Missionary Tour Guides

This week with Dave's siblings here we were doing double duty, missionaries & tour guides at the same time.  Luckily, Dave's siblings were all for helping us with our mission duties so I think we were able to keep a good balance.

Sunday we attended the Inti Raymi ward sacrament meeting.  Not sure how much Merlyn and Carol were able to understand, but the members were so very friendly and nice to them and of course, Merlyn got to visit with the full-time elders.

We pretty much rested up at the apartment while we waited for Elder Rhoades and Jim to return from Juliaca (which they did just 30 minutes before our fireside was to start).  I did fix a typical Peruvian dish, Aji de Gallina for lunch on Saturday, but Sunday they ate roast beef, potatoes and carrots.

Aji de Gallina with Peruvian salad (tomatoes & avocado)

Sunday night we had a Mi Camino in the Cusco stake for all the returned missionaries that attended the fireside that Carlos held the Sunday before.  We had 37 people on our attendance list and we called everyone on Thursday to remind them and yet we had only a handful of people there - like 12.  No one from the stake presidency attended.  They did send the high councilman assigned to self-reliance to conduct and direct the meeting.  We managed to form two self-reliance groups, one for Education and one for Business.  Now we just need facilitators for them.

 We put Jim to work again since we normally have the local leaders help present, but we didn't have a lot of them present at this fireside.

Monday we took the entire day off (Monday is P-day after all) and used Franz Guerra, our Pathway leader, as our transportation to take our visitors to Sacred Valley and we saw the two main attractions, Ollantaytambo and Pisac.  This was our first time to visit Ollantaytambo so we really enjoyed that.

Ollantay is the name of an Inca general and tambo means resting or lodging place.  So these ruins were the residence of a famous Inca general.

 It's amazing how it is built right up the side of a mountain.  Terraces go on forever, it seems.

 Below shows how many sets of terraces were built into the side of the mountain.

Looking back down you can see all the stairs we had to climb.

Below is a photo taken from our starting point at the bottom of the mountain.

 After climbing all those stairs, we had to take a few rest stops to catch our breath.

The photo below shows some of the buildings above the terraces.

We are all standing in front of the Palace of the Sun remains.  It was not too sunny while we visited this spot.  We had some sprinkles and you can see a drop had gotten on the lens.

You can half of the remains of an Inca cross carved into the wall.

  A few of the group photos we took while at Ollantaytambo.  Carol was always chasing after the animals.

 Above shows a view across the valley from the top of the ruins.  This spot is where two valleys converge together.  That is one of the reasons, they built this fortress here.  Can you make out the face on the side of the mountain?  If not, below is a closer shot.

And if you still can't see it, here is a zoomed in shot below.

And of course we couldn't leave out Pisac, as that is Dave's all time favorite ruins.  This was our third visit there and we will be making a fourth visit to Pisac when my sister, Cathy, and her husband visit us in October.

We enjoyed a nice buffet luncheon in Urubamba which is between the two ruin sites.  It was a chance for Dave's siblings to try some typical dishes of Peru.

Here are a few photos from Pisac.

 A panaromic shot looking down on the temple site with the Sacred Valley in the background.

Dave casually leans up against part of the temple wall.  I think he has lived here in Peru too long.  He acts like ancient ruins from the Inca civilization is no big deal.

Tuesday we had our returning missionary training on self-reliance that we do every six weeks when a group of missionaries go home.  So we actually had them teach our Tuesday morning English class.  Our class members go wind of their visit and planned a party to welcome them to Cusco, so there was no way we could cancel the class.  

Since Jim has been involved with Daily Dose for years, we figured we were leaving the class in good hands.

 Gina and Marcia Pinto (sisters) sitting between Carol & Jim.

 It looks like they had a good time!  Lots of food as well.

Meanwhile, we were busy giving serious training to the returning missionaries.

 We said good-bye to a number of missionaries we had gotten to know quite well.  We knew all the sisters but the two on the ends.  Front row L-R: Hna. Guajardo (she had worked in Tullumayo ward for months) Hna. Crump, Hna. Hoskins (she took Hna. Guajardo's place in Tullumayo ward.  She lives in Saratoga Springs and has a beautiful singing voice), Hna. Arroyo (a sister leader serving in Ttio.  She bore a very moving testimony at her last English class with us).

