Sent Nov. 18, 20009

¡querida mama!

I really love Peru. We went to the temple today and the lima temple is small but beautiful! My stomach is finally becoming acustomed to the food and am really starting to love some of it. Though it really is too much rice, like almost every meal we have had here has had huge servings of rice! our mail only goes out once a week, so sorry in a couple of days you will get a letter that is a little old. It goes out on Monday and takes like 5 days to get to you but anything you send takes like 3 weeks. The street address is:

Apartado Postal
12-167
Lima 12-Peru

but they gave us an address that also works:

Elder Spencer Fogleman
Peru, Lima East
Av. Melgarejo 159
Urb. Campo Verde
La Molina, Lima, Perú

I think the second one works better; one is a PO Box anyways. People also get Dear elders here-once a week-basically they get printed out in provo and sent down here through the church's pouch system so those will probably only take a week to reach me.

I love you tons and am so happy to be here! i cant wait to be fluent so that I can better communicate with the people; the two bolivians I am rooming with speak so fast!

¡Buena suerte! ¡le amo! ¡hasta ver, para siempre Dios esté con vos!

Your Son,
Elder Spencer Fogleman

ABOUT PERUVIAN FOOD

Peru is famous throughout South America for its food. As a major fishing nation, fish is abundant, and prepared with imagination.

Below is some interesting information on Peruvian Food

The primary ingredients found in nearly every Peruvian dish are rice, potatoes, chichen, pork, lamb, and fish. Most of these meals include one of the different kinds of "aji", or Peruvian hot pepper, which mainly are: yellow aji pepper, red aji pepper, red rocoto pepper

Chicken, pork and lamb were introduced to Peru 500 years ago, when Spaniards came to America. Other ingredients, like potatoes, were already being grow in the Peruvian Andes and were taken by the Spaniards back to Europe.

Today more than 200 varieties of potato can be found in the Lake Titicaca area. They range in color from purple to blue, from yellow to brown. Sizes and textures vary as well. Some are smalls as nuts; others can be as large as oranges.

Pictures from LAX

First Letter From PERU

Hola mi familia!

I am in Peru! we got to the ccm at about 1 am and then got to bed a little after 2, so i am so tired! I only had to move my clock forward two hours from my Utah time, so I guess Im only 3 hours ahead of you guys. We get to take a nap after lunch to try and lose the jet lag so im excited about that because we got up at 6:30 today like always.

Its wierd because im typing on a spanish keyboard so there are some differences that make it tough but i am glad they let us let you know that we arrived safely.

i dont konw a lot about my schedule so i will let you know my daily schedule as soon as i know it, but i do know that my P-day is on wednesday, so thats when i get to email again.

Guess what mom...elder torsak is my new companion so you have even more to talk about with his mom! she took tons of pictures yesterday so you should be getting some through email.

The sheet they gave us said don't send packages because it costs so much to have it go through customs' not that you can't, just its beeter to put money into the missionaries acoount and then let him buy what he needs. But for christmas i should be out in the field. i do think its best not to send me a package while i am in the mtc though.

la comida es muy interesante pero es comida! for breakfast we had french toast but they don't use syrup down here; i can only imagine how expensive it would be to get here! and then we had this juice that was made from cantelope that was kinda chunky so it was like eating it but it was liquid. im interested to see what is for lunch!

The facility here is really nice! like nicer than provo! its smaller tho, only 3 buildings and its surrounded by a huge wall; every building in Lima is surrounded by a gate and wire.And our rooms hold six but they reall arent bigger than the provo rooms, probably longer but then thinner so it eguals out. the beds area also on like 6 feet long which works fine for me but is a litle small for my companion!

I love all of you so much, and am thankful for the oppurtunity to serve the Lord. im ecstatic to be in Peru! even in the impoverished city it is beautiful, especially the weather; i can't wait to see what everything looks like outside the city! Thank you for everything you have done for me and all the letters. i feel your love as much as the savior's!

Your son, brother and grandson,

Elder spencer Fogleman

Where Spencer is currently

Learn a little about the Missionary Training Center

http://www.mtc.byu.edu/themtc.htm

At the Church's Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah, young men and women as well as retired men and women from around the world come together to prepare to serve the Lord. The purpose of the MTC is to provide an atmosphere of peace, love, trust, confidence, and respect in which missionaries can prepare for missionary service.

Missionaries dedicate 18 months to two years to missionary service. Approximately 52,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are currently serving as full-time missionaries. They are called to serve in one of 334 missions in approximately 120 different countries around the world. Missionaries begin their service at a Missionary Training Center, where they prepare to become messengers of the Lord, bringing glad tidings to families around the world. As representatives of the Church, missionaries believe that people throughout the world can obtain life's greatest happiness from following the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Each Wednesday several hundred missionaries enter the Provo MTC. The eager missionaries enter an exciting world of learning. The MTC curriculum consists of up to 12 weeks of studying doctrine, learning to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively, and developing excellent communication skills. When missionaries are called to serve in foreign lands, their training also includes learning a new language. The Provo MTC is well known for its language teaching program. Approximately 50 languages are taught at the Provo MTC. The teaching staff is composed largely of former missionaries, who are well acquainted with missionary life. Using state-of-the-art language training technology, the Provo MTC fulfills the prophecy that "every man shall hear the fullness of the gospel in his own tongue . . . through those who are ordained unto this power" (D&C 90:10).

The Provo MTC is a beautiful campus designed to accommodate up to 4,000 missionaries. The facility includes a large gymnasium, cafeterias, a medical clinic, a bookstore, a mail center, laundry facilities, classrooms, and residence halls. A day at the MTC can involve many different activities, including visiting the cafeteria, enjoying some exercise in the gym, and engaging in personal study. Missionaries spend much of their time in classroom activities.

Although the MTC has excellent facilities and an outstanding training curriculum, missionaries feel that the spirit of the MTC is their best learning and teaching aid. The MTC experience is the fulfillment of a life-long dream for many missionaries, and yet they anxiously await the day when they will depart to their assigned missions. After weeks of training, missionaries leave prepared to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people around the world.

For more information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or to request a visit from missionaries, visit the official Church "Learn More" site, or call toll-free at 1-888-LDS-7700 or 1-888-537-7700.

Current Mailing Address

Elder Spencer Michael Fogleman
Peru Lima East Mission
Provo Missionary Training Center
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604