Well, we saw the sun this week! Lima is known for its mild climate. We didn’t realize that means the sky is always cloudy. In the 3 weeks we have been here the sun has come out about 4 times. When it does it’s not all day, it’s usually just an hour or so. But it is appreciated. We don’t know what summers are going to be like but one of our new friends said it’s mostly the same just warmer. Warmer will be good if you ask Hermana Borup.
This week was transfer week. The mission received 24 new missionaries, 14 from the MTC in Provo, 3 from the MTC in Brazil, and 7 from the MTC in Lima. Everyone got here when expected except 2 from the MTC in Lima. One of those Elders was in a dorm with a bedbug outbreak and the MTC thought it would be better to give them another day to sanitize. The other is a visa waiter assigned to our mission until his visa for Ecuador is approved. He didn’t get here until late into the evening because someone in the Area Office thought he was going to the mission in Peru just South of the Ecuador border. They bought him a ticket and put him on a plane. When our mission called the MTC they realized the mistake and bought a return ticket. Somehow he got the word on the other end and turned around and flew back to Lima. He made it late but he made it!
Transfers are an amazing time in the mission. Everyone is full of excitement. Most of the missionaries were affected by this transfer. 24 new missionaries mean 24 new trainers. That means a lot of moving parts to get 24 trainers available. I always loved transfers as a young missionary because it meant a new start. You could assess how things went since the last transfer and make adjustments (in my case very small adjustments because I did most things exactly like I should) to your life and work and commit to improving. Every 6 weeks you get a new life. It’s a lot like taking the sacrament, evaluate, commit, change. It seems simple when I put it that way, but maybe because transfers are so disruptive and the sacrament seems so routine, it’s not so simple to make the needed changes. I’m going to be better at making my sacrament experience be more disruptive!
We had a family home evening at our apartment with a young family that has 3 boys. The boys are 12, 9 and 8. The mom is a member and the father is not. The boys each got baptized within the last few months, each on different dates. So they have had a long exposure to the missionaries. We made friends with them the first week we were here. They are delightful! The boys are really bright and full of life. Hermana Borup is sure the oldest one is going to be a general authority. Our family home evening was nothing special but the spirit was sweet and full. We watched the First Vision video (videos are the best tool for poor Spanish-speaking missionaries) which shows Joseph Smith’s father’s reluctance to join a church until he knew he found the correct one. We talked about Joseph Senior’s integrity and it seemed to resonate with the non-member father. They invited us to dinner this Sunday. It was very special for us. We learned that talking to young, bright and enthusiastic kids is a great way to improve our Spanish. They are excited to talk to us so they work hard and understand our bad Spanish. They often understand what we are trying to say before their parents do.
Sorry, this is getting long. I’m going to close with one thought. The Lord invites ALL to come to him. We spent some time this week with our friend who gave us a lecture on world politics. Because of limited language ability, we don’t understand all of what he is saying but to us, it seems “way out there”. After we met with him this week, Hermana Borup and I were talking about how wonderful it is the Savior is calling everyone to follow Him. His message is for everyone. In our imperfect view, we think people should fit into the mold that we have in our imaginations. But He invites ALL and when ”ALL” hear His message they get to choose to follow Him. We know Our Heavenly Father loves ALL of His children. He sent His Son to Save us ALL. “ALL” get to follow Him. It’s a choice that will change us ALL!
Until next time,
Hermana Y Elder Borup
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| New Missionaries waiting in line so their parents will get a picture of them with the Mission Leaders |
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