The elders in this group we knew well were Elder Salas (middle of the middle row).  We helped him prepare for his English exam.  In the back row L-R is Elder Reyes (he is pictured below as well).  He was Elder Black's companion and came to our English classes.  Dave took him under his wing.  Next, Elder Olsen.  He had been the mission president's secretary for months and loves cars so Elder Rhoades and him bonded as well.  Then Elder Sanchez.  We helped him prepare for his English exam as well.  He spoke English quite well. He is from Puebla, Mexico.  and lastly Elder Quispe.  He had served in Cusco for awhile and came to our English classes.

After doing our morning presentation, we skipped out of the afternoon part of the training so we could be with Dave's siblings.  We took them to lunch at a member's restaurant, Pankracio.  We have worked with him to help him improve his business.

 Behind us on the wall is a photo showing what the lomo saltado sandwich looks like, which is our favorite sandwich they serve.

 They work in a very small kitchen.  Below you can see their menu listing the ingredients on their sandwiches.

While we ate, Cusco had a downpour of rain.  Luckily we were inside.  We had to wait awhile, but eventually ventured out to give Dave's siblings a walking tour of the historic center of Cusco.  

Our restaurant was close to the San Blas plaza so we headed up there first,

 The plaza was pretty deserted due to the recent rain storm.

 We took them to see the two artist museums, above Hiliary Mendivil and below, Antonio Olave.

then headed down to the famous 12 angle rock and some of the best examples of Inca rock being used today.

and then up to the Nazarene plaza to show them the horse rock, one of Dave's favorite sites in Cusco, then down into the Plaza de Armas.

It took us quite awhile to show them these spots as street vendors were hitting them up hard and they kept being distracted by the tourist shops.  I have to admit there are a lot of interesting items for tourists to buy.

Carol surrounded by ladies trying to sell her their engraved gourds.  They were pretty persuasive sellers.  They even got me to buy one!

Tuesday night we did our English Book of Mormon class for the beginning English speakers, and our Daily Dose classes.

Wednesday is piano lesson day, so I stayed with my nose to the grindstone so that my students did lose any momentum with their learning.  With only 3 more months to teach them, I want to get them as advanced as I can so they will continue on after I am gone.

Dave and siblings taught the missionary lesson in the morning and then headed out to see the ruins just outside of the city boundaries.  You can literally see the city down in the valley from a number of these ruin sites. 

 The two above are from Sacsayhuaman and the photo below on the hike to Temple of the Moon.  Crazy how close ancient history is to modern history here in Cusco!

They spent 3 hours exploring Sacsayhuaman.  I have to admit, it is one of the better ruin sites, but 3 hours!  Wow.  They must know every crook and cranny of that place now.  Here are just a few photos.

Dave's siblings are pretty tall people so when they stand by these rocks and they still look massive, you have to be amazed.

 Above, a good aerial view of the ruins as Carol walks along.  And of course, Carol has to go say hello to the grazing llamas.

Amazing panorama shot of the less impressive side of Sacsayhuaman.  You will probably have to enlarge to truly see what was captured in this photo.     

Sacsayhuaman is only one of the nearby ruins.  They also visited Q'enko.

 which also has massive rock structures, but they have underground labyrinths as well.

 It almost looks like they took the natural rock formation and chisled enough for their purposes.

They also visited the Temple of the Moon and the Monkey that is close by as well.

 Elder Rhoades leads the way with the ruins off in the distance.

 They sit atop of the Temple of the Moon enjoying the scenery.

Wednesday night was English class for Dave and Education workshop for me.  By this time we are getting a bit worn out doing both duties, but we are having a good time having family visit.

Thursday we did our English classes in the morning.  We got more help from Dave's siblings.  I really think this was one of their favorite things to do.

 We played Pictionary.  They were learning home furnishing items.  Our artist was Elder Fritz, below on the left.  Elder George was his lovely assistant.

Once we had the English classes done we headed out to show Dave's siblings more of the sites.  We wanted to visit Pikillaqta and Tipon today which is heading out east from Cusco towards Sicuani.

 Merlyn tries to climb the aquaduct.

