Our service
in the Lima Temple has reached the six months mark. Time can pass much too quickly here because
of the involvement and consistency of the work.
We have finally been allowed to move into the Temple housing. This project of construction was begun almost
two years ago and has experienced some delays.
Yet today we still feel the incompleteness of the project. We are hopeful it will be finalized
completely by the maintenance break in late July. Our first housing situation was unique for
missionaries. We shared a church-owned
apartment with another couple for about 4½ months then in mid March we were
allowed to occupy the finished but unfurnished apartments. Working full time in the Temple means that
you have a schedule to keep full time.
Without our own transportation we were at the mercy of public means. Taxi, bus or feet were the options. We either had the AM or the PM schedule
depending on the week.
Because it
was easier on each couple to not share the apartment every hour away from the
Temple, we alternated schedules and never worked the same schedule. AM schedule starts at 6:45am and ends at
2:00pm while the PM schedule begins at 1:15 ending at 9:00pm generally. Because of the volume of patrons and
missionaries that attend the Temple each week, our schedules can change. Many weeks we work more hours and
occasionally when no patrons come, we work a slightly shorter one.
Because of
the sacredness of the Temple we will only share experiences that don’t cross
into that area. There are presently six
couple missionaries. One couple is from
Peru and the others are from the USA.
Husbands and wives work the same schedule. We greet the patrons when they first arrive,
assist them with questions and location, help them as they perform the
ordinances and assist with the general running of the Temple.
Those who
attend are recommended members who have never been to the Temple as well as
experienced Temple attendees. We are
co-workers with many native members. It
takes a minimum number of people, both men and women to operate the
Temple. In Lima that number is about 30
but this is a small Temple. Other
Temples require as many as 125 workers plus full time staff. Besides those who work directly with patrons
the Temple has employees who manage and operate the laundry, maintenance
departments, grounds, security and recording areas. This Temple has a grounds and maintenance /
security team of 25 employees. Everyone
else including the president of the Temple is a volunteer.
Since our
service is full time, we hold no other callings in the local ward. We attend FHE (family home evening) with a
local group of expats once a month. We
do substitute teaching in Sunday school classes now and then. Besides the 45 hours of full time work each
week, we walk places, shop for groceries, cook, clean, explore and
exercise. We watch our health closely
because there are lower health standards here than at home. Water is usually not suitable to drink unless
bottled. This means we wash all the
fruits and vegetables in a disinfecting solution before we consume them. Everything gets a bath, even bananas and
things normally peeled. We (as senior
couples) can go to movies while young elders and sisters can’t. We have access to television such as it is
here and we have internet connection.
Most of us are coupled to our devices for access to our family. We have an internet telephone and can call
home at will or receive phone calls just like we were at home.
We roam the
areas looking for unique foods and goods.
Peru is noted for its handicrafts.
People here are very resourceful and talented. They work until they die
because they have no social security.
Many are self employed operating kiosks and small grocery stores. One can buy almost anything on the street
from soda pop to clothing. Shops can be
anywhere but generally they congregate like merchandise on the same street
selling the same product. Tires,
mufflers, plumbing goods, lumber, and clothing will be lined up next to their
competitor for blocks. Sales techniques
are distinctly different from home.
Many places
where people congregate become targets for scam artists and pick-pockets so
security is important. We generally take
a security person to watch our backs when we shop. They know the areas and know what to watch
out for while we can focus on just shopping or talking to people. But we are aware we need to be careful. We never eat food sold on the street. It is very plentiful but likely contains a
bug or two that could give your tummy a run so we avoid it all. We do eat in established restaurants. Food choices are not the same as at
home. Some of the familiar places exist
here but their product is distinctly different.
Some is better and some not.
McDonalds, KFC, Chili’s, Burger-King, Dunkin-donuts all exist here with
a product produced in not so clean environments or less than total care.
The expats
all share the names of the respected business places, be they for food or
merchandise. We connect on many levels
outside of our service or church affiliation.
Grocery stores are modern but limited in selection. Local mom & pop stores are also
everywhere if all you want is the simple soda or cookie. Labor is cheap so plenty of people work but
their efforts are not as organized as we experience at home. But, like home most of the workers are young. Their paycheck is low due to the volume of
the labor force but their work ethic is good.
