Dad titled this email “Mom’s Initiation”
Mom got bit by a flea on Wednesday at a DA and today she fell off the sidewalk and landed on all fours RIGHT IN MAIPU !!! She cleaned up nicely and was not hurt but has a sore arm where I grabbed her. Now she is officially a Chile missionary. I’ve yet to be initiated, but I can wait.
Now don´t get worried. She really is alright. A uniformed carabinero was there in an instant to help her up and put her shoes back on. Yes it´s ok to laugh now.
More another time. m&d. g&g. bp&bj
Editor’s note: Pronunciation for Maipu, the city Mom & Dad live in, is my-poo. Ha ha! Dad loves this!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
September 23, 2010
Hey estimado familia,
We love and miss you and miss skyping, but we hope to be able to this weekend, maybe Saturday or Sunday night. The Pres. has offered to loan or give us an extra laptop he brought. (He didn´t know until yesterday that ours disappeared from his office.) I t is about five years old and we don´t know if it has a built in camera, but maybe we can talk and text until we can get one. We may call you from his house when we are there for dinner Sat eve. Hope, hope, hope. We want to hear your heavenly voices and see your angelic faces. Booo hooo hooo. Real tears.
I don´t remember where email 5 ended so we may repeat or leave out some things. Please forgive. Our life is a little disjointed right now. We are well and happy and rested. We are allowed rest time the younger missionaries don´t get, so we take advantage of it and are pacing ourselves pretty good. BUT… a big change is in the wind. Don´t tell anyone, but the Stake Pres ( Kevin- Nuñez, our friend) has asked the mission pres and the mission pres has asked Dad to serve in the branch presidency as a silent (non-Spanish speaking) counselor. It´s a mission assignment, not a sustained & set apart calling, but they will probably do that anyway unless someone is there telling them NO. It won´t be announced until Sun. but I think it´s ok to tell my family. Just don´t share this till I say so. That will mean more trips to the church (need a car) and accelerated need to learn Spanish.
Everyone is trying to teach us and it helps. When we are in the car with the elders, waiting for someone to open the church or turn on the lights, or at choir practice or conversation with members, they each add a little to our understanding. If we could just remember it. Today Mom was thrilled to remember and say some things she had been learning. Awesome! She is trying hard and doing well with it, but doesn´t give herself enough credit. She is in the bodega (storeroom) studying as I write. I´m trying too and making slow progress. Yesterday and today we had dinner (midday meal) appointments and got to try our Spanish in a non-important environment. It was probably the best practice we´ve had. We ate with a bishop and his wife yesterday with some other elders. They do food catering from their home and backyard. They make the most delicious Chilean food and sell it to companies having meetings, parties, etc. She delivers it in a little (read minivan) old yellow school bus she bought with her "cookie money" They fed us a feast of barbequed beefsteak, chicken, chorizzo, hotdogs, with pan (homemade rolls), corn, salad, big brown beans, and a popular dessert made with dried peaches and boiled wheat called mote con huesillos. After choir at the branch they gave it to us again. It was sort of good, but twice a day was too much. It felt like it was still growing when we got home.
Today Kevin´s friend/companion/Bianca´s father/mission pres counselor, who has taken us under his wing and is very helpful, to the point of embarrassment, took us to a fancy Chinese restaurant for lunch. It was the best Chinese food I´ve eaten bar none. On this street there are four big Chinese restaurants within a block on the same side of the street competing for the trade. Brother Toledo eats out almost every day with his job and KNOWS THE BEST places to eat all over central Chile. At both dinners we had about two hours of conversation with Spanish and English mixed. Bro. Toledo doesn´t speak fluently, but we could each help each other and it worked just fine. The Bishop´s wife has an old organ in her (little) house and told Mom she would trade Spanish lessons for piano lessons. She invited us to come for lunch (Almuerzo) every Wednesday, but we won´t be able to go every week, and it won´t be such a feast. They are still celebrating the bicenntennial with carne asada (barbqued meat), but that will wear off soon. We haven´t eaten all the groceries we got last week in the taxi.
We are eating lots of ice cream (helado shops everywhere!), so we may not lose any more weight, although mom tried on a skirt this morning that fell off. Not a bad thing. We´re certainly not emaciated. When we get some photos sent you´ll see. Today when we went for the mail we forgot to take our little folding grocery buggy and had to carry back 6 packages and the mail. Two of them were the size of the one Beth sent. Heavy!. We HAD TO stop at McDonald´s for a conovanilla (figure this one out yourselves). We wouldn´t have made it without a little "fuel" boost.
Yesterday after almuerza the assistentes took us to a car dealer the bishop recommended and we looked at little (there´s that word again) cars within our price range. We test drove a VW and a Renault around the parking lot with the salesman inside, and got up to second gear, so we couldn´t tell much about the handling and ride. We liked the Renault better, it was bigger and more powerful, and the VW showed a lot more wear and engine dirt than the odometer showed. The Elder Acosta from Uruguay did all the negotiating for us and afterward said he learned that used car salesmen are not very honest. He said the salesman said that every car we showed interest in was the best car they had and would be the best deal we could every find. Today we may have found a car. Andres Toledo called the church fleet manager to see if he had any cars to sell. Not today, but in three or four weeks, a 2004 Toyota Wagon with about 90,000 kilometers (less than 60k miles) It´s more money than we started out wanting to pay, but we trust Toyota and the church, and think it would resell well in 17 months.
Yes, one month has already flown by, but who´s counting? You are? Count your blessings instead. OK?
Last week Mom noticed the grey returning to her temples and said."When we go to Lider today I´m buying a hair color and you are going to color my hair tomorrow." She did and I did!! Looks pretty good if I do say so myself, so does everyone she tells the story to (everyone, so far). We spent an hour studying the instructions in Spanish with our dictionary so she wouldn´t turn out bleached blonde or bright purple. We counted that as our p-day study time and I guess we understood it well enough. Another day another adventure. It never ends. We will probably soon begin piano lessons in this building where we have a place to keep the teclados (keyboards) and won´t have to carry them about. When we get a car we can be more mobile and start teaching in other places.
Time to go. Love to write to you, but talking is better and Skype better yet. Best of all will be when we can take you in our arms, kiss your faces, and squeeze you really, really hard.
CON MUCHO AMOR POR CADA DE USTEDES (don´t know if that´s proper Spanish, but you get the idea. We love you, all.
MOM AND DAD
We love and miss you and miss skyping, but we hope to be able to this weekend, maybe Saturday or Sunday night. The Pres. has offered to loan or give us an extra laptop he brought. (He didn´t know until yesterday that ours disappeared from his office.) I t is about five years old and we don´t know if it has a built in camera, but maybe we can talk and text until we can get one. We may call you from his house when we are there for dinner Sat eve. Hope, hope, hope. We want to hear your heavenly voices and see your angelic faces. Booo hooo hooo. Real tears.
I don´t remember where email 5 ended so we may repeat or leave out some things. Please forgive. Our life is a little disjointed right now. We are well and happy and rested. We are allowed rest time the younger missionaries don´t get, so we take advantage of it and are pacing ourselves pretty good. BUT… a big change is in the wind. Don´t tell anyone, but the Stake Pres ( Kevin- Nuñez, our friend) has asked the mission pres and the mission pres has asked Dad to serve in the branch presidency as a silent (non-Spanish speaking) counselor. It´s a mission assignment, not a sustained & set apart calling, but they will probably do that anyway unless someone is there telling them NO. It won´t be announced until Sun. but I think it´s ok to tell my family. Just don´t share this till I say so. That will mean more trips to the church (need a car) and accelerated need to learn Spanish.
Everyone is trying to teach us and it helps. When we are in the car with the elders, waiting for someone to open the church or turn on the lights, or at choir practice or conversation with members, they each add a little to our understanding. If we could just remember it. Today Mom was thrilled to remember and say some things she had been learning. Awesome! She is trying hard and doing well with it, but doesn´t give herself enough credit. She is in the bodega (storeroom) studying as I write. I´m trying too and making slow progress. Yesterday and today we had dinner (midday meal) appointments and got to try our Spanish in a non-important environment. It was probably the best practice we´ve had. We ate with a bishop and his wife yesterday with some other elders. They do food catering from their home and backyard. They make the most delicious Chilean food and sell it to companies having meetings, parties, etc. She delivers it in a little (read minivan) old yellow school bus she bought with her "cookie money" They fed us a feast of barbequed beefsteak, chicken, chorizzo, hotdogs, with pan (homemade rolls), corn, salad, big brown beans, and a popular dessert made with dried peaches and boiled wheat called mote con huesillos. After choir at the branch they gave it to us again. It was sort of good, but twice a day was too much. It felt like it was still growing when we got home.
