La Vida Loca

Every time I think I have experienced everything that I possibly could on this mission . . . something crazy happens. I really need to quit having that thought! Two weeks ago we were in Jaen for a Stake Conference. We had picked up two general authorities at the Chiclayo airport on Friday evening about 5:00 and immediately driven the five hour trip to Jaen so that they could begin interviews early the next morning to find the new Stake President. We had finished the evening session of the Conference at 9:00 pm and went looking for a place to eat. It had been a long day. We were looking for a hamburger/ice cream place we had eaten at before and had a lot of trouble finding it. We finally did and realized it was all closed up. Apparently, it was out of business. So, disappointed, we decided to eat at the hotel restaurant that was supposedly open until 10:30 pm. However, when we got there it was already closed. We just had to laugh. What else could go wrong? There was a chicken place a half block away so we decided to walk there and eat (the four of us). The food was actually pretty good and we felt we had made a good choice.

By the time we finished eating, it was now about 10:15 pm, standard eating time for mission presidents! It always takes a loooooong time to pay the bill and our general authorities were very tired, so my husband told them to go ahead and get their things from the car and go ahead to their rooms. I took them to the car to get their stuff and then made the stupid decision to walk back to the restaurant to wait for my husband. The Area Authority insisted that he would walk with me, but I told him I would be fine. It was only a half block. He still insisted and began telling me that he knew Peru and it could be dnagerous. Right at that very moment when he said that Peru was dangerous, some guy came from out of nowhere from behind us and grabbed my purse and yanked on it as hard as he could. He yanked it so hard that it knocked me to the ground. Since he was unsuccessful in getting it, he took off and ran and jumped on the back of a motorcycle with another man. As I was picking myself up from off the ground, I commented to the general authority, "Yea, you are right. Peru is pretty dangerous!" He and the other seventy, who had returned, kept asking me if I was okay. I said I was fine, just my arm hurt really bad. Finally, my husband came out and wondered why we were all still standing there! When we got back to our room, we looked at my arm and I had a huge, nasty bruise. It was throbbing that night and was pretty tender for the next two weeks, but I was kind of proud of it, as a badge of honor. Especially since the "thief" was not able to get my purse away from me. I like to think my Mom was there protecting me!

Last week, we attended a Mission President's Seminar. It was held in Bogota, Colombia, so we spent three days in that country. Bogota was beautiful! So lush and green. It rains there almost everyday. On Wednesday we road a tram to the top of the highest mountain in Bogota, Mount Monterassat. It was 10,000 feet (Bogota itself is 8,000 feet). It was so amazingly beautiful. There is a church on top that was built in the 1600's. There is also what they call a cloud forest. The mountains had a huge cloud cover over them that is always there, but it never snows because it is not cold enough. Fitness enthusiasts actually run up a trail to the top of the mountain. The record right now is running it in 23 minutes. It is a very steep mountain and the altitude so high. It's an accomplishment to even breathe up there. I didn't understand how it was even possible to run up the mountain, but sure enough, when we were taking a group picture in front of the church, a jogger came running up from the trail! He had made it! Some people are so amazing, and such showoffs too!



                                          This is on top of the mountain with Bogota in the
                                           background. It is a huge city of 8 million people.

On our way home, we spent the night in Lima two nights. The second night we were in a 15 story high hotel. At about 7:20 pm, we had just got back from eating dinner, to our room on the sixth floor and there was an earthquake. It lasted about a minute and it was one of the most frightening minutes of our life. We were just waiting for nine stories on top of us to cave in! It was amazing to see the hotel shaking in the way that it was! We couldn't remember what we were supposed to do. We looked out the window at an office building and there were people eating a buffet meal like there was nothing happening. Mark just kept saying, "It's still going, it's still going!" I finally said, "Can you just be quiet!" We heard on the news the next day that it was 5.6 to 5.8 on the richter scale. I really hope we never have that experience again, but there are earthquakes in Peru all the time, so we may not be that lucky.

During the seminar we heard from the Area Presidency: Pres. Uceda (who is incredible, speaks English fluently and studies the scriptures in English), Elder Waddell and, Elder Carlos Godoy from Brazil. We also had David F. Evans from the Presidency of the Seventy come from Salt Lake to speak to us and we learned a lot from him. We realized some things that we need to do better. It seems that there is always room for improvement. I also had the opportunity to hear their wives speak in a wives session. The best thing I heard was counsel from Elder Christofferson that was quoted. In speaking to leaders who are incredibly busy and can't seem to do all that they are supposed to, he said that the way to not worry or feel guilty is to follow the promptings that you get from the Spirit. That little bit of advice gave us a lot of comfort. Sometimes we just cannot do it all!

Our next experience was just incredible and it all started with a simple email from the Area Office. We were asked to get our Peruvian Driver's License. Little did we know what we were in for. It started on a Friday. There is preliminary work that you have to do in order to get your license. First you go to a notary office, fill out some paperwork and get it notarized. Then you go to a doctor. In our case that was a four hour ordeal because we did not know the correct place to go. We went to five different places before we were able to get help. You have to have a blood test, a doctor's exam and a psychological evaluation. We had the blood test and the evaluation which consisted of drawing shapes, drawing a person and doing mazes. Very ineresting. Then we were told we would have to come back in an hour and a half because the doctor had gone home for lunch. That ended up being a six hour ordeal. That was just the preliminary. We still had to go the the MTC, Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones. That was another day. The church flew a man they hired from Lima to help us with all the paperwork, etc. After going to the MTC, this man and my husband decided it would be easier to get our license in Lima.

So on our way home from Colombia, we stayed in Lima an extra day to get our Driver's License. We left our hotel with the hired man again at 8:00 in the morning, hoping to be done by Noon and catch a flight back to Chiclayo by 3:30. But in Peru there is always a problem. There was a problem with our doctor's exam. They did not like the way he had filled out the paperwork. So we had to go do the whole blood test, doctor's exam and psychological evaluation again. This time, on top of the pictures and mazes, we had to arrange blocks in ten different patterns. We were just very aware that we did not have a lot of time, so it made everything that much more stressful. We went back to the MTC and took a practice exam. It was in Spanish and the study material was in Spanish, so it was not easy. But, I had spent two hours on our flight studying the questions, while my husband relaxed and read a book. I was able to finish the exam before he did and then helped him with the last couple of questions. We both passed.

Next we took the real exam. They had only one English version, so I decided to take that and Mark took it in Spanish. Even in English, it was not easy. I finished 40 questions in about 15 minutes. It was so hard and worded very differently than it would be in the States. I was really worried that I did not pass, but I did!! It took Mark much longer and he did not pass. They would not let him retake the test until the next day. So we had to cancel our flight and spend an extra night in Lima. I went to two places and three different stations before they could make my license and I waited two hours to get it. We were working on getting my license for eight hours and neither of us had had anything to eat the whole day. I helped Mark study all night, then he went back in the morning, took the English test and passed.  After about 3 1/2 hours, he was able to get his license! What did I learn from this experience? The DMV in the Statesis really not too bad. I will never complain again about going there!



