Elder Jimenez Enters The MTC In Lima, Peru

Elder Jimenez from Managua, Nicaragua entered the MTC (CCM in Spanish) May 20th. I have been so excited for this day. We found out several months ago that he would be here in Lima. He has a very sweet spirit about him and is very prepared to be a missionary.

Myself with Elder Jimenez and Elder W. on the grounds of the MTC. I knew him the minute I saw him, and of course we were not to hard to pick out!

Here is Elder Jimenez and his new companion outside the cafeteria. All the missionaries were getting ready to get in the lunch line.


So, here is MY story of Elder Dnnis Jimenez.

While our daughter Shannyn served her mission in Panama/Costa Rica, she taught a part member family.
Dnnis, is the son of one of the daughters in that family.

Over the years, Shannyn has remained in contact with the two sisters. Several months ago, Gabriela, (Dnnis's mother) wrote that he was going to be serving his mission in Peru. Then I found Gabriela on FB (Facebook)and we began to communicate. Elder Jimenez was also on FB and he and I began a "count- down" to the day of his arrival in Lima.
I have retold "my story" to several of our friends here in the Lima area. Actually, I think I have told just about everyone in the Lima area. President and Hermana Manning are friends and I had previously told them the story. He is the Mission President of the Lima, Sur (South) Mission. Several weeks before his arrival, Hermana Manning told me he would be in their mission.
The day before his arrival, I spoke with Pres. and Hermana Whetten, he is the President of the MTC. I wanted to know if it would permitted for us to meet him and maybe speak with him for a few minutes. They were delighted to hear the story. They said we could have lunch with him one day during the next three weeks.
So... May 2oth, 2010 became a "payday" for our daughter Shannyn and of course for Gabriela and her husband.
Sometimes we never know how far reaching our service can be. Of all the MTC's and missions in the world that he could have been called, Lima, Peru; and we are here at the same time. To me that is just incredible. I do not believe in coincidence. We are so thrilled to meet him and get to know him a little and maybe even see him in action.
Yesterday, Friday May 21, we had the privilege of being invited to a Missionary meeting at the MTC. The guest was Elder Jay Jensen of the Seventy. All four of the missions in Lima were invited to attend, their Presidents and wives, the Temple President and his wife, Area Presidency and their wives. To be with all the missionaries, young and older is awesome.
It us such a blessing to be able to attend these functions.
Elder Jensen taught the missionaries that when they teach the people to use the hymns of the church to invite the Spirit and remember "you are just reminding the people of things they learned in the pre-existance." The most interesting thing for me; that is a principle my husband learned during his many years of service and he has continued to teach. All things are a continuation of the pre-existance. I love hearing the doctrine taught, it reaffirms what I have been blessed to learn over the years. It was a wonderful meeting, the Spirit was incredibly strong.
He asked if any of the missionaries had any questions. There were four Elders with questions. I thought it very insightful, "our" Elder Jimenez asked Elder Jensen a question. He is comfortable with who he is that he could ask a General Authority a question in a public meeting the second day of his mission! It seemed obvious to me that he has been taught well by his parents and many others. Some days are much better than others, this was a good WEEK!

My love to all,

Until I write again,
Hermana W.

A Mother's Day Tribute

There is nothing more wonderful in the world than bearing children! Bearing them for me was the easy part, it was the raising of them that was difficult!

My children and grandchildren are the light of my life. I know some of them don't realize that I feel that way, but it is the truth. As a parent and grandparent it is very hard to watch your family members being tried and tested. My prayers are constant for them, and I am certain other mothers are also. Trials and hardships are the reason we are sent to this earth. Our characters need to be molded and formed. I am so, so grateful for the trials of life. I have passed through many, and as I look back, I see how the Lord has allowed growth to take place.

This is a picture of our children taken many years ago. From the top: Richard, Scott, Cindy, Jamie, Shannyn and Tracy. I am sure they will not be happy I used it, but it is one of my very favorite and was taken an a very special day!