Today Kevin´s friend/companion/Bianca´s father/mission pres counselor, who has taken us under his wing and is very helpful, to the point of embarrassment, took us to a fancy Chinese restaurant for lunch. It was the best Chinese food I´ve eaten bar none. On this street there are four big Chinese restaurants within a block on the same side of the street competing for the trade. Brother Toledo eats out almost every day with his job and KNOWS THE BEST places to eat all over central Chile. At both dinners we had about two hours of conversation with Spanish and English mixed. Bro. Toledo doesn´t speak fluently, but we could each help each other and it worked just fine. The Bishop´s wife has an old organ in her (little) house and told Mom she would trade Spanish lessons for piano lessons. She invited us to come for lunch (Almuerzo) every Wednesday, but we won´t be able to go every week, and it won´t be such a feast. They are still celebrating the bicenntennial with carne asada (barbqued meat), but that will wear off soon. We haven´t eaten all the groceries we got last week in the taxi.
We are eating lots of ice cream (helado shops everywhere!), so we may not lose any more weight, although mom tried on a skirt this morning that fell off. Not a bad thing. We´re certainly not emaciated. When we get some photos sent you´ll see. Today when we went for the mail we forgot to take our little folding grocery buggy and had to carry back 6 packages and the mail. Two of them were the size of the one Beth sent. Heavy!. We HAD TO stop at McDonald´s for a conovanilla (figure this one out yourselves). We wouldn´t have made it without a little "fuel" boost.
Yesterday after almuerza the assistentes took us to a car dealer the bishop recommended and we looked at little (there´s that word again) cars within our price range. We test drove a VW and a Renault around the parking lot with the salesman inside, and got up to second gear, so we couldn´t tell much about the handling and ride. We liked the Renault better, it was bigger and more powerful, and the VW showed a lot more wear and engine dirt than the odometer showed. The Elder Acosta from Uruguay did all the negotiating for us and afterward said he learned that used car salesmen are not very honest. He said the salesman said that every car we showed interest in was the best car they had and would be the best deal we could every find. Today we may have found a car. Andres Toledo called the church fleet manager to see if he had any cars to sell. Not today, but in three or four weeks, a 2004 Toyota Wagon with about 90,000 kilometers (less than 60k miles) It´s more money than we started out wanting to pay, but we trust Toyota and the church, and think it would resell well in 17 months.
Yes, one month has already flown by, but who´s counting? You are? Count your blessings instead. OK?
Last week Mom noticed the grey returning to her temples and said."When we go to Lider today I´m buying a hair color and you are going to color my hair tomorrow." She did and I did!! Looks pretty good if I do say so myself, so does everyone she tells the story to (everyone, so far). We spent an hour studying the instructions in Spanish with our dictionary so she wouldn´t turn out bleached blonde or bright purple. We counted that as our p-day study time and I guess we understood it well enough. Another day another adventure. It never ends. We will probably soon begin piano lessons in this building where we have a place to keep the teclados (keyboards) and won´t have to carry them about. When we get a car we can be more mobile and start teaching in other places.
Time to go. Love to write to you, but talking is better and Skype better yet. Best of all will be when we can take you in our arms, kiss your faces, and squeeze you really, really hard.
CON MUCHO AMOR POR CADA DE USTEDES (don´t know if that´s proper Spanish, but you get the idea. We love you, all.
MOM AND DAD
Monday, September 20, 2010
September 20, 2010
Hey all,
We have a few minutes on the office computer while the elders are gone to lunch. We miss our computer and Skype!!! We’re still bummed.... No news and not much sympathy from anyone. We have fotos we want to send. The bicenntennial was fun. We went to the branch Fri for barbeque, music, dancing, etc. We both danced the queca (handkerchief dance). They danced for over an hour. We for about three minutes. There were about 50 people and two cars at the church. They walk or ride the bus. The elders dropped us off, but we have used the taxi a few times this week. Tonite, we may take the metro train into the area office for a meeting and home evening with other missionary couples--or not. Stores are still closed, fourth day of holiday. It´s a national vacation without leaving home. Most people celebrate in their yards with friends and family. You must cook over charcoal, and drink a lot (coke Zero for us). Going all out means putting up a flag, eating, drinking, and sleeping. Each Sunday we understand a little more of the talks, lessons, and conversations. We are making friends and remembering a few names. They are really nice to us and carry on conversations with us as if we could understand what they are saying. We nod and say si. It doesn´t do to ask questions. We don´t understand the answers, but they seem to understand much of what we try to say, so I guess that´s progress. Once in a while we meet a Chilean returned missionary and most of them learned English on their missions. Sunday a BYU grad spoke with us in perfect English. Another of Kevin´s mish comps came to see us yesterday while he was in town to celebrate and go to the temple. That’s three companions and two other missionaries who knew him. He paved the way for us.
Our trainer leaves next Tues. so we have one more run to learn the pouch routes and all the ordering and record keeping. We don’t think he is being replaced in the office. We hear that all the office elders will soon be replaced by a couple serving their third mission. We’ll miss these young men. They are the greatest. The church is in good hands. The weather is warming. Trees are in bloom and starting to leaf out. On a clear day (read--no smog--rare) the Andes mountains are majestic, snow capped, and run as far north and south as you can see and hundreds of miles farther.
We are working with the branch choir. Not many and not much experience. BJ has BP singing a duet Sun for branch conference. Nothing has changed. BJ has given some small piano lessons to missionaries, but without a car to carry the keyboards and tables and stuff we are pretty much stuck at home as far as the piano mission goes. We´ve only been here three weeks, but hope to get started soon. That sounds like a fun way to do missionary work. We’re going to some car dealers tomorrow with the assistantes. Keep your eyes open for us. Cars are smaller--everything is smaller--and fewer. Half the cars on the road are taxis.
Mom will miss being with her girls for the women´s broadcast and Dad will miss ice cream after p-hood meeting with his boys. Happy birthday to Beth, Emmy, Hilton, and Sophie this week. No bad news this week. We hope that is all behind us. We are well and happy. Challenged and tired.
luv ya luv ya
Mom & Dad
We have a few minutes on the office computer while the elders are gone to lunch. We miss our computer and Skype!!! We’re still bummed.... No news and not much sympathy from anyone. We have fotos we want to send. The bicenntennial was fun. We went to the branch Fri for barbeque, music, dancing, etc. We both danced the queca (handkerchief dance). They danced for over an hour. We for about three minutes. There were about 50 people and two cars at the church. They walk or ride the bus. The elders dropped us off, but we have used the taxi a few times this week. Tonite, we may take the metro train into the area office for a meeting and home evening with other missionary couples--or not. Stores are still closed, fourth day of holiday. It´s a national vacation without leaving home. Most people celebrate in their yards with friends and family. You must cook over charcoal, and drink a lot (coke Zero for us). Going all out means putting up a flag, eating, drinking, and sleeping. Each Sunday we understand a little more of the talks, lessons, and conversations. We are making friends and remembering a few names. They are really nice to us and carry on conversations with us as if we could understand what they are saying. We nod and say si. It doesn´t do to ask questions. We don´t understand the answers, but they seem to understand much of what we try to say, so I guess that´s progress. Once in a while we meet a Chilean returned missionary and most of them learned English on their missions. Sunday a BYU grad spoke with us in perfect English. Another of Kevin´s mish comps came to see us yesterday while he was in town to celebrate and go to the temple. That’s three companions and two other missionaries who knew him. He paved the way for us.
Our trainer leaves next Tues. so we have one more run to learn the pouch routes and all the ordering and record keeping. We don’t think he is being replaced in the office. We hear that all the office elders will soon be replaced by a couple serving their third mission. We’ll miss these young men. They are the greatest. The church is in good hands. The weather is warming. Trees are in bloom and starting to leaf out. On a clear day (read--no smog--rare) the Andes mountains are majestic, snow capped, and run as far north and south as you can see and hundreds of miles farther.
