Welcome Bro. and Sis. Fisher.
We are looking forward to you joining us at the Lima Temple. We are really enjoying this great experience. This is our first mission together and my husband knows Spanish, but I had nothing when I got here. We have been here about a year and I still have very little. I have got the ordinances and a small amount of conversation. I know that I have missed a great deal of my associations with the sweet sisters because I can't understand them.
Is this your first mission together? Do you know Spanish? When do you come? We have heard several dates.
There are a few things I wish I had known before I came, so I will share them with you. First the lists of things to bring are not very accurate. As I remember there were two for us to look at. The one for the young missionaries is totally off and the one for temple is a little over on some things. We wish we had more casual clothes. We only brought one or two casual outfits. We spend half of the day in the temple and the rest at home. I have been living in my warm winter robe because I don't have any warm casual clothes to wear. So, it would be nice to have a few pairs of pants and blouses that are comfortable. It think it said three dresses. Well, I am only using two. One each week of a shift. We change shifts every two weeks so I just rotate them. We have a nice washer and dryer so our laundry is easy to do. We have had no trouble with keeping our whites white.
We also needed to bring a full supply of ibuprofen and other over the counter stuff we use. Makeup etc. is more expensive here if they have it. Prescription meds are available here over the counter and cost less. We did bring our prescription meds for the whole time.
Also, we both have lost weight. The average loss is about 10 pounds within the first two months or so. I lost 40 and all of my blouses and skirts sort of hang on me. There are nice ladies who sew here and we are having some things made. We buy he fabric and show them the article we want to copy or a picture and they do a great job. It is very inexpensive too. The men have suits made here that are very nice.
The grocery store does have canned veggies but they are so expensive. There is very little prepared food, so we have enjoyed fresh everything. I think that may be why we lost so much weight. Anyway, I brought some recipes I use at home and they are not good here. No creamed soups, or other things that make them good. We find substitutes and make things taste good, but not the same. I feel like a newlywed learning all over again. The ovens here do not have a thermostat and are not insulated, so the head goes everywhere and is not even. I did have an oven thermometer sent and it helps.
If you have any questions we are more than happy to answer them. We are very excited to have another English speaking couple here. We just got one to replace a couple who went home in June and I guess you are our replacement. That is a strange thing to be thinking about.
Thanks, Kay Cordon
Showing posts with label Mission Preparation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mission Preparation. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Information from Elder and Sister Cordon
Hello Fishers.
We are looking forward to your serving with us in the Lima Temple. We are loving our experience here. We have been here about one year and have been amazed at how fast the time goes.
It sounds like Sis. Ramirez will fill you in on the clothing needed here. We did wish we had brought more P-Day clothes. We are in the temple 8 hours a day, but at home we don't have comfortable clothes to wear. I have worn my robe most days and have been glad to have it. I did throw in two lounge dresses that I wear in the warmer weather, but for winter a pair of sweats would really be nice. Because there is no heating or cooling in our apts. we dress according to the temp. In the winter I like to do baking to heat up the house a little and we vent the dryer into the house in the winter. It is already so humid that a little more doesn't seem to matter.
We have a great FHE group of English Speaking Seniors who are serving in Lima. Because we have the MTC and Area Offices here we do have some great people serving in all areas of the church. We take turns giving the lesson and doing refreshments and meet on the first and fourth Mon. of each month. We go on adventures together and see the city etc.
As to books. Don't bring anything but your scriptures. There is internet access to so much and we really need very little. When we talk about a lesson in FHE we mean something from the Ensign, or such. It is sure not fancy and we just love being together. We are one really big family.
As a FHE group we are going to a Silver Factory tomorrow. They also have an outlet store there, so we can spend some more money. We try to do things around the city and usually make it out about once every two month or so. Not very structured, but fun. We women like to go shopping at the Inca Market where they have the crafts etc. of Peru. It is a great place. So fun just to look.
