Stake Conference & Monday Lunch

This Sunday was a Stake/Regional Conference for all of Peru and Bolivia.  Each Stake had 30 minutes for it's own Stake business, talk and special musical numbers before the video transmission from Salt Lake City, just like they do in the states. We attended the building for the Palermo Stake which was the first building built by the church in Trujillo. There was a big turnout for the meeting and we ran into so many people we know from the temple or have met in the four months we have been here. We sat by the Luperdi family.  I did not get a new picture of them but there is one in an earlier post. 

Two of the speakers were from the Seventy, one of the counselors in the Primary spoke as well as Elder Neil L. Andersen from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The Palermo Stake Choir
They also had piano and flute for accompaniment.

President and Sister Coacalla also attended at this Stake Building.  It was a good meeting and I am starting to understand more Spanish all the time.

The sister with me is Jacqueline Gilbert.  She was born in Trujillo but has lived in
South Jordan, Utah for 10 years.  She is visiting family here.  Her nephew is in the
white shirt and that would be cute Elder Cook behind us.  Jacqueline will be back in
February and we will have a lunch date then.  She is leaving on Tuesday.

Franco Figgini (next to me) was so excited to see us there.  He is a returned
missionary from Bolivia.  He works in the temple with us and speaks good English.
He is standing next to his mother, father and brother. Bill is trying to help him get into
the Perpetual Education Program with the church.  He has a lot of potential but does not
have the resources to make it happen.  We wish him much success.

Two cute Elders.  Elder Riddle from Orem & Elder Cook from Moab.

This is the Stake Patriarch & his wife, Hermano & Hermana Mesa.
Patriarch Mesa grew up in La Esperanza, Bill's old stomping ground.

Paulo's family.  He and his wife work in the temple.  She was also
a Mesa and grew up in La Esperanza.

President & Sister Coacalla

The Stake President Josua Valdivia with his wife and son.

For P-day today we went the Real Plaza mall.  It is further away from the temple than Mall Aventura, where we go most of the time.  Real Plaza is a smaller mall but was the first one built in Trujillo 10 years ago. It is closer to the mission offices and we wanted to take some of the office missionaries to lunch.  Elder Heward was one of the first elders we met when we arrived in Peru.  He has been the Secretary to the Mission President for 8 1/2 months and is being transferred to Guadalupe, 2 1/2 hours north of here to be a Zone Leader. We will miss seeing him in Trujillo but hope to catch up with him again when we return home. 

These are such great & fun missionaries.  We took them to one of our favorite places to eat, Pardo's Chicken.  From left to right: Elder Talbot from Cornfield, AZ, Elder Romero from Arequipa, Peru, Elder Heward from Ogden, UT, Bill, Sandy, Elder Olsen from Smithfield, UT and Elder Caldwell from Mesa, AZ. Elder Olsen is taking over for Elder Heward in the office and will be Elder Romero's companion.
Elder Talbot & Elder Caldwell are companions and are actually in the Trujillo South Mission.  It was all one mission when we got here. They all work in the offices and do the same things.

We went shopping at Plazavea, another knock off of Walmart Supercenter.  Each of the Supermarkets in Trujillo seem to carry some different items so we always pick up things we need when we are near one.

Some cute little palm trees and flowers inside Real Plaza mall.