We are working with the branch choir. Not many and not much experience. BJ has BP singing a duet Sun for branch conference. Nothing has changed. BJ has given some small piano lessons to missionaries, but without a car to carry the keyboards and tables and stuff we are pretty much stuck at home as far as the piano mission goes. We´ve only been here three weeks, but hope to get started soon. That sounds like a fun way to do missionary work. We’re going to some car dealers tomorrow with the assistantes. Keep your eyes open for us. Cars are smaller--everything is smaller--and fewer. Half the cars on the road are taxis.
Mom will miss being with her girls for the women´s broadcast and Dad will miss ice cream after p-hood meeting with his boys. Happy birthday to Beth, Emmy, Hilton, and Sophie this week. No bad news this week. We hope that is all behind us. We are well and happy. Challenged and tired.
luv ya luv ya
Mom & Dad
Thursday, September 16, 2010
September 16, 2010
Good News and Bad News!!
Good news: we are well, our apartment is ok the mission office is ok, but---
Bad News: last night between 8 and 10 pm while two elders were working in their office and some kids were playing futbol in the church parking lot someone apparently walked in from outside went into the president's unlocked office and took our computer--nothing else, they even left the power cord and mouse, just unplugged them and skeedaddled. I don’t know if they can use it with a Chilean cord. They may blow it up trying. We have posted a reward. Kevin says appeal to their goodness. The mission office is at the rear of the stake center and is unlocked when someone is here, and the president´s office is always locked, but someone misplaced the key to his office yesterday. This was a crime of opportunity by someone who knew the routine, and the goods have already been sold on the street several times. (Law and Order de Santiago: no use calling the police, ask the members). Most likely we´ll never see it again. I just hope it wasn´t a church member, but if it was, kids brag and talk, and the truth will out eventually, with or without recovering the Toshiba.
All is not lost. photos are still on the camera or the external hard drive (thanks Beth) all passwords have been changed (thanks Kevin & Beth); banks and visas are ok no overnight activity. We lost our musica and spanish lessons and a few documents. AND three weekends of work by Beth to download and organize everything. We still have the spanish and music on our i-thing, and will now use it more for study and entertainment—haven’t found anywhere with wifi. We can replace everything over time. We may not be able to Skype for a while. They don't allow it here, but the Pres has it at his home and we are going there for dinner on Sat., 25 Sept. Maybe then. We still have our gmail account and can use the office computadora when no one else is on, and they are in and out of the office all day and night, so we´ll keep up the emails. They may be short and sweet and more frequent.
Is everybody OK so far? Relax and take a deep breath, say a little prayer of thanks, and life goes on.
Don´t know how much longer I´ll have on the computer, so this may be the end. . . or not. . .
This afternoon we have to do our shopping because EVERYTHING will be closed for the next four days for the bicentennial. What do missionaries do during a four day holiday? Missionary work of course--life goes on, right? But there will be no mail and the correos de chile will be closed too so the pouch plan is up in the air for next week, and nothing for us to sort and prepare until Tues. Besides all the personal mail and packages we handle mail and orders to and from the area office in the city center where we have to go in person each week, all the office correspondence to missionaries, all reports, bills, reimbursement requests and payments, all requests for and deliveries of supplies like el libro de mormon, passalong cards, folletos (pamphlets)--everything essential to missionary work that can´t be sent by email in a minute on Monday after writing home. They only get half an hour on line once a week on p-day, unlike us.
This keyboard is different from ours in evy way but letters and numbers. _All the auxilary keys are in different places or in spanish, so if you see{ ñ +¿ strange things understand it takes a lot of concentration and editing, which
Also on Wed night we went to branch choir practice. WOW! no one was there when the elders dropped us off and the gate was locked. after a while one 14 year old girl spoke about as much enlgish as we do spanishñ, hte light swith is lockin in the sacrament closet and no had akey unttil the president came, the music they wante to sing was recorded on a cell pone by a popular chur h singer who dhoesn{t aollow the hymn boolk verson.
That{s all foljkds, -w{re going shoopíng and home.. a cab to the store and a cabv home about $5 each ride. no choice until we learn the bus routs or get a car. the assistantes found several online last night they are calling for us. the one we like best is inantofogasta, athousand miles or oree north.
LUV TO ALL CAIO!!!
emmie or beth or anyone if you find If You Could Hie to Kolob and Come Thou Font of Every Blessing in Spanish, would you please email it¿ thanks mom
Editor’s note: Part of this email was purposely not edited. Also, a new computer has been secured, prepared and will be on its way after General Conference weekend. Thank you to everyone involved in making this happen.
Good news: we are well, our apartment is ok the mission office is ok, but---
Bad News: last night between 8 and 10 pm while two elders were working in their office and some kids were playing futbol in the church parking lot someone apparently walked in from outside went into the president's unlocked office and took our computer--nothing else, they even left the power cord and mouse, just unplugged them and skeedaddled. I don’t know if they can use it with a Chilean cord. They may blow it up trying. We have posted a reward. Kevin says appeal to their goodness. The mission office is at the rear of the stake center and is unlocked when someone is here, and the president´s office is always locked, but someone misplaced the key to his office yesterday. This was a crime of opportunity by someone who knew the routine, and the goods have already been sold on the street several times. (Law and Order de Santiago: no use calling the police, ask the members). Most likely we´ll never see it again. I just hope it wasn´t a church member, but if it was, kids brag and talk, and the truth will out eventually, with or without recovering the Toshiba.
All is not lost. photos are still on the camera or the external hard drive (thanks Beth) all passwords have been changed (thanks Kevin & Beth); banks and visas are ok no overnight activity. We lost our musica and spanish lessons and a few documents. AND three weekends of work by Beth to download and organize everything. We still have the spanish and music on our i-thing, and will now use it more for study and entertainment—haven’t found anywhere with wifi. We can replace everything over time. We may not be able to Skype for a while. They don't allow it here, but the Pres has it at his home and we are going there for dinner on Sat., 25 Sept. Maybe then. We still have our gmail account and can use the office computadora when no one else is on, and they are in and out of the office all day and night, so we´ll keep up the emails. They may be short and sweet and more frequent.
Is everybody OK so far? Relax and take a deep breath, say a little prayer of thanks, and life goes on.
Don´t know how much longer I´ll have on the computer, so this may be the end. . . or not. . .
This afternoon we have to do our shopping because EVERYTHING will be closed for the next four days for the bicentennial. What do missionaries do during a four day holiday? Missionary work of course--life goes on, right? But there will be no mail and the correos de chile will be closed too so the pouch plan is up in the air for next week, and nothing for us to sort and prepare until Tues. Besides all the personal mail and packages we handle mail and orders to and from the area office in the city center where we have to go in person each week, all the office correspondence to missionaries, all reports, bills, reimbursement requests and payments, all requests for and deliveries of supplies like el libro de mormon, passalong cards, folletos (pamphlets)--everything essential to missionary work that can´t be sent by email in a minute on Monday after writing home. They only get half an hour on line once a week on p-day, unlike us.
This keyboard is different from ours in evy way but letters and numbers. _All the auxilary keys are in different places or in spanish, so if you see{ ñ +¿ strange things understand it takes a lot of concentration and editing, which
Also on Wed night we went to branch choir practice. WOW! no one was there when the elders dropped us off and the gate was locked. after a while one 14 year old girl spoke about as much enlgish as we do spanishñ, hte light swith is lockin in the sacrament closet and no had akey unttil the president came, the music they wante to sing was recorded on a cell pone by a popular chur h singer who dhoesn{t aollow the hymn boolk verson.
That{s all foljkds, -w{re going shoopíng and home.. a cab to the store and a cabv home about $5 each ride. no choice until we learn the bus routs or get a car. the assistantes found several online last night they are calling for us. the one we like best is inantofogasta, athousand miles or oree north.
