Things can get steep in the neighborhoods of North Lima

It Rained!

When we received our call to serve in Lima, I first looked at the street view on Google Maps.  There are 7 missions in Lima alone. (There were 6 until our mission was nearly split in half on July 1). On street view, you first notice how dirty and dry it looks. It’s dirty everywhere. If something is left outside for just a few weeks it is covered in dirt. When we first arrived and looked out the windows of our apartment they were covered in dirt. I went to wash them but quickly discovered I only needed to wipe the dirt off them. There was too much dirt to wash them. Using water just made it muddy. Anyway, you get the picture… lots and lots of dirt!

It’s Dry! I have read that Lima gets 0-2 inches of moisture a year. Yep I said moisture because rain would not be the right word. It makes me chuckle a little when members of the church in Utah are “grateful for the moisture” that we just received from the down pouring rain or blizzard snowstorm. That is not moisture. Moisture is what you get on your lip or forehead when it’s a little warm outside. In Lima we have moisture, they even call it moisture. There have been a few mornings since we arrived here that we have noticed moisture on the ground when we woke up. Not water, just moisture. This was a build-up for the news: we think it rained this week. When we walked home one night our clothes were damp by the time we finished our normal 30-minute (the time it takes to get to our area) walk. It felt like it was almost raining, but not enough to make puddles... When we got up the next morning there were actual puddles on the ground, not many, but some. The moisture was still coming down, but there was not enough to make splashes in the puddles. Anyway, We think it rained!

This week we had Zone Conferences. They were held on 3 different days with 2 Zones coming each day. (A Zone in a mission is a group of missionaries (usually 16-22) and are organized based on location and are usually in the same area as a church Stake boundaries). The Manlys (our mission leaders) have been here for 2 years. They are organized and effective. The Zone conferences run like a well-oiled machine. The young missionaries do much of the teaching. Missionaries come with an eagerness to learn how to be better representatives of Christ. It is a wonderful time of gathering and learning.

We continue to have problems with the technology. We had a few more times this week that we could not get someone logged into the LDS Tool App. But we did discover how cool it is once you are in. A new member can access their own progress on “My Covenant Path”. In this way, they can take responsibility for their own path. It works best of course if they have a friend in the Ward that can encourage, love and help. We continue to be very excited about the way this will work.

One of the new members we are working with is a 23 year old student. He had is interview to receive the Priesthood this week. His name was presented in Sacrament and he was ordained during Preisthood  Meeting. It was really cool to see. He even had a tie on! He also now has a good friend who is a returned missionary that will help him along the covenant path.

We had a family over for dinner this week. They had a rough week. Due to some financial difficulties they were evicted from their house. They lost everything they owned because the landlord would not let them into the apartment to move it out. They have a new apartment but they do not have beds, furniture, cooking supplies and they only have a few blankets. We didn’t know how bad the situation was when we invited them over. But they left with several pillows, blankets and food. What we had sudenly seemed like excess. They are now in a difficult situation because their new house is in a different Ward and our Ward doesn’t have a Bishop. We are trying to make sure they are getting the help they need. We know they are not lazy. They both work hard. However, working hard isn’t always enough. One of the things we are learning is that God loves His children. When we invited them to come to our house for a meal we had no idea they were is such a tough situation. Our Heavenly Father knew and somehow they got a little relief from our invitation

Our Heavenly Father has a plan. His plan isn’t always our plan but His plan is ALWAYS BETTER!

So off we go to another week of studying, inviting and following-up!

Your friends,

Herman Y Elder Borup

This Mall is near our house it is a contrast to house on the hill behind.

President working his magic with the missionaries

The Sisters that are assigned to our same area are also in charge of dispursing referrals from social media. They get several every day.

Zone Conference

The light for the walk signal is red and green

People live up those steps. They carry their groceries and kids up these steps.

Just an interesting utility truck

narrow passages between houses

Some cute dogs.

The office missionaries came to the rescue of our friends when the fuel pump went out in their car.