Can You Really Have 2 P-Days in One Week?

Something Patriotic

Sunday, July 28th was Peru's Independence Day.  We sang the National Anthem in church, which was very neat! (So glad that I didn't have to play the piano for it--they had a recording.)

On Monday was the big military parade in downtown Lima. We ventured to it with Elder & Hermana Pratt, who live on the floor above us.

Guess what! They do not throw candy during the parade. 

Guess what! The President of the country, President Martin Vizcarra rode in a jeep and waved to all the people. He drove right by us. That was really amazing. Sorry we only have a video of him driving by--so no picture.
The best part of the parade was the cultural part.  Different areas of the country came by doing traditional dances.

Then came all the different branches of the military and their different sub-groups. At the very end were the tanks!

These are the Secret Service Agents

We called these guys the Wookies for all you Star War fans

Something Like a Pyramid

For our real p-day we went to 2 different Huacas. These are religous buildings or temples of the Lima people.

Huaca Huallamarca

Huaca Huallamarca--showing the flat top of the pyramid

Here's a run down: The Lima people constructed their sites using small handmade bricks made of unfired earth (adobes), which were arranged in vertical rows like books on a shelf. No mortar inbetween so they could withstand earthquakes. Using this technique, the Lima built rooms, patios, corridors, ramps and staircases. These rooms were used for a period of time, (until they got a new high priest) and then buried with stones, sand, and earth. This became the new base for the building.

They had rituals. The sacrificing of young women, because of their fertility, to aid the fertility of the soil. They would also sacrifice young babies to be the spirit guides of people who had died. The babies had just recently come from the great beyond and would know the way back, while the elders would have forgotten the way.

The Huacas look like flat topped pyramids.

Huaca Pucllana--Showing the vertical bricks that look like books

A burial area--the white bundles are the baby spirit guides while the brown bundles are older people that have died

Huaca Pucllana

We were also able to visit the Olive Grove Park. Some of the trees are 400 years old! Our friend, Hermana Rosario showed us the very old olive press.

Olive trees in the park

The Olive Press

Something Spiritual

We took a ride out to sunny Cienguilla to do visits.  We were meet by Hermanas Mayta and Estevez and the wonderful Relief Society President of the Cienguilla Ward.

The RS president, Sister Flores, had prayed about who we should visit. She is such an inspired lady and an inspiration to me. 

We were able to visit and minister to five sisters, each of whom was dealing with serious challenges in their lives. The missionaries would give a scripture and a thought, sometimes Thor would chime in. Sister Flores would have a message tailored to each individual and their circumstances. My job was to give hugs and love the people.

Hermana Estevez, RS President--Sister Flores, Hermana Mayta, Hermana Lindstrom in sunny Cienguilla

One of the people we visited had just lost her husband. She is now the matriarch of a large family--children, grandchildren--and wants them to understand the importance of the gospel. She asked the Hermanas and the RS president to come to the memorial for her husband and hopefully touch the hearts of her children.

Guess what! You don't have to be a Relief Society president or a missionary to minister. You do have to be aware of others and their needs. Can the clerk at the store use a smile today--smile and you will be ministering. Have you checked on your assigned families lately? Maybe a kind word or a spiritual thought is just what they need. Maybe it will be a listening ear to someone who needs to talk. Follow the example of our Savior. He ministered to the one.

Plants of Peru

Monster Cactus

Monster Cactus

Animals of Peru

Llamas and Alpacas