LUV TO ALL CAIO!!!
emmie or beth or anyone if you find If You Could Hie to Kolob and Come Thou Font of Every Blessing in Spanish, would you please email it¿ thanks mom
Editor’s note: Part of this email was purposely not edited. Also, a new computer has been secured, prepared and will be on its way after General Conference weekend. Thank you to everyone involved in making this happen.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
September 15, 2010
It is Saturday nite and we've come from the Cerillos Stake bicentennial celebration and had a bite to eat--our own version of empanadas—cheese and ham in a flour tortilla and pan fried. BJ told the office elders she would have them for an all you can eat pancake party, so they called to see if she would do it tonight. Not. We are in our pjs and it's too short notice, so they came down and borrowed our 'machine of waffles' and we gave them some syrup. They can't go out tonight because of some rowdy political holiday that sometimes turns ugly and can be dangerous. It's also not a good day to be a norteamericano on the streets in Chile.
It was p-day for us; we did laundry and language and lounging: L-day. No drawers in the kitchen, but our dryer worked wonderfully and no more washer floods. I put up a mirror on a concrete wall and burned up the President's nice Milwaukee 18 volt drill in the process. Have to replace it. Hope I can find equivalent. I hate when that happens.
The cultural event was wonderful. A man from our branch saved us center second row seats, and we met lots of people who were very kind and friendly. Only problem—I came hungry thinking they were having food. They weren't. That's next week. It was a stage show of Chilean dances from different parts of the country similar to the gigantic show Kevin and I saw the night before the Santiago Temple dedication. Each ward and our branch (which is about 2 active priesthood holders short of being a ward—I think that's going to be our job) did a different dance with beautiful native costumes, music and much enthusiasm. One ward wrote and choreographed an original dance honoring the underground miners. We don't get the news (no TV) but understand there is a group of miners trapped who might not get out for three or four more months. One man spoke English and explained where the dances were from. One was kind of Hawaiian or Polynesian from the Easter Islands where there is a branch; also a branch on Robinson Crusoe Island, but the building there got washed away in the earthquake/tsunami. There was a good crowd and I got a lot of photos. I'll send a few, now that I found out how. This was a very pleasant, relaxed day.
Kevin, we met Hermana Venegas. She is as striking as I saw through the little classroom window last Sunday. Turns out you know her too. She was a sister missionary when you and Sergio were companions. In fact, they say it was you who introduced them. Nothing romantic right away, but they kept an eye on each other—you'll have to get the rest of the story from them. They have four boys. One is on a mission in Columbia; one returned. We've heard she has/had cancer. We'll send photos.
Man, this church is getting smaller by the day. Another guy had on a Utah State sweatshirt he got from a missionary companion. I am amazed at how many returned missionaries we have met. No wonder the church is so strong in Chile. Lots of our missionaries are from other places in Chile. It's cool. We commented that the program was pure Chilean—no exported Utah or US culture even hinted. They stand on their own feet.
Sunday 9/12 3++ pm
Home cooking spaghetti—enough for the elders if they come by; they usually do. (They did, about 10pm; we fed six of them. Getting more like Sunday dinner at home.) At church Mom played, we understood a few more words, lots of people visited with us, I got air kissed by a couple of women before they realized I was a missionary, Brother Venegas introduced us to a used car dealer/member who says he can find us a car-no problema, a 12 year old was sustained ordained and passed the sacrament all within 5 minutes-he was all smiles when he came to my row.
The assistantes hurried us off to their ward for another baptism, two young teens-boy and girl-whose parents are not yet baptized but were beaming and weeping when their kids bore their testimonies. We didn't understand the words but the spirit was loud and clear. Mom played again, and for the three hymns three different people led. No pianists but lots of leaders. At the font the ward mission leader loudly announced, in a sports announcer's voice, who was being baptized and by whom. Little full color invitations from a print shop. It is a big event. Refreshments after—2” pieces of sweet bread, a cookie and half a cup of yellow soft drink one missionary called Peruvian CocaCola. Good. A sister who seems to have adopted Mom and whose daughter speaks English from her mission, hurried us out of the chapel to get some before they were gone. They were gone in short order.
BJ's famous spaghetti was delicious, the cake too, and the salad was fresh and crispy, but the tomatoes have thick hard skins, hard to slice and bite. 'Splain it to me. Our garbage goes down a chute outside our door. I just stepped out and winter hit me in the face. Long thermals are in order tomorrow.
Being together 24/7 is a new homemaking experience for me. Instead of mowing, trimming and blowing, I am side by side with my companion cooking, washing dishes and laundry, making the bed, etc. It's nice. We're getting along well. Haven't had a cross word since we left home. I did get on her nerves once (or twice) in Utah, but I love my companion and hope she doesn't get transferred. We're enjoying some personal missionary blessings. It seems I do all the writing. She doesn't sit at the computer very much. We are using the music and Spanish lessons Beth downloaded for us and tomorrow we are to speak with the concierge about getting internet. I think the building is wired for it.
This week we are going to try taxiing to our branch choir practice and bicentennial celebration and grocery shopping. Let you know how that goes.
It was p-day for us; we did laundry and language and lounging: L-day. No drawers in the kitchen, but our dryer worked wonderfully and no more washer floods. I put up a mirror on a concrete wall and burned up the President's nice Milwaukee 18 volt drill in the process. Have to replace it. Hope I can find equivalent. I hate when that happens.
The cultural event was wonderful. A man from our branch saved us center second row seats, and we met lots of people who were very kind and friendly. Only problem—I came hungry thinking they were having food. They weren't. That's next week. It was a stage show of Chilean dances from different parts of the country similar to the gigantic show Kevin and I saw the night before the Santiago Temple dedication. Each ward and our branch (which is about 2 active priesthood holders short of being a ward—I think that's going to be our job) did a different dance with beautiful native costumes, music and much enthusiasm. One ward wrote and choreographed an original dance honoring the underground miners. We don't get the news (no TV) but understand there is a group of miners trapped who might not get out for three or four more months. One man spoke English and explained where the dances were from. One was kind of Hawaiian or Polynesian from the Easter Islands where there is a branch; also a branch on Robinson Crusoe Island, but the building there got washed away in the earthquake/tsunami. There was a good crowd and I got a lot of photos. I'll send a few, now that I found out how. This was a very pleasant, relaxed day.
Kevin, we met Hermana Venegas. She is as striking as I saw through the little classroom window last Sunday. Turns out you know her too. She was a sister missionary when you and Sergio were companions. In fact, they say it was you who introduced them. Nothing romantic right away, but they kept an eye on each other—you'll have to get the rest of the story from them. They have four boys. One is on a mission in Columbia; one returned. We've heard she has/had cancer. We'll send photos.
Man, this church is getting smaller by the day. Another guy had on a Utah State sweatshirt he got from a missionary companion. I am amazed at how many returned missionaries we have met. No wonder the church is so strong in Chile. Lots of our missionaries are from other places in Chile. It's cool. We commented that the program was pure Chilean—no exported Utah or US culture even hinted. They stand on their own feet.
Sunday 9/12 3++ pm
Home cooking spaghetti—enough for the elders if they come by; they usually do. (They did, about 10pm; we fed six of them. Getting more like Sunday dinner at home.) At church Mom played, we understood a few more words, lots of people visited with us, I got air kissed by a couple of women before they realized I was a missionary, Brother Venegas introduced us to a used car dealer/member who says he can find us a car-no problema, a 12 year old was sustained ordained and passed the sacrament all within 5 minutes-he was all smiles when he came to my row.
The assistantes hurried us off to their ward for another baptism, two young teens-boy and girl-whose parents are not yet baptized but were beaming and weeping when their kids bore their testimonies. We didn't understand the words but the spirit was loud and clear. Mom played again, and for the three hymns three different people led. No pianists but lots of leaders. At the font the ward mission leader loudly announced, in a sports announcer's voice, who was being baptized and by whom. Little full color invitations from a print shop. It is a big event. Refreshments after—2” pieces of sweet bread, a cookie and half a cup of yellow soft drink one missionary called Peruvian CocaCola. Good. A sister who seems to have adopted Mom and whose daughter speaks English from her mission, hurried us out of the chapel to get some before they were gone. They were gone in short order.
BJ's famous spaghetti was delicious, the cake too, and the salad was fresh and crispy, but the tomatoes have thick hard skins, hard to slice and bite. 'Splain it to me. Our garbage goes down a chute outside our door. I just stepped out and winter hit me in the face. Long thermals are in order tomorrow.
