Misión Perú Lima Sur
Free resources about the Peru Lima South Mission:
Aquí están algunos recursos gratuitos sobre la Misión Perú Lima Sur:
- Mission address and phone number
- Mission map
- Video interviews with returned missionaries
- Missionary blogs
- Facebook groups
- LDS Mission t-shirts and gifts
- List of past mission presidents
- Cultural articles written by returned missionaries
- Survey with RMs
*Other Mission Pages: Peru LDS Missions.
Lima South Mission Address
Here’s a recent address for the Lima South Mission. We try to keep this information up to date, but it’s a good idea to check the mission address with several sources, including your mission packet or the mission office.
Peru Lima South
Ave. Jorge Chavez 1272
Surco Viejo (frente del Mackro)
Ave. Jorge Chavez 1272
Surco Viejo (frente del Mackro)
Santiago de Surco
Lima 33, Peru
Lima 33, Peru
Phone Number: 51-1-222-4445
Mission President: President G. Boyd McGinn
Mission President: President G. Boyd McGinn
Peru Lima South Mission Map
Here’s a link to the mission map for the Peru Lima South Mission (LDS). To access the official, up-to-date LDS.org map for the Lima South Mission:
Videos with Lima South RMs
Here are in-depth YouTube video interviews with returned missionaries from the Lima South Mission. We interview hundreds of returned missionaries each year, so check back regularly to see new RM interviews.
LDS-Friendly Videos about Peru
Here are LDS-friendly educational videos about Peru. We scoured YouTube to find the best quality videos about Peru, that are free from inappropriate music, immodesty and profanity.
Lima South Missionary Blogs
Here’s a list of LDS missionary blogs for the Peru Lima South Mission. This list includes the missionary’s name, URL and when their blog was updated.
Peru Lima South Mission Groups
Here are Lima South Mission Groups- for LDS missionary moms, returned missionaries, mission presidents and other alumni of the Lima South Mission.
- Mision Peru Lima Sur Facebook Group (433 members)
- Ex-Misioneros de la Mision Peru Lima Sur Group (110 members)
- Ecuatorianos de la Mision Lima Sur Group (25 members)
- Peru Lima South Mission Moms (LDS) Group (5 members)
- Lima South Mission/Mision Lima Sur Pres. Jackman Group (3 members)
- La Mision Lima Sur Pres. Fierro Group (1 member)
Lima South Mission T-Shirts
Here are T-shirts for the Peru Lima South Mission!
Shirt designs include Lima South Mission logo/emblem shirts and Called to Serve shirts. The shirts make great gifts for pre-missionaries, returned missionaries and missionaries currently serving. LDS Mission shirts come in all sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, up to 4XL. The mission designs are printed on white shirts and are shipped to you.
*Simply click on a shirt design to view the details and submit an order. The designs on mission t-shirts may also be printed on other LDS mission gifts, including: Lima South missionary aprons, Christmas stockings, ties, pillow cases, teddy bears and Christmas ornaments.
*Click here to browse Lima South Mission gifts
Lima South Mission Presidents
Here’s a list of current and past Mission Presidents of the Lima South Mission.
- 2015-2018, G. Boyd McGinn
- 2012-2015, Sean Douglas
- 2009-2012, Roger C. Manning
- 2006-2009, Franciso W. Fierro
- 2003-2006, Theodore S. Jackman
- 2000-2003, Blaine K. Stratton
- 1997-2000, Julio C. Alasia
- 1994-1997, MacRey Call
- 1992-1994, Victor Ramon Villasmil
- 1990-1992, President Openshaw
- 1987-1990, Glen Slight
- 1984-1987, Dale H. Christensen
- 1981-1984, Joseph Groberg
- 1978-1981, Milton G. Wille
- 1977-1978, Norvel Jesperson
- 1974-1977, Russell Bishop
- 1971-1974, Robert J. Driggs
- 1968-1971, Allen E. Lister
- 1965-1968, President Jesperson
- 1962-1965, President Nicolaysen
- 1959-1962, J. Vernan Sharp
Peru LDS Statistics (2015)
- Church Membership: 557,328
- Missions: 12
- Temples: 2
- Congregations: 774
- Family History Centers: 125
Helpful Articles about Peru
Peru Lima South Missionary Survey
Here are survey responses from Peru Lima South RMs, to give you a snapshot into what it’s like to live in the mission.