This photo is Becky. She was killed in 1992, she is now a missionary on the other side of the veil. We will be together again in the eternities!

Forgive me, some of the photos are very old. I don't have access to my pictures from home. But you hopefully you will understand the sentiment I am trying to express here.

These are our four living girls having fun together. From the top; Cindy, Shannyn, Jamie and Tracy. This was taken while they were all having fun together. We are so glad they are all good friends.

I am so sorry, I have worked really hard to post this photo of our son Richard and his wife Emilie. It scanned too large, so I had to do some trickery. They live in McKinney, Tx. and have 2 boys and a darling daughter. We are blessed to have Emilie as part of our family.

This is our son Scott and his wife Corinna. She is like our daughter. They live in Spokane Valley, Washington with they three boys.

This post is dedicated to my family, but I honor all my friends and women who are mothers. In truth, all woman are nurturing to so many. Some women don't have children of their own, but they are like surrogate mothers to others.

Sharon McClelland. Sharon is one of those people who goes the extra mile for others. She is a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and dear friend. She is also one of the most knowledgeable women I have ever known.

Karen Holland, her husband is our Stake President in Henderson; at least he was when we left, but who knows

if that will be true when we return home?

She is a beautiful person inside and out.
A wonderful example to all!

Janet Zobrist, she just became a grandmother for the 22nd time. She passed me with my 21. I am so glad this is not a contest. We keep in touch by email and I'm glad to say Facebook too. She is such a good grandmother.

Kim Griesmer (Hermana G. to most). She has since returned home. She was the secretary to both President Lara and President Sloan. She is a wonderful mother, grandmother and faithful friend and sister in the Gospel.

Hermana Cindy Sloan. She is the mother to the missionaries in the Quito, Ecuador Mission. She is darling. We were blessed to see them brefly here in Lima last October at a Mission Presidents Seminar. It was wonderful to see them.

Donna Butterfield. Her husband is the Area Controller to the five countries in the South America Northwest Area. They have lived outside the United States for several assignments. They recently found out they have been re-assigned to a new Area in August. They will be going to Russia. They will be blessed to know our good friends the Wooley's and the Lovett's who by then will be settled in also. What a small, small world we live in.

These are just a FEW examples of the hundreds of wonderful women and there are SO many more. I am grateful for the many great examples and teachers I have had during my life, and the lives of my children.

My mother, Madelyn Angel, did not have the Gospel in her life. She was a wonderful mother to my brother and me. I miss her very much. She died of cancer in 1999.

This was our last family reunion picture, 2008. Our two boys and their families were not able to be with us. I have the hope that when we return in 2011, we can have a wonderful time with ALL our family members present. We love them all so very much.

I am grateful to KNOW that I am a daughter of God. I am grateful too for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and KNOW that they live and love each one of us, as I love each of my children.

I have a very happy heart tonight, and I have much to be happy about! A very Happy Mother's Day to all of you.

Until I write again,

Your loving mother,

or Hermana W.

Here and There, Day to Day

Many of you will recognize this building. It is the Temple in Lima. It is the same basic design as our Temple in Las Vegas, but much smaller. And when I say smaller, I mean smaller. It is most clasutrophobic. But...of course it is beautiful and the most peaceful calm place. At almost any time, you can find families milling around the grounds. Sometimes they are waiting for patrons who are inside.

We have a distribution center in the basement also. The Temple President and his wife live in a small home at the back of the grounds. There is also a cafeteria building for the patrons and workers.


This is Elder and Hermana Abeyta (Abaa-ta), they are auditors for the Registros Depatment. I have to find out what that is in English!
It has something to do with membership records and keeping accurate financial records in the wards. They have been here about 3 months. They travel around the Area and train the leaders. This is their second mission. Their first mission was in Texas in an Employment Resource Center. They are from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Great people.