                                          We're official now! Look out Mototaxi's!

This morning I had a chance to ponder the scripture in D&C 18:10, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." This is something I have really felt is true as I have served on this mission. Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend and speak at a District Conference. I always get choked up as I look at these humble people and feel the Lord's love for each precious soul. I realize His love for every soul as the missionaries go out and try to teach and reach every single one of them. I feel His love when He sends His servants to teach the Saints of the world and when He sends them to teach the missionaries and talk to each one personally. I feel His love for the missionaries when he asks my husband to read 240 letters each week so he knows exactly what is happening in the life of each missionary, OR when he asks us to interview every single missionary every three months so we can give counsel and show our love and interest in each one. I share my testimony that I know that Christ lives and that I know that he loves every single person who has lived or will yet live on this earth. He is full of charity and loving kindness. He is our advocate with the Father (D&C 45:3-5). He wants everyone of us to repent and to come unto Him. I know this is true.

Halloween in Peru. Harry Potter came!

The Law of Witnesses

Shortly after the translation of the Book of Mormon was completed, the Lord allowed three other men to view the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. When you think about the experience they had, it was really pretty incredible. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that the three witnesses would be Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer. They retired to a quiet spot in the woods. After praying for a while to see the plates, Martin Harris removed himself from the group and shortly thereafter, the Angel Moroni appeared with the plates. He turned the leaves of the book so that they could get a clear view of the inscriptions on the plates. Then they heard the voice of God speak to them and say, "These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear." Along with the plates, they were shown the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim and the Liahona.  Wow! What an experience. After much prayer, Martin, along with Joseph was also able to see them.

Last week, I thought a lot about this and the relief Jospeh felt in having three other witnesses to verify what he had been saying all along for about nine years. Last week we completed our first "mission tour" for three days with Elder Waddell of the seventy and a counselor in our Area Presidency. It was so wonderful to feel his support and his approval of the things we are trying to do in our mission. He added his witness, in his talks to the missionaries, of how important it is to be obedient, the importance of the family and temples and the importance of following the mission president. I have seen firsthand that being a mission president, at times, can be a lonely job (and any leadership calling for that matter) and to have support from the Area Presidency and other leaders means a great deal. We have felt a great sense of relief and a burden lifted. Especially the assurance that we have been led by the Spirit. The Lord never leaves us alone when he asks us to do something that is not easy.

We have asked the missionaries in our mission to study and use the Proclamation on the Family in their teaching. "Con Viviente" or men and women living together out of wedlock is a very common practice in Peru and is a great hindrance to missionary work. So often missionaries tell us about the wonderful families they are teaching and then sadly say, "But they are living together." We believe that teaching them the doctrine of marriage and of families will help some of these couples change their lives. As Boyd K. Packer has said, "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior." During our Zone Conferences last week, nine missionaries spoke about the Doctrine of Marriage and the Family and the Spirit was very strong as they shared what they have learned and some of the special experiences they have had in teaching families these truths.

Our mission tour consisted of three multi-zone conferences three days in a row with Elder Waddell presiding. He stayed in our home and we were with him for all three days. Wednesday and Thursday we met with eight zones in the Chiclayo area along with the zone from Jaen. We had about 100 missionaries each day. The Zone Conference started with Elder Waddell, and Mark and I, greeting and shaking hands with each missionary. So they each got to meet him personally.  The rest of the day consisted of about 5 hours of instruction mostly from Elder Waddell. Mark and I were asked to speak a total of 45 minutes on a doctrinal topic. I talked about the atonement and Mark talked about recognizing the Spirit. On Friday we got up early, drove to Cajamarca, (winding roads for 41/2 hours) and had another zone conference at Noon with the two zones in that area. Elder Waddell spent about 4 hours teaching and counseling the missionaries. I can't believe he was able to do that, but I know the Lord sustains His leaders.

What did I learn from this experience? The Lord LOVES missionaries. They are some of the best young people on earth doing the most important work, the work of salvation. It touched my heart that the Lord would send one of His special witnesses to teach and counsel the missionaries and to meet and greet each one individually. I believe it is the same thing the Lord would have done if He were here Himself. He taught the missionaries that our goal is not to only baptize people. Our goal is to facilitate true conversion to the gospel. We are trying to help people come unto Christ, be converted to the gospel and go to the temple and be sealed as a family for eternity. There is a big difference between baptisms and conversions!

Half the group on Wednesday, October 22, 2014

After the Zone Conference, Mark and I stayed in Cajamarca another two days for their Stake Conference. In the last week, Mark spoke nine times and I spoke seven. (We had a Stake Conference in Chiclayo last weekend also) It still terrifies me to get up and speak in Spanish, so that was a lot of terror to go through in one week. I really hope at some point it will get easier, but I am not there yet. Last weekend, I was asked to get up and share my feelings at the moment (twice) and that really terrified me. My husband had to give me a blessing before the evening meeting because I really felt I could not do that in Stake Conference. I prayed for my faith to be stronger, because I was very weak. (Ether 12:27) The Lord did strengthen me and I was able to do what I was asked to do. I could not have done it without the Lord's grace, the enabling and strengthening power of the atonement. Maybe I had that experience so I could bear a stronger testimony of the atonement at zone conference.

This week will mark our fourth month in Peru. This last month flew by because we were so busy. I feel like I was just writing about our 3 month anniversary. It has gone very fast but also very slow when we think of all we have done and experienced in just four months. It was interesting to be here in Peru for elections. We have been reading signs and bill boards since we have been here and have watched several political rallies. When we were in Jaen the last time, our hotel was right next to the city plaza, (almost every city in Peru has one, usually called Plaza de Armas) and they were having a huge rally until 1:00 in the morning with fireworks and loud music. We asked an employee at the hotel what the politicians are saying. He said, "I don't know. I don't really follow it. Blah, blah, blah!" That sounded just like the campaigns in the United States! The next weekend we were in Cajamarca, and again we were right next to the plaza and they were having the mother of all political rallies because it was the last night of campaigning. Tons of fireworks and music.

In Peru, elections are held on Sunday and the campaigns are closed the Thursday before election day. I guess that gives everyone two days to be quiet and have time to think. It is illegal for any meeting to be held on election day, so we could not even hold church. The election was held on Sunday, October 5. That was general conference. So the church could not have meetings in the church that day. Most of the missionaries had to wait until the following Sunday to see General Conference when it was broadcast in Peru. It was strange. Two weeks in a row without normal Sunday meetings.

Most of the people in Peru are very soft spoken, but they love to make noise in lots of other ways. A few include: honking horns, car horns, bike horns and any other kind. For a week after the elections, there was a protest going on at the election office which happens to be on our street. Apparently some of the voters believed that one of the men who won office had cheated in order to win. So they had three protests in one week for two hours. Somebody had this annoying horn that they honked for two hours straight. I really wanted to beat somebody up. They also use megaphones to get people's attention when they are trying to sell something, especially if it is something fresh like fish or fruits and vegetables. Anywhere you go in Peru, there are people selling things: washing cars in parking lots, selling treats or washing your wnidows at stoplights and street vendors everywhere. One night Mark and I bought some fried dough with cheese in the middle of it from a lady in front of our apartment. It was really good. They also make a hot drink from apples.

