Peru-Day 1

Over Thanksgiving week we were able to make a trip to Peru to visit David's parents, who are serving as mission president/mom of the Lima Peru North mission.  It was WONDERFUL to see them, and the first thing I felt when we entered their mission home, besides the spirit there!, was "How could we NOT have come here!"  It was so great to see so many things and to hear about the experiences that they're having.  It will always be a very important three years of their lives, and we are grateful that we got to experience a small portion of it with them!  : )  It will always allow us to picture and understand what they are talking about when they share their mission with us.  (And I really felt like it helped me understand my parent's experience in some way, too.  They are serving a temple mission in the Philippines.  Unfortunately, I think we've met our international travel quota for awhile!)

We arrived in Lima at around midnight and, unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the reunion or trip to Lima.  The flights were fairly uneventful on the way there, the boys did quite well.  Seeing David's parents was VERY VERY exciting, it had been over 2 1/2 years.  We were giddy as we walked through the airport to find them.  They met Preston for the first time and got to see Hunter for the first time since he was a tiny baby.  We got back to the mission home and slept well until morning.

Preston exploring the mission home...

 Grandma knew the way to Benjamin's heart...

 Sharing some Peruvian jewelry and teaching me some about the culture...

 Marta, the pensionista is a GREAT lady.  : )

   These bracelets are made from tagua seeds, which come from "ivory" palms.  When dried out, it can be carved just like elephant ivory; it is often used for beads,buttons, figurines and jewelry, and can be dyed. 

 So David's parents had just gotten back from a trip where they had been able to visit a native village.  They women wore these lovely beaded, ummm--coverings?  Guess this is all they wore.

 This beautiful nativity is an absolute work of art!!!  The picture can't do it justice, it is just gorgeous.

 This is the second trip of the day to a nearby park, or green space.  : )  They live on the 21st floor of a high rise building, in a large city-so green spaces are the place to go for little boys.  : )

 Part of this building, at least--maybe all of it, was the MTC in Peru when David's dad served his mission as a young man.  Across the street was the mission office where her served as an assistant.  It was really fun to see places that he walked as an Elder!

 Hunter loved to play Don't Eat Pete.  : )