Being together 24/7 is a new homemaking experience for me. Instead of mowing, trimming and blowing, I am side by side with my companion cooking, washing dishes and laundry, making the bed, etc. It's nice. We're getting along well. Haven't had a cross word since we left home. I did get on her nerves once (or twice) in Utah, but I love my companion and hope she doesn't get transferred. We're enjoying some personal missionary blessings. It seems I do all the writing. She doesn't sit at the computer very much. We are using the music and Spanish lessons Beth downloaded for us and tomorrow we are to speak with the concierge about getting internet. I think the building is wired for it.
This week we are going to try taxiing to our branch choir practice and bicentennial celebration and grocery shopping. Let you know how that goes.
Friday, September 10, 2010
September 10, 2010
Hola Familia Estimada!!
Here is a rundown of the last few days. WE are well and happy and tired, not discouraged, but challenged and learning. On Monday we learned how to prepare the pouch mail, like sorting into post office boxes made of cardboard on shelves in the bodega (store room)
Eat your hearts out you non Skypers. We just spent an hour on Skype with Em. Kev, Cindy, Lindsey, and Beth. Much of the time on a 5 way conference call. Get Skype free from the sky. If you don't have a camera we can do talk only, or text. It's good to hear live voices of the ones we love. We'd love to hear and see all y'all!
Anyway, Tues we got an early start and went to the coast with the mail. We carry about a dozen black gym bags (pouches) with mail, packages, stuff missionaries send each other, stuff missionaries order from the office or the distribution center ( called the AMM which stands for Mutual Improvement Association (MIA) store; funny, don't know why. I asked a young missionary and he had never even heard of MIA or YMMIA or YWMIA. Check your church history young'uns.).
Several times a week we go the post office, about half a mile walk,, and get the mail and packages from home. We know how much it costs to send packages because we see the labels, so, be prudent. We can actually get just about anything here that we need.
Elder Callis, great grandson of Charles A. Callis, long time Southern States Mission President in Cannie and Sadie's Forsyth's day, drove and is teaching us the routes and routines. We deliver the pouches to ward buildings where the missionaries are having zone conferences. They leave last week's pouch outside the chapel door with any outgoing mail in it. We pick it up and leave ours. Sometimes we got to meet the missionaries, sometimes it was pony express style, pick up and drop in a few seconds. After delivering the pouches to Panaflor,Talagante, and Maipu, we drove about two hours on a freeway to Cartagena on the coast near San Antonio. Beautiful hilly farmy country side. Foggy day on the coast so we couldn't see the ocean. No photos this day.. . . .more later. Then on the way back a stop in Melipilla (where we once thought we would be living). Total about 5 hours. When we do it alone it may take longer, but we have to get to the buildings before their meetings are over, or we miss them and no mail gets exchanged until next week. Very pony express like. Close schedule, fast movement, no time to visit or sightsee until the mail is delivered. The pouch takes us most of three days and bits of others.
When we take it over by ourselves we will probably make some changes so Hermana Pack can teach piano on the way back. Another reason we had to hurry back is that the members feed the missionaries every weekday afternoon and they don't want to miss that. We have our first DA tomorrow night with Andres and Sandra Toledo. He is picking us up from work and bringing us back to our apartment. It's probably an hour's drive as we live on the far west side and he lives on the far east side of a very large city.
Tues. nite we were exhausted, had to get Wed's mail ready before leaving the office. So, Wednesday we did the same thing, but in the part of Santiago city that is in our mission. Not as many miles, but tangles of one way streets, congested traffic, stop lights. At one convoluted intersection, we could see at least a dozen stop lights for our direction, depending which way you were going. Lots of "roundabouts". Usually that is the only way you can turn left, or go around the block to the right, right, right, and across the street where you couldn't turn left. No right turns on red light except sometimes when a two way street turns into a one way. It's hard to explain; you pretty much have to be here. Then we got on three or four freeways, including an underground one and a stacked one. They drive fast and furiously, but with very few accidents.
Quite a contrast with the little towns of the campo (countryside) where we saw several horse drawn carts loaded with various stuff for farming, construction, for sale, or other. Country or city there are hundreds of street vendors on the sidewalk or roadside and hawkers at stoplights selling anything they can acquire, make, grow, ?steal?: a stack of shirts, a bag of rolls, candy, windshield washing, frutas, flags, scarves--you name it. In town there are on the dirt, flea markets called ferias sometimes extending for blocks, sometimes just a few people selling something, like cigarettes, candy, trinkets, cheap stuff. If you want to sell, you just stake out a claim where no one is already occupying and you are in business. In the small towns this is how business is done daily. Walk to the main street, buy your fruits, veggies, bread, etc for the day from a vendor, walk home and fix the big mid- day meal . We saw farm work done by tractor, horse, manual labor. Two men with backpack sprayers were walking up and down the furrows of a ten acre field spraying bugs or weeds. It’s planting time for some crops, beautiful black soil, orchards, vineyards, Villas and shacks. Tons of new subdivisions on the outskirts of big city and small town. New houses are generally all alike: two story, frame, two houses sharing on exterior wall (Siamese twin houses). Your own your half I own mine. You park on the right side of your house, I park on the left side of mine. Every property is fenced and gated, usually locked. In our neighborhood and many others, cars park on the strip between the street and the sidewalk, so vendors and pedestrians beware.
We had about a three hour layover at the Center -- a two block compound where is the temple, MTC, Stake Center, Distribution Center, Church offices for leaders, physical facilities, CES, welfare, etc. and apartments cheaply rented for families coming long distances to the temple. The grounds are beautiful and tranquilo. We didn't mind sitting in the warm early spring sun and watching, the temple goers, grounds workers, trying to name all the flowers and trees, and resting while we waited for our ride home.
Today our adventure revolved around the question: "Necesito un dentista. Donde es?" Got to make this short. The dryer repairman is going t meet us at 5. Anyway, I broke one of my plastic teeth off eating the delicious and crusty bread. I set it on the table and when I went to get after dinner it was gone. Did I pick it up and eat it with the bread crumbs? We'll never know. We hunted for an hour. Three days later I finally got to a dentist. It was an emergency…only for me I guess. The dentist didn't speak English so the elders walked us there, told her the problem and left us on our own. It didn't look like any dentist's office I've been in before, but 3 hours and 25,000 pesos later I have a shiny new tooth. Fifty bucks isn’t bad. It would cost twice that just to sit in the chair at home.
Today (Friday) they gave us the key and a letter of introduction so we can sign for packages and they're letting us go all by ourselves! We feel almost all grown up…spoke too soon. We got almost to the post office half a mile away and remembered that the key was in mom's purse back at the office. Yesterday and today we have spent at least half of every day walking. Several miles a day. I haven't walked this much cumulatively in three years. My hips are screaming, but we have to keep going. Mom's right knee hurts, but not like the left one did before surgery. We bought raison (pasas) from a little whole grain store with wooden bins, got 4x what we'd get at Lider for the same $$. Ate a delicious meal in a dark little crowded cafe/bar. Mom had a completo and I had a kind of philly cheese plate with two fried eggs on top and french fries. Muy delicioso.
Got to sent this as is. We've got to go. Love to all. Email again next week.
Elder and Hermana Grammy and Gramps
Here is a rundown of the last few days. WE are well and happy and tired, not discouraged, but challenged and learning. On Monday we learned how to prepare the pouch mail, like sorting into post office boxes made of cardboard on shelves in the bodega (store room)
Eat your hearts out you non Skypers. We just spent an hour on Skype with Em. Kev, Cindy, Lindsey, and Beth. Much of the time on a 5 way conference call. Get Skype free from the sky. If you don't have a camera we can do talk only, or text. It's good to hear live voices of the ones we love. We'd love to hear and see all y'all!
Anyway, Tues we got an early start and went to the coast with the mail. We carry about a dozen black gym bags (pouches) with mail, packages, stuff missionaries send each other, stuff missionaries order from the office or the distribution center ( called the AMM which stands for Mutual Improvement Association (MIA) store; funny, don't know why. I asked a young missionary and he had never even heard of MIA or YMMIA or YWMIA. Check your church history young'uns.).
Several times a week we go the post office, about half a mile walk,, and get the mail and packages from home. We know how much it costs to send packages because we see the labels, so, be prudent. We can actually get just about anything here that we need.
Elder Callis, great grandson of Charles A. Callis, long time Southern States Mission President in Cannie and Sadie's Forsyth's day, drove and is teaching us the routes and routines. We deliver the pouches to ward buildings where the missionaries are having zone conferences. They leave last week's pouch outside the chapel door with any outgoing mail in it. We pick it up and leave ours. Sometimes we got to meet the missionaries, sometimes it was pony express style, pick up and drop in a few seconds. After delivering the pouches to Panaflor,Talagante, and Maipu, we drove about two hours on a freeway to Cartagena on the coast near San Antonio. Beautiful hilly farmy country side. Foggy day on the coast so we couldn't see the ocean. No photos this day.. . . .more later. Then on the way back a stop in Melipilla (where we once thought we would be living). Total about 5 hours. When we do it alone it may take longer, but we have to get to the buildings before their meetings are over, or we miss them and no mail gets exchanged until next week. Very pony express like. Close schedule, fast movement, no time to visit or sightsee until the mail is delivered. The pouch takes us most of three days and bits of others.
When we take it over by ourselves we will probably make some changes so Hermana Pack can teach piano on the way back. Another reason we had to hurry back is that the members feed the missionaries every weekday afternoon and they don't want to miss that. We have our first DA tomorrow night with Andres and Sandra Toledo. He is picking us up from work and bringing us back to our apartment. It's probably an hour's drive as we live on the far west side and he lives on the far east side of a very large city.
Tues. nite we were exhausted, had to get Wed's mail ready before leaving the office. So, Wednesday we did the same thing, but in the part of Santiago city that is in our mission. Not as many miles, but tangles of one way streets, congested traffic, stop lights. At one convoluted intersection, we could see at least a dozen stop lights for our direction, depending which way you were going. Lots of "roundabouts". Usually that is the only way you can turn left, or go around the block to the right, right, right, and across the street where you couldn't turn left. No right turns on red light except sometimes when a two way street turns into a one way. It's hard to explain; you pretty much have to be here. Then we got on three or four freeways, including an underground one and a stacked one. They drive fast and furiously, but with very few accidents.
Quite a contrast with the little towns of the campo (countryside) where we saw several horse drawn carts loaded with various stuff for farming, construction, for sale, or other. Country or city there are hundreds of street vendors on the sidewalk or roadside and hawkers at stoplights selling anything they can acquire, make, grow, ?steal?: a stack of shirts, a bag of rolls, candy, windshield washing, frutas, flags, scarves--you name it. In town there are on the dirt, flea markets called ferias sometimes extending for blocks, sometimes just a few people selling something, like cigarettes, candy, trinkets, cheap stuff. If you want to sell, you just stake out a claim where no one is already occupying and you are in business. In the small towns this is how business is done daily. Walk to the main street, buy your fruits, veggies, bread, etc for the day from a vendor, walk home and fix the big mid- day meal . We saw farm work done by tractor, horse, manual labor. Two men with backpack sprayers were walking up and down the furrows of a ten acre field spraying bugs or weeds. It’s planting time for some crops, beautiful black soil, orchards, vineyards, Villas and shacks. Tons of new subdivisions on the outskirts of big city and small town. New houses are generally all alike: two story, frame, two houses sharing on exterior wall (Siamese twin houses). Your own your half I own mine. You park on the right side of your house, I park on the left side of mine. Every property is fenced and gated, usually locked. In our neighborhood and many others, cars park on the strip between the street and the sidewalk, so vendors and pedestrians beware.
We had about a three hour layover at the Center -- a two block compound where is the temple, MTC, Stake Center, Distribution Center, Church offices for leaders, physical facilities, CES, welfare, etc. and apartments cheaply rented for families coming long distances to the temple. The grounds are beautiful and tranquilo. We didn't mind sitting in the warm early spring sun and watching, the temple goers, grounds workers, trying to name all the flowers and trees, and resting while we waited for our ride home.
Today our adventure revolved around the question: "Necesito un dentista. Donde es?" Got to make this short. The dryer repairman is going t meet us at 5. Anyway, I broke one of my plastic teeth off eating the delicious and crusty bread. I set it on the table and when I went to get after dinner it was gone. Did I pick it up and eat it with the bread crumbs? We'll never know. We hunted for an hour. Three days later I finally got to a dentist. It was an emergency…only for me I guess. The dentist didn't speak English so the elders walked us there, told her the problem and left us on our own. It didn't look like any dentist's office I've been in before, but 3 hours and 25,000 pesos later I have a shiny new tooth. Fifty bucks isn’t bad. It would cost twice that just to sit in the chair at home.
Today (Friday) they gave us the key and a letter of introduction so we can sign for packages and they're letting us go all by ourselves! We feel almost all grown up…spoke too soon. We got almost to the post office half a mile away and remembered that the key was in mom's purse back at the office. Yesterday and today we have spent at least half of every day walking. Several miles a day. I haven't walked this much cumulatively in three years. My hips are screaming, but we have to keep going. Mom's right knee hurts, but not like the left one did before surgery. We bought raison (pasas) from a little whole grain store with wooden bins, got 4x what we'd get at Lider for the same $$. Ate a delicious meal in a dark little crowded cafe/bar. Mom had a completo and I had a kind of philly cheese plate with two fried eggs on top and french fries. Muy delicioso.
Got to sent this as is. We've got to go. Love to all. Email again next week.
Elder and Hermana Grammy and Gramps
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
September 7, 2010
Hey ya'll loves,
Just returned from delivering pouch mail (with an elder who drives FAST) and the campr (countryside) is beautiful. So different from the city where we live. Elder Callis (the pouch mail man) is teaching us how for the next several weeks. Our computer is at the mission office where we can email almost at will when we are there. Loved the emails we got today. We love you dearly, dearly and do appreciate your love and support. We REALLY need a car. Don't know how soon, but hope sooner than later. Only three cars in the mission of 160 some missionaries. We have to impose on the office elders to go anywhere we can't walk.
Keep the prayers coming for the gift of tongues. We need it. I'm calming down a bit and can greet and say some things. Every day gets a little better. Dad and I are wanting to speak better and more, but hopefully it will come.
Kiss to our dear family,
Mom
From Dad:
More later. We have to walk home, have lunch, catch a cab to the "Home Depot" type store, buy groceries and cab back home, then be at the office at six to prepare tomorrow's pouches.
Love always,
Dad
Just returned from delivering pouch mail (with an elder who drives FAST) and the campr (countryside) is beautiful. So different from the city where we live. Elder Callis (the pouch mail man) is teaching us how for the next several weeks. Our computer is at the mission office where we can email almost at will when we are there. Loved the emails we got today. We love you dearly, dearly and do appreciate your love and support. We REALLY need a car. Don't know how soon, but hope sooner than later. Only three cars in the mission of 160 some missionaries. We have to impose on the office elders to go anywhere we can't walk.
Keep the prayers coming for the gift of tongues. We need it. I'm calming down a bit and can greet and say some things. Every day gets a little better. Dad and I are wanting to speak better and more, but hopefully it will come.
Kiss to our dear family,
Mom
From Dad:
More later. We have to walk home, have lunch, catch a cab to the "Home Depot" type store, buy groceries and cab back home, then be at the office at six to prepare tomorrow's pouches.
Love always,
Dad
Friday, September 3, 2010
September 3, 2010
Dear everybody we love in los Estados Unidos!!!
It is Thursday night, our third day in Chile, and this is the first time we've turned on the computer, but we have no internet connection, so we'll draft this tonight and send it tomorrow from the mission office.
Today the Pres. gave us all day to unpack, clean, put away, put up towel bars, curtain rods, etc. We've worked hard and almost have it done (ten suitcases is a LOT of stuff, plus a ton of household stuff they got out of storage for us) and tomorrow we will probably start working in the office. More about our neat little apartment, but let's start at the beginning.
We met a woman in Dallas who was going to Chile, and with some of our three hour layover we did our first missionary work. She knows Mormons in California and knew about wards, and temples, and such, so we had a nice conversation about her exposure (all good) and our mission, and before we boarded we gave her a pass-along card and invited her to find a ward and come to church or call the toll free number. It was sweet and natural.
