about being dedicated to the work of the gospel. He also mentioned Father's Day and that this Father's Day we were honoring our Heavenly Father by dedicating another House to His name. He reminded us we are all children of Heavenly Father and that we are all one great family in all the earth. Serving here in Peru and associating with the Saints has truly strengthened my testimony of this. Next was the dedicatory prayer, read by Pres. Uchtodorf and the Hosanna shout led by Elder Waddell. Jose, our friend who was baptized two months ago, was sitting in the back of the chapel which was filled with people all the way back and onto the stage. He told us that during the Hosannas, as he looked around and saw all the Saints waving their white hankerchiefs, for a minute he felt like he was in Jerusalem when the Savior made His Triumphal Entry. He said he could imagine all the people waving their palms and shouting, "Hosanna!" In Matthew 21:9, it tells us that they said, "Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." It definitely was a day of gratitude and rejoicing.

At one point, President Uchtdorf quoted President George Q. Cannon when he said, "every foundation stone that is laid for a Temple, and every Temple that is completed . . . lessens the ower of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness.moves the heavens in mighty power in our behalf, invokes and calls down upon us the blessings of the Eternal Gods, and those who reside in their presence." President Boyd K. Packer said, "Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people." As we left the chapel that day, I felt very spiritually lifted and edified, just as I do when we attend the temple. I also felt renewed love for my husband as I always do in the temple. It was such a beautiful and uplifting experience for me. I am so grateful I was able to attend and witness this great historical occassion in Peru.

Since the dedication of the second temple in Peru, we have passed some other milestones in our mission. On June 27, 2015, we marked the one year anniversay of the start of our mission. We are grateful to have a year of experience behind us so that we feel more confident in what we are doing. many experienced presidents told us that things are much easier after the first year and they were right. We have learned a lot! We are able to find our way around the mission much better. We understand what is going on a little better. We are feeling more comfortable in the place which we live.


                                           A smaller Leadership Council

On July 1, 2015, part of our mission was taken away. Our mission is much smaller and things will be much different. It has been much quieter, not such a high volume of calls as we had before. It is hard to think of the missionaries we will not see again, but I have learned that a big part of the mission is change and saying goodbye. We have missionaries leaving at least every six weeks and some times more often. Tomorrow we will have twenty-four missionaries leave and go home that we have served with for over a year. It is always difficult to say goodbye, but it is a necessary part of mission life.

Saying goodbye to two great missionaries!

On July 4th, 2015, we passed another milestone. We have had two 4th of Julys in the mission now! After every holiday this year it will be the same. I do miss all of the fun holidays and traditions that we have in the United States. We also had a great occassion on July 4th, because  a special lady was baptized. Her name is Hade and her husband is a recent convert of about two months. She was not very interested in the church until she attended her husband's baptism and went to the  temple. Those two events changed the course of her life. I went with the sisters to teach her one time and she was overflowing with love for the sister missionaries who had taught her. She told me that she considered them angels that had come to minister to her. She praised their teaching and said that their Spanish was perfect. She is a sweet special lady who was prepared by the Lord to receive the gospel.


                                                Hade with her two "angels"

Hade and Guillermo. He had the

priviledge of baptizing his wife.

Last Sunday we visited a large branch in the District of Lambayeque called Olmos. They meet in a very nice chapel, but it is surrounded by a market so we were not able to drive our car into the parking lot. We had to park our car and walk through the market. It is always interesting to contrast the feeling in the market to the feeling in the church. I almost cry when I see some of the places that these branches with faithful Saints meet. Sometimes they meet in warehouses with cement floors and tin roofs. Usually there is a lot of dust. The windows and insulation are not good, so there is a lot of noise from the street; bands playing, loud music, dogs barking, and people chattering. Twice in branches we have been visited by dogs! It is a challenge to keep the meetings quiet and to be reverent and focused. Last week I played the piano for the Olmos Branch and music always helps the atmosphere a lot. I had a little helper who came up on the stage and accompanied me on the piano.


                                               My sweet helper!