Peruvians also love fireworks and fire crackers. From what I have heard and seen, I don't think there are any laws governing them. There were fire crackers going off randomly in Cajamarca for three hours Friday night and then on Saturday too! Friday night I came home from the zone conference exhausted and feeling like I was getting sick. I was very weak and having chills. I just wanted to lay down and rest while my husband and Elder Waddell went to meet with the Stake President. As we walked to our room, we noticed the pool area was decorated and full of chairs and our room was right next to it. The bell boy mentioned something about something going on and said "Good luck." Oh yea, he was right! First there were just people talking and then at 8:00 pm the extremely loud music started. It was so loud! It turns out it was some kind of fashion show and they had models making strange

Common sight in Peru! There is a little tiny cart 

with bike wheels carrying a load of about 13 mattresses.

We thought this was pretty hilarious! Right in the middle

of downtown traffic! You just don't get to see stuff like this

in the United States. We are just too careful and proper.

poses and dancing. So much for a quiet evening of rest. I'm beginning to believe that does not exist here in Peru! I turned up the TV at first and then I gave in and just listened. At least it was American music. My body was too tired to care. After 30 minutes or so, I fell asleep in spite of the noise. I think the idea of "quiet hours" is a really good one. Thank goodness, the modeling was done by 10:00!

I wish that every member of the Church could hear Peruvian Saints sing "I Know that my Redeemer Lives." Two weeks in a row, we went to two different wards and they sang that hymn for the Sacrament hymn. I don't think I have ever heard that done in the United States, but it was so moving. The Spirit and the conviction with which they sang was so strong that I was moved to tears both times and was prompted to ponder what my Savior has done for me. There was no doubt that these saints knew and loved their Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that I know that my Redeemer Lives and that I know what he has done for me. Living in Peru and trying to teach and give talks in Spanish has been one of the hardst and most humbling things I have ever done in my life. There have been many moments when I have felt that I could just not do it anymore. I know that it is only through the grace of Jesus Christ, the enabling and strengthening power of the atonement, that I have been able to go forward at those times when I felt that I could not. I know that I have been given great strength and help.

As I get older and realize more and more how great my weaknesses are, I have grown to love the scriptures in Moroni 10:32-33. Moroni exhorts us to "Come unto Christ and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

"And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot."

That gives me so much hope and so much comfort. We will never be perfect, but we are made perfect in Christ, through the shedding of His blood. All God asks is that we love Him and live a pure life. Then His grace is sufficient to make us perfect in Christ. When I think of all the spiritual, physical, mental and emotional weaknesses that I possess, I am so grateful for the knowledge that my Savior will make it all better for me. This is the message of the entire Book of Mormon, beautifully summed up by Moroni, a true disciple of Christ. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he suffered and died for me. This is the atonement.

I know that I have not written for at least three weeks, so obviously we have been extremely busy. We had our second transfers. Eleven missionaries left to go home and 17 new missionaries came and joined us in the mission. Right after that, we started Zone Conferences. We left and went to Jaen for three days, interviewed 30 missionaries and had our Conference. It was wonderful. We don't get to see those missionaries very often because they are the furthest from Chiclayo. We got home on a Saturday and went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday which would be the next day. We ended up at the wrong restaurant (not the one we wanted to eat at) but since we were there we decided to stay. After we got seated, we realized that Sept. 27 was the three month anniversary of when we got to Peru and we were eating in the same restaurant that we ate in that first night. So it ended up being a great way to celebrate our three month anniversary and my 53rd birthday! The restaurant is called "Fiesta" and the food there is actually very good, the best in Chiclayo.

On Sunday, we celebrated with the office elders and a Tres Leche Cake which was really delicious. I really did not think I would like a soggy cake soaked in milk, but it is really quite yummy! Another delicious food here in Peru is Chinese Food. For some reason, Peruvians are very interested in the Chinese culture. There is even a special school here to learn about the Chinese culture, so there are many wonderful Chinese Restaurants. We actually have a really good one right next to our apartment building, so we can indulge very conveniently any time we want. I actually like the Chinese food better here in Peru because they do not batter and deep fry all the meat. They have a dish called "Pollo con Fruta", much like sweet and sour chicken in the States, but the chicken is not battered and fried and they put there own twist on it, adding peaches and some other fruits along with the pineapple. It is very rico (rich). That is how they describe good food here in Peru.

The following week we had three more Zone Conferences. Two multi-zone conferences with four zones each in Chiclayo, then the next day we left for Cajamarca for the last zone conference and interviews. On the way up the mountain to Chiclayo, we saw this cute man, that I am sure I have seen before. He was riding a donkey that was piled with sticks. There on top of the sticks sat this little man, but the really endearing thing was that he was riding backwards on the donkey. I'm not sure why, but he seemed to have perfect trust that the donkey knew where to go and what to do. We backed up to take his picture and when we did he waved and smiled. He was so adorable! My huaband said to him, "El burro sabe el camino, no?" The donkey knows the way! He just waved and smiled! Then it was really funny because on our way home we saw him again and he was riding the exact same way! We honked and waved again and he did the same!

You cannot tell in the picture, but this donkey was trotting 

at a really good pace. He knew exactly where he was going!

We lovingly call the man "Donkey Man" now!

One Sunday we visited a Family Group in a very small town called Cayalti. A Family Group is even smaller than a branch. Until we moved to Peru, we had no idea that such a group existed in the church. A Family Group has a leader and they are authorized to hold Sacrament meeting and take the Sacrament each Sunday. They can also hold a group Sunday School lesson, but they are not authorized to form organizations and quorums. We had the priviledge of joining them for Fast and Testimony Meeting and there was a great and strong spirit with these good people. The town of Cayalti was so small and the houses so close together that they all had their laundry sticking out from the front of their houses in way that we had never seen before. It looked like a colorful display of flags or banners or something, but it was laundry.

The little car in the foreground is a moto-taxi. They

are all over in Peru and a very common mode of

travel.

Laundry drying is a very common site in Peru, but 

in Chiclayo we are more modern so ours is on the

roofs.

I guess we are the only home in Peru with a dishwasher. When we ran out of detergent we looked everywhere but could not find any. They finally had to order some from Lima for us. It took three weeks for it to get here. Who knew that dishwashing detergent is a luxury? If you saw the size of our dishwasher you might not think it is much of a luxury, but it holds at least 8 glasses and 8 dishes. We had carpet put in our bedroom, but have had a small problem. There are no vacuum cleaners in Chiclayo either. Sometimes I just really feel like we are living in a different world. Our maid had to get a picture frame special made for us. I kept thinking, can't we just go to Walmart and get one? But it's not that easy here.  If you need a birthday card, you have to make it yourself. My maid's daughter made me a really cute one!