Overall, customer service is lower for some reason. As with any place of
business, unless you own it, service is different. Management
seems to be inconsistent. We talk to the workers when we have questions about
products or we can’t find things. While they try to help us, they usually don’t
know how. Not too many people speak
English so we’re talking to them in Spanish.
Talking with
Latinos in their language is different than we had expected. While we freely admit to being nuevos to this language, we can communicate
reasonably well on general issues. They
often look at us before we speak and register this ‘gringo’ block look. Some freeze and don’t say anything before we
open our mouths and others freeze after we speak. We wait for that to thaw then try again. We use simple words we know are correct. Once they warm up to us they are able to
reply with less fear. The proof of their
comfort is when they begin to joke with us, which many now do. Many see my last name and call me
Simpson. Well, they get the first part
right.
Another
interesting development is the Peruvian concept of time or timeliness.
Working with them is both fun and
educational. Most natives are tardy for
many reasons. While they have watches
and clocks they don’t own cars. Getting around
is done by bus or taxi. Generally the
people have far less to spend than gringos and are more guarded with their money so they
use the inexpensive bus system. Costs
range from 50 – 100 centimos (100 centimos = S/. 1 sole). One sole is about 37.5 cents in US coin. Riding the bus is unpredictable time
wise. To ride and be on time can be
really tricky because of the varying traffic.
Many obreras and obreros (workers) arrive later than they would
like. They scurry like little mice to
get to their posts. Other reasons for
being tardy include their concept of time itself. Most are very relaxed in their work because
they are farmers or self employed in small shops or kiosks. Because they have few real time demands it’s just
not in their thought process to be on time.
What is ‘on time’ anyway? When
people are congregated it is necessary to coordinate our time use but since
many of these people don’t congregate more than at Church, they just don’t have
that process of clock watching and being on time thing working.
One more
interesting thing is the difference in recreation. Peru is generally not a place of
entertainment. While people do go to
movies, it’s not an overwhelmingly default process like at home. Most of the young people are involved in
family activity or school events. Soccer
is a common recreation along with school work.
Kids spend more time with their family than I’m used to seeing. This means good things but not necessarily
that the youth don’t have great influence on each other or don’t get together
as much. The girls giggle constantly
when they are together, just like all 13 year olds and the guys try hard to
look manly. The thing that is so much
the same is the way the kids influence each other in good ways. I’ve always loved the way our youth embrace
the goodness in life, the gospel and good habits. This means to me that they have examples of
such goodness around them, in their homes and from other adults.
We’ve had
changes in our ward leadership last week.
A counselor was released and replaced by an equally great man. Both these men are gringos working in
Peru. The expats (gringos) usually work
either at the Embassy or for the Church or a US company. Many have known each other from other places
outside the US. The incoming counselor
to Obispo Flores was in Brazil before moving to Peru and knew several other
expats there. Of course the last group
of expats is the missionaries. We have
about 32 of us serving in everything from our assignment in the Temple to
auditors, PEF, family history or presidencies of missions, Temple or the Area. Our group isn’t in constant connection but we
do share contact information and inform each other when changes or foreign
issues arise.
Our
missionary ranks have taken on some changes with people finishing their service
and others in the wings waiting for the paper work to process. We’ve had visits with one couple from NW
Arizona who have submitted their papers to be Temple missionaries. Today will be the farewell lunch for the
Ramos’s who extended their normal Temple missionary service a few months and
will return to Areguipa Peru this week.
Percy Ramos is a wonderful Peruvian man who we’ve gotten to know fairly
well. He can be timid when we talk together
but over time he’s gotten braver and now talks with me a lot.
Next Sunday is Mothers Day and we Elders are
collectively preparing to grill for Sunday dinner. Most of us are happy to be adding our
grilling talents to the group. With this
endless supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, we feel like we live in the Jardín
de Adán. We’ll grill a combination fruits and vegetables along
with a fine selection of Pollo, Carne, and Pesca along with maize and
papas. (chicken, beef and fish, corn and
potatoes) It will be fun to grill as
we’ll be outside under cover from the sun with temperatures about 70.
