Sunday November 16, 2014

We have had a wonderful weekend thus far.  Yesterday we were able to Skype with Jacob and Liangzi before he goes into the Army for Basic Training.  He seems ready and excited about going in.  I think it gives him a sense of security that he will be able to have a job  that will provide for his family.  He has always liked being part of something bigger then him and being a force for what he believes.  He loves and believes in his country and wants to do his part to maintain freedom. 

Today in Sacrament meeting we had the annual primary program.  The little girls were all dressed up with flowers in their hair and the boys all wore white shirts and red ties.  They all sang beautifully and performed their parts so well.  It is amazing it is so easy to understand the children. 

You can see that spring is here and from the temperature summer is on it's way.  This is a picture of some of the temple gardens outside of our hotel window. 

We Have A Home

 

Thanks to our center manager Luis Cornejo we have located and have a contract on an apartment.  He decided he was going to solve our housing problem and made phone calls and internet inquiries and had about eight apartments for us to choose from in one day.  The real estate department was not able to show us anything suitable in three weeks.  So, we have an apartment that we will be able to move into it by the middle to the end of next week. 

 

This week was busy.  Monday morning we had an early morning mission conference with all of the missionaries from the Santiago east and Santiago North missions.  Elder Nelson and his wife were the speakers.  We rode the bus and two subways to get the location.  Tuesday we started moving furniture into our office. In the afternoon, we looked at available apartments to rent.  WE found a two bedroom close to the office that was reasonable priced.  We should be moving next Wednesday if all goes as planned.  We are really excited to teach the missionaries that are going home this Friday. We will be teaching the Self-reliance lesson.  We are excited for these events.  Monday we were in charge of the FHE for the senior missionaries.  Chris introduced us to everyone, and I taught a lesson on being enough.  We had yummy ice cream sundae's for dessert.   

 

 These are two trees that we see every day that are beautiful and I thought I would share with you.  The red one is called the Chilean Fire Tree.  The lavender tree is called Jacaranda.   We love flowering plants so we took these pictures last week to share. 

Thank you for your prayers.  I never thought we would need that support but it is not always easy serving in a foreign country and I realize the help of the Spirit is crucial for success in this mission as with all others.  Again, I am taught of how we can  sin when we fail to include the Savior in his work.

I can't believe it is Saturday already.  We had a great lesson on Monday night with the family home evening.  I used the material from Sister Lundblad Relief Society lesson.  It turns out that we were not the only missionaries struggling with the issues of the mission.  Our friends from Southern Utah serve with welfare and humanitarian.  They are involved with the Bishop Storehouses in Chile of which there are either 5 or 7, but mostly they are supposed to be looking for humanitarian projects in the country to help where people are struggling with some of the necessities of life.  They were really having trouble finding anything to help with, but last week they had 12 projects approved.  They said that the lesson gave them the extra boast to work a little harder and pray a little harder and put it more in the hands of the Savior and miracles happened.  I know as we have involved the Lord more in our issues and work we have felt better and more at ease with the things we deal with.  It still drives me nuts when we have a meeting scheduled for 8:30 and no one shows up until 9:00 or later.  But that is just me I guess.

Our office is coming together slowly and most of the work to move things in have landed on Chris and me.  We are not supposed to do it but if we waited for the people who are supposed to we would be going home before we were settled.  That is why it won't be until next week before we can move into our apartment.  But, all is well, besides it gives me something to do and it will be done our way. 

While we were in route to our meeting on Thursday night I saw this most beautiful tree and took a picture of it.

 I just wanted to share with you some of the beauties of Chile.  I hope we are able to venture out of Santiago to get more of the country side to share. 

 

Yesterday we had a wonderful opportunity to teach a seminar with the missionaries who are returning home and being released from their missions.  We had 18 Sisters and 2 Elders.  The poor Elders felt a little like they had landed in a Relief Society meeting.  However, these young people are wonderful but they all are a little apprehensive about returning home and facing reality.  They just glow and when asked where home was many of them said Chile.  They love this land and mostly they love the people.  The only problem is that I think they have adopted some of the culture which means that our 9:00 AM meeting started at 9:30 for lack of participants.  But I will have to admit it was not their fault entirely.  The subway was down on a Friday morning and traffic was horrible.  What should have taken us 20 Minutes to travel took almost and hour.  So we didn't even get there until just at 9:00.  The subways are critical to move people around in this city.  There just isn't parking or roads sufficient for all the cars that can be on the road.  As an example the Mission office where the seminar was held is only 3.5 miles from the office and it took us an hour.  Life in a big city that was not built to handle traffic.