*Click here to take a survey to help pre-missionaries going to your mission.
When did you serve?
- 2014-2015 (Savannah)
- 2008-2010 (KC)
- 2008-2010 (Michael)
- 2006-2008 (Scott)
- 1980-1982 (Lemuel)
- 2003-2005 (Greg)
- 2006-2008 (Nelson)
- 2006-2008 (Javier)
- 2006-2007 (Tisha)
- 2005-2007 (Ivann)
- 1999 – 2001 (Edgar)
- 1990-1992 (Lance)
- 1985-1986 & 1988-1989 (Wilbur & Jacqueline)
- 1984-1985 (David)
- 1977-1979 (Adrian)
What areas did you serve in?
- Chorrillos, San Vicente, Ayacucho, Cañete. (Savannah)
- Lima (various parts), Chincha, Ayacucho. (KC)
- Lima (Villa Maria and Villa El Salvador), Ica, Chincha. (Michael)
- Lima, Villa El Salvador, Chorillos. (Scott)
- Miraflores, Surquillo, Nazca, San Luis, Las Delicias de Villa, y el area que esta abajo de esta, no recuerdo. (Javier)
- Chincha, Marcona, Chorrillos, Pamplona, Limatambo. (Edgar)
- Cuzco, Lima, Maricona, Ica, Puerto Maldonado. (Lance)
- Pisco, San Andres, Tarma, Abincay, Ica, San Borja, La Molina. (Wilbur & Jaqueline)
- San Isidro, El Augostino, La Molina. (David)
- Lima Central, Rimac, Chorrillos. In Huancayo: Chicks, Tambo. Then finally La Oroya. (Adrian)
What were some favorite foods?
- Lomo Saltado 🙂 (Savannah)
- Cceviche -lomo saltado -tallarines verdes – carapulcra con sopa seca – parihuela. (KC)
- Carapulcra with Sopa Seca Arroz Chaufa Arroz con Pollo with Papa a la Huancaina Arroz con Pollo Causa. (Michael)
- Tallarines verdes, ceviche, papas a la Huancaina. (Scott)
- Papa a la Huancaina, Lomo saltado, Ceviche, Paneton y helados D’onofrio. (Lemuel)
- Ají de gallina, lomo saltado, seco de cabrito (Greg)
- Aji de gallina, Lomo Saltado, Lentejas marrones, Paneton. (Nelson)
- Lomo saltado, aji de gallina, papa a la guancaina, choclo, cuy, cabrito, anticucho y mas… (Javier)
- Papa a la huacicaina. Pollo a la brass. Arroz con pollo. Pollo al horno. (Tisha)
- Cebiche, Arroz con Pollo. (Ivann)
- Carapulcra con sopa seca. (Edgar)
- Paella peruana, no doubt about it. (Lance)
- Inka Kola, Lomo Saltado, Papas Reanous, Denofrio Delado. (Wilbur & Jacqueline)
- Lomo saltado. Ceviche- all types. Papa a la Huancayina. Bistek a la pobre. Arroz con pollo. Chaufa- all types. There are too many to list. Oh… Papa rellena. (David)
- Papa a la Huancaína, cuí, ají de gallina, mangos, otras frutas, lomo saltado, tallarines verdes, panqueques, churros,(those sold near the Plaza de Armas!) anticuchos. (Adrian)
What was a funny experience?
