Whenever a member of the community travels, we share in their joys and experiences. This past Wednesday, Jane set out to document National Andean Women's day in Pamparomas, Peru. They just passed a law for gender equality in 2007 (!). Five hundred women were in attendance. Above is a classic Peruvian moment captured by Jane at the conference. You might ask what does Barney, Santa Claus, Winnie the Pooh and a Tigger have to do with a women's conference? ..... Nothing .... that is what makes it so Peruvian. It is so random. The only message they want to convey is celebrate! Dancing punctuates every occasion and a national women's day conference is no exception. Barney and company are referred to as "animadores" - animators who liven things up.
Jennifer ventured to Rinconada, Peru on Thursday for the advent of a 2 week celebration of Rinconadas patron's feast day Senor de Agonia where she enjoyed the country side and farm life. Upon her return, we became the happy recipients of 2 bushels of freshly picked strawberries, 3 liters of cow’s milk and pahi'i fruit.
Courtney, after 14 months of service, is taking her vacation. She took off Friday morning to meet her mother in Lima and then tour the Amazon. We are looking forward to seeing her vacation photos when she returns. It was a joy to share in her excitement as she prepared to leave for her reunion with family.
On a personal note, I have been renewing my CPR license every 2 years since 1997 and Friday night I finally got the opportunity to put theory into practice. Three of us were at the dining room table catching a late night snack, eating and laughing and one of the missionaries started to choke on her food. She got up almost immediately from her chair but could not speak, motioning at her neck. I was the closest to her and did the Heimlich maneuver. It worked! The whole thing only lasted about 3 seconds. The moment passed as quickly as it came but it was comforting to know all those classes paid off.
One other note, we had an earthquake tremor Saturday morning. Pretty small. It felt like a large truck had passed by the house. It shook the windows and set the neighborhood dogs off.
Peace.
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