¡Hola desde Perú! (Hello from Peru!)
Believe it or not…we’re finally in Peru! It’s been a
whirlwind, but we’re grateful to be here. We left Salt Lake City on Wednesday,
Sept. 1 around 9:30am and arrived in Lima (with one layover in Houston) at
11:00pm (10:00pm SLC time … we’re only an hour time difference from Lehi). Our
travel went smoothly, but getting through the huge migration line and picking up
luggage took about 1 ½ hours, so didn’t officially arrive to Peru (through
customs) until after midnight, technically Sept. 2. I (LeAnn) did get stopped by what I thought
was a drug-sniffing dog and its police handler. Apparently it was a fruit-sniffing
dog, and my contraband apple was discovered! The officer was super nice though
and just confiscated my apple. Lane had been walking in front of me and had no
idea that I’d been stopped! But luckily the officer had been able to say, “Do
you have fruit?” I understood that!
President and Sister Packard picked us up at the airport and
drove us to their apartment where we will be staying a few days until we find a
more permanent place. We really
appreciate their generous hospitality and help in getting us down here to Lima.
On Thursday, we tagged along with Sister Packard (Lane’s
sister, Corinne) as she made some apartment visits. The driving here is crazy,
but Corinne is now an expert Peruvian driver and she holds her own in the
traffic wars! We loved seeing some of the missionaries live and in-person!
On Friday, we met our Area travel contact at the Interpol
office to start the process of changing our tourist VISAs to religious VISAs. I
was semi-terrified and had visions of being taken to an interrogation room
where I would be asked all sorts of questions I couldn’t understand. But…it was
actually quite uneventful. There was definitely a somber feeling in the air,
but we were able to complete the needed forms, be fingerprinted, have a dental
(?) check (where we opened our mouth and the doctor/dentist shined a flashlight
around and counted our teeth), and have our picture taken. Hopefully, our
paperwork will process quickly!
On Saturday we got up early to beat the crowds for grocery
shopping at Macro (like Costco). Corinne and Meredith (President Packard) had
to purchase supplies for the upcoming P-Day activity. It is interesting to see
how the stores work here. When you enter a parking lot, you have to take a
ticket (like at the airport). Then, when you exit, you have to show proof of
purchase to leave. So, you have to remember to get your ticket validated before
you leave the store area.
Also on Saturday, we were able to do some fun sight-seeing,
with Corinne as our personal guide, down at the ocean and outside the temple.
And we even bumped into two elders at the temple who will be entering our
mission this Wednesday!
On Sunday we attended a stake conference where both
President and Sister Packard spoke. They do an amazing job with their speaking
and we can feel their love for the people. Also, it’s interesting to see the
differences and similarities in church buildings. This building had no foyer;
you enter right into the chapel from outside and the doors are kept open during
the meeting. At one point, I had to do a double-take as I saw a fluffy dog
follow someone down the aisle next to where we were sitting! One of the teenage
boys was finally able to coax the dog back outside.
We love being here and are excited to learn more about our
mission and the people of Lima! Seeing the beauty of this world – the ocean,
the hills, the people – reminds us of this verse:
“And on the seventh day I, God, ended my work, and all things
which I had made; and I rested on the seventh day from all my work, and all
things which I had made were finished, and I, God, saw that they were good;”
(Moses 3:2)
Life is good!
¡Que tengan una semana
súper fantástica! (Have a super fantastic week!)
Love,
Lane & LeAnn