Carol just tried to visit with the cows that were grazing near by.

The main complex of the ruins.

This time we visited the museum.  It is small and the only thing to see are these dinosaur bones, but they are worth seeing!

 They found these in about 1980.  Two prehistoric animals.

 Could they be a curelom or a cumom?

All I can say is that is one big shell on that thing in the bottom photo!

Then we headed off to Tipon.  We were a bit rushed for time...again.  One of these days I'd like to visit Tipon and not be rushed.  Maybe when my sister comes in October

Merlyn and I were the only ones that walked around the ruin complex, but we didn't have time to go to the very top.

We then hurried back to Cusco to get ready for our Pathway lesson.  We really enjoy working with the Pathway group.  Their English level is advanced enough that we feel comfortable speaking normally just like we do to native speakers.  We also enjoy teaching this group because they are all mostly returned missionaries and the spirit is always present in the classes.  We love listening to them sing the hymns in English as well.

After our Book of Mormon class, I stayed to observe the Pathway meeting as we will be handling both parts next week, as Franz travels up to Utah.  Dave took his siblings down to the Ttio English class so they could meet our students there.  I know Empe never would have forgiven us if she didn't get to meet family.  It's a good thing they went as it was once again Jonathan's birthday and Empe came prepared with a cake.

Merlyn and Carol watches on as Carolayne, Jonathan and Empe prepare the cake.

Friday was probably one of the most memorable days of our mission.  Our friend, Isaias, the flea market book seller/tour guide had invited us quite awhile back to go with him to visit the school where his wife, Juana, teaches.  It is a small school, way up in the mountains, where the country indians live.  The village is called Sihua and they speak Quechua there.  He wanted to have us see the school and then show us some ruins near by and take a hike through the country side.  

Since we've known for awhile about this trip.  We advised Dave's siblings about it and asked them to bring down school supplies.  The Johnsons, the family history couple heard about our trip and asked to come along as well. We said sure, the more the merrier.  So they brought supplies as well.  We had supplies left from former US visitors as well as some that we contributed.  It ended up being quite a haul, two duffle bags/carry-on bags full.

The students prepared a program to present to us and the teachers prepared us chicken soup to eat.  It was quite the party.

We left early in the morning as it was about a two to two and a half hour drive from Cusco to get there.  The village looks down on the Sacred Valley.  We had some incredible views as we drove and hiked around.

The children were a delight and we had a glimpse of what life is like for so many of the Peruvian people that live out in the countryside.  We have had glimpses of villages nestled high in the mountains and terraces that are being farmed as we have driven along the highways.  This trip we walked through one of these villages and walked through the fields that we've seen terraced.  It became a reality for us.

Here are some of the views.

 Two different towns down in the Sacred Valley

 Our view on top of the mountain, above.  Below is a photo of a traditional campesina.

 Awesome views of the Sacred Valley.  Above, you can see the river, Urubamba winding through the valley and below, is a photo looking into the valley.  Isn't it beautiful?  It almost makes me want to retire to Peru, if it wasn't so far from family...

 For much of the drive we traveled on a road that looked like this, below.  Just wide enough for one car and dirt road, not paved.

Below is our first glimpse of Sihua, our destination.  The big blue building is the school.  It turns out that it is the nicest building in town.  It was only recently built, a few months ago.

 It's obvious the paint is new and the roof is new.  Below are some photos showing their classrooms.

 This one below is much more interesting than the one above.

 As soon as we arrived, the students quickly lined up.

There are about 70+ students from very young to early teens.

 One of the first things they did was to greet us by putting confetti on our heads.  The kids took great delight in sprinkling our heads with all colors of little punched circles.  They had big grins on their faces as they did it.

Then they began their program, which included poem recitals.  The girl below used hand gestures and was very animated with her memorized reading.

 This student below, stumbled a bit.  Dave decided to get up and give him moral support.  He was reciting in Quechua so there was no way Dave was going to help prompt him on any of his words.

Then we were treated to some dances.  Some of the girls came dressed in the typical costumes.

 Juana is standing on the left.  The little boy took great delight in waving his arms around while he danced.  He was always grinning.

 Below is the band that played for the dancers.