Once I was interviewing an Hermana missionary from Bolivia. As we talked, she mentioned that she likes to cook. I asked her what a dish was that she liked to make. She described chopping up lots of vegetables like onions, tomatoes, carrots and celery and then sauteeing them in a pan. It sounded good to me. Then she said she chopped up something else and put it on top, but I did not recognize the word that she said. She tried to describe it to me. When she started pumping her fists up and down like a milking action, I realized she was trying to describe cow utter. I guess that is some kind of delicacy in Bolivia. I think she said the dish is called Pican Macho. I decided not to ask her for the recipe! 

The other day I was interviewing an elder and he said that he has never liked the food much here in Peru. I asked for examples of dishes that he does not like. He said, "I don't really like guinea pig." I just laughed because I don't like it either and I have never even tried it. Many times driving in the country you see carts or wagons loaded with corn stalks and I have been told that they sell them for people to feed to their guinea pigs to fatten them up.

When we were in Cajamarca interviewing the missionaries, I had such a good feeling inside about the missionaries in our mission. I truly believe that we have some of the best in the Church. They are such good obedient wonderful souls. This is not an easy mission. Our missionaries walk many miles on dirt roads and rocks, wear out their shoes and their feet, suffer back aches and eat very crude food sometimes. But they are so willing to sacrifice and so obedient to do what we ask them to do. Some people I have talked to like to focus on the disobedient missionaries and the unwise choices they make at times, but those cases are very few. We are so thankful to associate with such great souls in our mission. One missionary told me the other day that he can't believe he almost didn't come on a mission because of the wonderful people he would not have met. We feel the same way. We are making friendships with some choice young people that will last for the rest of our lives. We feel so priviledged to be here.

My 53rd Birthday in Peru!

Predicad mi Evangelio

Greenies. How can you not love them? They arrive with bewildered looks on their faces, but full of excitement and enthusiasm! A week ago Friday we had the most fun meeting I have ever been in. We invited all the new missionaries to come back in, after two and a half weeks in the field, and share what they are learning and experiencing. It was an eye opening experience. Our new missionaries had had a variety of experiences. A week after we sent them out, one of the missionaries called me and said he was sick with diarrhea. I went through the routine of what to do when you have diarrhea. After he hung up, I thought it was silly that he called because we had just gone through all of that a week ago at our welcome breakfast. Then the thought came to me that he had not just called because he did not know what to do, but because he needed to hear a friendly motherly voice reassuring him that everything was going to be okay. It reminded me to have love and compassion because you never know what someone might be feeling at any given moment.

We sent a group of four new missionaries to Jaen the day after transfers. We put them on a "combie" and they were supposed to meet their new companions in Jaen. Jaen is Northeast in the mission and a five to six hour bus ride from Chiclayo. It is more of a jungle region than we have here; more heat, humidity and trees. Two of the missionaries were Latinos, so they understood Spanish and we figured they would be fine and know what to do. But somehow they did not understand the message to get off the bus in Jaen. They continued to ride for another two hours before they realized they had missed the stop. They went to a place called Bagua Chica where there is a small branch. It was too late for them to get a bus back, so they had to spend the night with members in the area. Thank goodness for the church. There is always someone to help no matter where you end up!

One of our new missionaries was bit by a dog a week after he came to the mission. What a welcome! He is receiving tetanus and rabies shots now. He told me that they don't hurt too much though. What a nice way to start the mission. Another sprained his ankle. Apparently, he injured it in the CCM (missionary training in Lima) and now had reinjured it. He was not happy to use crutches. It's not easy to use crutches in places without sidewalks or pavement. Now he was not just the greenie, gringo and redhead to make fun of, but the greenie, gringo, redhead with crutches. (That's exactly what he told us) Another elder tried to expain how rural the area is that he is serving in. He said there was a sign that said "House for sale" and it was in front of a pile of bricks! Only in Peru!

These missionaries sacrifice their time and their life, but also their bodies. Our missionaries walk everywhere. They have no cars or bikes. They walk miles everyday. We have had 3 missionaries with in-grown toenails (one had his whole toenail removed), 3 sprains, 5 with back pain (one had to go home), several with knee pain and, one with a strained wrist, and, of course, 20-30 with stomach problems. The elder who was bit by the dog, has now been battling diarrhea for a week. We have been praying for him a lot. This was all in the last two months. This does not include the coughs, fevers, headaches etc.

Last Friday I got to experience what the missionaries do everyday and I understood why they don't just pack up and go home. It's because they preach the gospel of Jesus Christ everyday and they know it is true and they feel the Spirit and they are sustained by the atonement of Jesus Christ. Friday, I had the opportunity to go out with two of our best sister missionaries and teach and make contacts with them. It was incredible, one of the best days I have had and the first time I really felt like I was a real missionary. I went out with them for six hours, 2:30-8:30. That's what our missionaries do. They eat their main meal from 1:00-2:00 and then they go out and work nonstop for six to seven hours. They do not eat until 8:30 at night because that is the custom here and the hours before are prime proselyting hours. This is one of the poorest areas in Chiclayo, so we did a lot of walking mostly on dirt roads. It was extremely windy and cold that day which made it a little more challenging.

It was one of the greatest experiences I have had in my life, as far as what I learned and experienced about another culture and about what it is like to be a missionary. I never had the opportunity to serve a mission myself, so this was all a new experience for me. The first house we went to was the most poor, humble home I have ever entered in my life. There were three rooms for seven people who lived there. The front room had a bunk bed with dirty mattresses and no sheets, a bench and three chairs, a small table and a dresser. No couch or kitchen table or anything comfortable. The walls were cement and the roof was tin, The front room was also storage for bikes, buckets, etc.

The next room was very small; a bunk bed, and a small dresser with a small TV on top. The kitchen was even smaller. It had a stove, a metal table and a faucet in the back corner for water. I am hoping there was a bathroom behind that wall, but I am not sure. When we got there, these humble people who had practically nothing, were preparing a meal for us. I can't remember what they called it, but it was corn meal with chicken and onions that had been fried in oil. They spread the corn meal in a corn husk, put in a spoonful of the meat mixture, covered it with more corn meal and then wrapped the corn husk and another corn husk around that. Then they were all boiled in water with more corn husks covering it to steam them.

While they cooked, we had our lesson, which was about being converted to the gospel. They have a son who joined the church and immediately went inactive and has told them some crazy ideas about the church.  One of the daughters had later joined the church. She was married (Flor) and had a baby. The mom, another daughter and two other boys are not members, yet. The lesson the sisters shared was about being truly converted. I think they were trying to contrast their inactive son and someone who is really converted. It was good and I got to share things that I do everyday because I am converted. I did okay, but I said "I am bringing" to be like Jesus Christ instead of "I am trying" to be like Jesus Christ. I hope they got my message.

Next we went to a member's home to take her with us to the lesson of a neighbor. This home was smaller than the first and had mud walls. I had never seen anything like that. Even with the mud walls, I could feel the Spirit in her home and I knew that she loved the gospel. There were pictures of Christ, church pictures, a Family Home Evening chart, a scripture reading chart, etc. hung all over the walls in the tiny front room in her house. She came out and quickly left to go put on a skirt so she would look nice, then she combed her hair in front of a small mirror on the wall right by the door. I noticed a dresser next to that and there were a few hair accessories to fix hair with. I knew that she took pride in caring for her family and making sure they looked nice. She told us she had been doing the laundry, which I am sure was by hand. Her three children looked clean and nice. One of the sister's told me that the children never had much to eat; a plate of rice with a few beans.

