Peru Lima East Mission (Misión Perú Lima Este)

The Peru Lima East Mission (Misión Perú Lima Este), from which we recently returned home, covers the east side of the city of Lima (on the coast) and also the High Central Andes of Peru.

The mission is one of seven missions (as of October 2009) in Peru, as shown in this map:

The Peru Lima East Mission, the Peru Lima North Mission, the Peru Lima South Mission, and the Peru Lima Central Mission, each cover a section of Lima as well as several regions (state-like politcal areas), as indicated in the above map.

The Peru Lima East Mission includes the following regions: Lima, Huánuco (with the city of Huánuco as its capital), Pasco (with Cerro de Pasco as its capital), Junín (with Huancayo as its capital and includes Tarma where we lived for seven months), and Huancavelica (with the city of Huancavelica as its capital).


To travel through the Peru Lima East Mission involves more elevation changes that any other mission in the Church. A typical tour of the mission starts in Lima (sea level, where there are 10 LDS stakes), goes up from there over Ticlio pass at 15,807 feet above sea level, drops down to La Oroya (12,200 feet; 2 LDS branches), passed through the town of Junín (13,600 feet; an LDS branch), climbs up to Cerro de Pasco (14,200 feet, the highest stake in the Church), drops down to Huánuco (6,200 feet; two stakes), returns past Cerro de Pasco, drops down to Tarma (10,050 feet; four LDS branches), drops farther down to La Merced (2,600 feet; an LDS stake), returns up to Tarma, goes over a pass of 13,600 feet, drops down to Huancayo (10,600 feet; two LDS stakes), travels on to Huancavelica (12,100 feet; an LDS branch), and returns over the Ticlio pass and back down to Lima.

For more information about this fabulously diverse mission, read more of this blog.

The Paúcar Family

We have been visiting the Paúcar family regularly for about six weeks. They are members of our ward and live about a 10-minute walk from our apartment. Hermano Oscar Paúcar is a successful businessman, who, among other things, is the procurement officer for the motor vehicle pool for the municipality of Ate (pronounced "ought-eh") in Lima. Hermana Violeta Paúcar is a stay-at-home mom. Their son Oscar is a college student and personal trainer at a gym, and their daughter Katherine is a junior in college studying economics.

We love this family and feel their love in return. What a blessing it has been to have them respond with enthusiasm to our invitations, prayers, and spiritual messages. They have attended church the last two Sundays and have set spirituality as their major goal for the upcoming new year.

They invited us to their home the day after Christmas to celebrate the holidays with them. We chatted, snacked, laughed, took photos (see above), and shared spiritual thoughts and prayers.