Many good times are had here in and out of the temple. Sat. the temple was really full to overflowing and we were so happy to have all of those special people there. I love the busy hum of the temple. It is really too small for days like that, but they seem to love it anyway.
We would be glad to answer any questions you might have. We are getting another new couple in May. They are from Calif. and neither of them speak Spanish. That means for about one month there will be three English Speaking couples in the Temple. That will be very nice.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Kay and Steve Cordon
We are looking forward to your serving with us in the Lima Temple. We are loving our experience here. We have been here about one year and have been amazed at how fast the time goes.
It sounds like Sis. Ramirez will fill you in on the clothing needed here. We did wish we had brought more P-Day clothes. We are in the temple 8 hours a day, but at home we don't have comfortable clothes to wear. I have worn my robe most days and have been glad to have it. I did throw in two lounge dresses that I wear in the warmer weather, but for winter a pair of sweats would really be nice. Because there is no heating or cooling in our apts. we dress according to the temp. In the winter I like to do baking to heat up the house a little and we vent the dryer into the house in the winter. It is already so humid that a little more doesn't seem to matter.
We have a great FHE group of English Speaking Seniors who are serving in Lima. Because we have the MTC and Area Offices here we do have some great people serving in all areas of the church. We take turns giving the lesson and doing refreshments and meet on the first and fourth Mon. of each month. We go on adventures together and see the city etc.
As to books. Don't bring anything but your scriptures. There is internet access to so much and we really need very little. When we talk about a lesson in FHE we mean something from the Ensign, or such. It is sure not fancy and we just love being together. We are one really big family.
As a FHE group we are going to a Silver Factory tomorrow. They also have an outlet store there, so we can spend some more money. We try to do things around the city and usually make it out about once every two month or so. Not very structured, but fun. We women like to go shopping at the Inca Market where they have the crafts etc. of Peru. It is a great place. So fun just to look.
Many good times are had here in and out of the temple. Sat. the temple was really full to overflowing and we were so happy to have all of those special people there. I love the busy hum of the temple. It is really too small for days like that, but they seem to love it anyway.
We would be glad to answer any questions you might have. We are getting another new couple in May. They are from Calif. and neither of them speak Spanish. That means for about one month there will be three English Speaking couples in the Temple. That will be very nice.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Kay and Steve Cordon
Understanding Peru from Hna. Ramirez
Dear Hna. Fisher,
As far as finances go, we have found it very good to just use our debit card and credit card using our US accounts and have not had a bank account here. Our experience with the local banks has not been good for the most part. They have their own way of doing things and can be quite difficult to work with. We learned that when we were trying to arrange payment for our trips around Peru. We looked into an international transfer and found it was much easier to just use our debit/credit card. Yes, they charge a fee because of currency change but it is minimal and we pay it.
Vegetables here are mostly wonderful and very inexpensive to buy. I'm not sure it is worth your time and effort to try to grow things inside but you could probably find the materials you need if you really want to. The big front window faces south but sunshine is iffy except in the summer. It is mostly overcast here most of the time.
We brought our own small inexpensive printer and are glad we did so. Computers and supplies are readily available and cost about the same as the states BUT some things, like specific kinds of cords, etc., can be a real headache to find. Bro. Flores at the temple has helped us several times with problems but even one who knows like he does has problems. There IS a transformer suitable for a power strip into which you can plug all your 110 watt computer stuff. Bring a power strip and be SURE you have exactly the right cords for the computer and speakers and everything else you are bringing. Just trying to save you a headache. The 110/220 problem also adds to the mix.
One more thing I thought I should mention. Expect to probably lose weight while you are here. We have found with eating more fresh foods and using little or no prepared products, you naturally lose weight--not a bad thing!
I have lost 10 lbs. and Ron has lost 60 lbs. (which he has been trying to do for many years). We are gearing up to keep our weight the same when we return home. Anyway, knowing that might influence your clothing purchases. We find we are eating more healthy and we even like the peruvian eating schedule of breakfast about 8, comida (the big meal) about 2-4 pm. and a snack at evening about 8. Doesn't fit with the rest of the family though.