The next home was all cement and pretty dirty, but it seemed like a palace compared to where we had been. This woman (Cynthia) had a kitchen table and chairs and a refrigerator, but no couch or any luxuries. She did have a TV on top of the refrigerator since it was the only other piece of furniture. She had two daughters, one and six years of age. It is very common for people to live together in Peru because getting married is expensive and a lot of paperwork. The father of this woman's children had just left her three months before. I am not sure how she will survive, but she seemed to be doing okay. We taught her a lesson about Christ and bore our testimonies of Him. She obviously loved Jesus Christ and even had a big picture of Him. The sisters invited her to church on Sunday and she accepted the invitation even though they would leave at 7:30 am to get there. She was not real excited about that!

Next we made a few street contacts and they were able to set up one appointment for the next day. We visited a lady (Betty) who is less active. She was not there, so we decided to go see another less active. We headed in the direction of her house and after walking about three blocks we happened to run into Betty, who then took us back to her house. I think those sisters were in tune with the Spirit. They had no idea they were heading in the same direction where they would meet Betty. Betty had two daughters and a very beautiful small home with tile floors and nice furniture. It was quite a contrast from the other three homes we had been in. The sisters taught her a lesson about the importance of the sacrament and going to church on Sunday. I was very impressed how each of the lessons taught were geared to the needs of each person they would be teaching that day. I made another mistake and told her I love to "touch" (tocar) the Sacrament each week rather than I love to "take" (tomar) the Sacrament each week. I did correct myself immediately which was better than the last time.

Our last appointment was the best. The sisters have been teaching another woman named Flor who married into a mormon family. The whole family are members except for the oldest brother, who is Flor's husband. Both of his sisters and his brother are returned missionaries. How he has never joined the church is a mystery to me, but his wife, Flor, is very interested and it is having a big influence on him. She has been reading the Book of Mormon and it is softening her heart. She told us that when she first started reading the book, it was to prove that it was not true, but then she started reading things that she really liked, like chapter 32 about planting the seed of the word in your heart. That is exactly what she has been doing and the seed of the word is growing and becoming very "delicious" to her. It is such a miracle how the words of the Book of Mormon can be such a great influence. She shared Alma 32:21 with us, that faith is not to have a perfect knowledge, but you hope for things that are not seen. She really liked that.

                                          Trying to teach the missionaries in Spanish. I do
                                           a much better job in English! This is Leadership
                                           Training Council. It is held the first Tuesday of
                                            every month.


Her husband was late in joining us because he is a policeman and had just gotten off work when we got there. She shared Alma 32:32-34 with him, that we should not procrastinate the day of our repentance or it might be too late, and he liked that. I noticed that he picked up the book and started marking the scripture. He was trying to understand who I was and the sisters were trying to explain. Then he asked me, "So you know ALOT about the gospel?" How do you answer that? I decided to be honest and replied, "Yes, yes I do" Then he asked, "So you know ALOT more than these sisters do." I said, "Of course!" We all laughed. Later, as we talked more, I could feel the Spirit growing in the room. One of the sisters said, "You know you've got six missionaries in this room teaching you!" Both of the sisters bore their testimonies and I knew that I had to bear mine. It was a great experience and I know the Spirit bore witness of the things we said. I felt like that was the best I had ever born my testimony of the Book of Mormon before and I felt like all the preparation in reading the Book of Mormon my whole life and studying Spanish were just for that moment. I am sure I will have more esperiences like that, but I still believe that I have prepared for moments just like that and it made it all work and diligence seem well worth it.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It has been the greatest blessing in my life of anything else I have ever done. It has been the answer for me in all of my challenges. I read it for the first time when I was fifteen years old. I wanted to have a profound experience like many that I had heard in the church where I would read it and then pray about it and have a great witness of its truth. But everyday when I read, I felt the Spirit emanating from that great book and when I got done reading it, I already knew it was true. It was translated by a prophet named Joseph Smith. I know that he was and is a prophet of God. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth and that it has been restored to bless our lives. I know that anyone who reads the Book of Mormon with an honest heart will know that it is true. I know that it will bless the lives of those who partake of it on a daily basis. It is the sacred fruit of the prophet Joseph Smith and bears witness that he was chosen by God to do His work.

 After a Sister Training Leader Meeting

                                           This is how small villages start. Someone picks a
                                            spot and starts building little shacks. Notice the
                                            garbage pile; typical in the Chiclayo area, but not
                                            the rest of Peru.

                                         

We are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints and we know that it is our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we serve. We would not be so far from our family and our home if we did not know that this is His true gospel that has been restored to the earth in the Latter days. Anyone can know if this is true by praying about it and reading the Book of Mormon. Some good people that we have talked to have told us that they already know Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as their Savior. But we say to you, that if you want to feel even closer to Jesus Christ and understand His atonement, then you can read the Book of Mormon and go to the Sunday services of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. You will feel closer to Jesus Christ and understand his atonement in a way that you never have before in your life. If you truly love Jesus Christ, then we are sure that you would want this. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it is a witness of Christ unlike anything else on this earth. It was translated by a prophet of God, Joseph Smith, and we have a living prophet on the earth today. We invite everyone to find out if these things are true.

                                          President and Sister Nuñez, our traveling companions.
                                          President Nuñez works for the church. He is over all
                                          the facilities in Chiclayo. He has actually helped us a lot
                                          with our apartment.

This place is starting to grow on me. It hit me last Sunday as we were driving home from a Conference. It's hard to explain, but it just felt like everything was the way it was supposed to be. Despite the garbage, the dust, the traffic, and the not so great food, it is definitely a unique and interesting place. If it was just like home and there were no challenges, then it would not be a great experience. One thing I find interesting is that many people who own a business, here in Peru, run it from their own home. Also, there are stores and businesses all over the place that are extremely hard to find and that you would never know were there. One day we went to a popular bakery, our maid had told us about, to buy a cake for a birthday. We had to ask other people where it was in order to find it. It was tucked away in a residential area between homes, with no sign. A lot of advertising here is done by word of mouth.


We were in Cajamarca last week and visited the home of one of our pensionistas (women who serve meals to the missionaries in their homes.) This woman and her family own a bakery. The bakery is in front of the home. Behind is the kitchen with dirt and concrete floors, no countertops and no refrigerator. Across from the kitchen was a huge room with a wood burning oven. There was only a huge old table covered in flour to do the kneading and mixing on. There were many wood shelves full of fresh rolls, pastries and croissants. We were given moon shaped bread that had a sweet caramel type of filling inside, similar to manjar blanco, which is very popular here. The bread was warm and delicious. Who would think that in this primitive place, something so wonderful could be created? The pensionista just kept giving us more and more bread to eat. We could not resist because it was dinner time, we were hungry, and it was so delicious. The living quarters were somewhere behind the business. It was very interesting. Sometimes the home is upstairs over the business. 