- Trying to play soccer with some kids in the street, slipping, falling, and peeing my pants hahaha. (Savannah)
- It wasn’t funny but crazy how I got sick in my first area and had diarrhea for 4 months straight which caused me to lose a ton of weight. (KC)
- Be prepared to eat 3 or 4 meals after church on Sunday. Especially in the provinces, the people want to serve you with food and you can’t say no. Sometimes I had to pray to find more room for the food. And yet I lost 30 lbs on the mission. (Michael)
- During Carnivales (basically party week when all the youth have a constant water fight outside) I accidentally threw water balloons at a mom rather than her kids. (Scott)
- When I was transferred to the sierra (mountain region) part of the mission I was mesmerized by the natural beauty of my surroundings. The mountains, full of trees and green, the clear blue sky, the fresh air, etc. One day I was just hypnotized by the beauty of the sky, that I kept walking looking up instead of watching my step. There was a big hole on the dirt road where I was walking. My leg went into the hole and my body fell into the road. The soil was very dry so all this dust covered all my clothes. Needless to say I had to go back home and take a shower. (Lemuel)
- When I was first in the field, I had some trouble understanding what people were saying to me. About a week in, a drunk man stopped me and asked me, in slurred Spanish, if I hated him because he was Peruvian and poor. Like most people do when they don’t understand, I just nodded my head and said “Sí, sí.” He was none too happy. (Greg)
- Cuando mis companeros pensaron que me sorprenderian con un almuerzo para mi cumpleaños, pero yo adivine que sucedia. (Javier)
- So many funny things happened to me all the time. (Tisha)
- Cuando hicimos mimos en la mision, Presidente Fierro lo abrazo y Fernandez hizo un gesto como que alia mal. (Ivann)
- Siempre fue muy divertido ver los sketches en las multizonas. (Edgar)
- My companion and I were taking a ‘short cut’ through Cuzco’s airport to get home from a discussion and I fell into a 10′ drainage ditch. It was a valuable object lesson about taking shortcuts. 😉 (Lance)
- Trying to find good toilet paper. (Wilbur & Jaqueline)
- Really? Just one? The time we made rice crispy treats but didn’t have a pan so we used a drawer in the chapel kitchen. (David)
- In my first week, my companion convinced me to have a watermelon eating contest at our pension (the Marcos family in Lima Central- how I love them!). They set a big slice of watermelon in front of each of us. We put our hands behind our backs, and began at their signal. I was tearing through my piece, juice and pulp flying everywhere, my white shirt a wreck. When I was nearly finished I hazarded a glance to see how far ahead I was ( surely I was ahead, right?). My companion, Elder Calano, was sitting upright. Not a spot on him, serenely munching on a dainty bite of melon. There was never a contest. It was all to see how messy I’d get! (Adrian)
What was a crazy experience?
- Seeing 2 guys in a street fight, one holding a rock and the other holding a machete! (Savannah)
- Driving in a bus up any road in the mountains is dangerous. The roads are tiny with no guard rails. Some buses fall off of the road. (KC)
- Sometimes it is easier to slide 100 feet down the side of a sand dune than to walk a mile to go around it. (Michael)
- Getting held up, possibly at gunpoint by a guy who was probably on drugs. (Scott)
- My companion was a district leader, and every Monday night we were supposed to take a bus and stay overnight at another missionaries’ apartment in order for the following day take another bus to a farther away city, so he could meet with the zone leaders for their weekly meetings. The house where the first set of missionaries lived was a rented building that was also used as a chapel. The owners of the house, who were not members, lived on the second story. One night as we were getting into the first floor (chapel and missionaries’ quarters) we heard the family upstairs having a fight. We heard glass being broken and the voice of a child calling the elders for help. We got in touch with the police and they came right away. They took the husband, who had a cut in his arm and was bleeding, and the rest of the family to the police station. (Lemuel)
- I never really had any dangerous experiences, other than any time in a car. There are definitely some dangerous areas in the mission, but as long as you keep your eyes open and take extra care to not put yourself in a bad situation, you’ll be fine. I will say, there are a few places that I’ve gone back to after the mission where I’ve thought, “Wow, how did I ever live here?!?” (Greg)
- Peligrosa, entrar a barrios pobres y ademas un hombre maltratando verbalmente a un mujer en la calle, lo cual me enojó, y el al vernos nos quizo asustar corriendo hacia nosotros y saltando al lado nuestro. Pero se fué. (Javier)
- I was in Ica during the earthquake in 2007. I was robbed. I had a stalker. I was chased by a crazy lady with a steak knife who thought I was a witch. (Tisha)
- En mi última área habían 2 delincuentes que siempre caminaban por las calles de Chincha. Siempre los veíamos y en una ocasión nos amenazaron. (Edgar)
- We were threatened by the Sendero Iluminoso a couple of times, robbed three times, and I had a guy pull a knife on us. Good times. (Lance)
- Being physically robbed! (Wilbur & Jacqueline)
- Dogs…. Lots of dogs. Riding on the top of a truck for a preparation day outing. Taking showers. (You’ll understand when you get there.) (David)
- A bus wrecked outside our room on the Puente de los Suspiros, in Barranco (Lima). It was teetering the abandoned bridge full of people from the mountains with their goods to sell in Lima. We helped get them all off the bus and to solid ground. (Adrian)
What was a spiritual experience?
