Elder Lundberg Arrives at CCM in Peru

Lima Peru CCM Garden

All my travel plans went really smoothly yesterday. We had no layovers longer than 45 minutes and the flying was magnificent! I was kind of emotional landing in Lima because this is where I will be for the next 23 months! The city here goes on for miles. Driving to the CCM (or MTC) gave us an even closer look. Going to Quito really prepared me for what to expect before I got here because the culture and the driving is essentially the same. The sky is always gray here, sort of like Seattle or something. I've read in several books that Lima has been named the most depressing city in the world or something along those lines. However, I don't think so because the gospel has a light of its own in my life.  I'm just excited to be here to spread that light!

The CCM is a complete oasis. The facilities are way way way nicer than Provo.  The grounds have some incredible plants and flowers that no American like me would have ever known existed. For breakfast we had french toast, yogurt, and this really weird fruit that I didn't know existed. It looks sort of like an orange pomegranate and you peel off the hard shell leaving a soft cotton-like cocoon. Then you puncture a whole in the top and the inside looks like a bunch of caviar or fish eggs. At first I was shocked and disgusted, but you just suck out the inside and swallow without chewing and it tasted really good! A couple of the elders in my district are also American and have been really helpful in telling us what to do. They've only been here for three days but they said that they've learned more Spanish in just three days than the whole time at the Provo MTC. I'm so excited for my Spanish to really be put to the test! Also, the food I've heard is SO much better, so there's another plus.

My new companion is Elder Wilcox. He's from Layton, Utah and came from the beginner Spanish group in Provo. I'm glad that I can help him learn Spanish because it will only fortify what I know by teaching him.  He's really great and I think we'll get along wonderfully!

Anyway, already I'm experiencing many new things just in the few hours since I woke up. It turns out, Peru is only an hour ahead of Provo instead of two hours like I thought earlier. So just a heads up. Also, DO NOT send any packages to the CCM. Dearelders or email are the very BEST way to stay in contact. If you do send a package, send it to my mission address for when I get there in six weeks. The mail office is four hours away.

Well, gotta go! Everything's great and I'll try to figure out a way to send some pictures soon!

Lots of love,

Elder Lundberg