Today I felt like I witnessed a miracle. We went to a small branch called Morrope in the District of Lambayeque. It only has 40 members with anywhere from 25-35 attending each week. That means that they have the highest percentage of members attending than anywhere else in our mission because the average attendance is about 30%. I felt the Spirit so strong as we took the sacrament, especially when I looked at the sacrament table and saw the reverence with which the sacrament was blessed and passed. These saints knew that this ordinance is sacred. Because of the words of the sacrament hymn, I thought of the Savior and His willingness to condescend to come to earth to live as a man in a place so inferior to where He was before. It really is a miracle to go to a tiny out-of-the way branch and find the exact same gospel and feel the exact same spirit. It was amazing and my heart was touched.


                                                     4th of July fun! We miss these little
                                                                     people a lot.

The branch we visited today meets in a rented room. Once again, we had to park our car and walk through the market where they were selling many things. We saw fruit, beautiful vegetables, shoes, clay pots, dishes, snacks, sweets, food, jewelry, hair excessories, etc. It is impossible to remember everything. It was just an odd mixture of stuff. It was interesting to see how they were set up. Some vendors had tables and tarps for protection and others had their goods laid out right on the ground. The products were still neatly organized! It was a challenge to find the building because it did not look like a church. It was very nice, with nice tile and painted walls. Most of the branches have wooden benches in the chapels. It was very clean and organized. I was impressed with how smoothly this branch functioned.

More and more I am loving the experience of being here. Like in many areas, there are saints in Peru who are less active, but we also have met many who are extremely faithful, who fulfill their callings and responsibilities to the best of their ability. The Branch President today, told us that he has to make a twenty minute trip to Lambayeque every Sunday to turn in the tithing for the Branch. He does not own a car, so he has to pay to ride in a combi crowded with lots of people. The Branch has no computer so everything is done by hand. They love the Lord and reverence His sacrament. They know the gospel is true and that it blesses their lives. As Pres. Uchtdorf said, we are all one big family and I feel such unity with the Saints of Peru because we all know that Christ lives and that this is His gospel.




                                                     Tall missionaries with short Mission
                                                                  President and wife!

This is a Work of Miracles

A few months ago, I participated in teaching a young man named Francisco. His girlfriend is a member of the church and referred him to the missionaries. He had spoken to missionaries of another faith on many occassions and in the beginning, he was trying to convince the Mormon missionaries of their error in believing in their faith. When the missionaries taught him, he always had lots of questions based on his beliefs in this other religion. Over time he began to believe some of the things the missionaries were teaching him, but still had doubts and questions and was unwilling to pray about what the missionaries were teaching him or to read the Book of Mormon. The Elders teaching him were the Assistants to the President and were out of town for two weeks in a row while they helped to carry out 4 Zone Conferences. They had not seen Francisco for three weeks. The Sunday they were back, Francisco walked up to them at church and said, "I want to be baptized." The Elders were shocked and did not understand what had happened! What made the difference? He had attended the Trujillo Temple Open House the day before and was touched by the Spirit in the Temple. I had the opportunity to witness the baptism of Francisco earlier this month, June 6, 2015.




                                                    Francisco! He had a special tunic made
                                                     so he could be like Jesus when he was
                                                     baptized.

All the missionaries in our area.

We are seeing many miracles in the work because of the Open House of the Trujillo Temple. It was held from May 8 to May 30, 2015. They had more than 90,000 visitors and 3,000 refrences.  We were not able to attend the Open House since it is not in our mission! The Temple will be dedicated on June 21, 2015. All of the Saints in the Chiclayo Area are extremely excited about the dedication of this temple. Instead of a 12 hour bus ride to Lima, they will be 3 hours from the Trujillo Temple. We feel that it will make a huge difference in the strength of the Saints in this area to be able to attend the temple on a more regular basis.

The other day, two sister missionaries told me about a woman that they are teaching. Her husband, Guillermo, was baptized last month and his wife had not been very interested in the church. She reluctantly started listening to the sisters. She has had a recurring dream for several years, where she wakes up in a strange place and other people inform her that she is in a graveyard. She is always confused and cannot understand why she is in a graveyard. Then she has always seen a huge lighted building in the distance. This dream has haunted her a little bit, unable to understand what it was about. Then she attended the Temple Open House with her husband. When they got to the temple, she realized that the Trujillo Temple is built right next to a large graveyard and she recognized this as the place in her dream. She exclaimed to her husband, "Guillermo, this is my dream! This is what I saw in my dream! We are supposed to be here!" She felt the Spirit very strongly and especially loved being in the Celestial Room. She has now accepted June 27, 2015 as a date for baptism.