 

Chris and I facilitated most of the seminar and it went very well.  When we were discussing budgets some of American sisters had no idea what it would cost them for living expenses when they were out on their own.  As we worked through the exercise it was apparent that  some of them had been shielded from what it cost for them to live on their own. There were many off the Latin sisters who were very aware of what it would cost to live and were concerned that when they returned home they would not have enough for their needs.  Their parents were not able to support them and when they returned they would be on their own.  It was an eye opener for me how we as Americans do not include our children more in what it costs to live.  I am sure that is part of the reason we have been instructed to put on these seminars with the returning missionaries. 

 

In the seminar we go through what they will have each month to live on and how they will spend it.  Most of the American missionaries were going straight to college in January when the new semester starts while the Latin sisters were going to have to work for a while to have enough money to live on until they could arrange for a PEF loan from the church or government assistance for tuition and books.  We also discussed careers and what careers we should seek.  In the lesson material it points out that although we have interests in some things they do not always lead to a life sustaining career.  So, there was much discussing on what institutes a career and what is just a hobby. 

 

All in all it was a great experience and all of the participants contracted to find a self-reliant center upon returning home to proceed with what we started in the seminar.  I love these missionaries, they are so good and so much in love with the Lord.  They truly are the best of the best that the church has to offer.  What a blessing to be able to work with them.

These are the missionaries returning home who were in our seminar.  It was interesting to me that all of them had shoes that were worn out and some were really sad.  But they we worn out in the work of the Lord.

 

 

We thought we would post few pictures of the apartment we are moving into.

Master Bedroom

 

Living room

Kitchen with Utility in the back behind a glass door.

There is actually another small bedroom and small bath along with the mater bath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Yesterday we took a tour on the subways of Santiago to see the sights of the Subway in Puente Alto.  It is a community on the west side of Santiago where they have dressed up the Subway stations and the concrete supports for the subway.  In this area the subway is above the ground on 20 ft supports in the air.  It seems there was a rich lady from that area that hired some mosaic artists from around the world to dress up the subway system.  All of the subway stations have these murals in mosaics that are very realistic.     

I took about 100 pictures and we only covered half of the art work that was done.  We walked for about 2 miles and enjoyed the time with the other missionaries.

As we ride the subway there are subway minstrels who play a variety of instruments.  The music was really good and enjoyable.  After about 10 minutes of music then he passed the hat and we all contributed.  You can tell he is living on little but seems happy playing his accordion.

We received information that our office will be finished for us to move into next week.  This will really be helpful in that we will actually have a place to work.  We are  basically in preparation mode now.  We are learning about the work we need to do and the lessons we need to teach.  I was complaining about not having enough to do and Chris told me Randy we are blessed in that the Lord is giving us a chance to get prepared so when everything is ready we can jump right in and not waste time learning our duty.  Of course she is right and I could tell she was inspired to tell me that.  I had not even considered it as a blessing.  That is why Chris is so good for me in that she can very quickly steer me in the right direction.  So we trudge on and I feel blessed. 

We had testimony meeting today in church.  Even though it was in Spanish and I had a hard time understanding all that was said, the meeting was so spiritual and so inspiring.  I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to go and participate. 

Last night our mission president came to visit us.  His name is David Wright from Medford Oregon.  He was Stake President in Medford the same time Ken Lathen was Stake president in Grants Pass.  He knows Ken and his family well, and it gave us a connection.  He gave us some very good advice as to our mission.  He said that he wants us to be and feel successful in our work but that we should not set our sights to high.  Many of the Stakes in our mission lack sufficient leadership to have all of the programs of the church completely organized and it is difficult for them to accept new programs.  I told him not to worry about us feeling successful because I know it is hard sometimes to get what is on paper actually working.  Sister Wright fell while they were in Argentina and hurt her hand.  It was all swollen up and you could tell it was painful for her, but she was visiting with us and extending all the love and acceptance that you would expect of a mission mom.  We feel like we are finally part of the mission and included. 

We are learning to love this country who are struggling with the same things we see in our own country and we feel their concern and worry.  I told a fine brother today in church that we can only do what we can do and have faith that God will guide us in how to keep our children safe.  Our manager indicated that they lost a daughter in an accident a couple of years ago.  He said his wife says she is grateful that she is in a place where she is protected from the evil that is all around us.  One brother told me the other day that they see what is happing in the US and know that it is only a matter of time and it will be here.  I told him, the Lord has told us that we need but to hold on to the iron rod of the Gospel to be safe in a world of sin and evil.  Our homes are the protection that we must offer our children with the teachings of the Gospel and the Spirit of the Holy Ghost.  The great knowledge of the Love of the Savior and maintaining a home where the Spirit of God can thrive is the best source of hope we have in this world of fear and trouble. 

I know that God will take care of his saints and those who keep his commandments and as he has told us in the scriptures "I the Lord am bound when ye do what is say. If ye do not what is say ye have no promise".  I do not want to be on my own in this world. 

We pray for our family each night and know that as we do his will they will be blessed.