- Marrying and baptizing an entire family that went on to be sealed and are still active members 🙂 (Savannah)
- One time we were having an issue with a young girl’s mother letting her daughter get baptized. So we taught her and she felt the Spirit and she allowed her daughter to get baptized. (KC)
- So many… Giving blessings, especially to members who had very little material possessions and being able to feel God’s love for them. Many too sacred to share. (Scott)
- I spent all the winter holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year) in the MTC. The prophet at that time, Pres. Kimball, came to talk to us. He also visited us in Peru. There was no doubt in my mind that that was the right place for me to be at that time of the year. I never felt homesick or sad for being away from my family during the holidays. The day I entered the MTC, I had been a member of the Church for only 23 months, but I was on fire! I couldn’t wait to share the Gospel in Peru. (Lemuel)
- I had the awesome opportunity of baptizing a family who had been investigating the church for about 3 years. They just decided to go ahead and be baptized out of the blue and they’ve been super strong ever since! (Greg)
- Todos los bautismos, y el echo de que el Señor me demostrara su poder con cada cambio para enseñarme que la revelacion existe y que esta plenamente en esta Iglesia. (Javier)
- After I wàs in the earthquake, I was having a really hard time and thought about coming home. I only had about 2 1/2 moths left. I was sitting in an investigator’s home looking at the sunset and felt the Spirit very strong. I could hear someone whisper in Spanish saying, hija, no te preocupes, estoy contigo. Hay mas que hacer aqui. We baptized that family of investigators before I came home. (Tisha)
- Enseñar a un hermano drogadicto. El no quería cambiar pero tuvimos una charla muy espiritual y se bautizó en 6 días. (Edgar)
- Teaching a strong Catholic Doctor and witnessing his true conversion. (Wilbur & Jaqueline)
- Reading The Book of Mormon by kerosene lamp to a woman and her son in an adobe house. (David)
- Tons of them! We opened La Oroya. Our first family to accept baptism backed out the night before, and we had invited everyone we had taught in the city to come. The Spirit told us not to worry, and not to cancel. We prayed all night. The next day, the family arrived at the appointed place (late-about giving us a heart attack) and we went to a river outside town in a Chevy Suburban to have Sacrament meeting on the river bank and perform the baptism. I recall that we fit 37 people in that vehicle for the trip out, but we couldn’t figure out how to get us all back in for the return trip. My companion and I rode on top, holding to the luggage rack. (Adrian)
What are some interesting facts about the Lima South Mission?