This brings
me to the weather. Peru is 12 degrees
south of the equator. The length of days
is pretty level year round as are the temperatures. Winter or summer constancy, if you can call
it winter or summer, reflects the proximity to the equator. Throughout all of Peru there isn’t much
variation in temperature. Generally that
change is no more than 10 degrees from night time temperatures to seasonal
ones. Today for example our high will be
about 75 with the low overnight was 70.
Because we live within a few miles of the sea, the humidity is
constantly high – about 88%. Nice soft
skin but look out for mildew. Drying
cloths or anything is a time consuming task.
The sun is the real culprit to
protect from. I wear my panama hat
everywhere when I’m going to be out for more than a few minutes. The sun is so directly over head that UV rays
can burn the skin easily. As a contrast,
the high today at home is 58 and the low is 28 with humidity in the 50’s.
So, I'll talk a little about being a missionary. The experience is what you make of it. Being a missionary is receiving an
opportunity. Nothing more will come unless we do
something with this chance. We must be more than onlookers with what are given. Here is an example in real time life:
Sitting in the
Geography class in school, I remember how fascinated I was when we were being
taught all about the Dead Sea. As you probably recall, the Dead Sea is really a
Lake, not a sea (and as my Geography teacher pointed out, if you understood
that, it would guarantee 4 marks in the term paper!)
Its so high in
salt content that the human body can float easily. You can almost lie down and
read a book! The salt in the Dead Sea is as high as 35% – almost 10 times the
normal ocean water. And all that saltiness has meant that there is no life at
all in the Dead Sea. No fish. No vegetation. No sea animals. Nothing lives in
the Dead Sea.
While the Dead
Sea has remained etched in my memory, I don’t seem to recall learning about the
Sea of Galilee in my school Geography lesson. So when I heard about the Sea of
Galilee and the Dead Sea and the tale of the two seas – I was intrigued. The
Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. Both the Sea of Galilee and the
Dead Sea receive their water from river Jordan. And yet, they are very, very
different.
Unlike the Dead
Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent with rich, colorful marine life.
There are lots of plants. And lots of fish too. In fact, the sea of Galilee is
home to over twenty different types of fishes.
Same region, same
source of water, and yet while one sea is full of life, the other is dead.. How
come?
Here apparently
is why. The River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee and then flows out. The
water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee in and then out – and that keeps
the Sea healthy and vibrant, teeming with marine life.
But the Dead Sea
is so far below the mean sea level, that it has no outlet. The water flows in
from the river Jordan, but does not flow out. There are no outlet streams. It
is estimated that over a million tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea
every day. Leaving it salty. Too full of minerals. And unfit for any marine
life.
The Dead Sea
takes water from the River Jordan, and holds it. It does not give. Result? No
life at all.
Think about it.
Life is not just
about getting. It’s about giving. We all need to be more like the Sea of
Galilee.
We are fortunate
to get wealth, knowledge, love and respect. But if we don’t learn to give, we
could all end up like the Dead Sea. The love and the respect, the wealth and
the knowledge could all evaporate. Like the water in the Dead Sea.
If we get the
Dead Sea mentality of merely taking in more water, more money, more everything
the results can be disastrous. Good idea to make sure that in the sea of your
own life, you have outlets. Many outlets. For love and wealth – and everything else that
you get in your life. Make sure you don’t just get, you give too. Open the
taps. And you’ll open the floodgates to happiness.
Many people think of missionaries in unusual ways. They think that real
missionaries are people who are bent on conversion to their own, sounding a
little selfish. But it’s really more for
those willing to let it be what it was designed to be. My own son told me this about learning a new
language. His experience learning
Portuguese proved successful only after he was willing to fully embrace
it. When we’re reserved in our
commitments we don’t flourish and don’t grow with full purpose. It’s like we’re not taking any chances just
in case it doesn’t work. Success as a
missionary depends on a full purpose commitment. Embracing a purpose means hugging it and not
letting go. Some are visitors to this
work and others are missionaries with full purpose, embracing the work.... of
giving. It’s a process of learning who
you really are. How much you love
yourself reflects in how much you love others.