Have to run...ask any more questions you may have. We are happy to help!
Love,
Hna. Ramirez
As far as finances go, we have found it very good to just use our debit card and credit card using our US accounts and have not had a bank account here. Our experience with the local banks has not been good for the most part. They have their own way of doing things and can be quite difficult to work with. We learned that when we were trying to arrange payment for our trips around Peru. We looked into an international transfer and found it was much easier to just use our debit/credit card. Yes, they charge a fee because of currency change but it is minimal and we pay it.
Vegetables here are mostly wonderful and very inexpensive to buy. I'm not sure it is worth your time and effort to try to grow things inside but you could probably find the materials you need if you really want to. The big front window faces south but sunshine is iffy except in the summer. It is mostly overcast here most of the time.
We brought our own small inexpensive printer and are glad we did so. Computers and supplies are readily available and cost about the same as the states BUT some things, like specific kinds of cords, etc., can be a real headache to find. Bro. Flores at the temple has helped us several times with problems but even one who knows like he does has problems. There IS a transformer suitable for a power strip into which you can plug all your 110 watt computer stuff. Bring a power strip and be SURE you have exactly the right cords for the computer and speakers and everything else you are bringing. Just trying to save you a headache. The 110/220 problem also adds to the mix.
One more thing I thought I should mention. Expect to probably lose weight while you are here. We have found with eating more fresh foods and using little or no prepared products, you naturally lose weight--not a bad thing!
I have lost 10 lbs. and Ron has lost 60 lbs. (which he has been trying to do for many years). We are gearing up to keep our weight the same when we return home. Anyway, knowing that might influence your clothing purchases. We find we are eating more healthy and we even like the peruvian eating schedule of breakfast about 8, comida (the big meal) about 2-4 pm. and a snack at evening about 8. Doesn't fit with the rest of the family though.
Have to run...ask any more questions you may have. We are happy to help!
Love,
Hna. Ramirez
Additional Insights from Elder Ramirez
Elder Fisher,
Good to hear from you again. To tell you the truth, it is fun to continue to talk about Peru and our mission. It helps in overcoming the feelings of missing it so much. This transition back to non-mission life has been more difficult than I ever thought it would be.
When you arrive in Lima, you will work an eight hour schedule each day, normally five days a week. There are some weeks when they have a "feriado" or federal holiday, where the temple will be open on Monday morning. On their federal holidays, the members flock to the temple so we stayed open with a last session at noon but that only happens a couple of times each year. Assuming that they will continue with the same schedule they have now, you will work two weeks of mornings, 6:15 till about 2:30 and then switch to two weeks of afternoons, 1:15 to about 9:30. You will alternate with the other English speaking missionary couple. The only difference in your temple schedule and the one we had, is that you should have some study time built into your schedule to study the ordinances in Spanish. However, most of your training will be OJT (on-the-job training) where you will take a card with you to do the ordinance.
As far as general conference, the temple missionaries are normally invited to the CCM (the Peru MTC) to watch general conference in English with the English speaking missionaries. In the past we have had lunch there with the missionaries. If not there, then most of the other missionaries meet at the Area office to watch it on the large screen there and then have a pot luck lunch between meetings. Where ever you watch it you won't have to worry about transportation. I am sure that President Bowman will come by to pick you up in the white temple van, with all the other temple missionaries, to attend conference. He will do that for normal Sunday church meetings, unless he is visiting a stake conference, and for family home evenings, etc. also. The chapel we attend is about a 15 minute walk, or a quick bus ride (cost about 15 cents) from the apartment. The chapel, which is the La Molina Stake Center, the CCM and the Area office are all located adjacent to each other and you will become quite familiar with all of these places.