These are NOT our beautiful green quilt-like mountains in Quito. I know it is not very clear, but they are just a dirty brown silty dirt that blows all the time, all over and around the city. This small mountain is near our apartment. It is one of the reasons I have to (or should) dust every day. That does not mean of course that I do that dusting!



This is one of the most "special" experiences I have had to date in Lima.

Last week the Area Presidency had a one day seminar for all the Mission Presidents in our South America Northwest Area. That means 23 Mission Presidents from 5 countries came to our office building for this meeting.

This is a photo of Carlos. He is a new volunteer in the call center. He was on his way to the
lunchroom, which is located immediately next door to the room where the seminar was being held. The President's were exiting their meeting to go to lunch also. It is almost impossible to be able to relate what happened when Carlos saw President Davies. His face litterely glowed.

I have been a student of "body language" for many years. I said to Carlos, (in Spanish of course), "that is your Mission President, isn't it Carlos?" "Si, hermana, Presidente Davies." Carlos has only been home from his mission about 8 months. Tears filled his eyes and he and President Davies hugged and slapped each other on the back for quite a little time. I ALWAYS have my camera with me, but it was in my office at the other end of the hallway. I told them when they finished their lunch I would take a photo.

This photo does not in any way show the love these two men have for one another. I asked Carlos to tell President what his calling is at this time. "I am the Elders Quorum President in my ward." President Davies told me he had been a wonderful missionary.

It was a spiritual experience for all that witnessed it. I was so grateful to have my camera and have been able to somewhat record this for Carlos. He was very grateful for the photo, but more than that, it was the chance to again see his mission president and report that he was doing well.

That's about all for this writing. I'm already clicking more photos for my next installment.

Until I write again,

Hermana W.

The Reason We Traveled To Cusco

This is the reason we traveled to Cusco, to hold these two meetings.

This is a group of participants and their parents from a small town called Siquani...(see-quanee). It is about 2 hours by bus from Cusco. It is hard for them to go to any university, there are none in their town. Many leave their family and stay with some other member closer to Cusco in order to study at the university level.

The best idea for them, is to attend a "technical" school. They have several in their community. It is much cheaper, and they finish much sooner in order to begin working and earning a living. The problem is the same as in larger cities, they want a university degree, even though they are not prepared to get one.

Sicuani is a community of mostly agricultural families. Their schooling should include, auto and truck mechanics, carpentry, ect. This would help them to better live off the land where they live. But they desire more. It is a very difficult situation. Perpetual Education does not help with transportation, living expenses and the like. So...they are struggling. They want the same things other young adults want, more of what the world has to offer.

This was the second meeting of the day. It is a group of students and their parents and some leaders from the Cusco area. It was at their Stake Center. Both meetings were held here.

Elder W. is teaching his principle that first the program is first spiritual, then temporal. We are trying to change the mindset of the leaders and the students and the families. I have mentioned this in earlier postings. I think we are making some progress, the financial reports I get daily, indicate we are seeing progress made as they better understand their responsibility.

This is again Cusco, they were very excited to be at this meeting. We had a wonderul attendance.

Many of these young people have younger brothers and sisters who will eventually be participants too.

If their parents and leaders are involved at this beginning point, then we will see even greater results of repayment. Even though it is a spiritual program, if the students do not repay their loan, there will be no Perpetual Education Fund for the future students. So the temporal side is important too.

One of our favorite photos of the trip.

Elder Whitaker, The President of Siquani Stake; Elder Renee Loli; one of the bishops; the President of Cusco Stake and the Director of Seminaries and Insitutes in Cusco.

Elder Loli is being released at this General Conference. He has served 5 years as an Area 70.

We are very sad, we love him and his teaching, he has been the best companion teacher for Elder W. we have been able totravel with him three times.

This is my favorite photo of the trip. You all recognize this type of bulletin board in our chapels. This is in the Cusco Stake Center. The entire bottom rows of photos are missionaries either out on their mission or will be leaving

within a month or so.

