Christmas Multi-Zone Style

Odds and Ends from the Week

Tuesday, December 17th was the 2 week training for new missionaries.  We did our part on teaching them about being good stewards over their money. After we hurried to the Lima Temple, because we had been invited to a sealing. The sealing was for Abraham and his wife and little boy. Thor had met Abraham at Fundet. We got to the Temple and waited for a while, but they did not show up. We were really worried that something had happened to them, especially since Thor couldn't reach them on the phone. We finally returned to the 2 week training. 

That afternoon Elder (Doctor) Hixson and Thor traveled out to Cieneguilla to visit the boys home and check up on any that were sick. Thor is the translator and medical transcriber for the visits. There were no serious illnesses, so it was a good trip!

Elder (Dr.) Hixson checking out a patient at CIMA.

Our Christmas miracle happened on Wednesday, December 18th we saw Abraham and his family and they had just been sealed! We were coming out of the Christmas luncheon for the mission and they were going into the same restaurant to celebrate their Temple marriage. We were very excited for them. They had waited a day because they were waiting for rings. They looked very happy.

This is Abraham and his family in an earlier photo.

On Thursday, December 19th we had our last class of the semester with our Pathway Group. They are a great group of students trying to better themselves. They have grown so much during the semester. It has been fun to see them come together as a group. We will have many of them coming back to do the second semester in January.

Pathway 1 class with Elder Lindstrom taking the photo.

Multi-Zone Conference

Wednesday and Thursday, December 18th and 19th, we had multi-zone conferences. They were really special. It was the Amato's 21st wedding anniversary on Wednesday. President Amato did a special tribute just for her and then presented her with flowers. It was really touching.

President and Hermana Amato on their 21st wedding anniversary!

We had a special presentation each day about the Savior's life. Each zone had a part. They would read some passages and then sing a song about the passages. My favorite songs were: "He Sent His Son" and "The Miracle" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZeZ8eTqnp0.  Each day was so different on the music. The first day we had a lot of talented piano players and a violinist. The second day we had a guitarist and a beat box drum, and a group that sang acapella. It was fun to see how each zone did their musical number about Jesus Christ.

Each day we had a very talented group of Elders--Salway, Horton, and McClellan sing "O Holy Night" with Elders Jorgenson or Gunderson playing the piano for them. On Thursday we had another group of Elders sing a lovely acapella number in Latin.

The most touching part of zone conferences was when President Ellsworth of the CCM brought over a surprise guest for our Elder Rodriguez. It was his little brother, also an Elder Rodriguez heading for Chile. They haven't seen each other for 21 months and it will be another 24 before they are together again. So many tears!

The brothers--Elders Rodriguez--ours is on the right

For Christmas luncheon we went to Pardo's Chicken, where we had chicken, papas fritas (french fries) and a lovely veggie salad of beans, carrots, and beets. The elders were treated to a half chicken! The sisters only got a quarter chicken, which is plenty. After the food, each district built a gingerbread house. The head waitress was the judge and decided who did the best job! It was a lot of fun for the missionaries.

Las Flores zone with their matching ties at Pardo's

The gingerbread house contest

The view of the Temple from the restaurant

Gala de Navidad

Friday night we went to the Gran Treatro Nacional (Grand National Theatre). We watched their Christmas gala that they put on each year. We had National Childrens' Choir, an orchestra, and the National Folklore Ballet troupe. It was a high energy performance with lots of singing. We we able to see many of the folk dances of Peru. 

The Gala de Navidad

Pucusana

Pucusana is a quaint little fishing village about an hour and a half from here. We went there with our upstairs neighbors, the Pratts and their visitor and also the Grahams and their two daughters. We took a boat ride through the harbor and then out into the ocean. It was really fascinating. We were able to see a lot of different kinds of birds. We saw seagulls, pelicans, penguins, other birds from South American, and the blue footed booby. It really does have blue feet. We were able to see a lot of sea lions. There were a lot of crabs, a few jellyfish, and some pretty orange starfish.

We saw where the rich and famous live when they are on vacation. They have big houses close to the ocean and luxury motorboats, plus a private beach. We then sailed back to the pier. 

The town has a lot of fishing boats and we visited the pier where they drop the fish off for market. They also haul ice out to the boats so they can keep their catch cold.

On the boat!

At the harbor of Pucusana

We ate lunch at a restaurant that is by the Devil's mouth. A place where the ocean comes through a tunnel and sprays water all over. It was a pleasant day with wonderful people.

Plants of Peru

Random Photo of the Week

Elders Driggs and Tenney with their matching ties and lights!

All these hundreds of different animals are headed to the manger where Jesus is.

Christmas Devotionals

Emergency Backpacks!

Since we live in a place that has earthquakes frequently, we have emergency backpacks.  Each missionary is assigned a backpack, which they are to place in their apartments. The backpack then travels to new apartments each time the missionary moves. That's what is suppose to happen in theory, but often it just stays in the first apartment.