- I’m pretty sure it’s the only mission to have beach front, desert, and mountain regions. (Savannah)
- It never rained in Lima which I thought was weird. (KC)
- Like most of Peru, there is a very heavy Catholic influence. There are LARGE processions, Holy week and many other Catholic traditions that very alive and important here. Being Respectful of these traditions…it helps people respect missionaries and opens the way for teaching opportunities. Also people take their soccer teams EXTREMELY seriously sometimes to the point of violence. (Scott)
- When I served my mission in the early 1980’s, there were only three missions in Peru: Lima North, Lima South and Arequipa. Today there are like a dozen missions. The Lima South mission was divided to form some of those new missions, but it used to cover most of Peru’s coast and a big chunk of the mountain region. (Lemuel)
- The Lima South mission has some of the richest areas of Peru (Miraflores) as well as some of the worst parts (La Victoria/El Pino). It also has a couple of the coolest natural landmarks the country has to offer: Paracas National Park and the Nazca Lines. (Greg)
- Yo pensé que como todos, yo iría a Centroamerica y menosprecié la revelacion, pero al enviarme a Perú como pionero de mi País aprendí un enorme leccion. (Javier)
- Las áreas no son muy grandes lo cual permite ahorrar dinero en pasajes. El clima es bueno. La comida es buena. La gente es muy receptiva. (Edgar)
- We served the first mission as proselyting missionaries and then again in the Lima Temple. We had the experience of seeing some of our converts come to the temple! (Wilbur & Savannah)
- Driest desert on earth. (David)
What was the weather like?
- Humid. Not as hot as I expected, especially in Lima. (Savannah)
- My mission had three different regions and the weather varied in each. Lima, it’s very humid, never rains, and it ranges from 50-90 degrees. Ica, it’s very dry with dunes everywhere, it rarely rains and if it does it only sprinkles, and it ranges from 65-100. Ayacucho is a mountainous city. It’s not humid but it does rain occasionally. Also it’s about 70-90 year round. (KC)
- Hot and humid in Lima in summer. Misty and cloudy in Lima in winter. Very hot and dry in southern provinces in summer. Cool and dry in southern provinces in winter. I think it only rained twice the two years I was there. (Michael)
- Dry, hot and sunny much of the time. The city is misty because of the coast but at the same time oddly dry. Moisture from the rain forest is all left on the Andes Mountains leaving little on the West side of the country. (Scott)
- Since Peru is in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposite to the ones in the States. During the Christmas season, it’s summer in Peru, and it’s winter in July. The coast of Peru is a dessert where it seldom rains, and thunder and lightning are extremely rare. One night we had a thunderstorm in Lima and the newspapers recorded that people were running in the streets frightened because they believed it was the end of the world. A 14 year old kid who lived in the same house where we lived (we rented a room) had never seen or heard lightning or thunder, and was very scared. On the other hand, thunderstorms are typical on the mountains, and people are used to them. (Lemuel)
- The weather in Lima is pretty awful all the time. You literally do not see the sun at all during the winter. It’s always overcast, misty, and cold (55-60). And no one has heat, so you can’t escape it. You just layer with blankets and you’ll get used to it. In the summer, it can get really, really hot, especially in the desert areas, like Ica and Nazca. (Greg)
- Mild weather. Not too cold on winter, nor too hot in summer. Cloudy on winter. (Nelson)
- Mmm si no me quejo, el desierto estuvo bien y en lima aunque no llovía nunca era bonito, mas que todo en verano. (Javier)
- Humidity cold. Humidy hot. (Tisha)
- El clima es bueno. Por lo general hace calor. (Edgar)
- Some hot and dry but it was cool when we served up in the mountains. (Wilbur & Jaqueline)
- Hot and dry in summer, humid and cool in winter. (David)
- Humid in Lima. Hot in summer, drizzly in winter. In the mountains, it was dry all winter, with thunderstorms every afternoon in the summer. (Adrian)
Any things you really like about the area/people?