Count them; there are 18!!!!! From mostly poor families. The left side are photos of missionaries and their favorite scriptures. The right side are missionaries who have returned home. The photos are of some of the families that were taught the Gospel and the baptisms that resulted. They are very proud of this board and their missionary effort;

A Cusco Mission is being created in July. President Calderon will be the new Mission President. Right now, Cusco is part of the Lima South mission.

Overall this was trip was a great success. We were able to meet and interact with the students.

We serve because we Love our Father in Heaven. We are so richly blessed to know that He is real and His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, is real and gave of His life for us. The Lord is ready to answer our prayers at every turn.

We wish all our family and friends a wonderful Easter. We know the real reason for Easter, is the resurection of Jesus Christ.

Love to you all, until I write again,

Hermana W.

Our Stay In A Wonderful Hotel

This is Pablo with Elder W. I have neglected to write about our wonderful friend.

He is the maintance man for the condominium building we live in. He has been working here for 9 years; from the beginning, even while the constuction was going on. He is very good at all odd jobs, he has even fixed my clothes dryer. He is here each weekday and half of each Saturday. We are happy to know him. He is very diligent at making the tenants happy. He also delivers our bills to us, with a little laugh each time.

We told him we would be traveling, he smiled and told us our apartment would be safe.

This is inside the Hotel Libertador. It is an old residence. A very old residence. This is one of the sitting rooms. It is a comfortable room for reading or just sitting or visiting with other guests. The structure itself is at least 400 years old. It was restored in 1976 to be a hotel. We are told by many of the staff that it was one of the many homes for the explorer Francisco Pizzaro when he visited Cusco. The wall behind the couch is an original "Incan" wall.

The furnishings in the hotel are authentic reproductions of the period.

This is one of my favorite parts of the hotel. It is the door that opened for the animals to enter this part of the building. Our waiter began to show us how the door opens. The wooden bar accross the door slides into an opening in the wall, you can push it about 8 feet into the wall accross the other side.

There are two different types of material in the walls of the hotel. The original stone is below the newer rock built by the Spaniards. When the Spanish came through the country, they destroyed many original churches and buildings, for what reason I do not know.

This a carving of the Pizzaro Family Crest. This one is hanging in the dining hall. Many years ago, these chandeliers used candles, (I can't imagine lighting all the many candles) but now they are electric. They hang in every public room of the hotel.

The seat backs of each chair in the dining area is leather carved with the same crest. They are beautiful and confortable too.

A waiter remembered our visit with our family last Christmas. He remembered that our tree grandsons were very polite. We loved hearing that, and I am sure his mother will be too!

This is my favorite photo. We are in front of that fabulous door. As we were leaving the dining room after dinner, the head waitress asked if she could take our photo. We were delighted. She has worked at the hotel since it's opening. I think I understood her to say about 24 years.

There are 4 Libertador Hotels in Peru. At Christmas we stayed here and also in Puno, on the edge of Lake Titicaca.

The staff knew we were interested in the history of the hotel, so our waiter showed us the "secret" room where they store the wine. When we told him we did not drink wine, he was a little suprised, but then he saw our name tags and said "Claro" which is of course in Spanish.

But I thought this would make a cute photo, so to Elder's surprise, I snapped the photo. The cabinet is a beautiful very ornate cabinet. The funny thing to me, it was not chilly or there were not many bottles. They must have another storage area.

After dinner we went out to the courtyard. It is in the middle of the grounds. The hotel is kind of in a circle of sorts with the courtyard in the middle. They did that a lot in the haciendas. So, here is Elder W. after a very good meal enjoying the night air.


So...I wanted a photo too!

The night was so nice, we had actually been told it might rain. We went prepared with our umbrellas. I felt a little foolish taking umbrellas to Lima; we thought we could buy them on any street corner just like Quito. No, No. We have not seen an umbrella for sale. It does not rain in Lima, at least where we are. Outside of Lima, it rains a little more often.

