Over the weekend, I ran into an old friend - one I hadn't seen since we served together in the mission field.
Naty Mendoza, a native Peruvian from Arequipa, was a sister missionary I served with in the Peru Lima Central Mission . . . well, a number of years ago. We didn't know each other that well in those days, but then again, a mission companion is a mission companion. She, now a resident of Utah, invited me to the local Peruvian restaurant in Bountiful, Rico Pollo, where her group, FLAMA, performed a number of native Latin American dances and Christmas songs in Spanish. Naty founded and directs FLAMA (Folklore and Latin American Music Academy) as a means of fellowshipping Latino immigrants to Utah and also to promote cross-cultural understanding and such.
Additionally, I got to meet Naty's husband and three kids, two of who performed in the FLAMA song-and-dance presentation. I heard at least a few Christmas ditties that I recognized and that, as a result, brought back some good memories of my two Christmases spent in my adopted homeland of Peru.
While I watched the kids' performance, I enjoyed a dinner of one of my favorite Peruvian meals: pollo a la brasa (basically roasted chicken, along with French fries and a Peruvian salad). Trust me, it's delicious and much better than it sounds.
Los buenos tiempos los disfrutaron todos.
No comments:
Post a Comment