What’s An Office Missionary

 We believe that missionaries are called of God through his living prophet.  Young missionaries, single men ages 18-25 and single young women ages 18 -29 are full time proselyting missionaries with the purpose of inviting others to come to the Savior.  Senior missionaries like us are not proselyting missionaries but instead serve in a variety of ways all around the world. Some senior missionaries will look after the health of the younger missionaries, others will be looking for partnerships to do humanitarian projects, others will support local leaders and members, some will help in Family History Centers, or with college students.  There are many ways to serve. George and I were called to be ‘Office Specialists’.  Our Mission President then decided how he felt we could best serve in the office.  George is the ‘Financial Secretary’ and he and I share the responsibility of “Housing Secretary.’ We both feel that our job is to help take care of the temporal needs of the young elders and sisters so that the Mission Leaders can concentrate on their spiritual well being.

The office in Piura has been staffed by young missionaries since the mission started.  While they did outstanding in their office jobs, their calling is really to ‘Invite other to come to Christ.’  President Van Alfen says that the young elders in the office are sacrificing so that others can go out and find and teach. The 9 senior missionaries who are here now are the first in this mission.  Two fantastic Peruvian couples are serving in a city a couple of hours north of here and doing a wonderful job supporting local members and leaders.  And as an added blessing, they help us with our apartment inspections.

The mission office is on the upper floor of this building. 

The ground floor is an apartment for young missionaries.  The two Assistants to the President live there along with another set of proselyting elders.  Like in many houses in Peru, you enter an outside door into a sort of courtyard.  Then if you go straight ahead you walk into the missionary apartment.  

To the right is a garage which we use for storage. 

To the left and up these stairs is the office. 

There is a nice lobby area and Hermana Malpica, the Office Secretary’s desk.

Looking back from the door to the other offices.

Our office and the Nye’s office is in the back.

Elder Lewis and I share an office.  Luckily it is big enough that we have room to sort supplies that go to various zones.  On this day we were also organizing supplies to replenish the emergency backpacks that each missionary has.

Through that back door is another storage room for pots and pans, cleaning supplies, dishes, silverware, all kinds of kitchen supplies, pillows, trash cans, dish drainers and other things that are needed in missionary apartments.  The church requires that each apartment have a smoke/CO detector and in some countries, like Peru, a water filter. 

Elder Lewis and I share an office.  I am trying to learn not to talk to Elder Lewis too much.

I guess that I am slowly learning work place cubicle etiquette.

Elder Von, the young missionary who trained us lamented the fact that the church hadn’t gone to a paperless office.  Personally I am glad to have paper copies of things but then I am old.  See all these notebooks. The bottom 2 shelves hold notebooks for each apartment in our mission.  We have a signed copy of the contract plus any addendas, copies of the tax payment each landlord is required to pay based on the rent they receive and information from each inspection.  The binders on the other shelf are monthly financial records.  That is all Elder Lewis!  I handle the housing notebooks.

In the very back and down at the apartment level is another storage area where we keep enough furniture to furnish 2 apartments should the need quickly arise.  Also lots of water filters, blankets, sheets, and mattress covers.

Carrying things up and down the spiral stairs was difficult.  Luckily now a lot of the things I use the most are stored in the room behind our office, instead of down stairs.

Interesting that lots of Peruvian apartments have a storage area like this that is partially open to the outside.  It has rained once in the 6 months we have been here so that rain isn’t a problem but bats can be! One of our missionary apartments had a brief infestation.  Luckily the bats seem to have moved on, at least for now. That apartment also had rats.  I told them that another apartment also had rats but when the downstairs neighbors got a cat, the rats were no longer a problem. Don’t you think that Dr. Seuss could write a good story about this apartment? Bats, rats and cats!

When we were going through our specific office missionary training at the Missionary Training Center, we were reminded of the story from the New Testament of Mary and Martha found in Luke 10. Like Martha, we are often ‘cumbered about much serving’.  Yes we are busy but we try hard to never let the business  get in the way of loving, spending time with or being kind to a missionary or anyone else.

Layout of office

Financial SEcretary

Housing secretary

Supply Chain management 

Inspections/ Spiritual thoughts,,,variety of missionaries; all are serving and reaching people; it really is a marvelous thing to watch

Getting Around in Piura Mission

 As most of you know, we don’t have a car on our mission.  The Mission Leaders each have a car and the other senior missionary, Elder Nye occasionally gets to drive one of their cars but for us it is all about public transportation.  The Mission Office and our church building are walking distance away, as is a nice grocery store and some restaurants.  To get other places our normal mood of travel is a moto taxi.  Essentially a 3 wheeled motorcycle with a covered seat on the back, they vary from a moderately comfortable ride to a bone rattling, teeth jarring experience.

I am amazed at the bargaining that goes on.  Since we obviously aren’t Peruvian, they often try to take advantage of us with outrageously high prices.  Sometimes we just laugh at them and then they give us a reasonable price while other times they stick to the original price. The young missionaries say that we always pay too much and we are running the prices up for them.  Bargaining for a lower price seems crazy when you remember that we are essentially having a discussion over the equivalent of less $.50 but it is part of the routine to get the best price possible.

As we walk along the sidewalks we frequently hear the call from passing moto-taxis, “Moto, Moto” as the drivers drum up business.  

You can even hire a moto to help you move!

They carry all kinds of things.  Our missionaries use motos when they transfer to a new area.  Both missionaries usually have 2 bags each weighing 50 pounds.  So 200 lbs of luggage plus the missionaries themselves.  And yes they do charge more for the extra weight.  As they should.