The family that was baptized in March was struggling and having to work on Sunday and felt that they could not attend church any more. The sister missionaries were very worried about them and afraid that their fragile new testimonies were going to be tested. Then they went to the Temple Open House. When they came home, their whole attitude had changed and they were at peace and told the missionaries, "We will do or sacrifice whatever we need to in order to keep attending church. We want to be able to go the temple." This has always been my experience in attending the temple. Things can seem so confusing and hard to know what to do at times, but then when I attend the temple and everything becomes so clear again. I remember the covenants I have made and my priorities are always put right back in order. What a blessing it is to have temples on the face of the earth and to have the ordinances restored in this day.

Recently, I was told about a Peruvian woman who worked in the Lima Temple and one day when she took a taxi there, she asked the driver if he had come there much. He said he had dropped off many people at the temple. She then asked him how he felt when he came there. He said that he always felt peace. She then asked him if he would like to know why he felt that way and if he would like to meet with the missionaries. He said, "yes". He was taught and baptized. About 11 years have passed and he has served as a bishop and now as a stake president . . . only because a sister was willing to open her mouth one time and because the driver felt the spirit of the temple.




                                           This is a cute little monkey we always see on our
                                            drive to Jaen. They wanted a picture of me with
                                            him because I always watch for him. I'm not standing
                                            too close because he was really scared and crying.

Recently, I have marvelled at the miracles that my husband and I have witnessed in the mission field. I have been so humbled to see how we have been blessed with the gift of tongues in the last year. I cannot even describe how difficult the last year has been for me as far as speaking Spanish has been. There have been many times when I have been extremely discouraged and just felt that it was impossible for me to ever have a decent ability to speak in Spanish. I have spent many moments on my knees in prayer pleading for the Lord's help and for the strength to keep trying. I know that my husband has done the same. We have been humbled to the depths of humility trying to be effective in our speaking and teaching in a foreign language. It has not been an easy thing to do.

Many times as we have prayed, we have both received the same impression: work harder, try harder. I know now, looking back, that the more effort I have put into learning, the more greatly the Lord has compensated my efforts and blessed me with the ability to speak. The hardest part has been being patient and waiting for the miracle to happen. At one point, I realized that this was going to take a lot longer than I had hoped and knew that it would probably be at least a year before I could speak and understand comfortably. I compared myself to a newborn child. Babies do not talk to a lot of people and they sleep a lot. My life is the same at times. I am at a great disadvantage in learning Spanish because I do not talk and listen to people every day, all day in Spanish like the missionaries do. I decided that if a baby can understand a language after a year and begin to speak some sentences after two years, that maybe it would take that long for me!




                                           Nine ready to go home! Five Zone Leaders and a
                                            Sister Training Leader in the Group.

We have always been blessed with the guidance to know what to do; what topics to speak about and address in our meetings and what changes to make in the mission. It is just amazing how often things change in the mission field. Transfers are done every six weeks. We have missionaries go home and arrive every six weeks. Then there are always other changes that need to be made. Our last transfer was on June 1 and 2. Nine missionaries returned home on the June 1 and we received 13 new missionaries on the June 2. This transfer was a little more tough for some of the missionaries because it meant that some will be put in the other mission. We had one sweet elder from Lima who wept for ten minutes and just told us how grateful he was for all we had done for him.


                                                   Saying goodbye at Cambios (Changes)
                                                    I am standing on a stair. She's really
                                                    taller than me! Off to the Trujillo North
                                                    Mission.

The next day, Wednesday, one of the new elders had to return home. This always causes a ripple effect that leads to a number of new changes. My husband left the house on Thursday morning for an appointment and appeared that the weight of the world was on his shoulders not knowing how to make these changes. When he came home for lunch that day, he was as light as a feather. One phone call that morning and some new information had made all the changes perfectly clear to him that had to be made. Because of this change, the elder from Lima and a few others came back to our mission. I have seen this process with my husband happen time and time again. The Lord always lets him know what needs to be done. It is such a miracle that any mission president is able to do all of this!

