What we do in Peru

We were called by the missionary department to take the Open Chapel "Capilla Abierta" program to the South American Northwest Area which includes Peru, Columbia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela. Elder Godoy, Area president, asked us to pilot the program here in Lima.  We are presently working in the Lima East Mission.  So what do we do?

We began by meeting with the Area Seventies and presented the program to them.  They were enthusiastic and excited to see a good missionary program coming to help the work.  We then called on stake presidents to choose one ward in their stake where we could begin.

We send an email to the bishop about a month ahead of when we want to train the ward members.  We keep in contact with him via email until the day of our training which is always on a Sunday during the block, usually during Priesthood and Relief Society hour.  We have a PowerPoint presentation that we created to explain what an open chapel is, what the missionaries do and what the members do. It takes about 40 minutes.  During that time we pass out guides to help them know how to create a display for their organization.  We also assign the bishop and ward mission leader various responsibilities to help us.  We hand out a personal invitation to each ward member and usually have enough that they can take one to a friend.  We encourage them to give us their email addresses so we can send a copy of the invitation to them to print off and use.  We usually get a good response from the members.  We average about 200 members for our training.  The wards here are much bigger than they were in Argentina.  It is awesome to see so many Melchizedek Priesthood holders in the wards.

On Saturdays we arrive at the church an hour early to set up banners, run through some training with the missionaries and often have to clean up the church.

Banner we use to invite people inside.  Church house is typical for Peru

We begin with a short devotional led by the Bishop which usually consists of a prayer, sometimes a song and then instructions from Elder Knapp so the people know how everything works.  The members that are there at this time are the ones who man the displays so they are able to take the first "tour".  We begin in the chapel where sister missionaries testify of Christ.  We have a banner of the Christus and the recording of the words of Christ used in the visitor centers around the world.

Bearing testimony of Jesus Christ

From the chapel the group is taken to the cultural hall where various banners have been set up.  The sister missionaries teach of Christ, prophets-ancient and modern, the Book of Mormon, and families.

See the banners explaining gospel principles

Next the visitors are taken the the room where there is a baptismal font.  Two elders dressed in white explain baptism, how, why, when etc. to all those present.  On occasion they ask those who are not members to accept the challenge to be baptized when they receive a testimony.  Many have said yes.

Can be a very spiritual part of the tour

Auxiliary organizations prepare displays to explain their organization and how it works.  Sometimes they get very elaborate.  The members have about 3 minutes at each display to explain how Primary, Relief Society, Priesthood, YM, YW, Family History, Sunday School, YSA  work.

Young Women

Young Men

Of course one of the favorite spots for those who come is the refreshment table.  We have found that this creates a good atmosphere where members and nonmembers have a chance to get to know each other and share something to eat.

Hungry anyone?

One of the blessings we receive is getting to know such awesome bishops and their families.  They treat us with such love, and we love them right back.  They are always willing to make the program work however they can.

Bishop Diaz from Surco

Bishop Velasquez from Vitarte

At the end of the event we often round up all those who are still at the church and take a group photo.  There are members and nonmembers who love to have their picture taken.

Vitarte Ward

This is how we love to spend our Saturday.  The Open Chapel begins at 5:00 pm and runs to 8:00 pm.  We usually spend about six hours with travel time.  It is an amazing experience!

How grateful we are to the Lord for His Gospel and the opportunity and privilege we have to be a part of this great work!  It is the HIGHLIGHT of our week!!!!

See the link below for a video of how this all works:

http://www.iglesiajesucristosud.org/capilla-abierta

Machu Picchu (the big mountain)

Tuesday, November 8, we were picked up by a mini-bus at the Area Office and driven through hectic Lima traffic for an hour to the Airport.  There we boarded a plane for Cusco, Peru.  (Have you ever heard of Avianca Airlines)?  The flight lasted for one hour and fifteen minutes.  The last fifteen minutes were an experience you would have to pay money for at Lagoon, seated in a roller coaster car!
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We got off the plane and were immediately hit my the altitude!  Cusco sits at 11,150 ft. above sea level.  Lima is at sea level.  The drastic change was really something, which caused some of the group to suffer from altitude sickness immediately.  This includes headaches, nausea, and general weakness of the body.  Luckily, we were okay.  They took us in buses to the Incan Palace, which is an old Catholic monastery that has been converted into a luxury hotel.  As soon as we checked in they had us all drink "coca tea" to help with altitude sickness.  We don't know what that is, but it really helped after the crazy plane ride.  They also encouraged us to drink lots of caffeine and introduced us to a soda drink that is very popular here, Inca Cola.

Looks like Mountain Dew tastes like Creme Soda.

All of our meals were at the hotel in a huge dining room.  There were tables inside and outside on the patio.There was a delicious buffet for each meal with lots of Peruvian dishes like potatoes and rice, a pasta bar, fresh fruits and vegetables and of course chicken.  There were lots of different breads and rolls with a great variety of desserts like puddings, cakes, pies and filled pastries.  We met lots of the other guests at mealtime.  Twice we shared meals with Elder Falabella and that was an honor.

Zucchini bird

Our hotel room was deluxe!  We enjoyed the huge, puffy king-size bed with chocolates on our pillows at night and a huge TV.  We crashed after dinner, jumped into our fresh terry-cloth white robes, and settled down to watch the US Presidential Election returns.  What shocker!  We were expecting Hillary to be leading, but when we joined the News, it was all Trump!  We finally went to sleep at 11:30 thinking that in the end she would catch him and pass by to victory.  When we woke up in the morning we could not believe that Hillary had been beaten and that Donald Trump was our new president.