Those content with themselves are easy going and easy to talk with
because they aren’t worried about making a big impression but instead rely on
their love to carry the message.
How do you know if you’re a missionary or a
visitor? It’s a little like the answer
to this question – How do you know when you’re humble? If your answer is in favor of ‘humble’ or ‘missionary’
maybe you need to keep working on the answer.
If the answer doesn’t occupy your actions perhaps there is hope for
you. You have loftier ambitions than
keeping score and are living it by loving.
We have the supreme example of loving in the Savior. He asked his disciples to give of
themselves. To care for the poor and the
needy and to minister to those in need.
He promised us that in return for our unconditional love, He would
fulfill both our wants and our needs.
I’ve always felt this promise was conditional. If we would embrace the process of loving
unconditionally we would be worthy of unconditional things. Putting conditions on our devotion to service
or our sharing or our giving seems to stifle the process that was otherwise
designed by God.
Being in the service of helping others is so
much different from struggling for a living.
While we all need encouragement that, which came to me during my career,
was so conditional. This (missionary) work
is more a process of ‘becoming’. What is
this ‘becoming’ thing? It’s about a change
from something ‘before and past’ more limited, to something changed and
unlimited but new and within my reach.
We’re each a little less adequate than we’d
like to be. In my case it was born of a
harsh early upbringing. When we’re more
demanding of others than we are of ourselves we produce in them a feeling of
inadequacy. Youth can be very
impressionable and for a young person, overcoming missteps that can be a
lifelong process. Discovering ‘who we
really are’ comes into focus in the crucible of adversity. So this work is a crucible of sorts. It really helps to be fully engaged, without
reservation. Trust in God is vital. Trust in his purposes and in his plan for our
happiness is essential to self discovery.
This discovery can unleash the potential lying within each of us. Realization of our potential breathes into
your being the life changing goodness we all require. Once we can breathe, we can do better and do
more.
And so, being a missionary is individualized
in its approach but unified in its purpose which is to promote the goodness of
life through living the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which he
received from his Father – our Heavenly Father.
If we know to whom we pray, we can connect better. We can be more purposeful when we know the
direction and the principles. We can
help others with their challenges by loving the way Jesus loved, as nearly as
we are able. We can feel empowered to be
involved in goodness, to promote good things, sound ideas, strength in our
homes and in our communities. We can
realize that our contribution means something.
Every little action we take for good counts. Our example is our best teacher and often the
most help to others.
Being a missionary in a foreign country is an
added level of commitment because of communications and customs which
differ. Once we make the connection of
trust and love, the communication is enabled and effective. Getting to that level takes courage and
effort for everyone. Encouraging others
comes into play. Overcoming selfishness
by wanting to be near family as much as we’d like is needed. We have found that our family loves us just
as much wherever we are. They take a
bigger interest in us when we’re doing these things. We all make an extra effort to connect
because we are so far away.
We are on the Lord’s errand especially as
Temple missionaries, trying our best to be good examples of His love to
others. A careful reading of the
scriptures reveals that the Lord did not tell all things to all people. There
were some qualifications set that were prerequisite to receiving sacred
information. Temple ceremonies fall within this category.
We do not discuss the temple
ordinances outside the temples. It was never intended that knowledge of these
temple ceremonies would be limited to a select few who would be obliged to
ensure that others never learn of them. It is quite the opposite, in fact. With
great effort we urge every soul to qualify and prepare for the temple
experience. Those who have been to the temple have been taught an ideal:
Someday every living soul and every soul who has ever lived shall have the
opportunity to hear the gospel and to accept or reject what the temple offers.
If this opportunity is rejected, the rejection must be on the part of the
individual.
The ordinances and ceremonies of
the temple are simple. They are beautiful. They are sacred. They are kept
confidential lest they be given to those who are unprepared. Curiosity is not a
preparation. Deep interest itself is not a preparation. Preparation for the
ordinances includes preliminary steps: faith, repentance, baptism,
confirmation, worthiness, a maturity and dignity worthy of one who comes
invited as a guest into the house of the Lord.
We must be prepared before we go
to the temple. We must be worthy before we go to the temple. There are
restrictions and conditions set. They were established by the Lord and not by
man. And, the Lord has every right and authority to direct that matters
relating to the temple be kept sacred and confidential.
