We Are Clearly Off The Plateau Here!
When we were hanging fire in bureaucratic limbo, our mission president contacted us often to check on our level of frustration and desperation. On one of his calls he showed us the apartment he was considering for us. It is the apartment we are in that is on the boundary between the district of Miraflores and Surquillo in Lima. His big concern was that it would be too noisy for us. He considered that the night traffic might be too much for our tender old ears and would be a source of sleep privation. While there is some night noise and the odd, it is not worse than our time in Albuquerque nor the eruption of coyote voices in Edgewood.
Still, when the morning gets going, there is a steady, rising urban thrum. It has its own quasi constant cacophony with its own weird beauty. Engines race, and horns blare making for a kind of ebullient, mechanical bedlam, punctuated all the while by birds. Others clamber for attention but it is really the parakeets piercing, raucous racket that rules the morning. Kind of cool!
Julie has still been in the states helping with Miles. She has also had a wonderful time with the other grand babies at Charles and Megan's house. Rich is pushing through without her. Almost certainly, missionaries who call with health needs have to be disappointed to not hear her voice on the other end.
There have been countless needs in that department this week. One elder has both ulcers and ingrown toenails (yes, he had three of them repaired). There are bad teeth and even one really bad stubbed toe. One Elder reported that he is sure he has Dengue fever. The only thing is, he has no fever…
Rich did go with a couple of groups of sisters to teach families that they are working with. That was sublime and rather fun.Everybody wants you to eat or drink or both with them. Some feed you despite absolutely profound poverty. Obviously, there are risks involved but we have a long standing trust that it will be all right and we never turn down these offers. After all, we never actually know from what poverty they come.
On Saturday and Sunday, Rich went up to the San Juan de Miraflores district to a baptism and then to their Sunday meetings. This is the deepest, darkest, gang-banger part of Lima. One Elder has been held up twice at gun point there. Yet, their meetings were full of sweet and marvelous people who come to worship and improve their lives. Truly it is the blossom in the desert metaphor in real life.
We never imagined that Lima would grow on us. It contrasts from the beautiful yawning expanse of the Pacific to the destitute and downtrodden depths of poverty and the majestic architecture of the Spanish Viceroyalty period. Most of all, we love the people we know and many we have just come to know. It is such a privilege to serve here at this time. We love this mission.
We love the way you write. Your descriptive words transport us to the other side of the world and we can almost experience with you all that you have written. So happy to read that you are having a marvelous time. Love your blogs 💕
ReplyDeleteHa! Dallas just left on his mission, but before he left he had to watch all these videos of missionaries who died or were maimed for life from not being careful. I was bawling for every single one. One sister has a lifelong stomach problem now because she ate or drank something unfiltered in South America. She couldn't say no and hurt the poor family's feelings. I've been there! Luckily Pat and I came home fine (though he was in hospital in Venezuela once). But that sister's mission president and wife were interviewed about it and they said it was her fault for not obeying the rules! Kind of cold. Pat and I just looked at each other and exclaimed, "But that's so hard!" Crazy.
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