- Generous and well educated. (Savannah)
- They were really nice people. The members almost always want to help the missionaries find people to teach. (KC)
- People are really willing to talk to you and let you in their houses quite freely. Religion is not an offensive subject in Peru like it is in the United States. The Catholics have really prepared the people quite nicely for us. I think in my two years I only had one door slammed on me. (Michael)
- The people are for the most part amazingly humble, generous and goodhearted. The food is locally grown for the most part and very flavorful, I loved the avocados straight off the trees. (Scott)
- The people who loved us the most were those that didn’t have much, who lived in a shack with a mud floor. We would be tracting and knocking on doors and they would let us in and insist on feeding us even though they didn’t have much to begin with. I always felt humble and gratitude by their service to us. (Lemuel)
- The people are incredibly welcoming and love to treat you right. They’re proud of their country and want to share the best of it with you! Learn to deal with some of the nuances that are different (and sometimes annoying) and you’ll love your time there. (Greg)
- Que son mas sencillos que en mi Pais y que son mas receptivos. (Javier)
- Humble. Accepting. (Tisha)
- La gente es humilde y escuchan a los misioneros. (Edgar)
- Their loving families and their willingness to be taught. (Wilbur & Jacqueline)
- Generous and well educated. (David)
- I loved every place I served. Perú captured my heart forever! The people were humble, accepting of us poor “gringos” with our accents and weird ways, kind to a fault. Around every corner was something I had never seen, and likely would never see again. (Adrian)
Any packing/clothing advice?
- Bring a jacket that will keep you warm in Lima during the winter there. Grapefruit seed pills will help in case you get sick from the food. Comfortable shoes because missionaries there don’t have bikes or cars so you will walk everywhere. (KC)
- Wear clothes that are as light and breathable as possible because it gets hot. You will need a sweater for the winter. The big thing is sturdy shoes as you walk everywhere and unless you are in the nice part of Lima, everything is dirt roads. (Michael)
- Bring sun glasses, light, short-sleeved type clothes for the heat. Bring sunscreen if you can. Basically bring what you need to deal with lots of sun. It pretty much never rains but can get cold because of the mistiness so plan for that accordingly. (Scott)
- Rain jacket, plenty of shoes if you have big feet!! Take a debit card just in case you need extra cash. Things like deodorant are kind of pricey there. (Savannah)
- I think the list they send you of things you need is adequate. I don’t need to add anything. (Lemuel)
- Pretty much anything you can get in the US, you can get in Peru, at least in Lima, unless you’re a particularly large size. In that case, you might have to look harder and/or do without. You will definitely want a sweater in the winter (nothing more than that), but you can get a perfectly good one or two once you get to the country. Definitely get good comfortable shoes!! (Greg)
- Light jackets, good comfortable shoes, no fancy watches. (Nelson)
- No quitarle la vista a las maletas en el aeropuerto y llevar mucha ropa y de buena apariencia. (Javier)
- Sweaters. Cold weather items as well as summer. It’s a lot like Utah with the two weather extremes. (Tisha)
- Llevar camisas con manga corta. (Edgar)
- Take sturdy shoes! (Wilbur & Jaqueline)
- Leave the good suitcases at home. Bring tough but cheap duffle bags. (David)
- Whatever the mission says to bring. Don’t bring a lot of “extras”, they’re just dead weight to haul around. (Adrian)
What blessings did you receive from serving a mission?
- Too many to count 🙂 (Savannah)
- I was always safe. I never got robbed or hurt. (KC)
- Too many to list but… The greatest blessing I gained is a vastly wider understanding of poverty and human needs and how simple life on earth can truly be. Living all of life in a first world country you can hear how different life is in other places but living with it first hand gives a totally different level of understanding. A surprising part of this is that you might naturally think people in 3rd world impoverished places are miserable. Although they do have challenges they are also a lot more carefree and happy than many ‘better off’ people in more developed countries. At the same time I also came back with a much great appreciation of the freedoms some take for granted in the United States. I learned to sacrifice to achieve worthy goals. Overall l would say my soul was vastly deepened and enlivened more than I would have thought possible and although it was also extremely difficult and stressful the benefits to my life are almost beyond my comprehension. (Scott)
- The Lord says to love one another and to love thy neighbor. I think you don’t really do that until you dedicate a time in your life to serve others. (Lemuel)
- Everything I do in my life is because I served a mission and learned Spanish. I got my Master’s degree in Teaching Spanish and I teach high school Spanish. I’ve been back several times and have been able to explore the country a lot. It might not have been the best two years OF my life, but it was definitely the best two years FOR my life. (Greg)
- Buena esposa, buena familia y estudio. El testimonio ya lo tenía. (Javier)
- So so many. (Tisha)
- La vida que tengo es el resultado de mi misión. Estoy casado y somos muy bendecidos con nuestros hijos. (Edgar)
- Increased our own testimonies and made eternal friends. (Wilbur & Jaqueline)
- I have spent my career using Spanish. (David)
- Oh, my. I was a convert of a year when I entered the mission. It is what prepared me for life. Being a husband and father, a bishop, a branch president, seminary teacher, high councilor, and any other thing I’ve done (in and out of the church) was begun during that time. (Adrian)
What are some skills you gained?