The other day while stopped at an intersection, I heard a horrible screaming sound.  It sounded like someone was being beaten. When I looked around to figure out what was happening,  I saw a moto with 6 or 7 goats strapped all around the cargo area and sides of the moto. They were most definitely NOT enjoying the ride.  I am so sorry I wasn’t fast enough to get a photo.

Occasionally our missionaries get a ride in the cargo area and other times they sit on the sides of the driver.  I suspect that this is against some missionary rule.

On the way home from church I saw a moto that had been pulled over by a policeman. I can’t imagine what he did as they frequently don’t follow any rules.  Sometimes they go the wrong way on a one way streets or make left turns from the right lane and generally drive like they own the road.

When we went to Tumbes, which is the town up by the Ecuadorian border, we went by overnight bus.

The seats were much more comfortable than an airplane seat.  They were wider, softer and reclined much more.  I slept quite well. It helps to be short!

This dog seemed to be enjoying his transportation across Piura.  

I think this must be a daily occurrence as he seemed comfortable.

And finally….it is amazing what people will do to earn money.  At every major intersection there are willing workers who will wash your windows, sell you a paper, or a drink, or candy.  I thought this guy was particularly inventive and extremely brave.

When the light was in his favor, he jumped on his unicycle and juggled.  Just before the light changed, he hopped down and went car to car asking for money.

I think he had earned it.

Getting around in Piura is always an adventure. 

We are extremely thankful to have our driver, William and his comfy car when we do inspections of missionary apartments all over the city.

Makes our life so much easier.

And we have plenty of transportation stories from our non-inspection days.

 

Visit With The Reynolds

While our young missionaries don’t have the option to travel home for special occasions, we ‘senior missionaries’ do!  Our mission leaders flew to California for a son’s wedding.  Hermana VanAlfen went to Utah when their only daughter had her first baby.  The Nye’s returned to Idaho for their daughter’s wedding.  It was my turn in October when I flew to Washington DC to be there when Mary and Mark’s youngest was sealed to them in the DC Temple.  

Trevor Jake Reynolds

Jake was my Daddy’s name.  

The day at the temple was the reason for the visit.

Families can be together forever!

George’s sister Karen, me,  Mark’s mom Jan, the cute family, Mark’s sister Amanda and Mary’s cousin Mindi.  Mary and Mindi had been friends for several years before they discovered that they were 2nd cousins.. 

Happy Grandma!  Next time I hope someone reminds me that my glasses get dark in the sun.  Looks like I am hiding from the paparazzi!

In addition to the temple, we enjoyed the park.

Cool shadow photo

The National Zoo

Fun on the carousel!

And plenty of play time at home!

Jackson is pretty good at sharing his toys with little brother.

As long as he is in charge!

The truck that Trevor is sitting on was mine when I was a little girl.  

And I had plenty of opportunities to eat all the American fast food I had been missing.  Wendy’s,  Chick-Fil-A, and Cafe Rio!

When I flew to DC my suitcase was almost empty but not so on the way back.

Lots of Amazon orders and shopping for food we can’t get in Peru, like brown sugar, canned pumpkin, taco sauce, dry mustard, Dijon mustard, zip lock bags……

I flew back to Peru with a 50 pound bag and a carry-on that I could barely lift.  I bought enough new clothes to keep me happy for the next year.  Since the weather doesn’t change much in Piura, you don’t have seasonal clothes changes and I was tired of my clothes already.  Now I just need to ration them out over the next 10 months.

I am happy I got to be there for shoppping and fast food but 

I am thrilled that I got to be there to enjoy such a special time with this darling child.

Happy Golden Anniversary!

 50 years ago today!

Happy Golden Anniversary!

October 29, 1975 - October 29, 2025

What better way to celebrate that serving a mission during our 

Golden Years!

First in Salt Lake City

Then in Piura, Peru

With an eternal companion!

Nuestra Casa

 The other Senior couple spent many long hours making our apartment a comfortable, homey place.  They did a great job and we love it. And yes, it is on the 4th floor.  The arrow points to our living room window.  

Climbing up all those stairs several times a day helps us get our daily exercise.  Hermana Malpica lives directly below us.  Almost every time we come home, George says, “If we lived in her house, we’d be home.”  Our Apple Watches have alerted us that the numbers of ‘flights climbed’ over the last few months has increased significantly.  No joke!

An interesting thing to note on stairs here is that some stairs as you turn the corner are triangles and others are squares.  And it isn’t consistent.  For a few days the lights on our stairs were not working and I held on as I made my way up and down.  Don’t want to misjudge, thinking it is a square step and be surprised with the cut off.  

Another interesting thing about apartment here is the security.  We have two keys, one to let us in the locked common area before the stairs and another to get us in our apartment. Here is lock #1.

We have heard of missionaries getting locked out of their apartment but also locked in the apartment outside area.  You would just hope you have your cell phone so someone can be called to rescue you.

On the first floor of our apartment is a living/dining room, laundry room, a kitchen, Elder Lewis’s office, and a cute little under stair bathroom/luggage storage area

Upstairs there are two bedrooms, one of which is my ‘office’, and a bathroom.  The only hot water in the entire house is in the shower.  None of the elders and most of the sisters don’t have the luxury of hot water.  We did just get permission to put instant hot water heaters in the showers in all the sister’s houses.  They are thrilled with that news. 

Here’s the view from our front windows.

I have been amazed at how quickly a foreign place can feel like HOME.  And our little corner of Piura definitely does.