As it turned out, we did not even need them, the weather was warm and sunny.

I will finish the trip in my next entry. It is getting very late, and I am making too many mistakes!

So, until I write again, (hopefully soon)

Hermana W.

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.

Beginning Our Sixth Month

It is hard to believe we are starting our sixth month soon. But it is because of brethren like Elder Loli and many others, that we have been able to accomplish what we have to this point. This is a picture Elder W. at the top of the stairs with Elder Loli. He will be released in May, we will miss him a great deal. He is a wonderful teacher.

This was the meeting we were attending. It is in a Stake called Huacho. It is in the Northern part of Lima. In the beginning of the meeting (the front half of the chapel,) Elder Loli taught the Priesthood. The Stake Presidency, Bishops, Branch Presidencies. In the second part of the training inculded the students and their parents. He taught that if a person really wants to work, there is work available. He brought the classified ads with him and read some of the ads. A good deal of our particpicants tell us they don't have work, so they can't pay their loan. The left side of the chapel is full also. It was a great meeting. Elder W. taught for about an hour. They understand a little bit more the focus of the progam of Perpetual Education is to help them obtain a better life.

This is a photo of Elder W. teaching about our part of the equation to Samuel Gomez. Samuel is from Bogota, Columbia. He is the Co-ordinator of the PEF program in the South America Northwest Area. He has a good deal to learn. I don't mean that in a bad way, he is young and wants very much to do a good job.

This is how we send our grandchildren their birthday messages. I know it must to be very hard for you all to believe that Lima, Peru does not have a mail system! I mean it.

I'm not making that up. We have tried to mail our christmas cards now for almost 3 months. All the bills for our apartment and the information that comes to the offices, are brought by curriers. So, in order to let our grandchildren know we remember their birthday, we take a photo with our sign, (hand made by grandma,) and send an email off to the birthday child. I think it is really a pretty smart way to do it. I do have to keep on my toes, we have 21 grandchildren to send these messages to. Some months there are up to 3 birthdays in a month. We miss them all and want them to know that we do think of them all the time.

Elder W. has been sick almost the entire time we have been here. It actually started before we came. It feels like there is something very important to be done, and Satan does not want it accomplished. Every time he is feeling better, the very next day he begins to get sick again. The poor Mission Dr. probably thinks he is crazy, but he has really been ill much of the time, but he pushes through it and keeps working. So, I am not only his secretary but his nurse also. My children will tell you what a bad patient he can be. Thankfully, today he is feeling much better after the 4th round of antibiotics for different ailments. We may have a handle on it at last (fingers crossed.) I sure hope so, we need some restat night, you'll understand by the next story.

OK...the story of my shoes. This was absolutely my craziest day for me. I have NEVER done this before! This happened last Friday. We were a little late getting started for our day, I got ready very fast. As our driver arrived, I ran back for my shoes (which I should have taken out when I dressed.) As you can see, I pulled two shoes from the closet, put them on and ran out the door. I got to the office and after several hours I needed to use the restroom. As I was sitting there, I looked down and almost screamed. One black shoe, one brown shoe. They are the same style, different colors. I began to laugh so hard, you can imagine.

I was almost in tears I laughed and laughed.

I prayed so hard that no one else would come in the bathroom. My girls are probably crying right now reading this. When I returned to my desk, (almost running) I took OFF my shoes and went barefoot the rest of the day. I am more than sure it will not happen again, at least not to me. I did not even want to tell Elder W., but it was so funny, I could not help it. I knew he probably would never let me forget it, but now you all know!

We are so blessed to be here in Lima. The work can be tiring. I know this is the work of the Lord and it is important because He loves all his sons and daughters, and I love Him, because He loves me. The Lord restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth for our benefit. We are blessed when we live by the precepts and ordinances and we serve others wherever we are.

Until I write again,

Hermana W.