All who are worthy and qualify in
every way may enter the temple, there to be introduced to the sacred rites and
ordinances.
The covenants and ordinances performed in the
Temple are meant to strengthen families bringing them together to promote peace and
understanding throughout the world. In the
Temple, faithful people of all races make promises to be truly better people
through covenants with God. They are
taught of God’s plan for happiness. They
begin to understand more of the mysteries of heaven. They receive inspiration about their own life
and find answers to difficult challenges in their own lives. They receive comfort as they work through
these challenges.
Revealed truth is
shared concerning where we come from, why we are here on earth and what we can
expect in the years ahead. We learn that
‘time’ on earth is a time of trial and testing to help us. We learn the importance of maintaining high
standards and of the possibility of being forgiven for wrongs as well the importance
of being forgiven of what we’ve done wrong.
We also learn about the value of forgiving others. Hopefully we come away from visits to the
Temple with a renewed resolve to be better and more accountable.
Living in Peru gives us a perspective much different from visiting for a week. We get to meet the people who live here, have families, work and enjoy life then pass away here. During this past six months we've seen all of these activities together with added views to the personal lives of several. 
Taking the chance to talk 'one to one' with Raul when we were waiting, I asked him if he had ever written his life's story. Raul doesn't speak English so I'm a little amazed I was able to communicate my request sufficiently for him to respond so quickly. But to my surprise, he did, in the affirmative. I asked him how long it was, had he shared it with his family and would he share it with me? To all but the last question his answer was immediately yes. He declined by saying it was too personal to share. I respected that only to be more intrigued. Raul is not a casual person. He means to do what he does. 
As I thought beyond the obvious it occurred that Raul's life could have taken a more positive turn had it only been the recipient of one small hand up. No doubt there were some such events else he wouldn't be in the Temple doing the redemptive work for the dead. Yet, had this one more hand up been a small encouragement toward education, be it technical or vocational. I thought of the thousands who today receive such help. The PEF started in 2001 now has over 57,000 beneficiaries. The Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) is a program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), first announced by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
on March 31, 2001. 
The Perpetual Education Fund provides loans to members of the LDS Church seeking additional education, mainly through vocational school
and technical training. In connection with the more recent PEF-B
program, (and for those already part of the International Education Fund
program) opportunities for university education are also available. In 2005, career training options requested included: school teacher,
network administrator, computer science, systems analyst, human resource
specialist, flight attendant, managerial, clinical lab technician,
computer support technician, university faculty, political analyst,
physician's assistant, physical and corrective therapy assistant, lawyer
and judge.
Potential loan recipients first complete a short training program on
personal finance, budgeting and career planning and work with a loan
administrator to select viable vocational and educational options for
their particular region. Recipients are encouraged to work, if possible,
during their schooling to provide for their own living expenses.
Loans for tuition and fees are paid directly by the fund to the
educational institution, further reducing the potential for
mismanagement. 
During the course of the loan, recipients make small, manageable
payments and participate in regular progress reviews. PEF loans average
about $800 and the average training program of a Perpetual Education
Fund loan recipient lasts 2.6 years. More substantial payments on the
loan begin 90 days after graduation and the loans are usually scheduled
to be paid off, with a modest 3-4% interest, over the course of 2–6
years. Recipients are also encouraged to make further contributions to the
fund as their circumstances allow. Loan repayments and subsequent
donations are channeled back into the fund corpus, making it a truly
“perpetual” resource.
The Perpetual Education Fund has made loans to students in more than 50 countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru, the Philippines, India, Fiji, Tonga, South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria.
Later
this month, we will celebrate the eleventh anniversary of the PEF
program. It seems like only yesterday that President Hinckley announced
the beginning of this inspired program. During the last 11 years, the program has helped 52,757 participants in 52 countries throughout the world. For
the most part, these young people are completing their education,
finding employment, and improving their lives both temporally and
spiritually. With the Lord’s help, the program continues to provide hope
to an increasing number of our worthy members.
We just completed the best February in the history of the PEF program. Some of the highlights in the last year include:
