As we finish our last day presiding over the Trujillo North Mission,

Our hearts and minds are filled with thoughts of joy, love, concern, prayer, hope 

and maybe a little uncertainty.

Could we have done more?  Perhaps.

Did we do everything we felt prompted to do?  Yes.
Did we meet and love some of the most wonderful people? Yes

Missionaries, Stake Presidents and their wives, members of the wards, branches,
and the Mission Presidencies and their wives whom we served with. 

Could we have loved the missionaries more?  No.

It was like being parents to 618 to the most wonderful young adults, every day.
Worrying about them, leading them and most importantly, loving them.
It doesn't matter if they are still in the mission or have returned home, we think about them every day.

Could we have worked harder?  

I don't think so, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Charla Fogeneras, proselyting, training missionaries at Multi Zone Conferences, 5 Week Meetings, Interviews, Training New Trainers, Training New Missionaries, leading, guiding and walking beside them each day.  Reading 172-276 letters every week and answering them.  Speaking in 48 Stake Conferences, 14 District Conferences, and 8 Branch Conferences, and various Wards and Branches on our "weekends free."
We loved the Christmas and Easter Programs.
Everything we did was with the focus of inviting people to find Jesus Christ in their lives. 

We experienced holding missionaries whose parents, grandparents,
or other close family and friends passed away.
We were held and supported by them when our grandson, Tyler, passed away.

 We watched a temple be built, and helped to put together chandeliers for the temple,
with our dear friends the Fenn's.

We served with our sisters for the Trujillo Temple open house.

We rejoiced with Elder Uchtdorf at the Cultural Celebration for the temple.

We set up a new mission, Trujillo Peru South, and welcomed our dear friends, President and Sister Rios.
We have enjoyed sharing wonderful missionaries with them.

                                                                                                                                                             





We toured the mission, and had training meetings with  2 Apostles 

and other General Authorities of the Church.

Our children and grandchildren visited and shared our mission experience

and our missionaries with us.
For our missionaries, it was a chance to meet and love our family.

We are thankful for the sacrifices our family made,

so we could serve without worries from home.
Stefany and Scott came first, we visited the Sierra, ran with Alpaca, and ate the best Peruvian food!

Brian and Tiffany came with their 4 children.  They loved
visiting La Hermalinda, Chicama, and the Huacas de La Liberated.

Kim and Arnie, AJ and Riley came next, loving every minute of their trip,
especially the Paseo de Caballos.

Jenny and Conor were next, they were here for the Trujillo Temple Open House,
and loved being with the missionaries.

Becky and JJ arrived with their five children right after the temple opened.
What fun it was to visit the beach, the Sierra, Ruins and the people we had come to love.
We also went to the temple together to perform baptisms for family members who passed before having the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

...and of course, I have enjoyed keeping up the Blog, so missionaries,

returned missionaries, parents, grandparents and friends around the world could share in 

this great mission experience.
We have had regular visits on the blog from people from 89 countries,
we presently have about 1500 views each week.
Thank you to all who have loved and prayed for our missionaries.
To those of you who are not members of our Church, we welcome you to learn more, ask someone
in your city, how to find our missionaries, they are ready to teach your about our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Please come, listen, it will bring you great joy to follow the Savior of the World. 

We are thankful for a call from the Lord.

Thanks to all who prayed for us, we felt the strength of the Lord with us every day.

We love you all,

This has been the greatest calling of our lives.

Ode to Elder Boekweg

Now you may be wondering why this blog is entitled, Ode to Elder Boekweg.  I has been his one desire to go to the Andes and nestle in among the Llamas, Alpacas, sheep and pigs.  

He went up to Otuzco for a Zone Conference, but the medicine man got sick and went back home.

This is what he missed!

I hope you all enjoy seeing a little of the Peru countryside.

Waterfall on the way to Otusco
there had been torential downpours and there were waterfalls everywhere

This little girl was riding up the highway on a burro, I couldn't resist taking her picture

Another waterfall

Elder Antuña, Elder Zavaleta and Sister Marler at 12,000 feet

Same elevation with the President

Literally on top of the world...

While Elder Antuña, Elder Zavaleta and I hiked up the mountain, President contacted a vigilante for Claro Telephone and he is interested in having the missionaries visit his home in Huamachuco.

Our new friend explains what he does for a living

A beautiful butterfly

A little girl dancing in the streets of Huamachuco

We had hopes of going to the Markahuachaco ruins, but a mud slide changed our plans

But look at the gorgeous view of Hamachuco from up above

Here President Marler is helping a lady find her child's shoes in the mud.  

Meanwhile Sister Marler washed off the little girl in the mud puddle

Elder Zavaleta and Elder Atuña with a giant Cuy

President Marler Posing with a Llama

Just a lady walking her sheep down by the river

We couldn't resist this cute little pig, playing hide and go seeks with us.

and some sheep along the river banks

After Church on Sunday, we took a picture of the Huamachuco Branch.  It was a beautiful day.

Here we are with Elder Mollo

…and here with Elder Harris

Sister Romero and Sister Wisa love their new little friend

On the way home, we saw a couple of herds of Alpacas.  

So we got out in the 8 degree weather (it is the Andes, don't be so surprised)  and walked among  the Alpaca…aren't they so cute!!!

…and this darling little baby

…and here with his mama

A big male looks over the herd.

The Alpaca Family, Dad, Mom and Junior

Here the Assistants are, begging to be adopted by the family of Alpadas.

This is a tent city…these houses are made of a blue tarp over some cut tree trunks

This is a picture of a Palas Celolu- a tree that has gifts on it.  The men dance around with machetes and and take one chop at the tree.  When the tree falls everyone rushes in to get a gift…watch out fore the machetes!  The one who actually makes the final chop before the tree falls has to purchase the gifts and provide the party for the community the following fiesta.   It must have been some festival day yesterday as we saw two of these trees in the small mountain communities.  We were invited to participate and dance with them, but the amount of cerveza flowing and the machetes kept us at a distance. 

and then one more waterfall
We sue loved our weekend in the Sierra
What a lovely way to spend a weekend