Elders Recalde and Gonzabay cleaning off backpacks.

When a missionary finishes their mission the backpack is supposed to come to the office. We then repack it with new water bottles, crackers, and tuna. (Those items get outdated as they sit around the apartments.) On Thursday, December 12th, Thor recruited some cute elders to help me clean off and fill the backpacks with new items. They were a big help. 

Elder Lopez getting ready to add water bottles to the backpacks.

Devotional 1

The Senior missionaries were asked to sing at two devotionals this week! We sang "What Child is This?" We sang the first verse in English and the rest in Spanish.

Sister Pratt leading us in a practice of the song at FHE.

 Our first devotional was on Tuesday, December 10th. We sang at the South America North West Area devotional. This was held at the CCM (mission training center for Peru) and was broadcast in the five countries that comprise the area. (Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador) 

Elder Falabella of the Seventy presided and spoke at the devotional. I was really impressed by a talk given by Elder Zeballos. He spoke on the three levels of Christmas. Level 1 is the commercial level of Christmas. We think about the lights, the presents, the tree, etc. Level 2 is the Night of Baby Jesus. At this level we worship the babe born in Bethlehem. Level 3 is the Living Christ. At this level we try to become more like Jesus Christ. He asked us to think about where we spend our time at Christmas. Which level do we worship at this time of year and throughout the rest of the year?

After the devotional, they had a really nice buffet luncheon for all the area employees and service missionaries. They had live music and some really great Peruvian folk dancers that entertained us.

This was a very fancy buffet luncheon!

With the service missionaries from Chosica. Our friend, Patricia is on the right.

Devotional 2

Our second devotional was held at the Mission Training Center (CCM) on Friday, December 13th. This was a wonderful night and we were outside for this devotional. 

At the CCM for the devotional.

We first saw a video that explained what they do at the CCM. There were many people there that did not belong to the church. After that we went through the Savior's birth with Christmas songs. The young missionaries sang two numbers, we sang one, and the teachers at the CCM sang another. The rest of the songs the entire group sang together. It was very magical. At the end of the singing we saw the movie "The CHRIST CHILD: A Nativity Story.  I would encourage you all to watch it this Christmas. It is wonderful!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXWoKi5x3lw

After the closing prayer, they turned on the Christmas lights for the CCM. They served the traditional Christmas dessert for refreshments--Panaton (a Christmas bread with raisins and candied fruits in it) and hot chocolate.

Christmas Lights at the CCM

It was a wonderful night. Thor was able to talk with a mother and her daughter about the gospel. The granddaughter had brought them (her grandma and aunt) to this special night hoping they would feel the spirit of Christ. 

Thor talked with the mother and daughter that are between us.
The granddaughter's other grandparents are to the left. They are members of the Church.

Plants of Peru

Random Photo of the Week

Valentina Guevara is teaching me to read Spanish! She is nine.

Trainings and Tourist Time

Downtown Lima

It was a really busy week! We decided to take our P-day on Thursday, December 5th, since we hadn't had one in a while.
We went to downtown Lima. I had never been there. Thor and Erik had seen it when they passed through Lima a few years ago.

Municipal Palace--City Hall

We went on a "Free" walking tour. "Free" means they do it for tips. We had a really nice young man explain to us the history of downtown Lima.

The Cathedral of Lima

The Angel Moroni Fountain

Here is some information about the Plaza from Wikipedia: "The Plaza Mayor or Plaza de Armas of Lima, is the birthplace of the city of Lima. Located in the Historic Centre of Lima, it is surrounded by the Government Palace, Cathedral of Lima, Archbishop's Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, and the Palace of the Union." We didn't go into any of the buildings on the square, but we were able to hear the band play. The band is part of the guards for the Government Palace.

The Band for the changing of the guards

We went into two churches--Santo Domingo and San Francisco. Our tour ended at the Parque de Muralla. The best part were these amazing churros that we found near the San Francisco Church.

San Francisco Church

Parque de Muralla

Trainings

Thor had two major trainings. The first was on November 30th for returned missionaries.  Giving a vocational training to a group of returned missionaries is something that Thor has had as a dream about for sometime.  And he feels it is somewhat of a miracle that this training went from presenting the idea to ten stake presidents to fruition in a mere 20 days.  There were multiple occasions that as he made preparations for the training, that the guidance of the Spirit was so obvious that he thought:  "Heavenly Father really wants us to do this training."  Having a very supportive stake president (Presidente Lorenzo of Chaclacayo) was instrumental in facilitating this happening so quickly.  The training went very well, with our friend Miguel Serrano and Thor conducting the training together.  On the way home from the training (after an insanely busy week) Thor felt so incredibly refreshed.  And sensed a witness that this is part of why we were assigned to serve here in Lima.

Returned Missionaries at the training

The second was on December 6th for the missionaries with 3 transfers (18 weeks) left before they go home.  Once again, Thor felt the guidance of the Spirit in preparing and making adjustments for this training.  He loves team teaching/presenting with Miguel Serrano, and loves the missionaries.  That is the prayer in his heart at each of these trainings, that those on the receiving end will feel and know of his love for them.  The feedback they received is that the message is received.

