Elliot

Elder Brown leaves Puno for Juli

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After spending the first 18 weeks of his mission in Puno, Peru, Elliot was transferred to  his new area in Juli. It was hard for him to say good-bye to all the people he had come to know and love. They were all very kind and sent him off with a special dinner, cake and gifts.

Juli is apparently out in the middle of nowhere, so now his letters sent through DearElder have to go to Lima, then Cusco, then Puno and then Juli…I guess that’s why it takes about 3-4 weeks to get there! I’ve just had to decide that nothing about it is every going to be fast or efficient. What do you expect when there aren’t even any addresses?

Family, Holidays

Thanksgiving Time…

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Even though we were sad to be missing Elliot and Phillip this year, it was fun to have everyone else home for the weekend. With Kenyon as the center of attention, every meal was way more fun…definitely louder, between all the noise he makes and all of us laughing at his antics! He has pretty much become the only person we feel the need to take any pictures of…he is definitely the cutest person here!  Thanksgiving Day Alan and Clark spent the morning playing dodgeball at the church and we made rolls at home. Then we all went over to Alan’s parents for a yummy smoked turkey dinner. We are grateful to be part of a big loving family.

 

Elliot, Family

Elliot’s First Baptism!

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“Saturday: THE BAPTISM! So it was pretty dang hectic. EVERYTHING is always behind schedule here in Peru. Also, it was the gloomiest, darkest, coldest day yet. So that was neat. (Elder Cardenas and I decided that Satan wasn´t happy with us.) But eventually, 40 minutes late, we started our little program in the chapel. I played the piano–it´s my job now. Then we went to the font (pila) for the baptism. It didn´t really seem to be below ground, which I thought was a thing, but oh well. I baptized Leydi Rocio Maquera Gutierrez, and E. Cardenas baptized her mom. I practiced saying her name and the prayer a lot, and it all went well. There was a great feeling of happiness and peace.

Sunday: I confirmed Rocio as a member of the church and gave her the Holy Ghost. I was pretty focused on the prayer and the words during the confirmation, but afterwards I couldn´t stop smiling. I was just filled with happiness. It was awesome.”

Alan, Family, Michelene, Phillip, Vacations

Spain Trip to see Marta, Pere and kids…

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After 21 years, we finally got to see our friend Marta Estrany Borrut again! On July 11th, Phillip and I flew to Barcelona where we were greeted at the airport by Marta and her cute family. Alan joined us a week later. We were able to sight see, play at the beach and spend great time getting to know their family. And of course, I got to have a Spanish language immersion experience! I took way too many pictures and of course am probably putting too many in my blog, but hey, it’s my blog right? Here are a few of the highlights from our trip:

Vilafranca…

The Borruts actually live in Vilafranca, about 40 minutes from Barcelona. Vilafranca is known for their vineyards and the Castellers (human towers: see videos one, two, three). We visited a castle, swam in the Mediterranean, enjoyed paella with some of their friends and attended church with them where Pere is the bishop.

 

Barcelona…The Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia was our favorite thing to see in Barcelona. Designed by Goudi and started in 1882 with a predicted finish in 2030, it is a spectacular cathedral inside and out. We really enjoyed the headphone tour. Thousands of people tour it everyday, so if you decide to go, save yourself a long wait by buying your tickets online ahead of time. The most amazing thing is that we actually found 2 parking places right on the curb of the cathedral next to the huge line of people. When does that ever happen?

 

Barcelona…The Olympic Stadium

Do you remember the cool bow and arrow lighting of the torch in the opening ceremonies of the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics? The Olympic Stadium is a fun place to visit especially since while we were there, the 2013 International Swim Competition was taking place. It was fun to go home and watch it on TV after sight seeing there!

 

Madrid…

It was fun to spend a few days in Madrid. Phillip was our excellent tour guide. The first day we walked to the Plaza de España, toured the Palacio Real and walked to La Plaza Mayor. Not as humid as Barcelona, but still hot…I took my fan everywhere with me. Now I know why all the Spanish ladies have fans to flip open…I bought two!

 

Madrid…The Temple and Plaza de Toros

Saturday morning we took the metro to Spain’s Temple Square and attended a temple session. It’s a small but beautiful temple. It was fun to see the MTC where Phillip served as a missionary four years ago. On our way back into town we stopped and took a tour of Plaza de Toros in Ventas. They were getting ready for a bull fight the next day. It reminded me of “Ferdinand the Bull.”

 

Madrid…Retiro Park

Sunday evening we decided to take a walk through Retiro Park. It’s basically like Central Park in New York. There were lots of people…fun to see all the families. We enjoyed a picnic dinner and seeing all the statues and fountains. Europeans love their statues and fountains!

 

Madrid…Museo del Prado

For sure one of the highlights of our trip was touring the Prado museum on our last day. So much beautiful art. I’ve included a few of my favorites. Seems like the artists of the day either painted the birth of Christ or the death of Christ with a few portraits thrown in here and there.

 

We feel so blessed to have been able to take this trip. How wonderful to be with Marta, Pere, Sara and little Pere. We love them and miss them. What a great experience for all of us.

Elliot, Family

Elder Brown’s in Cusco Peru…

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Elliot has been in Cusco (actually Puno now) for 4 weeks. The big question is…will he get to stay? Apparently he and 10 other missionaries traveled on a visitor’s visa and don’t have their regular visas yet. So, next week we find out if they will all fly back to the United States on August 15th. We are praying and crossing our fingers that he will get to stay, but realize that his mission is in the Lord’s hands.

Meanwhile, he has been having some great experiences in Puno with his companion Elder Cardenas from Mexico. They have been busy opening a new area, which means they are starting from scratch. Their mission president is also brand new, so I’m sure there a few kinks to work out. Elliot sounds good though and hasn’t had any altitude sickness and only an occasional problem with the food. I think having a pensionista — which is a sister in the ward that shops, cooks and does the laundry for the four of them — hasn’t been too much of a problem either!

Excerpt from his letter about his first P-day: “There’s a giant bird statue on top of a mountain. And if you´re a missionary that has nothing better to do, you can climb up the steep streets to the beginning of the stairs. Then you can climb the 646 (who´s counting?) stairs to the top. Pretty tiring, but the view was pretty great. I could see my area and beyond, Lake Titicaca and lots of mountains.”

 

Events, Family, Loren & Anne

Loren’s Art Show…

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In July, I had a show of my artwork as part of the Gallery Stroll held on the first Friday of every month in downtown Provo. Several art galleries, restaurants, and other venues allow local artists to show their work. I exhibited my work at the United Studios of Self-Defense, a karate dojo. My show was titled “Dwelling: in spaces, in forms.” It featured paintings, prints, and photographs from a series I have been working on for about 10 years, although most of the pieces came from my work in the past three years. I was inspired by the house-shape pentagon and how the shape instantly leads the viewer to think of a house or church or some other type of dwelling.

I was also honored to have Phillip contribute a poem which he had written as a response to several watercolor pieces. Thanks to all of those who came and saw the show. I appreciated your support. It has been a goal of mine for several years to have a solo show of my artwork. For those of you who weren’t able to see the show, please check out my website, which features some of the artwork which was in the show (I’m still in the process of updating it)

You can see my work at paperandwood.wordpress.com