These past two weeks have been filled with a ton of great experiences. Sorry for not writing last week.
Last
week there was this conference for the Central, West, and East Lima,
Peru Missions, and Elder Christensen came and spoke to us. My companion
was called on the phone and asked to sing in the choir. Of about 20
people. My companion told me that I should sing too. I was confused
because I thought you couldn't sing unless you were specificaly asked
to. When talking about this with my companion, an Elder looked at me
and was like.. Why wouldn't they want you to sing? You're like the
Brittany Spears of Peru. That made me laugh. But then I was thinking..
hmm... is that a good thing? She doesn't exactly have the best moral
reputation. haha. Anyway, when I went with my companion in to the choir
practice in Lima and then the Choir director asked if I could sing with
them. So everything worked out. =)
Recently
we also had a Noche de Talentos. It's really difficult getting the
members to arrive to activities on time but it's so fun watching
everyone once they arrive.
Oh! Two days
ago something really crazy happened. Our moto tipped over because our
driver accidentally ran over a cement block. I tried not to fall on my
companion so when it started to tip I immediately grabbed onto the side
where the door was open and when it had tipped over I was holding myself
up. My companion was fine too, but unfortunately she had falled on top
of the water jugs we had just bought. I climbed through the open door
and then proceeded to help tip the moto upright again with her inside.
When she had finally crawled out we inspected the moto. The door on
her side had snapped off. We felt bad for the Moto driver. He was so
worried. We just paid him and he helped us carry the jugs of water to
our house which was just down the street and told him not to worry.
The
longer I'm here in Peru the more I'm astonished by how giving their
culture is. I attached a picture of a restaurant we went to. I just
started laughing when they put our plates in front of us. These plates
were huge and there was a mountain of food on each of ours. Thankfully
we were not at a members house so we didn't have to finish it.
Whenever
we eat at a member's house they expect you to finish all of the food on
your plate and ask for seconds. We usually don't end up eating hardly
anything for breakfast or for dinner because lunch is huge.
One
day we went to a less active family's house to help their children
(twins) with their English homework, and to share a spiritual thought.
We taught them again how to pray. It broke my heart. We were
explaining how your prayers could be personal and didn't have to be a
memorized thing and that they were really talking to their literal
Father of their Spirits. We told them how you could say things like,
thank you for the food and for our family etc. My companion asked them
if they had food and if they gave thanks when they did. They both were
really confused and said they didn't have food every day. She told them
to give thanks at least when they did have food and that if they wanted
they could also ask God to help them with their English test at school.
We were about to leave and then their mom and sister told us to stay
for lunch. We tried to explain to her multiple times how we already had
lunch at someone else's house. It was ridiculous how much she
insisted. I've never felt more guilty in my life. She put down a
delicious plate of food with saucy rice and potatoes and chicken with a
side of salad. You could see where she had torn off a little bit of our
large pieces and given it to the kids. The mom and sister didn't have
any chicken on their plates. They covered their rice with the salad and
sauce. We didn't want to insult them so we finished the food on our
plates but refused seconds. She put a few more slices of potato on our
plates anyway. Then she pulled out this sweet desert. I can't remmeber
the name of it but it apparently took hours to make. They crushed up
corn and sugar and other stuff I think and wrapped it in a corn husk.
It was delicious but they only gave it to me and my companion. I think
I must have told her a hundred times thank you and that everything was
delicious. They really take that as a huge compliment. It really
amazes me how giving people are when they have nothing.
We left to go to our next lunch
appointment not sure what we were going to say. We just didn't say
anything about the last lunch and tried to eat another plate of food. I
didn't eat anything until lunch time the next day.
In one of the pictures I attached
is a granadilla. This is the coolest fruit. You crack it open and suck
out the insides. Haha. The first time I saw it I was worried, but I
tried it and it tasted delicious, even if the texture is a little bit
weird. haha. The other pictures of the ocean were taken off the road
from lima to chancay. It's super dangerous. There is about 3 feet of
dirt and then a cliff of about 50 feet that just drops. But the view is
amazing!
The picture with the grate is of a
well at the castillo or kind of a castle or mansion that was built in
the 1800s? Anyway, An Elder was leaning over this well and his nametag
fell down. We took off our shoe laces and tied them together and on one
end tied my nametag because I was the only other one with a magnetic
kind. We fished for it and eventually got it. It was super fun! A
bunch of people gathered around to see if we would be able to get it.
The first time that the magnets attached and the Elder was pulling up
his name tag, it hit the grate and fell down again and all of us were
like (OOOHHH!!!!) and then when he finally got it through the second
time everyone was clapping. haha! It{s funny but that really was the
most exciting thing that I think happened since I had been in Chancay.
lol
There are so many things I want to write about. I guess it'll have to wait till next week. Love you all.
Hermana Julia Chanel Bendixen
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