We didn't sleep much on the plane from Dallas, but we had an empty seat between us which was nice. They fed us supper and breakfast and were very helpful. It was a wide body jet with 8 seats across, tvs in the ceiling, free movies, etc. We were three pounds over on one of our big bags, but under on the smaller ones, so they let us pass without extra $$. Our third bags were $100 each. When we landed Mom and I got separated at the passport windows; she had to go somewhere else and pay her entry fee; I had already paid mine when I came with Kevin. It was anxious time for a few minutes. Finally we found each other and headed to customs when someone told us to look up at the catwalk. There was our Mission President and Sister King and our Chilean friend Andres, waving to us. What a sight for sore-tired eyes. The airport guys helping us with our ten bags on two carts bypassed customs and we were free to move about the country, no questions asked.
Pres. and Sis King drove us around the city a little, showed us a view from San Cristobol Hill, let us nap an hour, fed us and took us to see our apartment, the mission office, and meet the office elders and the Asistentes. We stayed the night in their very nice mission home (fotos will follow as soon as I teach my computer to talk to my camera) with meals prepared by Emilia, who has been the domestic help for now four mission presidents.
Yesterday (Wed) we measured and shopped for drapery rods, towel bars, etc. and started sorting through stuff and cleaning. Pres. King and Blair went to Sodimax Homecenter (think Home Depot) to get plumbing and gas parts for the stove and washer (YES!!), but we can't get the dryer to heat (Boo). May have to buy one, but all other appliances (microwave, but no dishwasher) work great. It's a small three bedroom-two bath ,clean, neat, newer, carpeted, first floor, unheated and not cooled (actually it's very cool right now) but with an instant water heater like Beth and Ronnie have. Plenty of HOT water. It is about 600 ft. half the size of the barn apartment, just big enough for the two of us and some guests. Actually, we have seating for twelve; beds for four extra, plus floor space.
(Mom just said "I’m tired of hanging up clothes; I wish I hadn't brought so many.") I'm sure neither of us will need all we brought, but who knew? We'll have a lot to give away. I gave about two dozen white shirts and ties to the bodega (mission storeroom) for the asistantes to give to Latino (or otherwise) missionaries who need them. They thought it was a great idea and were very thankful. They also complimented my español. Elder Simmons, from Bountiful, said I spoke better than many of the elders who come from the MTC. I'm feelin' good right now; just wait 'till tomorrow when we actually go to work for the first time. The missionaries we've met so far, here, at the MTC, in airports, are just amazing. We have a lot to learn, but we have the best teachers in the world, including the Holy Ghost. We've had his witness in our hearts many times already. Can't imagine what lies ahead. Can't wait to get to the real work!
We have two space heaters which warm it up enough to bear--we were very comfortable last night--the electric bill couldn't be any worse than Mississippi, could it? The elders who came by this morning to check on us pay up to $150 per month for electricity; our rent is $400/month plus utilities--not bad. The asistantes (one Gringo and one from Uruguay, who live a floor above us and have a car) and the senior couples (us for now) get the best pensions(apartments) and furnishings. We are not complaining. Later we went to the Hiper Lider (think Chliean WalMart), for groceries with the office elders--three gringos and a Chilean. It was jam packed with shoppers and looooog lines, but all registers open and moving along. They helped us find everything on our list except a simple alarm clock and helped us choose the best tasting and (sometimes) least expensive brands. Some things are cheaper and some more expensive than US, and we've had four tasty meals of our own making. BUT....there is no fresh milk to be had in this city of about 7 million,,, nada, ninca, none. Milk comes in a box, needs no refrigeration and tastes a lot like canned milk. I don't know if we'll ever get used to it. Tomorrow we (dad) will try it on oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon--we'll let you know. (Report: not bad with granola, raisins, and bananas.
For our night snack we're having crunchy Great Value (WalMart brand, imported, and $3 for 18 oz.) peanut butter on bananas (about 25cent/lb), yum, yum. Today we never left the apartment. It's cloudy cold and raining tonight. Remember? It's the end of winter here. Warming up this weekend. You can check our weather on your i-thing.
While shopping in Lider our cell phone rang (we'd already received two other calls) and it was our Stake President with some urgent financial business regarding our Visa card being used for big purchases in Provo and Chile. Imagine that? The Visa card and a US passport work for all purchases, but the card company forgot we told them we were moving to Chile and wondered if it had been stolen. All is well. We can't give you our cell number, but somehow President Pack got hold of it when he needed it. We can email and Skype within reason and will do so whenever we can connect, but can not use the cell phone for international calls. They have an ethernet cable we can hook to in the mission office. The car we were told about isn't available until Oct. So we're hoofin' it and catchin' rides--haven't ridden the Metro train, or the buses or cabs yet, but will soon have to learn how. That's normal mode of transport. Gas is 627 pesos per litre; rate of exchange about 570 pesos per dollar--you figure it out. It's expensive. Public system is cheap, reliable, and often, so we're told. Time will tell. Some things I thought I knew about Chile haven't been exactly accurate. More later.
There are a lot of families with small children in our 5 story U-shaped building, so we hear them in the playground outside our windows. They sound just the kids at play at home--I like it. Now it's bedtime and they sound just like kids at home this time of night--lots of protesting and crying. Ahhhh, the pitter-patter of little feet, otherwise not too noisy. We are gated (electric fence) and guarded 24/7 and have secure underground parking, when we (hope to) get a car (extra $40/month for parking). About 100 apartments in our edificio. Apartment living at its finest. Our neighborhood doesn't look like neighborhoods at home, but it's safe to walk to the left toward the mission office/stake center/Ward, Lider, and downtown Maipu (there, I said it), but they warned us not to go to the right when we come out the front gate. We don't know what that means exactly, but we'll stay to the left. Sometimes one side of the street is safe and the other isn't. Lots of stray dogs--do not pet or feed--fleas, but otherwise not dangerous.
They say it's about 20 minute walk to the office/ward, a little farther to Lider, and a few blocks more to downtown, which at 4:00 PM yesterday was swarming with people, students, shoppers by the thousands. We saw a two-story McDonald's, a Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Belle, and Kentucky Fried Chickie. Might find out tomorrow what ward or branch we are assigned to. Not necessarily the one we live in. We're preparing to bear our simple testimonies, and to smile and nod when spoken to.
We're ready for bed but it's only 9:30 pm. We're on a new schedule: up at 7:00 am, bed by 11:00 pm(our mission's own rule); we can handle it.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Here we are in the mission office. They don't seem to know what to do with us, so we're using their internet to finish and send this along. We walked the four blocks from our apartment to here without incident or fear. Now there are a dozen elders in the office. I think they are all going to lunch with members at 2:00. Don't know if we're invited, but they close the office during lunch, soooooooooooo..... They say the members feed them everyday. So far we haven't met any members except one at Lider and one at the office. One of the elders here said he would take us on some visits later today. That would be good. This morning we found a leak from the apartment above wetting our bathroom rug. Andres Toledo just came by; he is very solicitious of our welfare and comfort. He is arranging for a repairman to come fix our dryer, which runs but doesn't heat. We were up early this morning, breakfast and study time, didn't know what we were to do, so we walked over here. It looks like we will walk over here again Sunday for church until we are assigned a ward. No one plays the piano in these wards and the elders say the singing is awful. See what we can do. Sister Pack is talking up the idea of a missionary choir for the all-mission Christmas celebration.
We need to walk to the bank this afternoon to exchange some money; the utilities need to be paid in cash, as does the repair man. Pres. King said we could use our Visa for everything, but that isn’t exactly the way it is for the rest of us. Just learned that the area Dr. has cancer and is going home next week. He bought the car we were originally going to buy, so we might be able to get it sooner than we thought.
My batttery is dying. So long for now.
Love, Mom and Dad
It is Thursday night, our third day in Chile, and this is the first time we've turned on the computer, but we have no internet connection, so we'll draft this tonight and send it tomorrow from the mission office.
Today the Pres. gave us all day to unpack, clean, put away, put up towel bars, curtain rods, etc. We've worked hard and almost have it done (ten suitcases is a LOT of stuff, plus a ton of household stuff they got out of storage for us) and tomorrow we will probably start working in the office. More about our neat little apartment, but let's start at the beginning.
