Some of the life of Merthan Glenn Ellis
Early days:
Merthan was born to Glenn and Nettie Ellis on the 13th of September 1925. He was born in their home in Riverside Idaho. The home that they were living in at the time was the home of Grandma Sophronia Wolfley Ellis. He was the second child born in the family, first was his sister Ruth Mariam, then Dad, Marilynn, and last was Gerry who is about 16 years his junior.
Dad work hard with Grandpa Ellis on the farm driving the team of horses doing various farming tasks with the team and different implements. He said that after Grandpa got the first tractor in the county he would plow the field and Dad would follow along behind with the team of horses and the harrow. He mentioned that Great Grandpa Leo Turpin bought a young team from Horace Elison and sent it to Grandpa Ellis to train. Dad said the team would continually act up tipping over the harrow and Dad would have to have Grandpa come and help him turn it over. Grandpa was afraid to have dad ride the harrow for fear the horses would bolt and tip it over on top of dad who was very young at the time.
He would tease Ruth until she was so mad at him she would lock him in his room in the attic. He would have Marilynn leaver her window open so he could climb down from the attic and get outside. Ruth would see him outside and could never figure out how he got out. It sounded like the his little sister was his confidant in all of his antics. I remember him being a tease to Ruth even when they were grown. A side note that I remember: During potato harvest all the family would work in the harvest. Aunt Ruth drove truck one year when mom was pregnant. At the end of harvest we would all get paid for our work. Dad wrote out Aunt Ruth's check then signed it "TRY AND GET IT". She took to the bank to cash it and was madder then a hornet when the teller would not cash it with that signature. I remember her coming out the farm and I think she was angry enough to shoot dad if she had a gun. But Dad along with everyone else was waiting for her to come back and had a proper check already made out for her. That was how Dad has always shown his love through his antics.
As a child he would take care of the farm and the animals. While going to school he would go home for lunch to feed and water the cows and horses. Because of that he did not participate in any extracurricular activities in school. Dad was athletic however, and had learned to box while in grade school. He had a teacher who took a liking for him and taught him to box. (that brings up a story I will include a little later) Something that I should include here is that Grandpa Glenn had an immunity to electric shock. Electricity never bothered him. One day Merthan was out irrigating and was standing barefoot in the ditch. Grandpa and Grandma were leaving to go on a trip for a few days, so he went out to say goodbye to Merthan. He grabbed ahold of the electric fence and kissed Dad on the cheek. Dad said he could feel a bolt of electricity from everyone of Grandpa Glenn's whiskers. So he got his teasing honestly from his own dad.
During beet harvest he would drive the beet wagon to the dump. His team was named Chubb and Bally. They were a strong team and would not have much trouble pulling the wagon up on the dump. But others teams were not quite able to do it so he said he would make extra money pulling other teams up on the dump. That story he has told me often and has changed from time to time with the telling of it. But this is the latest version.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
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.
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| 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.
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.
Friday, May 1, 2015
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 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.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
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.
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.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
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..
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..
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