Apartment Checks & El Porvenir Ward

We finished the apartment checks in the Esperanza Zone this week.  We picked up Hermano Lazaro at his house to continue showing us how to get to the missionary apartments.  He introduced us to his wife and they invited us into their home to show us where they do the laundry for the missionaries.

The Lazaros

Entering their home.

The laundry room. They wash, iron and mend the missionaries clothes as well as
picking them up and delivering them again; all for 50 soles per missionary
per month.  That is about $14. This zone has 28 missionaries.

Sister Lazaro mends missionary clothing on this old Singer sewing machine. 

The kitchen / living room area.

This is where she irons.  She doesn't even have a real ironing board.

We love visiting the Elder and Sisters in their apartments.  They are always glad to see us and enjoy the treats we give them when we leave.

Hermana Tobar from Ecuador & Hermana McQueen from Mapleton, Utah.

Elder Thompson from Washington and Elder Alcatraz from Peru with their landlady 
who isa member of the church. She also cooks for them. 

Bill, Elder Rios from Lima, Elder Olsen from Linden, Utah & Hermano Lazaro.

Elder Lavado from Lima & Elder Garner from Salt Lake City.

The wall in their apartment.

We stopped by to see Hermano Lazaro's father and sister.  He was
one of the first members in Esperanza but after Bill's time here.

Elder Mejia & Elder Vasco, both from Lima. 

Their apartment in Milagro.

The churchl in Milagro.

Elder Montes from Lima and Elder Schlesinger from Springdale, Arkansas.

Their room in Milagro.

Bill with Joel, our taxi driver.  He is not a member but loves driving
the missionaries around.  He is one of our favorite drivers.

Their landlady has a tienda in front of their house.  She is a member.

A street in Milagro.

Elder Valero from Colombia and Elder Colman from Paraguay.
They have become the newest companionship of a new district. 

More Milagro.

More scenes from the week. 

Eggs for sale at Makro.

Checking our in the Preferential line; for the pregnant, those
 with children, old people and the handicapped. 

A truck full of tomatoes.

We went to the Porvenir Stake Center this morning because we were told by a member that it was Stake Conference.  When we got there we found out otherwise and we were too late for the ward in the chapel, so we took another taxi to the El Porvenir / Gran Chimu building for Sacrament Meeting.  I think they were glad we came because the Bishop asked both Bill and Wayne to sit on the stand and speak.  It was an interesting day seeing more of the Porvenir area.

Across the street from the church.

The  church parking lot.  Very few people have their own cars.
Most will walk, take buses or taxis.

Five to seven year old Primary class. 

The High Councilman and Bishop of the Gran Chimu ward. 

Thirteen to seventeen year old class. 

Two cute girls with their dad, ages 6 & 3. 

Martha Rocha with her two sons and a grandson. 

Hermano Segura from the temple.

Elder Quijandria and Elder Hunt with a future missionary.

A cute baby, Diego.

Elder Larosa from Argentina & Elder Sanchez from Lima, Peru.
Argentina and Peru played each other in futbol (soccer) this week.
They tied 2-2.  Both Elders already knew about it.

A parade of people.

A  "poor man's" cemetery in Porvenir.

Bill negotiating for our ride home.

A large hole in the windshield.  We thought it must have been shot out
after seeing what looked like bullet holes in the side of the car.
It was pretty rough on the inside too, but there weren't a lot of
choices from where we were in Porvenir.