I am sitting in my daughter (Chalice's) living room waiting for our Granddaughter come home from a party.  It is 10:00 PM at least a hour past my bed time and I haven't done this since my children were teenagers.  Very weird, but I will not be able to sleep until she comes home.  So I am taking minute to write down some thoughts I have been having lately.

This September I for the third fall went to work in the harvest in Idaho.  While there I lived with my Dad and his dog.  I found that I was drawn more and more to Dad and concerned about his welfare.  He has had some financial issues and I felt the only way I could help him would be to take him home with me to Texas and take care of him for a couple of months or as long as he would stay.  I would not force him but only suggest it to him.  A week before I left to come home he said he would like to go home with  me.  So we have him here in Texas with us and we are really enjoying him and so are my grandchildren.

After we got home Mandy's son Ray invited him to a lunch to honor Veterans.  He took him to the front of the class and introduced him as a WWII vet.  There were ooooos and aaaas and an applause to honor his service.  I have been listening to all his stories that he tells of his early life and have heard some that I did not remember hearing before.  So I am going to attempt to capture some of them in writing to share with our family.  I am not sure the best way to do it but I do not want to use facebook, or any social media to I am going to do it hear.

Over the next few weeks I am going to attempt to make regular postings of some of his life as best as I can piece it together.

I have not taken time to post on this site for far to long.  I decided to try and keep it up.  Chris and I are now thinking that in 4 more months we should have been coming home from our mission.  However, as it has gone we came home early only to be envolved with the mission of life as retired grandparents.  We have had a full summer and fall since we returned.  I have been envolved in some  self therapy to strengthen my knee to help it heal.  So far I work out in the pool at a local gym every day.  This has been a real help but has not solved the problems.  My goal is to have something done this year to have a more permanent solution for the pain. 

After an interesting summer with two of Spencer's and Shelly's oldest daughters.  We had a good summer with Sidney and Samantha. They were able to connect with their cousins here in Texas and they had a great time visiting them and playing with them.  Sidney turned 12 while they were here so we had a party with the cousins and family here.  She was able to go to girls camp with Jesica and do baptisms for some of our ancestors in the temple.  I took them home in September to Utah and then spent two months with my parents in Idaho.  I was able to work in the Corn harvest and the beet harvest driving truck.  It back a lot of old memories from my youth and growing up on a farm. 

 We have now been home about four weeks from our wonderful adventure in Santiago Chile serving in the Chile Santiago East Mission.  It has been a difficult transition for us and I have struggled with the reason of our release.  We were sent home after the mission Doctors reviewed MRI scans of my knee injury that I sustained in the mission.  They felt that it was sufficiently damaged as to need surgery.  Surgery in Chile would have been very difficult in our circumstances in Santiago.  So we left with the understanding that the damage was grave and I needed surgery.  However, as we visited the Doctors here in Houston we found out that the pain I was having in the knee was not due to injury but my Rheumatoid Arthritis. This increased my frustration with the release, but as we have been home for almost a month, I realize that there are immediate needs for us at home.  I know that the Lord knows us and where we are most needed and will do what He needs to do to put us where we are needed.   We left the Self-reliance center in the hands of the Los Condes Stake.  The center was functioning and giving service to several individuals and groups on a daily basis. 

 We have heard from our friends in Santiago that the Center is open and still functioning very well without us.  This news makes us very happy and a bit more satisfied that all we accomplished in setting up the center, has not gone in vain.  We knew that the members in the Stake were capable and that there were those who could be called that would function even better then us.  We are grateful for those who have accepted the call to serve in the center. 
We left there unsettled but now are much more settled and our testimonies have been strengthened as to the ways of the Lord.  I know now that the Lord is in charge and that we fulfilled our mission in Chile. 

 There are three men who helped to make our stay  so delightful that is would like to remember in this blog.  In our apartment building we had a door man who was in charge of taking care of maintenance issues in the building and who  stood as security for our  building 24 hours a day every day of the week.  Alejandro was the head doorman and was always so helpful.

