Merry Christmas friends and family. It is a little different to be in the Southern Hemisphere this time of year. It seems to be getting hotter everyday. This blog is for the week ending on Dec 22. The original plan for the mission was to change p-day from Monday the 23rd to be on Christmas Day and have 2 Zone conferences, one on the 23rd and one on the 24th. The Mission Leaders got word from the area office just two weeks in advance that they are not allowed to change p-day from Monday to another day.  So, This week on the 19th and the 20th of December we had Zone Conferences. It was Zone Conference mingled with Christmas celebration. The Mission Leaders shared their family Christmas traditions of singing Christmas music and reading the Christmas Story from Luke Mathew and the Book of Mormón. There was a choir made up of missionaries and musical numbers. It was fun to see the talents of the missionaries. The Lunch was a traditional Peru Christmas meal with turkey, arroz arabe, and pureed apple sauce. I’m a fan of the apple sauce with the turkey.


The mission leaders had a gift bag for all the missionaries which included Panetone, Chocolate, Candy, a Peruvian Christmas Ornament and a Christmas Card with a picture of every missionary. The Senior missionaries all got together and we made another gift bag that wasn’t so elaborate, but was filled with candy and cookies. We spent a lot of the week putting these gifts together. And by the response from the missionaries it was well worth the effort.


We helped get the pictures organized and sent to the printer to make the card. It is something the Mission Leaders have done every year and it is really a nice gift. The pictures that are used are the pictures that we take of the new missionaries on the first day of their mission in Peru. The goal is to make sure that all the pictures (150+) match the name and home country for each missionary and to have a picture for each missionary. Which sounds like it should be easy but with transfers the week before and people coming and going before and after visa waiting it isl much more dynamic than you would expect. I think it turned out right though. (I’m going to spare you some of the long drawn out details that needed to take place before hand).


We should have learned from the Mission Christmas Card experience, but we didn't. Hermana Borup and I decided to put together a giant Christmas card  (poster size) from the missionaries to the Mission Leaders, with a selfie from each companionship taken in their area. We had to send out text to each companionship (70+). Missionaries don’t always listen to directions. The directions were easy: selfie of your companionship in your area. We got video messages, pictures taken by someone else a long way away, and individual pictures with graphics on them. After several follow-ups and redos, we finally got what we needed in time to print it the day before Zone Conferences. It turned out great and will be a great memory for the Mission Leaders.


Saturday night we had a Ward Christmas Party and talent show. I got roped into being Papa Noel and singing a Christmas hymn with the Hermana Missionaries in our Ward, 2 things I’m not good at and don’t really enjoy that much. The Christmas Party was great fun. They had a meal with Chicken and Rice and EVERYONE got to take a picture with Papa and Hermana Noel. The decorations for the party were really amazing. The people in Peru know how to put on a party and they know how to decorate for one, too. 


The week ended with me having to give a talk in Sacrament meeting. Here’s the background. About 2 weeks before the Christmas Sacrament meeting Hermana Borup and I ran into our acting Bishop ( a member of the Stake Presidency) I told him that if he needed us to speak in church we would be willing to do so, but it would probably be best if it wasn’t for the Christmas meeting. The Ward deserves to be able to understand the speakers on that Sunday. Well, about a week later I got a text from one of the Stake Clerks asking if I could speak on Christmas Sunday. I told him I would be happy to, but that he is not my best friend anymore. I spoke on the gift of light and hope that the Savior brought to the world and how we have the ability to share that gift with all.  The best part of my talk was that most of my jokes were understood. I got laughter when I was hoping to get laughter and none when I was not expecting it. Most of the comments after church were about my jokes. That’s better than when I give a talk in our home Ward.


By the time you are reading this, Christmas is over, so we hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that you were able to feel the Savior's hope, light, and love. We did


Your friends, 

Hermana Y Elder Borup

Met some missionaries from the Lima Central Mission at the Mercado Central

Waiting to get a service on the moto-taxi


Walked by this on my way to pick-up my license. 

Teaching Emotional Reseliance class via zoom

caught this guy sleeping in his bus

Christmas season is Panetone season

Elder Perez looks a lot like Elder Napa's son

Celebrating Hermana Borup's Birthday this transfer.

2 Tongans in the Pereu Lima Norht Mission

That is the extra-large bag of cereal

seeds and grains at the market

Nothing like Cuy for Christmas

Or a little goat head

Ward Christmas party

Comas Stake Christmas Fireside, an amazing production!

Ward Christmas party decorations

Mr and Mrs Claus at the Ward Christmas party with a recent new member

Santa and his sleigh. 

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