Peru- February 27, 2022

 

“… Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.” (Helaman 5:6)

 

I also have one of those unique names that literally reminds me of my “first parents.” My name is a composite of my dad’s name (Leon) and my mom’s name (Ann) and I do remember their good works!

 

Since one of my responsibilities includes entering the new convert data into the church membership system, I’ve had the opportunity to think about names this week. From what we’ve seen, most Peruvians have 4 names: 2 “first” names and 2 “last” names (the last name of their father and the last name of their mother). But … we’ve seen variations. Some have 3 “first” names and 2 “last” names and some have 3 “first” names and 1 “last” name. And some of our missionaries filled out their mission paperwork with 3 names, but when I’ve processed a legal document for them, I’ve found that their DNI card (official ID card) lists 4 names. Aaack! One missionary didn’t like using his “first” last name (his dad’s last name) because his dad had abandoned him and his mom. So … names can be tricky.

 

However, it’s important to keep accurate records. This week I came across a record with the names Leandro, Vidal, Gerson, and Luis. The paperwork that I see is supposed to be filled out with the last names first and then the first names, separated by a comma. Sometimes this happens and sometimes it doesn’t. Looking at these names I realized that I didn’t know which were the “first” names and which were the “last” names. Luckily, one of the missionaries in the office that day knew this person and cleared up my questions. Ironically, this person’s parents also had names that could be either “first” or “last” – Símon, Agustín, Reynaldo, Miranda, and Esperanza!

 

And happy, happy birthday to my sister, Annette, whose name also comes from my mom’s names (Ann Etta)!

 

Have a fantastic week! (Have a wonderful week!)

 

Love,

 

Lane & LeAnn

Lane testing out his new Peru apron that his sister Corinne gave him from the Inca Market we visited last week!

And this is what he cooked!  Well, no.  Unfortunately, as good as the apron looks, it doesn't cook for you!  This was our P-day night "lomo saltado" dinner at a local restaurant!  Basically steak, potatoes, rice, onions, tomatoes, and a fruit drink of pineapple, orange, and lemon.

The construction on the stake center next to us continues.  These two workers that were straddling the trusses to weld them looked a little precarious to us.  We were happy to be in the office and not out in the heat of the day in that toppling location.

Closer view of the precarious welding. 

This video clip shows how the construction workers were tossing bricks up to the worker on top. This was actually before the trusses were fully placed and welded. It's not like we're waiting around and watching the construction 🤣, but we see it right out our office window and as we pass through our offices. And occasionally unique construction techniques catch our attention!

At the missionary training center we were able to meet one new elder from Chimbote, Peru who will be coming to our Lima North mission.  Two sisters are also coming, but one was delayed in travel a couple of days, and the other is delayed because she is sick with Covid.

Saw this young couple just outside our mission office as they were pausing to care for their little baby.  You can't see it from the photo, but they were using the cutest little seat support device for the baby to sit on that attached to the waist of the mother, like a fanny pack of sorts.  But instead of it being a fanny pack, it was a cushioned seat that protruded straight out from the mother that that baby sat on.

On P-day, for our morning walk/jog, we passed through this local mercado.  Always very busy with all sorts of local specialties of food, fish, chicken, clothing, household products, and little restaurant eateries. 

Chickens are definitely the hot items.

This hill of colorful houses is very near our mission office.  The yellow vertical lines are the stairs for accessing the homes.  Can you imagine climbing those everyday to get to your home? 

On our way walking to the office one morning, a little band group was out playing songs for the locals.