He would greet us every morning wish us a Buenos dias and ask if everything was ok.  While is was in a wheel chair he would assist us in getting to our apartment and to the where ever we needed help.  That however only lasted a couple of days.  As we would come in with groceries he would open doors for us and was  so delightful.

Guillermo who was the afternoon doorman was always happy and talkative.  He would bring us up to date on all of the news for the day.  If there was anything from the US that was in the international news he would make sure we got the information.  He was especially worried about the state of our federal government officials and would ask us why they were doing what they did. 

The day we moved into the apartment I was telling him who we were and what we were in Chile for.  I and Alexis, who was the Maintenance Technician from the real-estate department, offered him a Book of Mormon.  He accepted it and was reading it.  On many occasions he would ask questions and we would have a discussion about the things he was reading.  He especially enjoyed reading the sermon of King Benjamin. 

Jose worked every night and when we came in late he would great us and offer any assistance.  We found out after we had been in the apartment for about a month that he was an less active member.  He asked if we could get him a copy of the Book of Mormon as well, which we did and had many great gospel discussions with him.  He would always great us as "Mis hermanos en la fe".  Before we left he informed me that after knowing us and having our discussions on the Book of Mormon he decided to go back to church and take his family with him.  He thanked us for encouraging him to return and said that they were accepted into the ward even though they had not attended for almost 15 years.  I was grateful to have known these men and felt their goodness.

Left to Right: Sister Sally Goulding, Sister Chris Ellis, Elder Holtkamp, Elder Johnson, Sister Johnson, Sister Olson, Elder Olson, Sister Holtkamp and Elder Rob Goulding (standing) Elder Ellis is taking the picture.

 
This picture is of our really good friends and fellow Senior missionaries who worked in different capacities in the Church office building.  They comprised our district and we had so much fun and many inspiring times together.  Of this group only the Gouldings and the Olsons remain in the mission. 

As were are now just member missionaries we have fond memories of our time in Santiago.  We were able to serve many young people with their Education Loans from the PEF and many more of the Lord's sons and daughters directly and indirectly through the programs of the self reliance. I believe I am finally at piece with the return home and the termination of our mission.  We have found that there are family members who need our assistance at critical times in their lives and many other opportunities to serve here at home. 

Two of our Granddaughters arrived unexpectedly from Utah to spend the summer with us.  It is a rare treat for us in that we have not had a lot of opportunity to know them.

Sidney and Samantha are our oldest son's two oldest children and we are enjoying them.  I think they get a little bored with us and are really happy to visit their cousins who live in Texas.  They are beautiful and helpful most of the time.  We are having a challenge just figuring out activities to keep them busy during the summer while they are here. 

We also had a great surprise from our youngest Son Jacob.  He is currently serving in the Army and came home on a weekend leave to visit his dear wife and surprise us with lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, India's.  It was a treat to have lunch and then return to their apartment and visit for a while. 

We met them first at the  airport and then to subway for a short visit before we headed to Round Rock to take the girls to visit Chalice and her family for the weekend.

We are so grateful to all of our friends in the mission and here at home who have supported us while we were away. 
We a grateful to the Lord for allowing us the opportunity to served in Chile.

This is the end of the final week of our Chilean Mission.  We received the decision on last Tuesday (April 21st) that the missionary department sent word that I needed to return home to Texas and have my knee operation to repair the damage.  It appears at this point that i am looking at another knee replacement.  I am not looking forward to that but i do need to get it done so i can go on to serve in another assignment.  It was probably the hardest thing we had to do when we left Santiago and the people we had grown to love so much.  We learned so much from them that it is hard to think about just one experience that is the most outstanding.  

