August Birthdays, family ties and more

The start of the birthday week!

I made my recipe for my now famous chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies for the young adult family home evening again (there is no competition because they do not have anything like them here.)  They brought a Peruvian drink made from roasted, ground and blended peanuts.  The Peruvians use peanuts in a lot of foods.  Sister Isquierdo gave an amazing lesson again.

Birthday dinner at Cabrita's

We found out that our young adult named America had just had her birthday, and mine was Sunday and Juanita’s was Monday.  So Saturday Aug 3 we took Juanita and America out to dinner.  They were a little late arriving and we found out later it was because they had made me a cake (Caki) but to do that they had to take it to someone else's home because they did not have an oven.   We went to Cabritas and they called their young adult friend that works there, Cynthia, for dinner suggestions and so we all ate well. Cynthia is the happiest, prettiest, Argentine return missionary you will ever find. 

Then Juanita Genesis Granados was
in two days on Monday
she likes going by her middle name
"Genesis"

 

They Projected our names up on the
side of a building starting with our
sweet Bolivian YSA, named America

Next was mine which was the next day

 

I got a big box of the best
Alfajores and an Argentine
BBQ or asado apron

On the way home there was a promotion of writing a message on a tablet and they would projecting it on the side of a building.  The girls wanted to put feliz cumplianos Boyle but they were not quite ready.  Later after they left our apartment they went back and it worked and they took pictures with first my name the Juanita then America’s

Sunday 4.  It was my birthday.  It started off normal enough.  It was fast Sunday and many of them fast from noon to noon since it is often their biggest meal and they eat dinner real late (9pm).  Around 5 we began making our dinner.  Just as we had everything about prepared, Joan left and brought back Juanita and America and they brought in a Bolivian chicken and rice meal with a Peruvian rice pudding and a Peruvian "Caki" for my birthday.  We all sat together and had dinner.  That evening we talked and skyped with all the kids and grand-kids.  It was nice to see everyone.

and the Bolivian lunch

The three Birthday folks with the
Peruvian cake

Monday 5. We first had family home evening with the seniors.  Family home evening with the YSAs was at Margaritas home.  Zieda gave a very emotional lesson about her mother and how her father left with another women.  When her mother went to the women to ask her why she was breaking up their family the women stabbed her mother in the back and had to go to the hospital.  She told her feelings and what she said to her father.  How her mother told her to forgive her father. Then she told of going on her mission and her road to forgiveness. Her brother just returned from his mission and he went to visit his father and said he and his wife are starting to go to the LDS church.

It was Juanita’s birthday.  Sister Isquerdo came in talking about how prayers were answered and she had a surprise for Juanita.  Juanita sensing what may be happening wanted nothing to do with it and grabbed a hold of me.  Evidently when she had left Peru a year earlier she had left angry at her mom.  Sister Isquerdo talked to her to reassure her and brought her mother into the room and Juanita held on to me tighter.  Her mother had traveled nearly three days to come see her on her birthday.  Finally she let go of me and gave her mother a hug and they cried and her mother told her how much she loved her.

Sister Isquierdo, Juanita, and her mom

It was a pretty emotional night for just about everyone and in the end there were lots of hugs tears and pictures were taken.  It was something to think- her mother had traveled three days from Peru to be with Juanita on her birthday for one day and then travel back three days to Peru.

A couple of weeks later, Juanita gave the FHE lesson and told what an experience it had been for her and how good it was to make amends with her mom.

Tuesday 6.  We had our every Tuesday half day meeting after the Presidency had been off for a month and only got through the big items.  They also brought in an apple streusel type cake for me and sang happy birthday.  Joan had a luncheon and service project with the sisters and presidents wives of making baby blankets to take to one of the hospitals for the newborns.