Bless My Bloomer's: Noches De Folclor - Peruvian Dancing and Dinner

FRIENDS IN PERU

Why any member would not come on a mission to Peru is beyond my imagination. The people here are the greatest, the weather is great, the food is wonderful, the diversified culture is yet to be totally seen, and we are getting a chance to see a unique corner of the world. This has been like an extended vacation. (Just tell President Newman we logged 50 hours of work and photographed 10,000 records this week. Kris has also completed 21,000 Record Arbitration's for the Ward since May 1st.)

Kris has turned into such a great trooper and can handle just about any new situation. On Sunday just before Sacrament Meeting I watched her hair blow into a mess from the wind of an open bus window and she just smiled and laughter. What was once hard seem to be easy and while living in a third-world country has many eye-opening events and difficulties the smiling faces testify of the strong testimonies of the members here. We are enjoying every aspect of this mission and the fringe benefits, like our friendship with Brother, and sister Lopez, these are just all extras. Many Senior Missionaries are dismayed that we use public transportation, work in a not so nice environment without heating or cooling, and are required to wear surgical masks during our working hours. The physical challenges of this mission that perhaps would be difficult for others to overcome, are of no consequence to us. Standing for long hours at a time, working in a small basement cubicle, walking several miles each day and dodging traffic have just added to the fun of this mission. This is while other couples work in air condition cubicles and travel little. We think they are missing out.

I love to observe people on the street as we travel around during the day. Street vendors are on every corner and push their carts into place very early each morning. I have observed an elderly woman pushing her large cart into place several mornings as we pass by in the bus. Each time a different person has stopped to helped her get her four-wheel cart across the busy street and up a little incline.

Thursday morning (May10th) a three wheeled motor transport cart lost part of a load of oranges at a very busy intersection. Oranges were rolling everywhere, but people stopped to help clean up the oranges that had not become road kill. Within 2 minutes 10 people had recovered about two-dozen oranges and another six or seven oranges were left dead on the street.

After I purchased my first newspaper of choice, (one of the five daily papers published) two days in a row, the lady in the picture had my paper in hand ready for me plus a big smile to boot. These newspaper salespeople run between buses, up and down traffic lanes dodging traffic, collecting their money which is many times tossed from a open bus window, just to hawk their papers for about $0.13.

A glass of orange juice is $0.37US. The Juice Carts are in place on a busy corner before 7:00am and there when we return late in the afternoon. You have two options for drinking. A large community glass that gets washed out after every sale and the next customer get any residue, or a plastic cup. I have been sticking with the plastic cup.

Shoeshine’s are had for one-sole. Many shine boys/men have a regular corner across from the Archives. I have developed a friend among the young boys and because I tip them they watches for us each morning. I don’t always need a shine, but one young man will snaps to attention and gives me a salute. (He just wants a tip.)

We always have a chance to talk to people on the bus and most every one has a smile on their face. These people seem to have a special love for their children and are very attentive to their needs. There are no nursing rooms in Peru. We often have extra cookies in our backpack and hand them to little kids on the bus. The mothers always smile and are very grateful. And the eyes of many children eating a cookie are a treat for us. While there is plenty of poverty to go around, everyone is working hard to make ends meet.

We had a scheduled visitor from the Salt Lake yesterday Friday, May 11th. Tim Law is the Regional Manager for Family Search in South America. After a hard days work President Newman, we all went out to dinner. It was a restaurant with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. We ate our dinner seated about 1000 feet above the water on a cliff. I wish some of you, not all, could have been there.

I have become good friends with a Brother Lopez from the Area Office. He and his wife invited us to a late dinner last night. (Yes, two dinners in one night. Eat your hearts out.) I commented to Kris we have gone out more in the last month than during the past 15 years. Kris replied, “Pay back is good Bob! Sign the check.”) The restaurant featured Peruvian dancers from each of the five geographical areas in Peru. It was a great experience and we had a wonderful time. We got home at 1:00am.

I am not sure how time keeping is done at the Archives, but Thursday someone decided it would be a half-day. On Wednesday rumors started circulating about the half-day of work, but no one would confirm anything. So, about 11:00am on Thursday Archive employees started running throughout the building saying it was official and we had one hour to get cleaned up our work. This coming Tuesday (May 15^th) the Archives is closing for “Archive Workers Day.” The rumor is Monday will also be a half-day. (Some pictures are on the next section of the Blog)