- How to do a great cab whistle and to speak Spanish obviously.. And to do that latino snap thing haha. (Savannah)
- I became really good at Spanish because I would never use English and I only had Hispanic companions. (KC)
- Spanish, cooking, leadership, and most of all, PATIENCE! (Michael)
- Speaking fluent Spanish is probably the most obvious. I also learned a lot more discipline, I learned to plan and focus my actions according to those plans. I also learned to relate to a greater variety of people. I learned how to hold a conversation and meet many new people and spend time with them while still staying true to my purpose and character. (Scott)
- I can relate better with people. By nature I’m shy. My mission helped me to open up and become friendly with people who, at that time, were strangers to me. (Lemuel)
- Obviously Spanish, but also the ability to compromise. I’m better able to analyze problems and make informed decisions. I also learned a ton of leadership skills. (Greg)
- Puntualidad, liderazgo, servicio y tacto para hablar con las personas. (Javier)
- Liderazgo y conocimiento del Evangelio. (Edgar)
- Spanish fluency, of course. (Lance)
- Learned the Spanish language. (Wilbur & Jacqueline)
- Spanish and humility. (David)
- Still fluent in spoken and written Spanish, the ability to listen to others with my heart, the ability to eat absolutely anything (in La Oroya, we had to spend our money to rent a meeting place. With nothing but what people gave us and a few soles, we subsisted on tuna fish and jelly on crackers for a couple weeks. I still eat tuna and jelly sandwiches to this day, much the horror of my family.) to meet new people of any culture and show genuine respect. (Adrian)
What do you wish you knew/did at the beginning of your mission?
- Just worry about the people. Not yourself. Giving 100% of yourself is much easier than giving 99% of yourself. (Savannah)
- Be patient with my companion and the people. (KC)
- That you can have fun every day of your mission. It is not as boring and miserable as you might think. (Michael)
- Latin American culture is VERY different from ours in many ways. Imagine you are an immigrant like some you may have seen in the United States trying to adapt here. You look and act and sound as weird to them as foreigners may in the United States to you. You are in many ways relying on their generosity being in their homeland so try and be patient and not assume in the process of getting to know each other. It is difficult at first, things might seem horribly wrong in some ways at first, but you will adapt with time. One thing I would do was to try at least to think and act as if roles were reversed and their country was the richest in the world try and act with that kind of humility in learning about their culture and language. (Scott)
- I wish I had talked to anyone who had served in Peru, and learned as much as I could of the culture and people, and knew what to expect when I got there. (Lemuel)
- I wish I had known how truly difficult it would be on a daily basis. Of course, the blessings and baptisms and whatnot help smooth over the hard times, but there are a lot of hard times in between to smooth over. It’s also a TON of hard work, walking around in the dirt and sand and scorching heat, dodging stray dogs and burning trash heaps, making sure you don’t get your watch ripped off your wrist while keeping an eye open for people who might be interested in hearing the gospel. (Greg)
- Mas capacitacion. (Javier)
- Me hubiera gustado saber cómo ser guiado eficazmente por el Señor. Eso lo aprendí con el paso del tiempo en la misión. (Edgar)
- I’d focus less on numbers and maximize my cultural experience through visiting with members and sightseeing. (Lance)
- Prior Spanish language training. (Wilbur & Jacqueline)
- Worried more about the people and less about myself. (David)
- How much I’d regret every missed opportunity to share the gospel. (Adrian)
Any advice/testimony for pre-missionaries going to Lima South?