I have asked myself over and over what purpose did we serve in our short time in Santiago.  I know that we were able to touch many people and help many.  We were able to see many young people qualify and apply to the Perpetual Education Fund for student loans.  We were able through the workshops to qualify for the loans to help them see the great role that the Savior plays in their lives each and every day as they traverse the pathways of this life.  I have seen weak testimonies strengthen and become solid, making the individuals who bore them strong servants with desires to study and become self reliant.  We have seen stronger testimonies become even stronger and the commitment to the Lord even greater then before.  We are so grateful that we were able to go and serve.  We pray that the Center will continue to be a place of assistance to those who seek to become self-reliant and strong in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Our mission family of the Senior missionaries are missed so much and we think of them every day.  I miss the trips to the faria to purchase the fresh produce that we loved so much.  We miss so much, and are so grateful to those wonderful loving friends that we left behind.  I pray we can stay close for we would really hate to lose contact with them.  

We were scheduled to leave Santiago on Friday the 24th of April but the day before we had a volcano erupt blowing huge volumes of smoke and ash into the atmosphere.  The airport suspended all flights into and out of Santiago.  We were then rescheduled to fly out on Sunday the 26th at 8:30 PM. However, because of all the cancelled flights and the fact that the flight crews who flew in on Sunday morning were the only crew available to fly out as well but needed to have a certain number of hours rest before they could make the return flight.  Our flight was delayed until 2:45 AM on Monday morning.  Thus we had to reschedule the connecting flight from Atlanta to Houston.  But, after 36 hours of airports, waiting, and flying all night we arrived in Houston at 4:30 Monday night.  It made for a tiring day.  

On our trip home i was worried about the logistics of traveling with a lame leg.  I never realized how fast and easy it all is for those who travel be wheel chair.  There is someone there to take you everywhere.  They help with the luggage, take to the front of the line, put you on the plane first and take care of you all the way to the baggage claim.  I told Chris if we travel international again it is her turn to have the injury so we can get the royal treatment.  Seriously, i am so grateful for all of the help that we had coming home.  We really were treated well by all of the people from the airport personnel and the staff of Delta Airlines.  

It is good to be home in Houston, sleeping in our own bed and staring at our own walls, but i need to find something to do quickly before i go crazy.  So we are hoping for the surgery to come and get over soon.  So we can start doing other things.

I am looking forward to seeing our friends in Houston so any who read this and want to contact us, we have new phone numbers.  Chris 281-733-7944 and Randy 281-733-6013.  Feel free to give us a call.

I do not know when I have felt so stir crazy except when I was recovering from my knee operation two years ago.  We had an incident watching conference which started a chain of events that has kept us in turmoil for the last two weeks.  I know it is not easy being confined to a wheelchair to get around. 

While we were watching conference I accidentally knocked my computer on the floor and saw complete destruction in a heartbeat.  Unfortunately I use my computer every day and was at a loss.  We ordered another one and had it shipped to the daughter of a missionary couple who work in the temple here.  Their daughter was having a baby and she was going home to help her and offered to bring back the laptop with her. 

Then a exciting assignment came to us to be the coordinators for BYU-I Pathway here in Santiago. We will be conducting the weekly meetings at the chapel by the office.  It is all in English and will really be a good thing to participate in with the students who are enrolled.

Now the bad part: I have been having a lot of knee pain in my right knee(the good one). I think it is due to the walking we need to do every day and of course my rheumatoid arthritis.  Well last Monday I had an injection in the knee to relieve the pain and was told to stay off of it for a few days.  Wouldn't you know it, I fell in the bathroom and couldn't get up.  How many times have you heard that commercial.  Well it is sort of scary.  I heard something in the knee pop and I have not been able to put any weight on it since.  After a trip to the emergency room, and  an x-ray, a visit to the orthopedic surgeon, and a MRI, I am now sitting in our apartment waiting the outcome of the MRI to know what the next step is. I am sure there will be surgery but I do not know how extensive it will need to be.  We are hoping it is not what the senior missionaries call, a mission killer.  If we need to go home for surgery that will be it, if not, and we can have surgery here and solve the problem(that would be great), we go on and finish our mission.  I know at some point I will have to have another knee replacement, but it would be really wonderful if we could patch it up enough to make it for another year.  We shall see. 

