A Quiet First Week of Winter

I have loved the opportunity to inherit this wonderful English class which we hold in the cozy well-equipped "Institute of Religion" (for college-age students) room next door to the temple. I'm so grateful to speak English as my first language, as in most of the world it is now the common language, and those who speak English definitely are at an advantage today.
Teaching well-behaved motivated adults is quite a different task from my 150 per day high school students! A former student sent this photo of me in my classroom 25 years ago. Without computers, etc. it took a lot of visual aids, projectors, cassette players, and paper, etc. to teach 5 different levels of French! What a lot of stuff! Unbelievable! But I still have mostly fond memories of those days and keep in touch with many students.

 

One of the great joys of life is making new friends like Maria from Peru who left Arequipa, Peru, a year ago to work in Chile, leaving behind 4 beautiful grown daughters. Our church building is so cold we keep our coats and scarves on during our services/class.
Since not too much has been happening here this week, it has been a time of reflection.....

A sweet older couple have been in the temple every day...real "campesinos".. who rode horses, took a couple buses and a train (many hours of travel) to spend time in the temple. They live so far from"civilization" they can only attend Sunday meetings about 3 times/year. How much am I willing to sacrifice?

I was so impressed to look into the faces of 11 young elders and 3 sisters who have just finished their 24 and 18 month missions, no longer the young and naive18 and 20-year-olds they were upon arrival:

They are mature and peaceful as they have dedicated time, heart and soul to serving God and his children. They now are better prepared to continue their studies, raise families, lead others. What a blessing a mission is to others and themselves and their future families.

As I received news that a dear friend is close to returning to the end of her mortal journey, I am grateful for all she has taught and meant to me and my family. I have had so many mentors in life.

As we react to the huge refugee crisis in our turbulent world, I am sobered to learn that 2/3 are taken in by just 4 countries: Uganda, Bangladesh, Turkey, and 1 other. The other 1/3 are spread among the rest of the world. Are we being too selfish when we have more resources than most? And how about the separation of families, the most basic and important unit of society?

Politics has so badly contaminated so many religions, which should only be a conduit for love and understanding, for truth. By heeding the inspired leadership of our prophet, the truths contained in scripture as confirmed to us individually by the Holy Ghost, and knowing that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, loving and caring for all his children, we can trust that God never intended for us to be so divided, so antagonistic. He knew greed, envy, competition, selfishness would be among man's biggest challenges. It doesn't have to be that way if we look into the heart of others and try to see as God sees!

How small the world is! These two wonderful Ecuadorian couples stayed at my home in California last year. And here is my friend Lorna Rayos, new temple missionary in Guayaquil, having lunch with them. The Rivadeneira's (on the right) daughter Karen spent the previous summer at my house, studying ballet in San Jose. She is now a missionary in Bolivia!

The Baquerizos and Rivadeneiras with my friend Lorna Rayos in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

 Around Providencia: last vestiges of
fall along a Mapocho Canal, lots of
parks.

 You never know what people will try to sell on the street pelts? furs? Would this go over in the U.S.?

 At the National Library I enjoyed the exhibit of the literary-political group 1938, with "El Peneca" children's magazine and many authors I had known nothing about.

Another exhibit was about Chilean poet, musician, illustrator David Rosenmann Taub, whose parents were literary and musical figures, immigrants from Poland.

 Tonight, June 25 (in another hemisphere it would be Christmas!) we had a fun and delicious farewell potluck dinner with all the senior missionaries to bid farewell to the Jensens and Enkes. 

Nina Isaacson and Brother Hughes
(new East mission office finances)

Sister Hughes

Elder and Sister Black from Livermore, CA, are the Jensens' replacements. They also served in the Oakland Temple.

The Castros and Munzings

Quinn and Lisa Jensen have been amazing, working with Welfare, Humanitarian, Pathways, and Addiction recovery, etc.

Downers, Isaacsons and Enkes

Alan Enke has been a legal missionary, Marnie has taught Pathways, Institute, and English to employees and others. They say the mission has brought them even closer as a couple. We will miss both couples as friends and as wonderful missionaries who have been a tremendous support to all, even "the least of (our Heavenly Father's children)."

Alan and Marnie Enke, Quinn and Lisa Jensen

Sisters de Schweinitz and Umber, Elders and Sisters Isaacson, Schultz, Muntzing, Poulsen, Downer, Enke, Jensen, Pres. and Sister Wilhelm, Pres. and Sister Castro, Hughes, Blacks, Sister Atkin (husband out of town)

We all miss our families and friends and other activities at home, but feel blessed to have the opportunity to offer our time and love, to do our part in strengthening, teaching, serving, each in his or her own way, the members and others we associate with in Chile. We want all to know we love doing the Lord's work. As one of our beloved Apostles, Elder Holland, has said ..."in every hour He is, with nail-scarred hands, extending to us...grace, holding on to us and encouraging us, refusing to let us go until we are safely home in the embrace of Heavenly Parents. For such a perfect gift, I continue to give thanks, however inadequately."

Hail, Hail the gang's mostly all here

 Today, June 18, we took a senior missionary trip to a large olive farm where high quality extra virgin olive oil is produced. Pictured: Pres. Morgan, Scott and Nina Isaacson, Alma Umber.

