Out With the Old and In With the New

Something New

This was a week of new things for the apartment. It has been quite exciting. 

First we received a new washer and dryer. They were needed. The old washer leaked and keep giving error messages and would not finish a batch of laundry. The dryer did not dry anything. I tried drying two towels and after 1 hour and 40 minutes, they were still not dry.

A washer and dryer that work! Yeah!

We also got 2 heating/airconditioning units put in the apartment. This takes quite a bit of work since the walls are made of cement. They had to drill a channel for the electric line to go through. Then they mudded it with cement. When we came in the day they finished, it was so warm in our apartment. They had turned them on pretty high. Heat is wonderful when it has been cold.

Our new heating/airconditioning unit.

The channel through the cement to the electrical box--which is on the other side of this wall in the kitchen.

Some Random Thoughts

Tuesday we had our district over for french toast and scrambled eggs. They were very excited to have some "real food" for breakfast. They usually buy some rolls to eat on their way to the office.  We are in the same district as the office elders. Elder Armstrong is over health and medical. Elder Tenney does the finances. Elder Wilcox is the mission president's secretary. Elder Rincon and Elder Pardo are the supply elders--they order the needed supplies and send them out to different parts of the mission.

Hermana Lindstrom, Elder Rincon, Elder Tenney, Elder Lindstrom
Elder Wilcox, Elder Pardo, Elder Armstrong

On Wednesday we found these cute sister missionaries doing service at the MTC in Lima. The MTC or the CCM (as it is known here) is not too far from our house.

Hermanas scrubbing the masonry fence at the MTC

Thursday we traveled up to Chosica with Presidente Amato. It is 2800 feet higher than here. That means blue skies and warmth! We were there long enough to see stars at night. We met the self reliance specialist for the stake. Hermana Patricia is a wonderful, energetic lady. She is doing a lot of things for her stake. We had a fun talk. Thor wants a energy transfusion from her.

Hermana Lindstrom and Hermana Patricia

A statue of Jesus in the park at Chosica.

Chosica

Friday morning we taught an EnglishConnect class for Sister Pratt. It's a beginning English class filled with the ladies from Sister Pratt's morning exercise class. They are learning to pray and know the Savior better, because at the end of class there is a gospel principle that is taught each week. This is taught in Spanish by Hermana Karla.

EnglishConnect Class--Betti, Lilian, Dorys, Clody, Lili & Claudia (can't see her in the back)

Something Spiritual

While in Chosica Thor was feeling sorry for me, so he asked if any elder wanted to practice their english. The native elders are learning english on their missions. We meet this wonderful Elder. Elder Vasquez is from Peru. He told us the following story about his grandmother.

Elder Vasquez

His grandmother was very sick and loosing her eyesight. One night she dreamed that two young men in white shirts would come and heal her. When she woke up from her dream, she called all her family together. She told them about her dream. She then told her family to go out in the city and find the two young men in white shirts.

The family went out searching for them. They finally found them.  They told the missionaries about the dream and asked if they would come to their home. They came to the home. They were able to bless his grandmother and she was healed.

She joined the church and has been very faithful. She has done a lot of family history work.

Elder Vasques' mother fell away from the gospel before he was born or when he was little. He was baptized into the Catholic church.  When he was taking confirmation lessons in the Catholic church, his grandmother encouraged him to listen to the missionaries. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was nine. Later his mother became active again.

He loves his grandmother very much and she is one of the reasons that he is on a mission today.

You never know what influence you will have in another person's life. 

Plants of Peru

This plant has some serious thorns on its stems.