We weren't able to get any close up shots, but you will see that most are wearing open toed sandals.  Some of the childrens' toes were very black.  I hope it was just dirt and not frostbite.

 Here are some close up shots of some of the students as they lined up.  The little girl above in the red coat was such a sweetie.  Carol fell in love with her.

 I think we all did.  And I think Ericka fell in love with us.

After the program we handed out our supplies we brought and of course that included candy for everyone.  They got pretty excited about that.  Dave had brought up his pioneer games so he then proceeded to show them how to play.

 It was a big hit with the boys in particular.

They then wanted to serve us lunch, even though it was only 10 am.  We were hungry.

The children ate later, closer to noon.  Apparently, this school is subsidized by the Peruvian government.  They provide breakfast and lunch to the students.  It is probably the best meals they eat.

 Weekly menu above.  Below are the stores of gov't supplied food staples.

 The student enjoying their meal.  Each brings a bowl and spoon from home so they can eat at school.

Women had come to the school.  Here is what most of them do all day.

And here are the results.  An enterprising woman brought some of her goods to sell and we, of course, obliged and purchased some of her work.  She wasn't pushy like the street vendors.  Simply laid out her wears and they sold themselves.

They were very well made.

After lunch we were taken on a tour of the town.

Look what we found underneath the corrugated tin roof!  Cows!

 Such pretty views from this village of the Andean mountain range.

 Here you can see how they do their construction.

Every thing is of adobe brick.  Below you can see how they prepare the floor for the second floor.  You can also see the sink is outside the home.

 Below is an attempt to add some beauty to their village.

There were plenty of animals wondering around the town.  Plenty of donkeys...

 hogs, chickens etc.

I know I am posting a lot of photos, but this truly is an authentic view into what life is like for so many Peruvians.

Here are some photos of the people who live in Sihua.

 And look, this must be Elder Rhoades, twin brother.  They spell William with an "n" at the end.

We said goodbye to Sihua, but we will always remember them.  Then we headed out for a hike to some ruins at the top of the mountain.  We hiked through plowed fields.  It is just amazing how they plant every space.

We are between planting season so the fields were just plowed up.  But they even plowed amongst the ruins are you can see in the photo to the left.

It's amazing that crops will grow at such high altitudes where we are at.

 This photo doesn't even do justice to how amazing the view was!

Elder Rhoades even found some broken pottery amongst the ruins.  He thinks it is of ancient origin.  How ancient it's hard to know.

We made it back in time for us to meet with a new Education workshop group.  The bad news was only one person showed up so we held off on getting this group started.  

Saturday was market day again, but this time we took Dave's sibling to the Barrattio market, or flea market.  They had already bought a number of souvenirs, but this market is where you can get some items at discounted prices.

Carol went nuts for the crocheted finger puppets.  She also found some very darling typical skirts and shawls for her granddaughters to dress up in.  They are going to love them.  Jim wasn't feeling well so he stayed in bed.  Merlyn came along and wasn't quite the shopper Carol was but did find a few things to  buy to take home.  We even bought a few more items to add to our growing pile of souvenirs.   Lucky for us, Merlyn and Carol were each able to take a suitcase back with them full of our things.  All but our big, bulky items, plus some items of the Johnsons, were shipped back with them when they left.  Now we can start building up our next pile of things for my sister and her husband to take home with them when they visit in October.

Spiritual Thought for the Week:  Elder Kevin W. Pearson  "Stay By the Tree"  April 2015 General Conference.

"Search the Book of Mormon and the words of the living prophets every day, every day, every day!  It´s the key to spiritual survival and avoiding deception.  Without it, we are spiritually lost."

"To all missionaries past and present:  Elders and sister, you simply cannot return from your missions and do a swan dive back into Babylon.  True disciples continue to awaken unto God each day in meaningful personal prayer, earnest scripture study, personal obedience, and selfless service.  Stay by the tree and stay awake."

"Once we enter into covenants with God, there is no going back.  Giving in, giving up and giving out are not options.  It requires valiant discipleship!  There is no room for average or complacent disciples.  Average is the enemy of excellence, and average commitment will prevent you from enduring to the end."

"Enduring to the end is the great test of discipleship.  Our daily discipleship will determine our eternal destiny."