Now with that behind me, there have been some wonderful experiences that we have been privileged to have.  With my knee problem many people have stepped up to help me and make this whole experience much more bearable.  Elder Johnson (the mission doctor) picked us up and drove us to the emergency room, Mauricio Fernandez drove us to the doctor's appointment, and Elder Goulding gave us a scenic tour of Santiago from the mountain top.  We got lost going to get the MRI and ended up on top of some mountain looking down on the city of Santiago.  It was really beautiful and another experience to check off  the bucket list.  We have done that now and there is no reason to do it again.  We finally made it to the radiology 10 minutes late at 9:10 PM but they did it anyway.  So all was well with a side trip as well.  One thing is for sure, we all know the way to the Los Condes Clinic (hospital) and I do not think we will get lost doing that trip again.  So there is always some lemonade with the lemons. 

Our Mission friends and those we work with in the CAS are really good and Christ like people.  They have taught us some wonderful things and are great friends.

I have been studying the 4th chapter of Preach My Gospel and recommend it to all.  I have really felt drawn to things of the spirit and how we can be more obedient to the prompting of the Holy Ghost.  I have always struggled with being able to hear the promptings of the Spirit and knowing if it was really personal revelation.  As I have been studying both in the Scriptures and some other books concerning the subject I have come to realize that I have heard and followed spiritual promptings in my life.  As I have been more in tune I have had even greater communication and have felt the Light of the Savior even more.  I have been able feel the needs of some of those people we work with as I listen to them and feel the Spirit inspire me as to what to say to help them. 

We have a young woman who has had some real struggles in her life who came into the center to attend a Job Search group.  She missed one of the sessions and I sat down with her to do a make up session.  For some reason I was able to connect with her and give her the encouragement and direction that she needed.  She left very happy and directed.  She lives in an institution where her family put her to get over addiction and mental problems.  It is going to be a hard road but she has some very understanding people in the group who care for her.  I can see changes in her persona already after only three group meetings. 

A passage that I read in the book I am reading said as we listen close to the spirit we may be surprised who we should or should not help.  It could be a pauper or a prince but they all may be sent to us for help.  Never second guess a feeling that comes to do good because it always comes from God.

It will be good to go to church tomorrow having been cooped up in the apartment for a week.  so until next time may you always walk in the sunshine and always see green fields and be happy.

We had an interesting week.  We have had a lot of people coming to the center for help with resumes and advice on how to accelerate their job search.  We have had many from other countries who have come here looking for a better life.  Many are fleeing from difficult situations some for other reasons.  The story is always the same that they need work until their visas have been approved.  We know from experience that it takes 6 months for a visa when it is just a temporary nonworking visa.  When they want to relocate, it is even harder.  The interesting thing about Chile is you can't work without a work visa,  but if you are here illegally you can't leave the country until you have legal documentation.

One young man, a return missionary, wanted to come to Chile to be with his fiancé who is going to graduate in December.  He is currently studying in Argentina, with a full ride scholarship, but wants to leave to be with his fiancé. She needs to stay here to help care for her dying father.  She wanted me to talk to him on the phone and try to convince him to stay in school and have patience.   I told her that she needed to talk to him and tell him that if he left school he was jeopardizing both their futures by not finishing his education.   she was able to convince him that it would be better to wait. 

We had another workshop with the missionaries from the East mission, who are returning home.  It was a great group of young people.  They are so shocked when we have them figure out what it take to live and go to school in the US.  One of the missionaries is from Lehi, Utah and from my brothers Ward.  Elder Skousan got a picture so he could show it to Garrin when he returns home.  I saw them again on Friday.  He and his companion were going to the temple so I gave them two Ellis family cards that needed the endowments done.  It is so energizing to work with these young missionaries, they are so good and so close to the spirit. 

