Beautiful Buildings and lots of thoughts

This is the back of the temple which we see as we leave each evening after our shift to walk a few steps to our apartments. During the day we enjoy the beautiful and immaculately kept gardens, and missionaries and people from everywhere taking photos, chatting and playing.

 I was feeling the peace of the Santiago Temple Sunday evening, while some of my close friends at home were enjoying a gourmet meal and reflecting on our dear friend and new Apostle Gerrit Gong's sure to be thoughtful, faithful, valuable contribution to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who assist our Prophet/President and his counselors. Because he and his wife Susan were given no assignment for this first week, they came and bore their testimonies in Elder Gong's first home ward, my congregation. I was sorry to miss it. In the meeting (service) other Palo Alto second ward members paid tribute to his father, Walter Gong, our stake patriarch for many years. His wonderful mother, Jean (92) (in the center of the photo) has been a dear friend and mentor to us all for many years. His equally wonderful sister Marguerite took the photo.

Perhaps because my life here is more circumscribed, simple, focused much of the time on spiritual things, I see life, especially horrific, unsettling world events from a different perspective. I can do little about those contentious political and social conflicts, but I can control my attitudes and try to have a positive impact on those within my sphere of influence here and at home, that each of us can be an instrument of peace. I am grateful for role models like the Gongs whom I have been so fortunate to have had for myself and my children,

I look forward to having my children and two of my grandchildren with me to enjoy the marriage of my daughter Anne and Neil Chandler in July, in England. I took this photo a year ago when I spent a week with them in London and the lovely Cotswolds two hours west of London where the wedding will take place. When our children are happy, so are we!

National Theater (opera house designed after the Paris Opera)

 Santiago is filled with beautiful buildings, Due to major earthquakes, the latest big one (if it is not registered as an 8 or 9 it is only a "tremor") in 2012, most buildings have been rebuilt several times. Note the French, English, Italian and Spanish architecture. For more photos and history and descriptions, please see the link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XwmtMyMgr9E6eQZv2

St. Francis Monastery and museum at oldest surviving Santiago church, dating from the 16th c. There is the oldest and best collection of colonial paintings of the life of St. Francis of Assisi done in Cuzco, Peru.

                                    The Santiago City Hall on Plaza de Armas. Among others the square is filled                                                                          with Haitians looking for work.

 The Casa Colorada, built in 1770, one of few remaining colonial homes of brick and adobe, of a wealthy and influential leader (colonial governor and then first president of the independence junta government), unusual in that it had 2 floors, office on the ground floor, family home on second. It is closed due to earthquake damage.

The National Library has beautiful art, ironwork, and 60% of the surviving colonial literary works in Latin America. It is open to the public. That evening I attended a free concert of talented singer and string students playing Vivaldi, Corelli, Telemann, Mozart, in the concert hall. It was a treat, as we are usually working in the evening. Chileans love classical as well as popular music. 

The Santiago stock exchange (also in French style) is gorgeous. It obviously was a different "wheel" a century ago when Chilean investments were mostly in nitrates and precious metals, rather than in a multitude of companies and before computers.

The Cousino house on Dieciocho Street (neighborhood of many distinguished citizens) owned by one of the wealthiest owners of shipping and mining businesses. And nearby the Basilica de los Sacramentinos, an replica of the Sacre Coeur of Paris, built at the same time. The organ is German, stained glass French, etc.

Here are a few of the 300,000 marathon runners who ran in front of the temple last Sunday morning. Sister Marnie Enke and her husband who is an attorney for the church here, had a hard time crossing the street! She teaches English and Pathways and Institute of Religion classes. I am considering taking a couple of her English classes when they finish in July.

Saturday (the Hebrew Sabbath) was the LDS District Conference in Jerusalem, attended by President Russell M. Nelson and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland visiting with their wives on a world tour. It has some very special messages which you may enjoy. President Nelson posed the question: "Did you ever wonder why Christ chose to be born and spend his short life in the Holy Land?" Besides the fulfillment of prophecy, he speaks of the important factors and symbols associated with Christ, such as "light, water, thirst, olives, lambs, shepherds", and more. He pronounced a blessing on the students who attend a semester abroad there and others who hold leadership positions, that they (and we) will understand our divine worth.

Elder Staley explained the difference between a humble person (one who realizes he needs others) and a meek person (who realizes others need him) and a saint ( someone who is willing to do more and more and receive less). These leaders exemplify these Christlike traits.

https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/watch/special-jerusalem-broadcast/2018/04?lang=eng