What goes on in Peru

After I send a missionary mother a picture, I often hear from the mother's. They have questions about Peru. I will take some time to answer some of their questions.

These missionaries are happy and filled with the spirit of the Lord. There are 40 stakes in Lima and the population is about 7.8 million. There are 30 millions people in Peru about the same population as California. Transportation is by taxi or bus for the missionaries (No Cars - you would have to drive here to understand that). The wards cover large areas and have lots of investigators. The Peruvian Saint are very good at sharing the gospel with friends and relatives. We will be traveling to Huancayo next week by van to do a Family History Seminar. It will be a six hour ride over the highest paved road in the world at 15,000 feet.

Yesterday we attended a Family History Seminar in the San Felipe Stake about one hour north of La Molina. It is exciting to see the South American Saints logging onto Family Search and New Family Search. There is a great interest in Family History. The Peruvian Saints are receiving so much additional information at their finger tips because of the record preservation program. They are thrilled to log onto the church web sites to do research and then take names to the temple.

This is not a backward country. When the stake President started the General Meeting yesterday he had his laptop at the pulpit. The ward clerks from the various wards were there with their iPad's and getting the members their membership numbers so they could log onto the church websites. Bob had prepared some pictures from the archives to show the members and then our leader decided Bob needed to present the pictures to the group in Spanish. So he did a talk in Spanish with some help from Elder Lowe.

It is always exciting to see the missionaries. There were lots of missionaries attending the seminar. It was open to the public. This church building was two stories and had two floors the size of my home ward in Utah. On the ground floor each organization had set up a room and then the missionaries were there to talk with non-members. Upstairs was the Family History Fair.

There is great wealth in some parts of the city but a 10 minute drive and there is the poorest of the poor. The people are humble and very friendly. They love Americans and everyone wants to speak English. I consider my missionary badge my safety net. All though I have to be careful in Peru I feel like my missionary badge is a protector. Church members loves it when they see us on the street and want us to know they are also members.

A look at the Neighborhood from the San Felipe Stake

Indexing Youth

Families Love to Learn About Searching for Relatives

On the Way to San Felipe

The church is mindful of our missionaries. They do not cook for themselves. They have a cook.  Food safety is important. All fruits and vegetables are soaked in bleach for 30 minutes and then rinsed with cold water. The missionaries only eat at members homes on Sunday. I had the missionaries one Sunday and they were not allowed to eat lettuce. Lettuce is one of the most common problem foods. Also sanitation is another. Everyone has some kind of food problems while they are in Peru. That is just how it is.

The winter is very cold and the summer is hot and humid. When it is 100 percent humidity in the winter and 55 degrees it feels like 32 degree in Utah. However, winter is finally over and spring is just beginning. Hooray! I am told it will not warm up until the end of October so I am in for a few more cold, wet nights.

The mail in Peru is not like America. The Peruvians go to the bank to pay all their bills. Maybe it can be done online but I am not sure. It is very difficult to get a mail to missionaries. Many packages never leave customs. Letters through the LDS mission pouch are the best. These missionaries are not thinking of material things, they glow because of the gospel.

There are ten missions in Peru. The Mission Presidents and their wives are the greatest. They love their missionaries and would do anything for them. Some of the Presidents have their children with them and some are empty nester's.

The Area Office here in Lima serves Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Columbia. There are three Area Seventy and 25 services missionary couples serving from America in the La Molina area. They serve in the office as secretaries to the Seventy, a medical doctor, two mental health counselors, perpetual education fund, accountan's and attorney's. There are temple and record preservation missionaries. Senior Missionaries have family nights and lots of eating out. We go shopping, riding bikes, walk on the beach, etc. There is lots to do on P-Day. My husband calls it a vacation.



If you have more questions please comment and I will answer.