Nara Souza from Rio de Janiero, who lived with Marnie Enke in the US several years ago.

Alma Umber and Miriam de Schweinitz

Tom and Lorna Atkin

Nina and Scott Isaacson (organizer)

Ray and Dawn Schultz

 We are all looking lovely in our hairnets (redecillas)

An important program in the LDS church is becoming self-sufficient, whether it be in getting an education, preparing for a career, learning life skills, saving and developing resources for a "rainy day," keeping healthy, or developing the faith and spiritual strength to endure foreseen or unforeseen challenges. And we are to help others be ready for the future, as we truly are our brothers' and sisters' keepers. Olive oil is used in the scriptures as a metaphor for our readiness for the future, temporal and spiritual.

There were 10 virgins who waited for the "bridegroom," whose time of arrival for the wedding feast was unknown. Five brought extra oil for their lamps, whereas the five foolish women did not, thinking they could borrow from the wise or run out to get some at the last minute. While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But he answered, "Most certainly I tell you, I don't know you." Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which (Christ) is coming. — Matthew 25:1-1

It really does matter that we spend our time, resources and energy on things of lasting worth; of all the worthy endeavors, let us choose well! Life is to be well lived if we want to be happy! We don't want to live with regrets or miss out on any blessings that could have been ours.

Nara and Ricardo, Marnie and others rubbing the small cups of oil to warm, to bring out the flavor. The oil is pretty pungent! The olives used two Spanish varieties, which are very small and make the best oil, but are not for eating.
The trees are small, all the same height and width to allow for machines to pick once a year (harvest just ended last week) pruned once a year in September, and replanted every 5 years.

Those satellites in the distance were used for tracking lunar landing in the 1960's!

   What a fun group! (some temple missionaries, some in various             other positions)

 Oxbo harvesters are from the US (California). Other machines are French. Ricardo and Nara Souza, Marnie and Miriam.

 The climate here is temperate, the soil very loamy (not sandy). We passed fields of prickly pears and other cactus. It is still quite dry in central Chile, but starting to green-up after last week's rain.

On the freeway near San Antonio is an amazing shrine to the "beautiful girl" Astrid who died here about 16 years ago. People bring stuffed animals, toys and light candles to thank her for her help with problems or to ask for her assistance from the "spirit world."

Outside of the prosperous parts of Santiago there is less affluence and some poverty. We were heading back into Santiago which has a variety of areas, and as the weather has cooled there are homeless along some streets.

Back at the temple and Pocuro, a beautiful day.

We will sorely miss our friends Alan and Marnie Enke when they return to SLC in early July. I have started teaching her small English class on Friday mornings. By Christmas there may be only 2 couples and us 2 single sisters serving here in the temple. Of course we have many wonderful local workers.  Send more missionaries! 

Longtime friends of the Enkes, Nara and Ricardo (known as Elder Faria when a young missionary) Souza from Sao Paulo, Brasil are visiting the Enkes. We were excited to find we have many friends in common: Aledir and Christine Barbour whom I met in the late 1960's at Stanford (the two couples just vacationed together!) and my daughter-in-law's family the Martins in Campinas, Brasil, as well as several others! The world is so small when the Gospel brings us together around the globe.

Nancy Poulsen is about to show the Enkes around LaVega, a big cheap market area where anything from sheep innards, to aloe, to socks to electronics can be bought.

Fun lunch Sunday around my rickety small table: Sister Cheta from Cordoba, Argentina is new companion to Sister Phillips from Australia; Gabriela Diaz Jara and Sister Umber.

       Scenes from our Sunday afternoon walk around Providencia

The Andes were transformed last Monday by the first heavy rain of Sunday and storm last ...very exciting for me, a Californian!

The church office building and our church with the green roof, as seen from the 4th floor of our housing complex.

This is the view from my window on Monday afternoon, June 11, lots of hail, snow, thunder and lightning, but most was gone except the cold by the next morning, and the mountains had a beautiful blanket of snow covering bare rock.

 Always something to see in my neighborhood....

The cultural center of Providencia down the street always has something interesting to see. The beautiful exhibit entitled "Guatemala: Color y Tradicion" was a feast for the eyes. It was sponsored by the Guatemalan embassy and local collectors. One of our best family trips was to that beautiful country at Christmastime in 1992. We tried to ascend "Fuego," which has been erupting this month, but it was too active then, too. The exhibit featured (Easter week) "Semana Santa" in Antigua and other parts of the country, and gorgeous weavings. 

Religious shrines are carried through the streets...

which are elaborately decorated like carpets, made with colored sawdust, wood frames, and molds/stencils. Everyone gets into the act. In some places flowers are used, but that is very expensive.

The "huipiles" are fabulously woven and each is characteristic in style and color of the various regions.

For more photos click on this link:
https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipOpqKnJFf7KEFbipKFdznBAFrMoosnaI56Dlyni
As I finish this entry, the Santiago sky is a light lavendar, the air is cool, and if the season here matched the northern hemisphere, June 18 would be the week before Christmas!