You may be wondering why I started my post off with a picture of a bunch of dirt. Well, I decided I couldn’t compete with the other guest posts so I didn’t even try. Nonetheless, I believe I can speak for all of the guest bloggers when I say that this might be one of the most important places we saw during our trip. This is a very special picture to all of us, but especially to Janet and Terry. This is the exact site where the people of Trujillo will be blessed with a temple of their own very soon. Griff is marking the spot with the walking stick he found on the grounds. (Mama T thinks he and Tillman will be called back as missionaries to Trujillo now)
We had a lot of fun being back with Mama and Papa T, however we did not forget the real reason we came to Peru. It meant a lot to me personally to be able to bring my son to their mission and be surrounded by missionaries. I only wish he was a little bit older to be able to truly remember what a great experience it was. Pictures, videos and stories will have to do (until next trip).
We were able to spend a lot of time getting to know some of the missionaries, through the Christmas conferences, the performances in the Plaza das Armas, and going on splits with some of the missionaries. Parker and I both had very good experiences teaching with the missionaries (and yes, we both are now speaking perfectly fluent Spanish) and wish we could stay a few more weeks to be at some baptisms. Thank you Elders and Sisters; for your examples, for your testimonies, for your hard work, and for the Spirit that we felt while we were around you. We will try and bring that same Spirit back to our own home.
Let me just say that we have all been pleasantly surprised. The food has been awesome! I know for a fact that we haven’t exactly eaten the same food that the missionaries are eating every meal (2 trips to Papa Johns and one to Pizza Hut), but the traditional Peruvian dishes that I have tried have all been excellent.
(My personal favorite: Lomo Saltado. A stir fry of tender beef served with rice)The Peruvian Death Pepper!
The other day my mom sent me to the little grocery store around the corner to get a few bell peppers for a pasta salad that she was making for all of the guests. I managed to drive around the corner without getting into a wreck (a feat unto itself) and ran into the store to find that all of the produce had been well picked over. I found 5 or 6 red and green peppers that looked just like a bell pepper only much smaller. (The potatoes we had eaten were much smaller than the ones in the States so why should I expect any big bell peppers to be left there on Christmas Eve.) I took them to the check out stand to pay, and the lady went off in super fast Spanish. I feel like I understand Spanish fairly well, and so I definitely understood that she was telling me that these peppers were pretty spicy. I also know that when I was in Brazil they used to think that bell peppers were spicy, so I just shrugged her off and said that these were what I wanted. Bad idea! I got back to the house and started to cut and clean the peppers. I had taken all the seeds out and washed the inside before my eyes started to water. Then I thought, ¨maybe I should try this to see how spicy it really is.¨ I chopped a few pieces and nibbled on one. That´s when it started to set in. My lips started to burn, my mouth started to burn, my eyes were already burning. It wouldn´t stop. Everything that I had touched from the moment I laid a finger on the pepper was burning. My arms were burning and the little cracks in my hands and knuckles were on fire. I started guzzling milk and pouring it on my hands and in my mouth. I went through 2.5 liters of milk before it ever even settled down. My lips swelled up and turned red.
(Molly caught some of my pain on camera.)