I would recommend that you concentrate on the veil ceremony so that you can present at the veil and also the prayer you will need to offer in the prayer circle. These are two things that you can't use a card for. As far as our language skills, remember, neither Nadine or I spoke any Spanish prior to our mission but we can bear testimony to the gift of tongues. The Lord always blessed us with the language skills necessary to complete the work assigned.
Salud,
Ron
Good to hear from you again. To tell you the truth, it is fun to continue to talk about Peru and our mission. It helps in overcoming the feelings of missing it so much. This transition back to non-mission life has been more difficult than I ever thought it would be.
When you arrive in Lima, you will work an eight hour schedule each day, normally five days a week. There are some weeks when they have a "feriado" or federal holiday, where the temple will be open on Monday morning. On their federal holidays, the members flock to the temple so we stayed open with a last session at noon but that only happens a couple of times each year. Assuming that they will continue with the same schedule they have now, you will work two weeks of mornings, 6:15 till about 2:30 and then switch to two weeks of afternoons, 1:15 to about 9:30. You will alternate with the other English speaking missionary couple. The only difference in your temple schedule and the one we had, is that you should have some study time built into your schedule to study the ordinances in Spanish. However, most of your training will be OJT (on-the-job training) where you will take a card with you to do the ordinance.
As far as general conference, the temple missionaries are normally invited to the CCM (the Peru MTC) to watch general conference in English with the English speaking missionaries. In the past we have had lunch there with the missionaries. If not there, then most of the other missionaries meet at the Area office to watch it on the large screen there and then have a pot luck lunch between meetings. Where ever you watch it you won't have to worry about transportation. I am sure that President Bowman will come by to pick you up in the white temple van, with all the other temple missionaries, to attend conference. He will do that for normal Sunday church meetings, unless he is visiting a stake conference, and for family home evenings, etc. also. The chapel we attend is about a 15 minute walk, or a quick bus ride (cost about 15 cents) from the apartment. The chapel, which is the La Molina Stake Center, the CCM and the Area office are all located adjacent to each other and you will become quite familiar with all of these places.
I would recommend that you concentrate on the veil ceremony so that you can present at the veil and also the prayer you will need to offer in the prayer circle. These are two things that you can't use a card for. As far as our language skills, remember, neither Nadine or I spoke any Spanish prior to our mission but we can bear testimony to the gift of tongues. The Lord always blessed us with the language skills necessary to complete the work assigned.
Salud,
Ron
Advice from Elder Ramirez...
Dear Brother Fisher,
How wonderful to hear of your mission to the Lima Peru Temple. May I first tell you that we have loved our mission. With all our hearts we wish that we were going to be here to serve with you. We are sad to say that our mission ends in June. Since we live only a couple of hours north of you and do come to the Salt Lake often, maybe we will be able to meet you before you enter the MTC to answer any questions you have.
But first let me answer the questions you have asked. We do not live on the temple grounds. There has been a combination guest house and missionary apartment authorized for the Lima Temple grounds. Unfortunately, problems keep coming up to delay
beginning of construction so now President Bowman is hoping and praying that he can have construction started before he completes his term as temple president in November.
We live 3 and a half blocks from the temple and walk to and from the temple everyday. We have never felt endangered in anyway in traversing to and from the temple, even when we have came home late at night. The security in the neighborhoods in La Molina is quite good. Most streets have security guards posted on them and they close the gates on many street so cars cannot pass through. Most apartments I have seen are like ours. It takes 3 different keys all for deadbolt locks and each key has to be turned 3 times to open the door. My big worry has never been about someone breaking in. My worry is how long would it take to get out of the apartment in an emergency. No, we leave our laptop out on the desk all the time. I am not
worried about thieves breaking into our apartment.
We work in the temple 5 days a week. The temple is open by 6:15 AM for prayer meetings etc. each day. Tuesday through Thursday, our first session begins at 7:30 am and we run a session every hour on the half our but have an extra session at 7 pm which is our last session. On Friday the schedule is normally that same except we are running a trial right now where we are
having sessions every half our from 6:30 to 9 pm. By time you arrive the temple president and area president will decide whether or not to make that a permanent expansion of the schedule. Saturday we begin at 7:30 am and run a session every half hour until 7:00 pm.
