Our Temple Mission: Palermo Stake Conference

The temple was busy last week with several large buses bringing members who had not been to the temple in years. They came with many challenges but seemed to enjoy their experiences in the temple. Tomorrow is a Peruvian holiday, so we will see several more bus loads of people making their way to the temple. It is fun to see their enthusiasm as they enter through the front doors. The sessions will again be over flowing and the baptistry will run non-stop.

Yesterday was the Palermo Stake Conference. We shared a taxi with the Hawses and arrived a half hour early. As we took our seats, it felt like we were in a reception line as we hugged and greeted so many familiar faces.

It was a wonderful stake conference with a fabulous choir. The choir sang beautiful arrangements of "Oh my Father" and a primary song. They had their music memorized and even added a violin and soloists. We are impressed with what these members can accomplish with limited resources. President and Sister Casos spoke as well as the Stake Relief Society President, Stake President and four newly called missionaries. No one read their talks but spoke from their hearts and delivered flawless sermons. There were over 800 people in attendance.

The choir before the meeting.

The Choir members posed for this picture after conference.

President Valdivia mentioned Bill and Wayne in his talk. He called them by name and said they had both served missions here as young elders and have returned to serve in the temple.

President Valdiva, Bill and one of his counselors, President Tirado.

We have truly come to love the Saints here in Peru. We feel like celebrities among them as they all want to greet us, take our pictures and have their pictures taken with them. This post will show some of these pictures. We are not even sure who some of them are. No one was in a hurry to leave church after the conference and I think we were some of the last ones leaving. The conference was over by noon but we didn't get home until after one o'clock.

Hermano Cruz, Bill, Hermano Chavez, the Bishop of La Noria Ward and Wayne.

Some of the Salazars.

Hermana Mendoza & her daughter, Hermano Luperdi, and Hermana Solis in red.

The Cruz's with their daughter & son-in-law, the Chavez's.

Sister Quintanilla is in the middle. She is the Stake Relief Society
President. Her husband, mother (Sister Meza) and son, Diego, are
next to her. The sister on the left is Kira. Kira was Sister Quintanilla's
missionary companion and they named their daughter Kira (not in the picture)
after her. Diego is one of the piano boys mentioned in earlier posts.