The next day we had a training meeting for all the pensionistas. This same woman attended and when asked to write down her name on a list, she asked another woman to write it for her. She declined the booklet that we handed out to all the pensionistas. I realized that she could not read or write and yet, she can make delicious fresh bread. What an amazing talent! I assume she does not need to refer to a recipe. She has an incredible gift that makes many people happy, including the missionaries. We met her four year old son, who had his growth stunted from an operation. He is the size of a one-two year old, but speaks and acts like a four year old. I watched him use his "freezing powers" on one of the missionaries. He was so dang cute!

Last week we were on the road for five days in a row. It was rewarding, but tiring. We drove to Cajamarca on Wednesday, had a meeting until 9:00 pm, then ate fruit and chips for dinner. My diet has definitely taken a turn for the worse! Thursday morning we had another training meeting, then spent the rest of the day driving all over Cajamarca looking at apartments for new missionaries coming to the area. Of the four rooms that we had appointments to look at, we only saw one. The owners had many varied reasons why we could not look at them. We also inspected some of the missionarie's apartments. For the most part they were pretty clean and well cared for. But very small. At one apartment a little dirty puppy started following us and crying. I did not know how to help him. I don´t know if there are any animal shelters in Peru

.                                         Views of the Andes mountains on the highway to
                                           Cajamarca.

We had our pensionista training meeting on Friday, then had the best turkey sandwich that I think I have had in my life, or at least it tasted like it at the moment. I had been craving a turkey sandwich ever since we came here, but they are very hard to find. There are two chains of grocery stores here. They are called Metro and Tottus. All of the malls here have a grocery store in them. So we went to the mall in Cajamarca and there was a huge Metro. That is where I found the turkey sandwich. There was a fresh roasted turkey sitting right in the window of the deli and it said, "Sandwich de pavo." (turkey sandwich) I could not believe it. So all four of us that were traveling together got one. The woman who made them took great pride in making them perfect. She grilled the turkey with a traditional hot sauce called "rojos", then put it on bread with mayonnaise, mustard, tomatoes and lettuce. It tasted so good!

After lunch, we made the long windy drive home. We were pretty worn out when we got home Friday evening and yet, my poor husband had three talks to prepare for a District Conference on Saturday and Sunday.  We have two districts in our mission. They are made up of branches and function much like a stake, except that the District President has limited responsibilities. Mark is considered the Stake President and has to do all temple recommend interviews, other interviews, church courts and District Conferences.

                                                    Check out the bottom of the pink box.
                                                    Preside: Pdte Mark L. Williams
                                         
So, on Saturday, we left again to go to the Guadalupe District Conference. Mark had a Priesthood Training Meeting and we did a training meeting with all the women leaders in the District; Relief Society, Primary and Young Women. Mark assured me that I was just to attend and that the other three women were going to do the training. I sat talking with these women for an hour and a half before the meeting and then one minute before it started, they asked if I would give a welcome to the women! It really would have been nice to have a little more notice when I do not know the language very well! I do not understand the way things are done here sometimes! I am learning to just be prepared anywhere I go. I am developing a whole file of talks and testimonies.

                                          Sister Nuñez and I. She is gorgeous and has been very
                                           kind and helpful to me. Wish I could communicate
                                           better with her.

I had a very interesting and surprising experience because they asked another American lady to come and translate for me and to help with the meeting. We started talking and she casually asked me where I grew up. I said that I grew up in Modesto, CA. She said, "Really!? I lived there for a few years!" She moved there after I had already left and got married and my family had moved also, but it turns out that she was in my former ward and lived on the same street where I grew up! Then she said that we probably knew some of the same people and asked, "Do you know the Jeppsons?" I just started to laugh. Many of you know that Leslie Jeppson was and is my best friend and that her parents were like second parents to me growing up. I just love them dearly. Well, apparently, after her mission to Texas, this woman had babysat Leslie's kids and they became very good friends. Her maiden name was Amy Haight. She is married now to a Peruvian man that lived in the United States for fifteen years. It is such a small world in the church! Unbelievable!

So I sat in this room on extremely uncomfortable hard chairs for three and a half hours. The women's meeting started thirty minutes late and got out late, five minutes before the Adult Evening Session. Sitting for so many hours (including the 11/2 hour drive there) made it kind of a long night, but the talks were excellent. The other speakers got a little long-winded and did not leave any time for Mark to speak. He literally spoke for three minutes. It was late and the saints were spent, so he did the right thing. Despite being short, it was actually an amazing talk and several members told him they would never forget that talk. He gave a quote by Elder Bednar saying that we are not the ones hastening the work, the Lord is the one hastening the work. Then he asked all of his missionaries to stand up. (I forgot to stand up. I keep forgetting that I am a missionary too!) All of the fulltime missionaries stood up. Then he said it again, "Will all of my missionaries stand up!" One lady finally got it and stood up and the rest of the congregation followed and stood up also. It was a memorable lesson for everyone there!

After the meeting, my new friend Amy, asked Mark if he knew anyone who played the piano. He said, "Yea, my wife!" The San Pedro Branch had gotten a choir together and had practiced three numbers for the Conference, but did not have anyone to play the piano, so I had the priviledge of playing for them. It was a wonderful experience and so fun practicing with them. They knew the songs well and sang with all their hearts. I got goosebumps as they sang "The Spirit of God." It is one Spanish hymn that is almost better in the translation. The chorus ends up rhyming as they sing, "Cantemos, Gritemos!" (We sing, we shout!) I think I will always love that hymn in Spanish from now on!



My new friend Chandre. He really liked me and was
going to take my picture, but I invited him to be in the
photo with me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
The Conference was wonderful! Mark and I were the concluding speakers. We both felt that the Lord blessed us so much with our talks. This was the first "real" talk that I have given and I was nervous, but the Lord gave me so much strength. I did not falter or lose my place one time and I was speaking in a foreign tongue. It was truly amazing! Mark said that my talk was a miracle and it really was! He also felt the Lord's help as words came to him in a rapid way that he had never felt before. His talk truly was powerful and so inspiring. Inactivity is a big problem here in Peru. There are 3,000 members in this District and only 500 of them are active. He asked the members to pray about at least one person that they could reach out to and rescue. The "rescatar" is receiving a big push from the Area Presidency here in our Area. It is what they have asked us to do and I have learned that my husband always does what he is asked to do! We are seeing miracles in the work here and know that they will continue as we do the                                                                     Lord's will.

Cambios Pegueña y Grande

We made it through our first transfer last week. It was pretty intense. The transfer day was actually Tuesday, August 12, but it started on Sunday for both of us. Mark was at the office that day for about five hours doing Exit Interviews. I was at home getting started on cooking the food because I had two huge meals to prepare.