We met a woman in Dallas who was going to Chile, and with some of our three hour layover we did our first missionary work. She knows Mormons in California and knew about wards, and temples, and such, so we had a nice conversation about her exposure (all good) and our mission, and before we boarded we gave her a pass-along card and invited her to find a ward and come to church or call the toll free number. It was sweet and natural.
We didn't sleep much on the plane from Dallas, but we had an empty seat between us which was nice. They fed us supper and breakfast and were very helpful. It was a wide body jet with 8 seats across, tvs in the ceiling, free movies, etc. We were three pounds over on one of our big bags, but under on the smaller ones, so they let us pass without extra $$. Our third bags were $100 each. When we landed Mom and I got separated at the passport windows; she had to go somewhere else and pay her entry fee; I had already paid mine when I came with Kevin. It was anxious time for a few minutes. Finally we found each other and headed to customs when someone told us to look up at the catwalk. There was our Mission President and Sister King and our Chilean friend Andres, waving to us. What a sight for sore-tired eyes. The airport guys helping us with our ten bags on two carts bypassed customs and we were free to move about the country, no questions asked.
Pres. and Sis King drove us around the city a little, showed us a view from San Cristobol Hill, let us nap an hour, fed us and took us to see our apartment, the mission office, and meet the office elders and the Asistentes. We stayed the night in their very nice mission home (fotos will follow as soon as I teach my computer to talk to my camera) with meals prepared by Emilia, who has been the domestic help for now four mission presidents.
Yesterday (Wed) we measured and shopped for drapery rods, towel bars, etc. and started sorting through stuff and cleaning. Pres. King and Blair went to Sodimax Homecenter (think Home Depot) to get plumbing and gas parts for the stove and washer (YES!!), but we can't get the dryer to heat (Boo). May have to buy one, but all other appliances (microwave, but no dishwasher) work great. It's a small three bedroom-two bath ,clean, neat, newer, carpeted, first floor, unheated and not cooled (actually it's very cool right now) but with an instant water heater like Beth and Ronnie have. Plenty of HOT water. It is about 600 ft. half the size of the barn apartment, just big enough for the two of us and some guests. Actually, we have seating for twelve; beds for four extra, plus floor space.
(Mom just said "I’m tired of hanging up clothes; I wish I hadn't brought so many.") I'm sure neither of us will need all we brought, but who knew? We'll have a lot to give away. I gave about two dozen white shirts and ties to the bodega (mission storeroom) for the asistantes to give to Latino (or otherwise) missionaries who need them. They thought it was a great idea and were very thankful. They also complimented my español. Elder Simmons, from Bountiful, said I spoke better than many of the elders who come from the MTC. I'm feelin' good right now; just wait 'till tomorrow when we actually go to work for the first time. The missionaries we've met so far, here, at the MTC, in airports, are just amazing. We have a lot to learn, but we have the best teachers in the world, including the Holy Ghost. We've had his witness in our hearts many times already. Can't imagine what lies ahead. Can't wait to get to the real work!
We have two space heaters which warm it up enough to bear--we were very comfortable last night--the electric bill couldn't be any worse than Mississippi, could it? The elders who came by this morning to check on us pay up to $150 per month for electricity; our rent is $400/month plus utilities--not bad. The asistantes (one Gringo and one from Uruguay, who live a floor above us and have a car) and the senior couples (us for now) get the best pensions(apartments) and furnishings. We are not complaining. Later we went to the Hiper Lider (think Chliean WalMart), for groceries with the office elders--three gringos and a Chilean. It was jam packed with shoppers and looooog lines, but all registers open and moving along. They helped us find everything on our list except a simple alarm clock and helped us choose the best tasting and (sometimes) least expensive brands. Some things are cheaper and some more expensive than US, and we've had four tasty meals of our own making. BUT....there is no fresh milk to be had in this city of about 7 million,,, nada, ninca, none. Milk comes in a box, needs no refrigeration and tastes a lot like canned milk. I don't know if we'll ever get used to it. Tomorrow we (dad) will try it on oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon--we'll let you know. (Report: not bad with granola, raisins, and bananas.
For our night snack we're having crunchy Great Value (WalMart brand, imported, and $3 for 18 oz.) peanut butter on bananas (about 25cent/lb), yum, yum. Today we never left the apartment. It's cloudy cold and raining tonight. Remember? It's the end of winter here. Warming up this weekend. You can check our weather on your i-thing.
While shopping in Lider our cell phone rang (we'd already received two other calls) and it was our Stake President with some urgent financial business regarding our Visa card being used for big purchases in Provo and Chile. Imagine that? The Visa card and a US passport work for all purchases, but the card company forgot we told them we were moving to Chile and wondered if it had been stolen. All is well. We can't give you our cell number, but somehow President Pack got hold of it when he needed it. We can email and Skype within reason and will do so whenever we can connect, but can not use the cell phone for international calls. They have an ethernet cable we can hook to in the mission office. The car we were told about isn't available until Oct. So we're hoofin' it and catchin' rides--haven't ridden the Metro train, or the buses or cabs yet, but will soon have to learn how. That's normal mode of transport. Gas is 627 pesos per litre; rate of exchange about 570 pesos per dollar--you figure it out. It's expensive. Public system is cheap, reliable, and often, so we're told. Time will tell. Some things I thought I knew about Chile haven't been exactly accurate. More later.
There are a lot of families with small children in our 5 story U-shaped building, so we hear them in the playground outside our windows. They sound just the kids at play at home--I like it. Now it's bedtime and they sound just like kids at home this time of night--lots of protesting and crying. Ahhhh, the pitter-patter of little feet, otherwise not too noisy. We are gated (electric fence) and guarded 24/7 and have secure underground parking, when we (hope to) get a car (extra $40/month for parking). About 100 apartments in our edificio. Apartment living at its finest. Our neighborhood doesn't look like neighborhoods at home, but it's safe to walk to the left toward the mission office/stake center/Ward, Lider, and downtown Maipu (there, I said it), but they warned us not to go to the right when we come out the front gate. We don't know what that means exactly, but we'll stay to the left. Sometimes one side of the street is safe and the other isn't. Lots of stray dogs--do not pet or feed--fleas, but otherwise not dangerous.
They say it's about 20 minute walk to the office/ward, a little farther to Lider, and a few blocks more to downtown, which at 4:00 PM yesterday was swarming with people, students, shoppers by the thousands. We saw a two-story McDonald's, a Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Belle, and Kentucky Fried Chickie. Might find out tomorrow what ward or branch we are assigned to. Not necessarily the one we live in. We're preparing to bear our simple testimonies, and to smile and nod when spoken to.
We're ready for bed but it's only 9:30 pm. We're on a new schedule: up at 7:00 am, bed by 11:00 pm(our mission's own rule); we can handle it.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Here we are in the mission office. They don't seem to know what to do with us, so we're using their internet to finish and send this along. We walked the four blocks from our apartment to here without incident or fear. Now there are a dozen elders in the office. I think they are all going to lunch with members at 2:00. Don't know if we're invited, but they close the office during lunch, soooooooooooo..... They say the members feed them everyday. So far we haven't met any members except one at Lider and one at the office. One of the elders here said he would take us on some visits later today. That would be good. This morning we found a leak from the apartment above wetting our bathroom rug. Andres Toledo just came by; he is very solicitious of our welfare and comfort. He is arranging for a repairman to come fix our dryer, which runs but doesn't heat. We were up early this morning, breakfast and study time, didn't know what we were to do, so we walked over here. It looks like we will walk over here again Sunday for church until we are assigned a ward. No one plays the piano in these wards and the elders say the singing is awful. See what we can do. Sister Pack is talking up the idea of a missionary choir for the all-mission Christmas celebration.
We need to walk to the bank this afternoon to exchange some money; the utilities need to be paid in cash, as does the repair man. Pres. King said we could use our Visa for everything, but that isn’t exactly the way it is for the rest of us. Just learned that the area Dr. has cancer and is going home next week. He bought the car we were originally going to buy, so we might be able to get it sooner than we thought.
My batttery is dying. So long for now.
Love, Mom and Dad
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