- Make a list of potential questions you think people might have, and find specific scriptures to answer them. But none from the Pearl of Great Price because they won’t learn that until later 🙂 (Savannah)
- Work hard! But have fun. (KC)
- Enjoy this mission because mission-wise it is one of the easiest in the world. The people are great, the food is great once you get used to it. (Michael)
- My biggest regret which I wish I could tell other new missionaries is about an investigator Leoncillo who told us at the beginning of our lessons he liked that our church didn’t criticize the other churches. At one point during a lesson he was going on about his friend who was a leader of the Catholic church and how great that church was and I got frustrated and I showed him the scripture in 2 Nephi about the whore of the earth and said that referred to the Catholic church. He never would meet us again. The lesson I will forever remember if you want to teach, first take the time to listen and understand. There is no need to criticize other churches just teach the truth and let people figure it out for themselves. Also parents who ask for help with their children. The best way to help is to sit down and have a lesson with the missionaries as a family. (Scott)
- Whatever you do, always follow the mission rules and don’t let anyone deter you from that. That will keep you out of trouble. Get up at 6:30 am and go to bet at 10:30 pm. If your companion doesn’t follow the rules, don’t follow his/her bad example. (Lemuel)
- The biggest piece of advice I can give anyone going to the Peru Lima South mission is to just walk around like you know where you’re going and what you’re doing, even if you’re clueless. The confidence is mostly what keeps you safe! Also, know that Peruvians have a different culture than ours, and there are some things that will annoy you and make no sense. Learn to embrace the differences and perhaps even adopt some of them. For example, if you stop at a store to get a drink, be prepared to buy one for your companion (or anyone else you’re with). It’s rude if you’re just thinking of yourself. (Greg)
- Sean ejemplo para los otros misioneros, respeten a Quién representan, terminen bien su mision y no se relajen demasiado, vivan su mision. (Javier)
- Amen a todas las personas, aún cuando tengan una cultura y creencias distintas. (Edgar)
- Don’t forget you’re coming home in a relatively short period of time, so ensure you hitting the ground running vis a vis school and life. (Lance)
- Be humble, pray sincerely and follow the Spirit! (Wilbur & Jacqueline)
- Go and serve the people. (David)
- It’s the best place to serve! The Lord will bless your efforts and return your sacrifices to you a hundred-fold. Work hard. Love the people. Live the rules. Find the best in your companions. Learn to live the scriptures and make them your constant companion. (Adrian)
What was a funny language mistake?
- Don’t use the word “embarasado” for embarrassed unless you want people to think you are pregnant. (Michael)
- Not sure but there were probably a lot:). (Scott)
- I was training a Mexican-American who knew Spanish but not perfectly. He once told the branch president’s daughters that I was a “cabrón,” which in Mexico means lazy. In Perú, it’s a bit stronger than that and definitely not a word a missionary should go around saying. Pretty funny nonetheless!! (Greg)
- Hambre and hombre. Don’t mix them. Haha (Tisha)
- Never say “Elder Pando tuvo que comer mis juevos.” Ask a native speaker if you don’t understand. (David)
- This actually didn’t happen until I got home. In Peru, a popsicle is a “chupete” in Mexico chupete means- hickey. So I was at work and I accidentally offered a group of Mexican men hickeys haha very embarrassing. (Savannah)
- A companion knocked a bunch of people down in a micro in Lima. Instead of saying “pardon me” (discúlpeme), he repeatedly asked them to sit on him (escúlpame), confusing the usted a and tú forms of the verbs. I turned back and said, “Not on me. On him!” For me, I’d write down words I heard and find out what they were later. In a discussion with a great family in Lima, one with several small children, the father excused himself to take a phone call. In the interim I pulled out my booklet and asked the family several words I had heard that day. One was quite an inappropriate word a street vendor used. (Adrian)