Monday, the missionaries departing are given about eight hours of training on how to prepare for and get a job and basically be successful in the real world, so Mark was involved with that all day. I was at home cooking with Edna. She is such a great help. She cuts up fruit and vegetables so fast, like it is just nothing. I spent most of the day making 32 cinnamon rolls for the breakfast Tuesday morning, while Edna cut up fruit for a fruit salad. Then we prepared a roast, carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy and salad for a special dinner for the eight missionaries leaving that night.  They arrived at our house at about 5:30 pm. We ate dinner and had dessert; brownies, ice cream and hot fudge sauce. Lastly, we had a short testimony meeting so they could all express their final thoughts. It was wonderful. Next we went to the airport to say goodbye.

One special missionary from Honduras, really made his way into my heart in a short time. I only talked to him about three times, but in my interview with him, he said how much he loved us and that he wished he could be in the mission longer to get to know us better. I told him I felt the same. I cannot express how much we do not want the really good missionaries to leave. Inside I felt like I wanted to just grab on to them and yell, "No, don,t go!!!!!" But I knew it was time. They had given their service and their time. I told this particular missionary that I would miss him and thanked him for his service. His reply, "Thank you for loving me." My heart melted and I said, "That was easy Elder." I still miss him.

These Latino missionaries are so cute and so sweet and loving. We have many that are converts to the church and I love to hear the story of their conversions. Several are the only members in their family. One hermana told me of her abusive family and the troubles in her life, until the missionaries knocked on her door. Their message gave her hope and courage and changed her life. Now she is serving in our mission as a Sister Training Leader. One sister from Lima with a cute, bubbly personality just brightened up my day when I interviewed her. I mentioned my love for the missionaries and she said, "But you love the sisters the best!" I said, "Of course! But don,t tell the elders, it will just be our secret!" She replied, "Yes, it,s our secret!!"

Elder Asqui: Only member in his family and only a member one year before his mission. He is awesome! He left the field as a Zone Leader.

On Tuesday morning, we were at the airport again at 7:30 am to greet 20 new missionaries, 18 from the United States and two from South America, 15 elders and 5 hermanas. What a great group! They got up at 2:00 am to get on their early flight and they all looked pretty shellshocked when they first got off the plane. I just remember how I felt the first night I came here. It seemed like such a strange world. We put them all on a bus and whisked them to Pimentel Beach. Mark gave them a little presentation and had them each burn a paper boat to represent the boats that the Spanish burned when they came to the New World. We had a small explosion in one of the garbage cans with water when an elder accidentally dropped his lighter in it. I thought we were going to have our first casuality in the mission. It literally took all the hair off his arm as he had his arm in the garbage can when it exploded. It reminded me of a mishap the mission president had when he was younger. He lit some gasoline in a cap and it blew up in his face. He did not have any eyebrows or lashes for a while!

Next we went to the mission home for breakfast. Thirty-two people, including us, the office elders the twenty greenies and two helpers, feasted on cinnamon rolls, fruit salad, cereal and yogurt. (The yogurt in Peru is drinkable. I,m still not used to that!) Then we gave some medical advice and words of welcome. Next they walked to the mission office. We met all of the transfer missionaries in the chapel. Mark and I spoke, the new missionaries introduced themselves and then transfers were announced. Last of all, the greenies found out who their new companions were and where in the mission they were going. It was a pretty exciting morning!

For the rest of the afternoon, Mark and I interviewed all of the new missionaries. What an interesting experience. These are our first group of missionaries that will be in the mission the whole time with us! They are completely ours! I asked each one of them how they decided to go on a mission and it was so wonderful to hear that they had come on their missions for the right reasons; because they have testimonies, they want to bring the gospel and the atonement to others and because the gospel has been such a blessing in their lives. One poor missionary was really bewildered. He had already been to his apartment and realized this was not luxury living. Some of them had red eyes and were about to fall asleep, but they were all choice young adults and had a great desire to serve. The eighteen year olds seem sooooooo young! We did not get home until 8:00 pm that night. It was a long day.

                                           Sister Trainer Leaders: The Best of the Best!

This past weekend we had our first Stake Conference and visit with a general authority. It was a choice experience. Elder Grow of the seventy came to reorganize the Chiclayo Central Stake. Mark picked him up at the airport Friday evening. He had dinner with us and then talked to us and answered our questions for 2 or 3 hours. He is such a kind and gracious person. We really enjoyed having him in our home. Mark spoke at all three sessions; Priesthood Leadership, Adult evening and the Sunday morning session. Saturday evening, Elder Grow had us stand up to introduce us. Then he said, "We will let Sister Williams rest tonight but tomorrow she will give a thirty minute talk!" I am so glad he was only joking.

The Sunday morning session was incredible. The outpouring of the Spirit was overwhelming. I felt such joy in feeling the love that these saints have for the gospel and for the Lord. They had a special youth choir and they all looked so nice. The young women had on white blouses and black skirts and the young men wore suits and ties. They were all so clean and beautiful. I have not ever talked much about the music in Peru but it is a little different than what we are used to in the United States. There are no organs, only pianos, and they rarely get played. Most Peruvian services and baptisms are sung a capella. Without accompaniment. They have done this so much, that they sing a lot of the hymns in their own special way. Sometimes it takes me a minute to figure out what they are singing. They are not the best singers. There is no harmony, but they love to sing and they sing the hymns with all their hearts.

This choir did not have the best sound I have ever heard, but as I looked into their faces, I knew that they meant every word they were singing and it greatly touched my heart. The choir diector was so cute. You would have thought he was directing the Tabernacle Choir. He was very expressive in his conducting and was enjoying every moment of the production. He had created a special arrangement of "Come, Come ye Saints and the youth were happy to follow his every "command", just like the Sons of Helaman. Ha ha! Mark and I were asked to bear our testimonies. After the meeting, the saints rushed the stage. We could not get off the stage for quite some time. The good part was that I got to hug almost every young woman and shake the hands of the young men in the choir and thank them for their service that day.

Peruvians are very affectionate people and they believe in hugs and kisses. I have received so many since I have been here. We have really felt the love and the welcome of these people. I love to see the elders in our mission hug each other when they see one other. In the United States that might seem strange, but they are not afraid to show their love and affection for each other. Of course, I am not allowed to hug the elders, but I get lots of hugs from the hermanas and sometimes I forget and almost hug one of the elders! I can,t wait until I,m not a missionary any more. When I see these elders again, I hope to give them a big hug!

                                          Sister Trainer Leaders meeting in Mark,s Office. There
                                           are sisters everywhere, thank goodness!

                                          Missionaries who completed their first twelve weeks of
                                           Training (12 sisters and 1 elder) with their companions

El Presidente, Mi Esposo

There have been some challenges with living in Peru. Most public toilets do not have toilet paper, so you always have to be prepared. I always carry my package of Kleenex in my purse and we have toilet paper in our car. Many public toilets do not have a seat on them, so you get to do a squatting action that is very glamorous! The computer paper here is a different size! It is longer than our paper. I thought paper was a universal size, but apparently it is not. We have done a lot of cutting since we have been here. We always have to have a cup of water in order to brush our teeth. I always forget and have to make a trip back to the kitchen. That is the only room where we have filtered water.