We have had a real catastrophe in Chile this last week.  Northern Chile is a desert and never gets any rain.  It has not rained there in the last 40 years and last week they had a deluge.  I am not sure how much, but it was enough to cause wide spread flooding with tremendous lose of property and some lives.  Of course the Priesthood leaders have been involved in relief efforts through the distribution of food and other supplies to shelters and families who have been displaced.  Today in Church they asked all of the members to bring to the church non-perishable food items, water and hygiene supplies.  They are taking them north to a small town.  Each stake in Santiago has been assigned a town to send supplies.  They are not allowing any relief parties to go into the area but much is being done in the area by those who live there.  They have enacted martial law in the area with several regiments of carbineros (the Federal Police who are also the army) who are guarding the area.  IF someone is caught looting, they are shot on the spot.  I dare say there is probably very little looting going on. 

This last week we were given an assignment to facilitate the BYU-I Pathway classes in Santiago.  There are over 70 students signed up and we will probably have at least 2 classes.  Those who are not aware of Pathway it is the on-line classes from BYU-I.  Here in South America they consist of three semesters which will be 15 credit hours.  The first year is basic math, English, and English writing skills.  The first year prepares them to be able to take regular college career paths and earn degree and postgraduate degrees.  It is very affordable for them and an opportunity to gain a degree that carries with it a major push up for employment with one of the many US companies that are doing business in Chile.  These companies range from medical, agricultural, to financial.  All of the major hotel companies are established in Chile and are always looking for employees proficient in English. 

We are excited in that it will all be in English and an opportunity for Chris to be able to be a major contributor.   Because of her struggle with Spanish she hasn't felt like she has been able to do much.  Although I must say she has really improved and is able to communicate a little with the people. 

It is interesting that we see many of the same struggles here as we see in the states and people are very much the same anywhere we go.  The members are always saying, "Chileans are lazy, or they are always late, or some other thing that is frustrating about the people".  I ask them if they think that only Chileans are this way because if that is the case we must have a whole country full of Chileans in the US.  People are much the same everywhere, although they really do have a problem with home teaching here.  The Bishop talked for the fifth Sunday meeting and asked how many of the coverts who have been baptized in the last two years were in attendance and only one of 19 was there and he is an invalid who needs help getting to church.  Only four Elders and four High Priests did their home teaching this month.  He begged the priesthood brothers to please visit their families and help them come back to church.  How many times I have heard the same pleadings from bishops all over the church.  I do not understand why it is so hard to go home teaching. 

We celebrated my birthday Friday night.  We invited the other senior missionaries for dinner and then played some games.  At the end we popped a few balloons.  We had a fun time.  Here are a few pictures..

 
 
 
 

Have any of you ever thought that there must be more that I can do to feel closer to the Savior Jesus Christ.  I have been reading a book called "Following the Light of Christ into His Presence".  It has made me think that there is more to it than I have experienced previously.  I have felt his presence, or at least the presence of the Holy Ghost on many occasions but I can not say I have felt that presence all of the time.  But I must say every time that I have asked for that gift I have received it and much more.  I have experienced the direction of the spirit in things that I have inquired of Him, but some times I have not.  As I read concerning the gift of the Holy Ghost and how he works, it seems that we may not know he is directing us when he is.  How can we tell?  At all times Christ through the Holy Ghost works through light and knowledge.  Every thing that is good, and brings light into our hearts and minds is of Christ anything that is rowdy, dark, and does not bring peace, calm and joy is of the adversary and is rouse to deceive man and draw them away from the light.  I am finding more and more that we can easily be deceived and drawn away from the light.  I recommend the book to anyone who wants to better understand how the Spirit works to assist us to come unto the Savior.  It is by John Pontius and can be found at amazon.com for $6.00. 

