We didn’t get a lot of images taken this week since Rich was suffering from eating some bad fish and we had some really difficult books. However, the end of the week more than made up for our lack of progress in the archives.
Friday, we participated in the mission party and ate pizza and enjoyed the company of the elders and sisters serving in Cusco. We think the world of our mission president and his wife, the Harbertson’s, and they did a very nice job of encouraging us all, so far from home at this special time of year. It was great!
On Saturday we traveled to Curahuasi to participate in their “Chocolatada.” This is a great tradition where groups get together and have hot chocolate and “Paneton,” Italian Christmas bread filled with raisins, and candied fruit. The branch had a great turn out with 7 investigators and several inactive families in attendance. A parrot, two sheep and a dog also participated. We had a good laugh about that. Apparently, the sheep attended church last week and had to be moved out of a classroom to the back yard. The dog has a great attendance record. He comes faithfully to church every Sunday with his owner. We also ate delicious roasted chicken and whole potatoes with delicious spicy “huacatay” sauce. It was a wonderful warm evening visiting with the sweet people there.
Sunday morning we left in time to attend the Sunday meetings in Izcuchaca. There were excellent talks, Rich was a last minute speaker, and Julie helped in the primary. The children love singing “Do as I’m Doing” in English! We had a wonderful time with the sweet members there.
When we got back we had an invitation to attend the Cusco Philharmonic Orchestra concert with a 150 voice children’s choir including our neighbor’s daughter, Marisol. They performed in the main cathedral and played and sang classical pieces and a mix of Christmas music, both traditional western carols and many Peruvian carols. It was fabulous and really put us in the Christmas spirit! From there we walked down through the nativities scattered about town. One, in front of the cathedral has been set up with figures typical of colonial Cusco including the extended necks on the figures. The other has a more indigenous feel and has Andean beasts and traditional cusqueño dress.
The evening was wonderfully free of the stultifying North American political correctness that so inhibits artistic and spiritual creative expression. We will not be writing our blog this next week because we are traveling to get our Visas!! We will write again after the New Year.
This will be a very different Christmas for us to be far from family. However, we feel it a privilege and are thrilled to be serving a mission just now and in this place. It is an exciting time in the history of the world when so many are speaking of and learning about Christ’s mission and purpose. In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “The perfect surrender and humiliation were undergone by Christ: perfect because He was God, surrender and humiliation because He was man.” Indeed, modern day prophets teach that his sacrifice is the most important event in the history of the world. 2500 years before CS Lewis, Jacob, a prophet living in the Americas wrote of the scriptures, “…they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.” Jacob 7:11
We join our testimony to these and many others at this season when we celebrate His birth. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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This post made me tear up! There are lots of wonderful things to miss about Peru, especially this time of year. I'm glad that you are enjoying your time there and I'm glad that you were able to get so into the Christmas spirit! We love and miss you, but are glad you are able to serve a mission, too. xoxo
ReplyDeleteWonderful Christmas celebrations! I'm impressed with the church-attending dog but not surprised. I WILL, however, be pleasantly surprised if you actually attain the elusive visas.
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