However, you will only work about an eight hour schedule each day. Right now there are two shifts each day. The first has a 6:45 am prayer meeting and normally leaves the temple between 2 and 2:30 pm. The second shift has their prayer meeting at 1:15 pm and we normally leave the temple between 9 and 9:30 pm.
The local transportation is by either bus or cab. Both are extremely reasonable. The currency exchange is approximately S/. 3 (3 soles) to $1. To go to church which is about a half mile away, it costs us one/half sole each which is the equivalent of about 17 cents each. If we want to take a taxi, it is normally S/. 4 or about $1.35. Believe me, the taxis and busses are plentiful. If we have to wait five minutes for a bus, we are surprised.
During the two weeks the temple is closed, we have taken trips to see Peru. Mission rules say you can't leave your mission boundaries, so some other couples we have invited on our little excursions have not been able to go with us because their mission boundaries are smaller. But for the temple missionaries, our mission boundaries are all of Peru so you can go anywhere except leave the country. We have taken the money we have saved on living expenses and have traveled Peru from the north to the south from the coast and islands off the coast called the Ballestras (or the Galapagos Islands of Peru) to the jungles of the upper Amazon and the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. There have been no problems with traveling. I have seen no anti-American sentiment, in fact, quite the opposite. They love Americans in Peru. We have always had English speaking guides and the accommodations in 3 star hotels are quite comfortable. We can give you the name of our travel company if you would like.
Oh, one thing that we have found as a problem is that all electricity here is 220V so you either have to have 220V appliances or a transformer. With the weight of transformers I would suggest you buy them here rather than try to carry them but anything you can bring that uses 220V is useful. I did bring a power strip for my computer and printer. Someone suggested that we bring an electric blanket which we did (there are no furnaces), but the first time we used it we burned up the controls even though we thought we had a proper transformer, but with blankets and a bedspread, we haven't had any problems sleeping.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Elder Ron Ramirez
How wonderful to hear of your mission to the Lima Peru Temple. May I first tell you that we have loved our mission. With all our hearts we wish that we were going to be here to serve with you. We are sad to say that our mission ends in June. Since we live only a couple of hours north of you and do come to the Salt Lake often, maybe we will be able to meet you before you enter the MTC to answer any questions you have.
But first let me answer the questions you have asked. We do not live on the temple grounds. There has been a combination guest house and missionary apartment authorized for the Lima Temple grounds. Unfortunately, problems keep coming up to delay
beginning of construction so now President Bowman is hoping and praying that he can have construction started before he completes his term as temple president in November.
We live 3 and a half blocks from the temple and walk to and from the temple everyday. We have never felt endangered in anyway in traversing to and from the temple, even when we have came home late at night. The security in the neighborhoods in La Molina is quite good. Most streets have security guards posted on them and they close the gates on many street so cars cannot pass through. Most apartments I have seen are like ours. It takes 3 different keys all for deadbolt locks and each key has to be turned 3 times to open the door. My big worry has never been about someone breaking in. My worry is how long would it take to get out of the apartment in an emergency. No, we leave our laptop out on the desk all the time. I am not
worried about thieves breaking into our apartment.
We work in the temple 5 days a week. The temple is open by 6:15 AM for prayer meetings etc. each day. Tuesday through Thursday, our first session begins at 7:30 am and we run a session every hour on the half our but have an extra session at 7 pm which is our last session. On Friday the schedule is normally that same except we are running a trial right now where we are
having sessions every half our from 6:30 to 9 pm. By time you arrive the temple president and area president will decide whether or not to make that a permanent expansion of the schedule. Saturday we begin at 7:30 am and run a session every half hour until 7:00 pm.
