It’s been a busy week here in the Lima Peru North Mission. On
Monday (the missionaries’ p-day), we went to the “Parque de las leyendas” which
is translated as “Park of Legends.” It’s a big zoo here in Lima. President and
Sister Packard had arranged and bought tickets for all the missionaries to
attend as an activity. We thought we’d just pop in and out, but it was amazing!
The park contained not only animals, but a botanical garden, archeological
ruins, a small lake for motor boat rides and paddle boats, and an
amusement-type park with bounce houses and rides. So … we ended up staying over
2 hours.
Then it was back to mission office reality! We’d been out of
the office since the prior Tuesday (due to our Cusco trip) and we had lots of
office catch-up. We are receiving more Americans, which is awesome, but it also
means more migration procedures & paperwork, Interpol visits, and additional housing needs.
This week we also had another random power outage, and when
Lane couldn’t get a response from our landlord, he went down to the main power
box for the six-story building and started throwing switches. Luckily he
flipped the right one and our power came back on … and thankfully he didn’t electrocute
himself! (In his defense, he said he had watched the electrician do this
several times.)
On Thursday, just as we were leaving the office, everything
started to shake. We looked at each other and ran for the door frame … even
though we understand that door frames really aren’t any safer than anywhere
else. It’s hard to describe the feelings these earthquakes bring … we wonder if
the shaking is going to intensify … should we run and get under the desk or
stay put … or find a “triangle of life” area. All these thoughts are running through
our heads and it’s just surreal. Lane read that the earthquake’s magnitude was 5.4
and centered about 35 miles south of Lima. But we lived to tell the tale!
Having a “natural disaster” type experience makes us more
aware of the transitory nature of life. None of us really know how much time we
have here. We don’t like thinking about
death, but it’s a reality. The phrase that keeps running through my head comes
from the ancient prophet Nephi:
“… I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do
not know the meaning of all things.” (1 Nephi 11: 17)
Like Nephi, we certainly don’t know the meaning of all things,
but we do know that God loves his children … all of us. And we love all of you,
our family and friends!
¡Que tengan una semana maravillosa y recuerden que Dios les
ama! (Have a wonderful week, and remember that God loves you!)
Love,
Lane & LeAnn
We were able to visit the Lima zoo (Parque de las Leyendas) with half of our missionaries on their P-day. The other half of the missionaries went the prior week. It was a great zoo with many animals and geographical presentations from all around Peru.
And a photo from loved ones at a nephew's wedding - LeAnn's parents, Alair and her son, and Izzy and Taylia (yes ... she's about to pop!). We love getting pictures from family!
