An Eventful Week!

Justin had quite an eventful week! He didn't email yesterday because he got a call last minute that he had to go to Lima yesterday and had to leave at 3:30 am! I must say, he did sound kind of grouchy in his email about all of that. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Well, on the upside, he said he got to eat Burger King and buy a new (clean and fresh smelling) pillow! He said while in Lima, going through immigration he saw and spoke with some North Americans. He could not understand why anyone would choose to live there in Peru instead of the US. Most had married Peruvians (the things we do for "love!"). Justin went to Lima all by himself and he said "It was weird being alone on the bus and in the taxis and everything, not having to have my companion by my side, but I guess that's what real life is!" For those of you not of our faith, the missionaries are to have their companions with them at all times. I don't know why Justin was to go all by himself. That is a rare happening for a missionary.

His mission gets to have a conference this Thursday with a general authority. Justin didn't remember his name, but I'm sure he will write about it in his next letter or email. They always have the best messages for these young men. That is an exciting event to look forward to.

A great highlight of the week is when they were able to baptize a mother of three kids that were already baptized. I'll have to find out who that is. Possibly the mom of Flor and Carlos (and Jessica)? That is exciting news! Justin said, "We have been teaching her and she knew everything but always said that everyone has a time and that hers still wasn't there, but would tell us when it is. I thought we would never see her baptized, but Tuesday night she was searching for us urgently, so we went to her house Wednesday morning and she invited us in and told us she had finished reading the Book of Mormon and her moment had arrived. She was ready. So we got her baptism all ready and everything and it went really well. It was Saturday in the afternoon because she didn't want to be cold in the night." ( There is no hot water there. Smart lady!)

Justin is halfway through this change. A change is when they can be moved to another area and/ or get a new companion. He says "time is flying right now." This area is another world from Lima. Makes us wonder what the other areas in his mission is like.

Justin says they are thinking of splitting his ward because "it is always jammed packed full." It is has the most people in the stake. He wonders if he'll be around for it. They are probably splitting it in March. Two people from his ward got their mission calls and are going to Chile and Colombia. He says they open their calls in sacrament meeting over the pulpit.

Justin says in the month of February, all the Sundays is a Peruvian tradition called Carnival. "It is basically legalized water ballooning or just drenching people with water. (WEIRD tradition!) Sounds like a tradition Justin and his cousin Scott would have started! He says, "We always have to be careful when we are walking around that they don't get us soaked, but I have been having a great time from our second story window throwing buckets of water on people. If only we had that tradition in the states." Sounds like my son. What is a mother to do? Fireworks (or anything that you light and goes "BOOM!") and water..... he is a fanatic about both! And has managed to get in plenty of trouble for both in the past. Luckily, nothing serious, but always have involved the police. Can you imagine, Scott, Chelsea and Jenny?? (Once, with the police apologizing to him for making Justin disassemble his potato launcher that the police officer thought was so cool! You know......neighbor (at the time with no kids) complained.) I hope he stays out of trouble in Peru!! I'm surprised Justin doesn't want to make permanent residence there! He should love Peru just for these reasons alone. Fireworks galore and drenching people as a tradition. He must be in heaven! I can almost hear his laughter across the continents!

Last week for pday he (big surprise) went down to the beach and (finally!) bought a Christmas ornament to send home for his mother. It is tradition in our family to have a memory ornament for each member of our family for the year. While there, Justin said, "An earthquake hit that was only 5 or 10 seconds but it was 5.0, all the Peruvians started FREAKING out. They started screaming and crying for 10 minutes after, running all around, on their phones. All the people in the ocean ran away sprinting, scared that a tsunami was going to come. But they all calmed down after an hour or so." A little while back, Pisco was the area where a big earthquake hit and pretty much wiped out the area. It was a catastrophe and very sad! Justin said they have little earthquakes there often. That must have been very scary for the locals.

Justin said his health is well and everything is "regular." If you know what he means........