However, you will only work about an eight hour schedule each day. Right now there are two shifts each day. The first has a 6:45 am prayer meeting and normally leaves the temple between 2 and 2:30 pm. The second shift has their prayer meeting at 1:15 pm and we normally leave the temple between 9 and 9:30 pm.
The local transportation is by either bus or cab. Both are extremely reasonable. The currency exchange is approximately S/. 3 (3 soles) to $1. To go to church which is about a half mile away, it costs us one/half sole each which is the equivalent of about 17 cents each. If we want to take a taxi, it is normally S/. 4 or about $1.35. Believe me, the taxis and busses are plentiful. If we have to wait five minutes for a bus, we are surprised.
During the two weeks the temple is closed, we have taken trips to see Peru. Mission rules say you can't leave your mission boundaries, so some other couples we have invited on our little excursions have not been able to go with us because their mission boundaries are smaller. But for the temple missionaries, our mission boundaries are all of Peru so you can go anywhere except leave the country. We have taken the money we have saved on living expenses and have traveled Peru from the north to the south from the coast and islands off the coast called the Ballestras (or the Galapagos Islands of Peru) to the jungles of the upper Amazon and the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. There have been no problems with traveling. I have seen no anti-American sentiment, in fact, quite the opposite. They love Americans in Peru. We have always had English speaking guides and the accommodations in 3 star hotels are quite comfortable. We can give you the name of our travel company if you would like.
Oh, one thing that we have found as a problem is that all electricity here is 220V so you either have to have 220V appliances or a transformer. With the weight of transformers I would suggest you buy them here rather than try to carry them but anything you can bring that uses 220V is useful. I did bring a power strip for my computer and printer. Someone suggested that we bring an electric blanket which we did (there are no furnaces), but the first time we used it we burned up the controls even though we thought we had a proper transformer, but with blankets and a bedspread, we haven't had any problems sleeping.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Elder Ron Ramirez
Insights and Advice from President Bowman...
I have copied from the several email we have received from the temple president helpful advice and information for our preparations. These will be useful for others as well.
Dear Elder and Sister Fisher,
We are delighted to learn that you will be serving as senior temple missionaries in Lima Peru Temple. We appreciate all you have done to learn Spanish and we know that you will be able to learn it much quicker as you serve here among the Saints.
Perhaps the most important thing that you should do at this time besides signing your acceptance is to do what is needed for your passport and visa. Please respond to those requests as soon as possible, as that seems to generate the most significant delays.
We are delighted to hear of your progress in learning the ordinances and we are anxious for you to be here. I trust that all is going well as far as your visa applications. There is plenty of time, so we hope there will be no delays there.
We are looking forward to meeting you and working with you. As to the term of your mission, I suggest that you continue with the plans for 18 months and after you have been here for about a year you can consider an extension. There usually is no trouble in extending the term of a mission, so I suggest it would be better to wait and see how you feel about it at that time.
Thank you for the information on the flight and your arrival. If there is any change let us know. I will be at the airport to meet you. I will be there with one of our brothers from security with a van so we have room for your luggage. The temple will be closed that Saturday because of General Conference. We generally attend conference at the CCM (MTC) where we view the satellite broadcast in English. There will not be much time for us to orient you to the city on that day, so we will do it on the following Monday.
You will find the Lima temple a little different from the Bountiful Temple. I realize that you have been here, but until you work in the temple you do not realize the adjustments that have to be made for size and other factors. It is a lovely temple and the workers are wonderful and loving people and I know that you will enjoy working with them and learning from them. I am constantly reminded of some of the sacrifices that they make in order to serve.
I hope you have had time to attend the temple and listen to the sessions in Spanish. Can you arrange with the temple president to let you study the veil ceremony in Spanish? That would be a great help if you could do that when you get here.
If there is anything you need or need to know please contact us. We are excited about your arrival and we trust that you will have a great experience at the MTC.