Other then reflecting on what I can do to better know Christ we have had some marvelous experiences with the work in the Center of Self-reliance.  The last two weeks we have been processing students who are receiving loans from PEF to study.  Most all of these individuals come from a background of poverty.  Most of their parents do not have enough to help them and they are on their own.  They come into the office because they have received a message that they have not completed the application with all of the proper forms.  Most of the questions are simple and we are able to help them with what they need and they move on.  However, sometimes there is a real problem such as they have not been approved because of not completing the needed workshops to receive the check.  It is sad to have to tell them that they must complete all of the workshops before receiving the money.  They have under the old program just attended a couple of days and been able to get the loan.  The problems have been that when it comes time to pay back the loan they just disregard the commitment that they made to pay back.  So to counter balance this issue we have 12 workshops where they are taught the importance of keeping commitments. Also, a problem has been that they do not know how to find work so most struggle with the payments while they are going to school.  The fund requires that they make a minimum payment each month while in school.  This forces them to find work to make those payments and get used to making payments monthly.  The payment is usually around 3.000 to 5.000 pesos which is 6 to 9 dollars a month.  It is not much but the principle taught is an important one.  If they make the payment without default 25% of the principle of the loan is deducted and if they graduate from their career another 10% is deducted.  There are several incentives to help them succeed up to 60% reduction of the loan. The Latin people have had problems with follow through in this society and it is not going to be changed overnight.  But it is changing as the young are learning the principles and following the rules. 

For a professional career the cost of study is about 1,000,000 pesos per year which is approximately 1,500 dollars.  When you talk about a million it seems a lot but is not much when you think of the cost of schooling in the US.  But the average family has an income of about 400.000 pesos per month which is about 700 dollars.  Things cost as much here to live as in the US for food and non food essentials but luckily the rent for them is cheaper and many own there home because they build their own house on a cheap piece of ground that they purchase in a Ghetto part of the city. 

There is a big difference between the rich and the middle class.    If it was not for that they could not make it on what they make, as it is they go without much we are accustom to in our lives.  The cars they drive if they have a car is usually older but well kept, but most of the time they use the mass transit system to get to work and around the city.  We are not familiar with the area outside of Santiago much but in the rural areas it appears that there are land owners and the workers.  Many of the land owners are corporations from the US who own the land and hire the Chileans to work the  land.  The government is ok with that arrangement because they have brought in a great deal of technology into the agriculture environment.  However, much that is done in the fields seems to been done by hand so that there is work for the workers. 

The people where we live are mostly professionals and make very good salaries.  They drive nice cars and have nice homes and apartments (or Condos).  Most buildings are condos not apartments then the owner rents them out.  Property management companies do not own any of the apartments just keep them rented.  Once you rent an apartment you are responsible for all maintenance and upkeep.

That is a long explanation to show why these youth need the loans or they do not study.  

We had a real good experience last evening with one of the participants in our workshops.  He has been a member of the church from his youth and met and married a girl 25 years ago who could not join the church because she is Japanese and her parents forbade her to join the church but she and the children have been attending.  They moved here from Japan and she made the decision that she and the children were to be baptized.  She is delightful person and it was glorious to behold.  She was thrilled to hear that we had a daughter in law from China.  Although different in many ways they are a lot alike culturally. I was introduced to her and the children as their fathers professor.  Which I guess in their culture gives me a lot of status.  I like that teachers are not only respected but almost revered and are given special treatment.  We were given a gift when we met her and given a place to sit near them. 

Those in the picture from let to right: Victor Leon, his wife Andreia Negoro Leon, daughter Biaca Leon, son Victor Leon, and I did not get the name of the youngest daughter.  I was amazed at how much the daughter Biaca reminded me of Jessica my granddaughter.  It was a precious experience that we will cherish. 

 

We also made a bit of an excursion yesterday.  There is a hill here in Santiago that is called the Cerro de San Cristobal.  It has a zoo at the bottom of the hill but you still must climb a bunch of stairs to get to anything because it is built on the side of the hill.  We got a few pictures from the zoo but only one worth showing.

Chris is looking at the elephants which was the only animals that was out and moving around.  I guess the time to go to the zoo is at breakfast or supper when the animals actually move around.  But it was a site in the city we had on our list so we saw it. 

 

We were actually going to see a llama but there were not any to see. On the top of the hill is an old Catholic church and a huge statue of the virgin Mary which is the big attraction.  We then road an elevator tram up to the top to see the statue.  We could tell it is a special place for those of the catholic religion. 