Hotel--Incan Palace

Selfie---watching election results

View from hotel window

Cusco as seen from the hotel

Across the street from the hotel is one of the famous tourist sites of Cusco, Qorikancha.  The Incan Empire in the 1400s built a temple to the Sun.  It was built of huge stones set together without mortar,

It was built here because Cusco (which means navel, or belly button) was the capital of the Incan Empire.  When the Spaniards came to Cusco, they built a huge Catholic Cathedral over the top of the Incan Temple.  They wanted to completely erase the Incan religion and left no evidence that there had once been a beautiful temple where the Cathedral stood.  In 1950 a huge earthquake toppled the cathedral and to the shock and surprise of the people, there stood in it's place, the remains of a beautiful Incan Temple.  We joined 3 of the other couples, all from South America, and had an educational, delightful tour of it.

Calderons, Valleljos, Silvas, Knapps

The constellation of the black llama

The windows of eternity and the walls without mortar

The reason we were in Cusco was the semi-annual Mission President's Seminar.  There are 32 missions in our Area and 2 MTCs.  Elder Godoy, the Area President, invited us to attend so that he could encourage the missions to adopt the Open Chapel program.  The 4 days of training are conducted by General Authorities and our leader was Elder Richard. J. Maynes of the Presidency of the Seventy. We had to contact each of the mission presidents individually to share information about our program.

It was really fun, because we got to meet so many new people.  

Elder Richard J. Maynes

Elder Godoy (Area President)

Elder Falabella

Elder Montoya

At the close of the meetings the first day, they announced that there was a transportation strike the next day, which was when we were scheduled to visit Machu Picchu.  In order to avoid the strike we would have to leave the hotel at 3:30 a.m. the next morning.  So we were up early and they greeted us with authentic little Peruvian bags filled with water, rain ponchos, snacks, sun screen, sanitizer, tissues, and bug spray.  They also provided us with hats for the sun, and walking sticks for the climb.  It was fun to see the General Authorities all decked out in their hiking gear.  We rode buses to a train station where we caught a train which took us through the "Sacred Valley" to the town of "Aguas Calientes".  There we took a bus up a steep mountain where the road was a narrow bunch of scary switch backs.

At the shops outside of the train station

Got our tickets, ready to go!

Train through the Sacred Valley

Peruvian hiking bags

Machu Picchu is an Incan City built high up in the Andes Mountains.  It is located above the Urubamba River about 50 miles from Cusco.  It is 8,000 ft. above sea level.  It was built as a religious site above the Sacred Valley in 1450 and is also known as the "Lost City of the Incas".  Mysteriously the civilization disappeared in the early 1600s.  It was never discovered by the Spaniards who conquered Cusco.  It was discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham.

The people were farmers and astronomers who were skilled in making pottery and textiles.  They were religious people who worshiped the Sun and kept a near perfect calendar with use of sun-dial and windows strategically set in the walls of the buildings.  They had a water draining system which allowed for taking baths and washing clothes.  It was a reverent experience to be where they lived. 

Gate to the City

Aerial view of the Temple of the Sun

The Inca Trail

City walls without mortar

Asays, Knapps, Moores 

Piter, our excellent tour guide

Farming terraces

The second day of meetings was great.  We had arrived home late the night before and so we were late getting started.  We continued to meet with Mission Presidents and push the Open Chapel program.

Saturday, we were some of "the last gringos standing".  The altitude sickness really got to some of our group.  Some needed oxygen, and went home early.  We were blessed not to be affected too severely and Elder Falabella said we looked like we kept ourselves in good shape for our age.   He is the same age we are.  We walked around Cusco, visiting the Plaza de Armas and doing some shopping in the shopping district near the hotel.

Peruvian peasant with baby lamb

In the tourist trap

So many choices!

Treasures from our trip to Cusco

Our trip to Cusco was a great learning experience. We gained lots of new friends and respect for an ancient people who were industrious and humble descendants of Father Lehi.

 

     

Senor de los Milagros

In the early 1600's there was an earthquake in Lima, Peru and all that was left of the Catholic cathedral was one wall with a picture of Christ on the cross which had been painted by a slave. This was the first miracle-that the picture was saved and nothing else in the church was.  That is why they call it the Lord of Miracles.  Apparently there are other miracles involved too. When they rebuilt the cathedral they built it around this wall. The original picture is still there.
Every year a replica of the picture of Christ is paraded through various streets in Lima.  Every four years it comes down the street we live on.  This was that year!  The replica weighs about 2 tons which includes the heavy wooden beams that about 24 men in purple robes carry on their shoulders.  It is accompanied by a group of women in purple skirts and lace veils who walk backwards and sing.  Some of them carry incense that is burning.  There is also a band which plays.  The procession stops at the homes of those who have paid and have decorated their places with flowers and balloons.

Some of the wealthier people pay to have professionals make a "carpet of flowers'' in the street in front of their homes.  The people in the procession stop in front of those homes for a special prayer and blessing.  Each family also gives some flowers which are put up by the picture of Christ.  Our landlord was one of those who had this done.  We were able to be outside and watch the proceedings.  He said it was okay to take pictures.

In front of our apartment which is right above the picture of Christ.

Our landlord and his family with their carpet of flowers

Another flower carpet on our street

Another way to get blessings

It makes you wonder how these traditions get started.  It was a lot different than our Open Chapel last night!