Happy New Year 2019

A brief review of wonderful 2018 in photos.

We are thrilled to have a new Church president and Prophet, Russell M. Nelson. He has led some amazing changes in church procedures and practices that will strengthen the faith, actions, and success of individuals and families. His love for God and his responsiveness to the needs of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and for all people of the world, is so obvious! He is 93 and full of energy, light and purpose!
https://www.lds.org/church/news/look-back-at-the-most-tender-moments-president-nelson-shared-with-church-members-in-2018?lang=eng

Still enjoying the lights at Christmas, at the temple and around the neighborhood, grateful, as we begin a new year, for all my experiences of 2018 in Chile...

Chinese Embassy and police station down the street

left: one of many beautiful old homes in the neighborhood
(this one turned into a senior living home)
right: the road to the big water tanks next to the temple... a water supply for Santiago

 New Year's is the time to reflect on the past year, 2018. I spent the entire year happily serving as a missionary in the Santiago Chile Temple, with free time to explore the culture, history, geography of a beautiful country, and to interact with wonderful people, which include great young missionaries from around the world, as well as senior missionaries (mostly North Americans). 

Sunday was our last Sunday with a 3-hour block of services, classes...in 2019 we will have only a 2-hour block, with more responsibility placed on families and individuals for gospel study at home. I moved my Christmas things around to serve lunch to the Wallaces, Sister Umber, and Sisters Araya from Concepcion, Chile, and Shields from North Carolina, USA. 

We all love to sing, so Sister Shields pulled out her ukulele (signed by her friends in Chile...we could barely find a square centimeter to write) and sang our favorite hymns. She finishes her 18 month mission Jan.1, 2019, and will be traveling with her mom before returning home to Charlotte area, NC. She speaks great Spanish, having learned it all here. She and Sister Araya say they are best friends. 

(below) Elders Lloyd and Beck play soccer with some kids. The court is mostly empty these days after the MTC (training center) closed with these last young wonderful missionaries, above.

 2018 was an amazing year: some of my favorite experiences and photos (not in chronological order)....

(Below 2 photos) Valle del Elqui near La Serena in September

 A fabulous trip north (new friends/hosts in Antofogasta, Calama, San Pedro de Atacama, geysers, volcanoes, salt flats, lagoons, Valley of the Moon, huge copper mine at Chuquicamata; the sea at Antofagasta with 3 friends, lovely la Serena, Coquimbo, and more.

 

Isla Negra, favorite home of Pablo Neruda, Nobel prize poet. It's the same wild Pacific near my home in California.

Valparaiso with its street art and "ascensores" to climb steep hills

Visiting Santiago's many beautiful and interesting museums and public buildings (Presidential palace). It's been fun living in a big vibrant city. View from Cerro San Cristobal.

Sharing daughter Anne's marriage to Neil Chandler in England with my 5 children and their spouses and a couple of grandchildren (July 13, 2018) including #17 and last grand-child, Phoebe. It will be a few years before great-grandchildren!
Emily and Ken Taylor, Ming Lu, Cordelia, Peter and Rebecca de S., Me, Anne and Neil, Marc and Fernanda de Schweinitz, Julie, Peter and Phoebe Carlston.

Getting to know, serving with, and unfortunately saying good-bye to many wonderful new friends...missionaries and locals.

In  February, an incredible road trip with 4 missionary friends south in Chile, with volcanoes, waterfalls, lakes, rivers.

 Chiloe Island has amazing wooden churches.





We saw the gorgeous Concepcion Temple, below, (Chile's second temple), before the landscaping. We later went back to the open house before dedication October 28, and felt the love of our Savior for the people of Chile.

Poulsens, Munzings, and Castros in Concepcion (on my birthday)

Teaching English (and learning from) these wonderful women,

Below, the gorgeous Cajon de Maipu dam, almost on the border of Chile's neighbor Argentina.

Happy New Year 2019! May it be your best. May our world leaders use more wisdom and courage to solve the huge problems and situations we face. May we try harder to improve ourselves and to help and cooperate with others. May we recognize the love, forgiveness, and guidance we can all receive from our Heavenly Father to face our daily challenges.

(for some reason I can't delete the photo below without deleting many of the others, but these women are worth 2 photos to me!)