Best wishes,
Carlos M. Bowman
Dear Elder and Sister Fisher,
We are delighted to learn that you will be serving as senior temple missionaries in Lima Peru Temple. We appreciate all you have done to learn Spanish and we know that you will be able to learn it much quicker as you serve here among the Saints.
Perhaps the most important thing that you should do at this time besides signing your acceptance is to do what is needed for your passport and visa. Please respond to those requests as soon as possible, as that seems to generate the most significant delays.
We are delighted to hear of your progress in learning the ordinances and we are anxious for you to be here. I trust that all is going well as far as your visa applications. There is plenty of time, so we hope there will be no delays there.
We are looking forward to meeting you and working with you. As to the term of your mission, I suggest that you continue with the plans for 18 months and after you have been here for about a year you can consider an extension. There usually is no trouble in extending the term of a mission, so I suggest it would be better to wait and see how you feel about it at that time.
Thank you for the information on the flight and your arrival. If there is any change let us know. I will be at the airport to meet you. I will be there with one of our brothers from security with a van so we have room for your luggage. The temple will be closed that Saturday because of General Conference. We generally attend conference at the CCM (MTC) where we view the satellite broadcast in English. There will not be much time for us to orient you to the city on that day, so we will do it on the following Monday.
You will find the Lima temple a little different from the Bountiful Temple. I realize that you have been here, but until you work in the temple you do not realize the adjustments that have to be made for size and other factors. It is a lovely temple and the workers are wonderful and loving people and I know that you will enjoy working with them and learning from them. I am constantly reminded of some of the sacrifices that they make in order to serve.
I hope you have had time to attend the temple and listen to the sessions in Spanish. Can you arrange with the temple president to let you study the veil ceremony in Spanish? That would be a great help if you could do that when you get here.
If there is anything you need or need to know please contact us. We are excited about your arrival and we trust that you will have a great experience at the MTC.
Best wishes,
Carlos M. Bowman
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Our Welcome Letter/email from Hno. Ron and Hna. Nadine Ramirez
Dear Brother Fisher,
How wonderful to hear of your mission to the Lima Peru Temple.May I first tell you that we have loved our mission. With all our hearts we wish that we were going to be here to serve with you. We are sad to say that our mission ends in June. Since we live only a couple of hours north of you and do come to the Salt Lake often, maybe we will be able to meet you before you enter the MTC to answer any questions you have.
But first let me answer the questions you have asked. We do not live on temple grounds. There has been a combination guest house and missionary apartment authorized for the Lima Temple grounds. When we first arrived we were told that since the plans had all been approved, the temple presidency hoped that construction would start soon and we would be able to move in about six months later. Unfortunately, problems keep coming up to delay beginning of construction so now President Bowman is hoping and praying that he can have construction started before he completes his term as temple president in November.
We live 3 and a half blocks from the temple and walk to and from the temple everyday. We have never felt endangered in anyway in traversing to and from the temple, even when we have came home late at night. The security in the neighborhoods in La Molina is quite good. Most streets have security guards posted on them and they close the gates on many street so cars cannot pass through. Most apartments I have seen are like ours. It takes 3 different keys all for deadbolt locks and each key has to be turned 3 times to open the door. My big worry has never been about someone breaking in. My worry is how long would it take to get out of the apartment in an emergency. No, we leave our laptop out on the desk all the time. I am not worried about thieves breaking into our apartment.
As far as things that we wished we had brought with us, yes there are a few, but I think my wife would be able to answer that better than I would. I think I will let Nadine discuss that with your wife.
We work in the temple 5 days a week. The temple is open by 6:15 for prayer meetings etc. each day. Tuesday through Thursday, our first session begins at 7:30 am and we run a session every hour on the half our but have an extra session at 7 pm which is our last session. On Friday the schedule is normally that same except we are running a trial right now where we are having sessions every half our from 6:30 to 9 pm. By time you arrive the temple president and area president will decide whether or not to make that a permanent expansion of the schedule. Saturday we begin at 7:30 am and run a session every half hour until 7:00 pm.