Our missionaries at the training

All our cute missionaries that will be going home in 2 more transfers!

We also had new missionaries this week. We received 11 new missionaries! Some of them will be headed to Bolivia when they get their visas. Tuesday we had the new missionary training. It is always fun to see them when they come in. We then see them 2 weeks later and see how much they have grown.

A training for new leaders happened on Wednesday. I had 6 new English specialists that needed to be trained. I invited all 10 of them to come to the training. They met with me and we went over what they need to do to teach English in their district council meetings.

Rio Seco

We traveled out to Rio Seco on Monday. Rio Seco is a part of Cieneguilla and is a long ways from the chapel. When we first arrived and started walking Thor mentioned that it looked like Afghanistan and I said that it looked like Peru, just not La Molina where we live. We settled on it looking like an outpost on Mars.

Rio Seco

We were in Rio Seco to visit the Lozano Family. We were able to find them with the help of their son. He came to show us the way to their house after Thor called Sister Lozano. We had a wonderful visit. They showed us how they make their livelihood. They have a home business where they make tailors chalk. (The chalk is used to make markings on clothes that need to be altered, etc.) They have a humble home.  They have a front room that was partitioned off from the bedroom with a curtain. They had one large bedroom where the whole family sleeps. They have a 16 year old daughter, sons about 12 and 7, and a baby. The final room in their home was the kitchen. They do much of the work for their business in the back yard. They are a great family.

Rio Seco on our way to visit a family

Highlight of the Week

Sonia is in the EnglishConnect class that I help teach on Fridays. Her friends in the class introduced her to the gospel by taking her to a Halloween party at the church. After she went, she wanted to learn more. She invited the missionaries to teach her. Those missionaries are 2 of our office elders, Elder Armstrong and Elder Pardo. On Saturday Sonia was baptized with her three daughters.

Sonia and her daughters before their baptism.

What a special night that was. The ward was very supportive. The primary children that came sang "I Love to Look for Rainbows" and the Relief Society women sang "As Sisters in Zion". We loved seeing the love that our Elders have for this family and their excitement at their baptism. We especially loved seeing the light and peace on the faces of the newly baptized members.

Plants of Peru

Random Photo of the Week

Look carefully, these guys are mowing the grass with trimmers! It was a really large area.

Graduations for Thanksgiving

Three Graduations

Thor and Manuel who works at Fundet

Whoa it's been a week full of graduations! There have been three graduations in connection with Fundet. Fundet is the technical school, run by a non-profit for returned missionaries and converts. They have a wide range of ages, starting at 21 to men in their 50's. The first two events were closing ceremonies for the graduates. They received they certificates that they can show for employment. The first one was on November 22 for the drywall group. These men learned the art of how to do drywall. The second was on November 26 for the refrigeration group. These men have learned how to install and repair air conditioning units. Thor was the main speaker for both the closing ceremonies.  I went along on the 26th and was asked to give a few words. That's always fun!

Fundet Closing Ceremony for the Drywall group

On Thanksgiving day we had the big, official Fundet graduation. One of the sponsors, Brother Clark, flew in from California to attend the event. All the graduates that have finished in the year are invited to attend. They all wear caps and gowns and are all very excited to be there. We were invited to attend and when we arrived we were shown to our seats. They were located on the stage, in the very middle, behind a big table. We even had very official nameplates.

Our seats!

Our view of the Graduates

Our seat location was great for the cultural event that they had. We watched in awe as the two dancers performed one of the famous folk dances of Peru.

The Cultural Event

They did put us to work at the end. We were able to shake each graduate's hand. We also handed out "The Proclamation on the Family" and the "Values of Fundet" to each graduate. Afterwards there were a lot of pictures taken.

Doce Semanas or Twelve Weeks and another Graduation

It was also graduation time on November 26th for four missionaries that have been in the mission for 12 weeks. During that time there is a program that they follow. One of the things in the program is to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover during that time. They also work on language skills. They learn how to teach and get a long with a companion. And they learn how to contact people! Sister Lester, one of the trainers, made cute graduation hats for the two sister missionaries that graduated.

The Amatos with the Graduates

Hermana Schelly and Hansen in their cute graduation hats!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to reflect on the many blessings that we have been given. It is also a time to enjoy family, friends, and good food. Here in Peru it was no different. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our mission family and friends. President and Sister Amato provided turkey and ham. The Senior missionaries provided the trimmings plus the pumpkin pie! The Amato children, Giovanna and Luigi, provided us with a very nice spiritual thought on the true meaning of being grateful. It was a wonderful night! And I even got to make the gravy, so it was just like home.

Senior Missionaries at the Amato's Home for Thanksgiving

The Dessert Table--Let's eat dessert first!

Plants of Peru

Random Photo of the Week

We found Paris right here in Lima!