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Dearest Family,

   March 25, 2018 –  I had a head cold and felt achy Monday, so I stayed home so I didn’t spread it to others and so I could rest. Naps help me recover so much more quickly. Faye is a great nurse. I started feeling better in the middle of the night Monday.

    On Tuesday, I was back to a normal schedule. We attended a devotional from the Provo MTC from March 6. President Ballard was the speaker and he used a question/answer format, which was very insightful. A couple of questions and answers: “How do I get rid of my pride?” “Anchor your life to the Savior. However, even more worrisome than pride is self-centeredness. Your mission is all about God and Jesus Christ.” “How do I best help others at home?” “Watch for and share spiritual experiences.” “Go down the trust road, not the doubt road.” “It’s exciting to be on the Lord’s side in a world that is pushing Him aside.”

    On Wednesday, we flew to Iquitos, which is on the Amazon River! (Who gets to do stuff like this?!) It was neat to get to know President and Hermana Li (his great grandfather came to Peru from China), who are amazing people. Their conversion story was very inspirational. She was looking for a church with a modern prophet and apostles…and she found one when the sister missionaries knocked on their door! We taught at a 4-zone conference Thursday. The mission president wanted Faye to say a few things, so she prepared and did an amazing job…in Spanish! They loved her (no surprise there)! They gave me 2 hours for my presentation! The missionaries seemed to enjoy it…and I had a ball! One of the things I covered was, “How do you know if abdominal pain you are having is something that you might need to go to the ER for (e.g. appendicitis)? Well…the day we left, a missionary went to the ER because he was having the symptoms I described…and they removed his appendix! While I was at the zone conference, I evaluated a missionary with diarrhea, but no abdominal pain. Well…two days later he developed abdominal pain and had his appendix removed, also! I don’t think it was a coincidence that I covered that topic…so the missionaries (and their companions) knew what to watch for. Speaking of companions, I have been very impressed with how loving and attentive most missionaries (elders and sisters) for their companions when they are sick. It has been very touching to me to see their concern. Their mothers would be proud (and their companion’s mothers would be grateful to know their companions were taking such good care of them)!

    On Friday, we had lunch with the Li’s and then they took us on a river boat ride up one of the tributaries to the Amazon (the Nanay River). We stopped at an animal sanctuary, where we saw sloths, an eagle, ocelots, parrots, toucans, alligators, turtles, monkeys, boas, etc. I didn’t think I could do it, but I held an anaconda that was about 6 feet long! The most nerve-wracking part was when he bent his head back and started moving it toward my face. The employee coaxed me to stay calm, which I tried to do. Wow!

    Then we visited an indigenous tribe on the banks of the river. They performed some of their traditional dances for us. They also showed us how to use a blow-dart gun that was about 6-feet long. The chief blew a dart, which hit a wooden parrot that was sitting on a pole. Then he gave it to me…and I hit it, too…from about 15 feet away! I’m an honorary Amazon Indian now (just kidding)! Then we went back downstream where the Nanay joins the Amazon. The Nanay is clearer and the Amazon is murkier. We could see the line where the two rivers converged. We also saw some of the pink dolphins that live in the Amazon. At that point, the Amazon was at least a mile wide and they said it was 300 feet deep…and it still had a long way to go to enter the Atlantic! That is a LOT of water! When we returned to shore, I saw some “suri,” grubs that they skewer and roast and eat. I’ll send you some photos. When we returned to Lima, we told the taxi driver who brought us back to our apartment about the suris and, as he lifted my suitcase out of his trunk, he teased me that it was heavy because of all the suri we brought back!

    The senior couple who will replace us when we leave were in Lima Saturday and Sunday. He heads a foundation who helps women (and their caregivers) in the remote areas of Peru during their labor and delivery. We showed them our apartment (where they will probably live). They also attended church meetings with us on Sunday. On Sunday, Faye and I spoke on Charity and Love. I sure learned a lot on that subject. I’m grateful for how the Lord is helping to achieve more charity and love…poco a poco (little by little). We taught classes in the afternoon to the missionaries on “True Disciples,” using mainly Moroni 7:47-48. That evening, we watched Elder Bednar’s devotional, “Be Good Boys and Good Girls,” which is always a treat. One of the missionaries is a 3-year-convert from Australia. After the devotionals, the missionaries discuss what they learned and felt. He was very impressed with how simple yet profound is that teaching from a apostle of the Lord. It’s neat to see someone who “gets” it like he does. Another missionary in the newest group has the last name of “Sabin” and is from Mesa. His family has been in Arizona for 5 generations…we HAVE to be related!

    A funny story: When Faye and I were traveling a couple weeks ago, she went down to eat breakfast, and when she returned, I thought she said, “Breakfast was good, but they didn’t have ‘skinny eggs.'” I then said, “Skinny eggs?! What are those?!” “No, I said, ‘They didn’t have ANY eggs!'” We had a good laugh with that…and I even had my hearing aids in!

Written by Carter