Last Monday, I walked with two Hermanas who were trying to find a machine where they could get some cash. We walked all over and even took a taxi and after visiting four machines, we could not find one that was working. Saturday I went to get my hair cut and to get a few groceries. We have a copy of our passport that has been notarized that we use for ID. It is considered a perfectly legal document and most of the time we have had no problem. But every now and then we get an ignoramus who thinks they are smarter than we are, who refuses to accept the ID. So Saturday was my lucky day and the lady would not accept my ID. I decided to just go outside and get some cash. There were three machines. Two were not working and one had a line of ten people. Mark finally sent two missionaries to come and pay for the groceries for me.

One Friday night, Mark and I decided to go and get some groceries that we needed for a dinner. We found out that Friday night is not a good time to go shopping, even at 10:00 o,clock. The lines were all 10-12 people long. We waited about 40 minutes to check out and then when we got there, they would not accept our ID. Mark put up a great fight, but they still would not take it, even though we had used it there a dozen times before. Everything always ends up being so difficult! I hope I do not sound overly negative, but this is the truth of our life.

The missionaries have expressions here, when strange things happen or things do not work, like; "Only in Peru!" or "Because we are in Peru!" I heard a new exppression the other day. Some of the missionaries talk about their "Peruvian moments". So here are a few of our Peruvian Moments. Women pulling out there full breast to nurse their fussy baby in the checkout line or in church. That still really shocks me. Men urinating on the side of the road in full view of traffic. Last week in Cajamarca, right in the middle of the city, a girl pulled down her pants, squatted right on the sidewalk, urinated, then got back up and pulled her pants up. As one missionary put it, a lot of Peruvians do not have privacy issues like we do.

Now to happier thoughts: my wonderful husband! I think he is amazing and has handled so many difficult situations in such a wise and confident manner. I have heard him answer questions I did not know how to answer and handle situations I did not know how to handle. He seems to always know the right thing to say. After one such situation on the phone, I commented on how well he had handled some difficult questions from a missionary. He commented that he hoped he was not only wise, but also directed by the Spirit. I know that he is.

                                            Presidente Williams, Mi Esposa and the love of my
                                            life. There is no where else on earth I would rather be
                                            than with him!


There was one situation when he maybe did not say the right thing. One day we had a maintenance man here removing a sink that we did not want in our bathroom. Our maid, Edna, took me in the bathroom and asked me if we wanted the bidet (look it up) removed next to our toilet. I was not sure and called Mark to come and look at it. He came and Edna asked him if he wanted it taken out.  Mark said that no, it was fine. Then he said, "I mean, I don,t use it." Then turning to Edna, "Do you use it?" This was all in Spanish, so it took me a second to realize what he had just said. Wow! That could have been an awkward moment, but I laughed out loud and said, "I can,t believe you just said that!" Mark swears that was not what he meant! He wondered if she used the bidet for cleaning. I kept laughing and noticed that Edna and the maintenance man were laughing too!

The mall (Real Plaza) is the nicest place in Chiclayo. And the most like the United States. There is toilet paper in the bathroom (very rare in Peru), lots of American stores, McDonald,s, KFC and Chili,s! A week ago Saturday, we decided to actually go on a date and spend the evening together. We started by having dinner at Chili,s. It was very early for Peruvian dinner times, so the restaurant was not overly busy and it was even a little bit quiet. It was so nice to just sit there and talk to each other. We ordered tortilla chips with guacamole, burger bites and fries, great American food! It tasted so good! After our food came, I realized the music playing in the background was even American music. I could sit there, and as long as I did not look out the window, I could imagine that I was in the United States. It felt so good to be back home.

In front of the Lima, Peru Temple

About three weeks ago, after our trip to Jaen, we had to go to Lima for one night to do some paper work for our Visas. So the day after the day we had just returned home, we flew on a late flight to Lima. The church is amazing. They always have have every detail of al these things that need to be done all figured out. When we got to Lima, a man was waiting to pick us up and drive us to our hotel, not a memeber of the church, but somebody hired by the church to do this. Little did we know that our hotel was an hour drive from the airport. When we finally got there, it was 1:00. Our room was gorgeous. (It was all they had available) It was extravagant: a huge jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, a huge shower, his and her toilets, a patio with a nice couch, a suite with a couch, etc. It was the nicest room we have ever stayed in our whole life and we got to enjoy it for five hours. We had to be up at 6:00 am and ready to leave by 6:30 am. So much for a romantic night in Lima!


                                           The back of the Lima, Peru Temple

Here is what my husband does: He reads and responds to 170-230 emails from the missionaries each week. And most of them are written in Spanish. That is just what he does in his spare time; between interviewing missionaries, attending meetings, answering endless phone calls, taking care of crises, writing letters to Salt Lake, calling and meeting with Stake Presidents, meeting with and training his leaders, making changes and transfers every six weeks, going to the airport and making lots of road trips.

Despite all of this, he somehow manages to let me know, in small ways, that my wants and needs are very important to him. Then, even though we have had very little quality time together, I feel such gratitude for him and to be married to such a wonderful person who always lets me know that he cares about me. Last weekend, we traveled to Cajamarca for our second time. It was a quick trip to interview 26 missionaries that we had not met with yet. We left Friday morning about 8:00 am and got there by 1:15 pm in order to begin interviewing at 2:00 pm. The plan was to get there in time to have lunch before we started, but that never happened. So by the time we finished interviewing at 7:00 and Mark met with a Stake President until 8:00, we were pretty tired and hungry.

We decided to go to the mall to find something to eat. The options were not that great, so we settled for Pizza Hut. We waited about 25 minutes to get our food (fast food is not fast here) and then finally sat down to eat. It turned out that what I had ordered was not appetizing to me at all; it did not look at all like the picture, so I took a few bites and pushed it aside. Mark was not happy about this, because he wanted to make sure my need for food was taken care of.  I mentioned that the chicken looked good, so my husband got up and went and stood in another line to get me some chicken, while his food sat on the table getting cold.

When we finished eating, we went to a department store. I had forgotten to bring a jacket and I was very cold. I keep forgetting it is winter here and Cajamarca is in the mountains and much colder than Chiclayo. So Mark went with me to the store, helped me find and pick out a sweater and then stood in another long line to purchase it for me. As I stood there watching him, I realized how lucky I am and knew that he would not want to be doing anything else right then, until he had taken care of me. And yet, I knew he was exhausted. He had been up late the night before, gotten up early, driven five hours on windy roads and interviewed missionaries for five hours. His next mission was to take care of me. No wonder I keep following him all over this earth!

Yesterday, Sunday, he went to extend a calling to a man who has served as a bishop for nine years. The Stake President is getting ready to release him and is afraid he will be very sad without a calling, so he suggested him as the new secretary that Mark needs in his presidency. The man did not know yet he was being released as a bishop, but when Mark asked him to serve as his secretary, he immediately said yes, without any hesitation. Mark was floored. He went on and said, the calling will require a lot of time and traveling. "Okay", he said. Then Mark found out that before being a bishop for nine years, he had served in a Stake Presidency for four years and as a bishop six years before that. Mark was so touched and amazed by this man,s willingness to serve. We were both very humbled and want to be as willing as this man is to serve in the Lord,s kingdom.