However, you will only work about an eight hour schedule each day. Right now there are two shifts each day. The first has a 6:45 am prayer meeting and normally leaves the temple between 2 and 2:30 pm. The second shift has their prayer meeting at 1:15 pm and we normally leave the temple between 9 and 9:30 pm.
The local transportation is by either bus or cab. Both are extremely reasonable. The currency exchange is approximately S/. 3 (3 soles) to $1. To go to church which is about a half mile away, it costs us one/half sole each which is the equivalent of about 17 cents each. If we want to take a taxi, it is normally S/. 4 or about $1.35. Believe me, the taxis and busses are plentiful. If we have to wait five minutes for a bus, we are surprised.
No, there are no real issues with shopping for food. There is one supermarket called Metro which is about a mile away and another which is two miles away which is called Wongs. We normally go shopping twice a week because the refrigerators are quite small. There is also a little bodega or small market in each block where you can pick up things you run out of during the week. One thing that was a surprise is there are very few canned goods or frozen pre-prepared foods. We are back to making things from scratch. But there are wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables. You can find some American food products but the are normally the expensive items. Really, we have found our food costs quite reasonable. We do soak our fresh vegetables in Clorox just to be safe but I am not sure it is necessary. (Nadine says it is.) Yes, we do eat the lettuce with no problems. There are some that say right on the package that they are guaranteed germ free. There is a large mall, exactly like those in the Salt Lake valley (except they don't speak English) and the prices there are comparable to US prices. There are also many small shops in galleries (local malls) where clothing and other things are far more reasonable. That is where the locals shop.
During the two weeks the temple is closed, we have taken trips to see Peru. Mission rules say you can't leave your mission boundaries, so some other couples we have invited on our little excursions have not been able to go with us because their mission boundaries are smaller. But for the temple missionaries, our mission boundaries are all of Peru so you can go anywhere except leave the country. We have taken the money we have saved on living expenses and have traveled Peru from the north to the south from the coast and islands off the coast called the Ballestras (or the Galapagos Islands of Peru) to the jungles of the upper Amazon and the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. There have been no problems with traveling. I have seen no anti-American sentiment, in fact, quite the opposite. They love Americans in Peru. We have always had English speaking guides and the accommodations in 3 star hotels are quite comfortable. We can give you the name of our travel company if you would like.
Most of the missionaries who serve at the temple or the area office attend the La Molina Ward. The area president and the north American mission presidents who have children also attend that ward. The sacrament meeting is in Spanish but they do have headsets and someone who translates for you. There is a English Sunday School class, but relief society and priesthood are in Spanish only.
Yes, both my wife and I love the ceviche and most of the other peruano foods. I am the kind of person that eats anything that doesn't eat me first and I have loved Peru. We have continued to have our weekly date nights which always includes going out to dinner so we can give you a list of many of the fine restaurants we have found and there are many more.
Well, I know that this is a novel and I have probably told you more than you really wanted to know but please, feel free to write us any question you have. It was just two years ago that we received our mission call. We enter the MTC on the 21st of July. Even though my name is Ramirez, I didn't speak Spanish before our mission (a long story) and I wouldn't say that I am totally fluent now. I probably speak Spanish like many Latin Americans speak English, but, I can normally make my intentions known and the people are so kind because you are trying to speak their language. Again, we love our mission!
Oh, one thing that we have found as a problem is that all electricity here is 220V so you either have to have 220V appliances or a transformer. With the weight of transformers I would suggest you buy them here rather than try to carry them but anything you can bring that uses 220V is useful. I did bring a power strip for my computer and printer. Someone suggested that we bring an electric blanket which we did (there are no furnaces), but the first time we used it we burned up the controls even though we thought we had a proper transformer, but with blankets and a bedspread, we haven't had any problems sleeping.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Elder Ron Ramirez
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