When lightning strikes you at Christmas

Christmas watermelon

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Look at that squash!

Panetone

Despedida, Los Rhoades

Little merchant

Pack

Snoozing

Lost in translation

TP

Glacial action 

Lagunita 

Ayaviri cathedral

The very friendly and extremely hairy Lobo... Really likes Mormon missionaries

Our work computer was in Lima on Monday and most of Tuesday so we couldn’t do any work in the archives. We were pretty heart broken (not). We enjoyed our days off and were able to pick up the computer from the bus line late in the afternoon on Tuesday. It has a brand new hard drive in it and is working like a charm. We’re happy about that! The down side of having to send it to Lima is that now we have no internet. Last time we didn’t have internet it took nearly three months to get it fixed! There is no hope for any help at this time of year, so we’ll start hounding the powers that be in the new year. Fingers crossed!

We worked hard Wednesday through Friday to make up for our lost days. We have eleven shelves left, we’re starting to count down. Some will go quickly, others will take a few weeks to finish. With our figuring we should finish just right with the end of our mission. At least that is our plan!

School is out for summer break so the streets are full of kids. Hard to think of it being summer here as it rains cats and dogs every afternoon and all night, and is actually quite chilly! They don’t actually call it “summer” here, it’s the “rainy season.” We’re seeing more and more Christmas lights and the Plaza de Armas is really pretty at night. 

Rich traveled to Sicuani in torrential, pounding rain on Friday night with Quique Rubio the mission secretary. They had to finish up the financial audits. They managed to borrow a car so Rich drove since he is licensed in Peru. It made the trip possible since from Sicuani they had to get to Ayaviri on Saturday morning, then on to Juli and back to Puno to spend the night. Sound exhausting? Rich woke up with one pant leg still on, on top of the covers at midnight…

On Sunday they left Puno for Choquehuanca, back to Ayaviri and finally home late Sunday night. The whole trip involved a solid twenty hours driving, much of it in a deluge. They finished year end audits!

Rich got a new folktale out of the trip. During an impressive lightning and thunder display, one of the leaders told Rich about his dad who had been struck by lightning. (This happens more than you think in the Altiplano, what you get for living above the Collegiate Range in Colorado.) Anyway, he said, “You know that when someone is struck by lightning, it splits them down the middle and the thunder snaps them back together. It is a miracle that happens…” He went on to say that the proof in the pudding was that when his dad had dirt in his bones along the impressive scar that ran through the middle of his body after the lightning strike. Rich did not gasp, gawk or gape but he felt his eyebrows near the top of his head…

Driving in Peru is always an adventure and never relaxing. It exposes every negative character trait in the rawest of ways. Rich says, “I am never proud of myself after a road trip here.” Still, it has to get done somehow.

Julie stayed home and did some Christmas baking for our zone and the sisters upstairs. Her efforts turned out perfectly, so she’s happy.

We love the carols and music of Christmas and the wonderful spirit we feel as we go about our work here. How grateful we are for our Savior, for His life and example to each of us. We love Him and we and our family have been so blessed this past year. We wish each of you the peace and joy of this season and may you feel of His love. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's beginning to look something like Christmas!

Our Zone

Ticketed for ... mattresses???

Our dear friend Sthefania Aguero sent these to us in honor of Thanksgiving!

Luncheon

Yet another protest

Eat your heart out Evelyn Wood, just try digesting all of that marching by

Fifteen to pour one slab

Glad to NOT be on that one!

Just happy to be here

     It’s beginning to look ever so remotely like Christmas here in Cusco. The stores are getting decorated and there are Christmas trees and nativities around. There is also Paneton (Christmas Bread) stacked nearly to the ceilings in the stores. The mall even has a huge nativity and a christmas tree. They play Christmas music but the Peruvian villansicos make ours seem kind of pale. They are pretty salsa/merengue beat-based, to say the least!

We have had some amazing rain storms and it is starting to green up and look like summer. The mornings are usually sunny and warm but the afternoons and evenings are wet and cold. We always carry a sweater and an umbrella, we just never know.

The week was eventful as most are. Tuesday was a national holiday celebrating the Immaculate Conception. The churches were busy with many children participating in their first communions. We stayed away from the plaza and enjoyed a quiet relaxing day at home. Rich did a little painting and we even watched a Star Wars movie, because Rich wanted to hear Greedo speak Quechua again. 

We met our district Wednesday morning to take a group picture. Changes are coming up and many sisters and elders are returning home this next week. We really enjoy working and visiting with the young missionaries, they are great young men and women.

After the picture taking, Rich had to get some papers signed to renew his carnet. He then returned to work and finished out the afternoon and left for his mission presidency meeting. While he was crossing the pedestrian bridge to go to the church he was texting our daughter, not even driving. When he started down the steps on the other side he slipped on the wet stairs and landed flat on his back. Miraculously, he didn’t break anything and his suit looks like new after a visit to the dry cleaners. He is still sore but not too bruised.

Thursday Julie taught her English classes and we took lots of pictures. We are able to take two pages at a time with the books we have this week. Those are always fun and, at least satisfying because we can fly through them. 

Rich finished the two page books, turned off the computer and turned the camera back to take the photos for the one page at a time books. When he turned the computer back on, the dreaded blue screen appeared saying something was messed up with the program and he was unable to fix it.

We talked to our supervisor Friday morning and tried all sorts of things with the computer to no avail. Happily we had a lunch with the church employees and service missionaries. We have never thought of ourselves as service missionaries, but we guess we are. It was a fun lunch with good friends. We did feel like it was all a bit random since it was building maintenance, church education system and us…

After lunch we returned to our office, unplugged the computer and brought it home to send to Lima. We are hoping it will get repaired quickly, we want to finish the work here and our weeks remaining are passing rapidly.

Rich left for Andahuaylas early Saturday morning and Julie sent the computer on the bus and caught up on things around the apartment. Rich arrived in Andahuaylas in the late afternoon and had meetings until nearly midnight. 

Sunday, Julie attended the 8:00 am church meetings and was asked to play the piano. She was also asked to speak since they were short a speaker. Thank goodness for her iPad. It was a busy sacrament meeting.

Rich arrived home from Andahuaylas in the afternoon and his back was feeling pretty uncomfortable from his fall and the long, plus seven hour ride. He released a missionary in the evening.

We love the Christmas season and all it represents. The wonderful music and thoughts of family and loved ones brings us great joy and peace at this time. It is so unusual to have it feeling like summer at Christmas time. Still, this is far from the first such experiences. The cloud massifs that build each day are breathtaking and Rich takes many a useless photo of them. We continue  to be fascinated by the beauty and majesty of the Andes.