Then there was the miracle of my migraine medication! I was almost out and I depend on it a lot. I tried for three weeks to get a doctor I had seen in February to fill the prescription for me. But this office was not cooperating at all. I had it all arranged with our friends the Sutphins, that the medication would be shipped to them (nobody ships to Peru) and they would bring it to me when they came on their visit to Peru. The timing had seemed perfect, but now I was running out of time and did not know what to do. This was so important to my health and my ability to function in the mission. I could not understand why it seemed that the Lord was not helping me with this. I thought I had prayed with faith. One morning it seemed impossible that the prescription I needed would ever get filled, when I had  thought. In the back of my mind, I remembered an LDS doctor I had seen in Wyoming, who told us before we left on our mission that if we ever had any problem with any medication, to just call his office and he would take care of it. So we made the call. The next day the presciption was filled and the following day it arrived on the doorstep of our friends (the Sutphins), two days before they were leaving to come to Peru. I thought I would have to go a week without the medication, but it was only two days. The timing of everything was such a miracle. I know that the Lord answered our
prayers.



                                           Touring the sugar cane factory with the Sutphins:
                                                                        My Heros!

The greatest blessing that has come to me because of the temple is, of course, my eternal marriage and family. We were able to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary in the mission field. It was a great opportunity to share with our missionaries the feelings and blessings we have because of our marriage. We have definitely experienced a lot of things in 34 years and 23 moves. We could not have done any of it without each other. Every time I attend the temple, the one thing that brings more joy to me than any other is to know that I will be my husband's queen for all eternity. He has always treated me as such. I know that he will be my faithful friend forever. The greatest miracle of all time is the atonement and I know it is only because of my Savior Jesus Christ that I can be with my husband and posterity forever.



                                                           34 years and still in love!

At the windy beach after hiking in 

the heat.

Our anniversary was a little different in Peru . . .We had a Stake Conference the night of our anniversary, so we had dinner the night before at "the best restaurant" in Chiclayo. I really wanted shrimp but they did not have it that night for some reason. The waiter talked me into getting something else that he said was really good. I was not even sure what it was. When they brought our meal, they brought me a platter one and a half feet long with a huge lobster on it, the whole thing. His little eyes were staring at me! They had removed the meat from the shell, so no problem. I could do this! It was not very good, being full of gristle and a bit bitter. I tried to douse it in the sauce they gave me, but that did not help much! I think I had three bites and then I hid the rest of it under the tail. I was too embarrassed to say anything about it to the waiter. It was not good and it cost 171 soles or 63 dollars. I can't believe we paid that for something I did not like!



                                              The doomed lobster. He died for nothing!

                                         
                                                           34th Anniversary Dinner.

On Saturday, we went to an archeological site called, "Piramides de Tucume". They are brick piramids that are eroded. They are not like the piramids in Egypt or Mexico. These were piramids that they actually lived in and worshipped in. The built them up high to be more near to the Gods. It was actually a very nice place. It had a nice museum, landscaping, a garden and a nice trail. We had an enjoyable morning walking and exploring. It was just really hot, so we pooped out after a few hours. We did not go on the full hike up the mountain. We are waiting for cooler weather and when someone in our family comes to visit before we do that. Then it was amazing that we went from one extreme to another in the weather. We went to a beach we had never been to called Eten Puerta. It has an actual working port with a huge pier that we only saw from the distance. It was windy and extremely cold, so we did not stay long. But it was nice, so we will go there again sometime. Maybe when someone in our family comes to visit. I keep saying that to give my family a hint!



                                           Some "interesting" religious traditions in Peru.

One of the Piramids in the distance.

We just finished a six week tour of Stake Conferences. We spoke for six weekends in a row at two sessions of Stake Conference. My husband also speaks in Priesthood meeting. It always makes the weekend a little hectic and I sometimes don't feel very good in the evenings, but the Lord always sustains us. No matter how bad I am feeling physically, when we go to do the work, I always feel fine and know that I am strengthened by the power of the atonement. I am always overwhelmed by the spirit I feel there; the spirit of love from the Saints, the spirit of dedication and sacrifice and the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ. On Sunday, as I looked into the faces of the Peruvian Saints, I felt such joy and happiness to know that the gospel is true and that it truly is the way to happiness in this life and eternal joy and salvation in the life to come. I love to bear my testimony of the gospel and of our Savior Jesus Christ. I feel such gratitude in my heart for all he has given us. We are living in the dispensation of the fulness of times. We are such a blessed people.

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.