We Love Meeting The Members Around Peru.

It's hard to make out this photo, but it is looking down from the balcony, to a fountain in the entrance of the hotel. Elder W. will be staying

in Iquitos, this weedend. We stayed here on our trip in November. It is a 5 star hotel in the middle of a very interesting area on the Amazon River. On the other side of the river, is the jungle. We could see it from our room.

Elder Loli will be released as an Area Seventy in May, so this weekend will be his last Priesthood training.

This area is called "Belen." It is one of the poorest areas of Iquitos. The houses are built right on very marshy ground. We have participants who live in this area, most are going to technical institutions and smaller universities.

You can see why the Perpetual Education Fund is the only way for them to afford to get a better education.
In November, Jimmy, our mototaxi driver told us this is a very dangerous area for turists and non residents. There is a lot of crime in this area.

Two weeks ago we had a visitor from Salt Lake.

Tom Rueckert. In this photo is Elder Loli on the left, Tom Rueckert seated on the right. Samuel Gomez, and President Villar.

Tom speaks no Spanish, so Samuel translated the meeting for him. Tom handles the repayment aspect of the Perpetual Eduacion Fund. He asked to have this meeting with participants, who for one reason or another had stopped making the payments, but during the last 3 or 4 months have again begun to pay. Salt Lake is very interested in why they have started again to make their payments. We heard their stories, we laughed a little, and cried with them too. The participants were very glad to know that someone, especially someone from Salt Lake, would come to Peru and cared about their situations. Tom bore a very strong testimony of the vision President Hinkley had of the success of this program.

We were very blessed to have 14 participants attend this meeting. Two of the men are Bishops. Several of the women have graduated and have careers.

This is Evelyn, Galo, Carol and Victor.

Both couples have loans. For several years both

couples have struggled to make their payments. They felt there was no hope, but they all remained active in the Gospel. All hold callings in their wards, both women dropped out of their universities because they had their babies, which is very common.

Two days later one of the other sisters in attendance wrote me a wonderful email. I get so excited to reaeive these emails. She said it was wonderful for her to meet other participants like herself. She does not feel alone now. Each person in attendance told their story. Each one had similarities and differences too. All had one vey common thread, they wanted to do better.

This is my cute story: Carol was holding her little girl (in yellow) and her husband had not yet arrived. Tom asked her to tell her story. I wanted to take the baby so she would be able to speak to the group without the baby fussing. Every time the baby looked at me, she began to cry. I tried several times making a neusance of myself instead of helping. After the meeting ended and we were mingling and talking as a group, Carol explained it was my hair. The baby had not seen a blond before. I totally understand, almost everyone in Peru and Ecuador too, has very dark hair. I just desperately wanted to hold and squeeze those babies.

I thought with Elder W. gone I would really enjoy my free night. Instead, I find myself wondering around the apartment. I finally decided maybe it would be a good idea to write in the blog. Then I don't "hog the computer" as he puts it. It will be free for him when he returns late Sunday night.

We miss you all, pray for you all. I testity that this work is important to the Lord. The time is quickly passing. I know that God loves each one of his children, especially those who struggle with the difficulties of life. The Savior knows each one of us by name. He paid a very precious price so that we all might have the opportunity to live eternally with He and Father as families. I know this to be true. I love my family, I miss them terribly. We have dear friends who we miss as well.

Until I write again,

Hermana W.