Royal Family Times: Pirura: Day One (July 19, 2010)

As of today, we have only had one night of rest in a bed since departing Las Vegas. We have slept in airport terminals (at least Maralea did), on planes (for no more than an hour total), and on a bus (we definitely slept on the overnight buses from Chachapoyas to Chiclayo, and from Chiclayo to Piura). It has been rather exhausting. I was unshaven and rather scruffy when we visited the mission home, but did not really give it much thought.

Walking with David to the mission office in Piura

President and Hermana Chipman reside in a beautiful home surrounded by a high wall of about 12 feet with pretty tight security access. They took time out of a very busy schedule to visit with us, gave us a tour of the mission home, and Hermana Chipman showed us a bunch of pictures depicting David over the past year. Thanks to the world of technology, all I had to do was hand her a thumb drive and I had copies of all the photos she had shown us. That was really nice - to get pictures from her of their recent trip to Chachapoyas, for example, with many pictures not only of David, but of the community, the members, the landscape - filling in gaps of things we missed. Technology is just awesome! Hermana Chipman maintains a blog wherein she writes about the mission and their experiences, complete with many photographs. We have been following it for some time over the past year. She does a wonderful job with it.

From Sister Chipman´s blog - sharing gospel music in Chachapoyas

Another photo from Sister Chipman with she and President Chipman on a bridge over troubled waters

The Chipmans are very, very sweet, kind, gentle, humble, talented, hospitable people. It is easy to see why David has loved them so much, and so gratifying to know he has been in such loving, carrying hands. David had left us at the mission home so he could return to the bus station with other missionaries and transfer our luggage to our hotel room. He had some other errands to run, so we just stayed at the mission home with the Chipmans. I am not sure that was the original plan, because they had a lot of work to do in preparation for the departure of David’s mission group and the arrival of a brand new set of missionaries. That is the wonderful, awesome thing about overseeing missionaries within a mission: watching them arrive as frightened, inexperienced young men and women (many of whom who are a long way from conquering the language), and seeing them depart two years later as confident, seasoned, bright, and happy missionaries fluent in both the language and the gospel - ready to return home and embark on the next phase of their lives. David was gone for what seemed like several hours. The Chipmans graciously invited us to stay for lunch, which was prepared by Hermana Yolanda, David’s first pensionistta, who does not speak English. The Chipmans, by the way, speak very good Spanish. Hermana Chipman said she did not speak the language prior to entering the mission field last year, but she does very well with it now. President Chipman served a mission in Mexico as a young man and therefore has had a great grasp of the language since that time. He is clearly very comfortable speaking Spanish. In fact, I noticed that they would go in and out of Spanish while speaking with the missionaries who were gathering at the mission home. President Chipman met with three missionaries in the front room of the home and, from what I could tell, the entire conversation with in Spanish. Hermana Chipman is likewise very good with her Spanish and has clearly made a great effort to learn the language. Maralea and I both longed for that ability, wishing we could speak the language. I also noticed that the North American missionaries seemed more comfortable speaking in Spanish than English. They would initially introduce themselves to us in English and we would chit chat, but as they gathered together to talk around the mission home, it was all Spanish. There are a good number of Latino missionaries who speak very little English and so it makes sense that the North American missionaries would communicate in Spanish. I was just impressed at how fully the North American missionaries have become immersed in the whole culture, David included.

Maralea and David between the mission office and mission home in Piura

Hermana Chipman got me hooked up to their wireless internet and I was in my own version of heaven. It was so nice to feel connected again. I got I touch with my office briefly, got out a few emails, and even posted an update on Facebook with a few pictures. It was nice to be able to let everyone know we are doing well, that we are now with David, and that everyone is doing well. David returned to the mission home, still not feeling well. He hung out primarily in the kitchen, seeking sympathy from his former pensionistta, Hermana Yolanda, who instinctively prepared him a bowl of soup, while in full stride of cooking dinner for 18-20 missionaries and others who would be eating that evening. David privately told us of his love for her, as she took great care of him. I sat by David as he slowly ate the soup, and it appeared he was starting to feel better. Hermana Chipman gave him some things to take to help him rest. We were anxious to get to our hotel and leave David to his mission buddies for the evening. This was a very important occasion for him - to be able to reunite, catch up, and spend time with some of the best friends he has ever had. We were invited to stay for dinner, but decided to leave for the evening.

A Piura ice cream parlor hit the spot - here with Elders Watson (left) and Mansilla (right)

We were escorted back to our hotel by Elders Watson (from Layton, Utah) and Mansilla (from Lima, Peru). But, we took a little detour, stopping by a restaurant with the missionaries for dinner, thereafter stopping at a local ice cream shop with the elders as well. It was nice visiting with them, getting to know about them. Elder Mansilla speaks more English than most of the Latino missionaries we have met thus far, but he apologized to us a couple times because he was embarrassed has his limitations with the English language. These young men were just great to us. We relied on them 100 percent to get us from place to place, order for us, lead us through Piura during the evening hours. It was great hearing them relate some of their mission experiences, sharing things about our own family and missionary experiences with them. They rode with us in a taxi to our hotel room, got us checked in, then escorted us all the way to our room, with instructions for us to meet them in the lobby at 7:45 a.m. the following day, where they would be waiting to escort us back to the mission home for the Tuesday activities, which would include a testimony meeting with the departing missionaries, among other things. David said he wanted to go to the airport with the departing elders to see them off. I think it will probably prick his heart just a tad that he will not have the opportunity of sitting on the plane with them back to Atlanta, GA as they all prepared for their respective arrivals. David was with many of these missionaries in the Mission Training Center and wrote of them often in his letters home. They forged a strong bond of friendship. It appears that we are the only parents who have come for their missionary this transfer, so this is a unique opportunity for us. I am so glad we are here. It is just a rare thing to be able to walk the streets where our missionary son walked, to visit those with whom he served, those he taught and loved. And these missionaries collectively are a powerful group of people. They clearly have the power of God behind them. We feel genuinely honored to be among them, to have the blessing of shaking their hands, seeing their smiles, hearing of their testimonies (even if only in Spanish). Maralea and I were tired, yet wired as we settled into our all tile floored suite with three beds that have wooden legs at the corners that we repeatedly struck with our toes as we walked barefooted around the room (ouch). We watched some of the local TV stations for a while (which are in desperate need of censoring for children), until sleepiness finally set in. The beds are not that comfortable, but we have learned to adapt to all kinds of things. Sleep was sure to come regardless. Our bodies needed sleep!