The  statue had a small room inside where people could go in to pray to Mary to intervene for them to the Savior. 

 

 The statue of the Savior is much smaller and has the two Marys by his side.  It is a very nice place and most of the people who visit are very respectful.  I quite enjoyed the visit even if it is not of our religion it is a special place for others and there was a good feeling there. 

While we were there they read the rosary over the loud speaker.  I had never heard the rosary prayers before and they were very interesting to me.

We road this elevator which is very much like a tram but it climbs the hill on a cable and returns on a cable.  There are two trains that go up and down  when going up the tram is on the end of the cable and going down as well.  there is passing place in the middle of the ride for the two trams to pass.  It was fun.  We met a family there from New York who were there to leave  today to take a cruse from Valpariso to Fort Lauderdale Florida through the panama Canal.  Their son had on an Army T shirt and I asked if he was in the army.  He said not yet but was going to join as soon as he finished High School.  His father was an army vet as well as his grandfather.  So he was keeping up tradition.  He was going into military police correctional.  I told them that Jake was in the Army and was in Advanced Individual Training in Fort Gordon.  But the cruise sounds like something that would be fun to do. It actually sounded like a good way to return home at the end of our mission but we will probably only be able to afford  the airfare that the church pays for.

 This is a picture from the tram as we were ascending up the hill and the other photo is of us descending.  The second show some of the city from near the top of the hill as we started our descent. 
                                             One of the great things we were able to see was the city almost to the mountains on the other side.  Usually this time of the year there is more smog and we are unable to see that a clear picture.  In the winter time it is even worse because they have a bad inversion most of the winter that keeps the sun out and makes it much colder then the area outside of the city.  We have not experienced that yet and will see when it comes.  Santiago is a big city but not considered big in South American term.  Chile actually has the smallest population of any of the other south American countries.  If you look at the country it is not that large of a land mass just very long.  Most of the Country is open country, the north is quite barren and rocky and the central part the agricultural part with the far South cold like Alaska with not much sun in the winter and a lot of sun in the summer. (Just opposite of the US)

Last Tuesday we got a bed after sleeping on a mattress on the floor.  I needed to go to the mall to see of I could find a pad for the mattress which is hard as a rock and killing both of us. I found out that you cannot find a memory foam pad in Chile.  They do not make them instead they have a fiber filled pad that can be purchase which is not much.  But I was looking for one for our new bed.  That morning as I do every morning I asked in my personal prayer to guide me to someone I could help.  As I was walking along Nuevo Providencia I stopped for a light  and next to me was a man who looked clean but I could tell was a bit stressed.  I felt prompted to talk to him as he seemed really interested in me and what I was doing in Chile.  I then asked if he was troubled and got his story.  His name is Igor (very common in Chile) and he really needed to find work.  He had a law degree but was in an accident a couple of years ago which left him with brain damage and he lost his memory.  He never was able to gain enough back to continue to practice law.  So he began working as a construction foreman.  They finished a multi year project and he was laid off with all of the other workers.  He had been staying with his grandmother in Santiago but it was crowded and he could see there was no room for him so he left and was sleeping on the street.  I asked how long it had been since he had eaten.  His response was he was ok and just needed work, I pressed him and he finally said it had been a couple of days.  I took him into a shop and bought him some food and a drink.  As we sat eating and talking I told him what we did and invited him to the center to see if we could help him.  On Wednesday he came and I showed him some of the principles to find work and gave him a lead to the Grand Hyatt Hotel which is just opening up near us.  I asked if he had some better clothes and a place to clean up. He said he could get some help with that from family and was so grateful that he had a lead.  I hope he is able to get some work because he is not a good beggar and only wants to have a chance to provide for himself.  I am praying for him and more prayers will not hurt.  I put his name in the temple prayer roll as well.  Even if it is only one at a time it is one and he is a son of a Father who wants him to be happy.


Well we do not have much more to report but we are happy, healthy and working hard to help the people of Chile.  I hope we can in some way make a difference for some of the many who need a hand up.