Caldera/Copiapo

Our wonderful long weekend in Caldera went too fast!
Do you like the pattern in the sand?

Scott and Nina Isaacson, Lorie and Alan Marchant and I took a 1 1/4 hour flight early Sunday morning May 19 to Copiapo, a northern Chile Atacama Desert coastal town. Juanita Diaz a wonderfully generous friend and senior missionary had invited us to spend a long weekend (Tuesday was a patriotic holiday celebrating Chile's victory in the Battle of the Pacific) at her beautiful home. We drove directly to her small branch of the Church in Caldera near Copiapo. The Sunday school teacher was quite entertaining. The wall is decorated for the Young Women's "new beginnings" program.

We were joined by Ercilia and Thiare Norambuena (wife and daughter of church Area authority who was currently in Buenos Aires) for the day, starting with a yummy brunch at Juanita's.

Juanita jointly owned most of the local beach property which has been since sold off for many small homes and vacation cabins, keeping the best (and highest property) for a new and expanded home. All are built on solid rock which had to be blasted away. The large rock by the front door could not be removed, so it is now incorporated into her home! We each had a cozy bedroom.
Sunday was overcast, but Monday-Wednesday were clear days with refreshingly pure air and great view from the balcony.

We took lots of walks on the beach which was nearly deserted

Tiare (16, a music student studies in the best music school in Chile) and Nina chat on a boulder

We thought we would be playing lots of games, but there were so many other things to do...

This is full-blown Atacama Desert (driest place on earth!) so green plants are found only sparsely found near the coast.

We drove a short distance to some special rocks called "Granito Orbicular." These rocks have a unique appearance due to orbicules: concentrically layered, spheroidal structures, probably formed through nucleation around a grain in a cooling magma chamber.

A highlight for me was our visit to the San Jose Mine, which I have read about, where on 10/10/10 all 33 of the miners (32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian) who survived the collapse of the copper-gold mine, were rescued after 70 days trapped under 70 meters of solid rock. It was only after 18 days that a probe by international team discovered they were all still alive. Families camped nearby, the children even attending a makeshift camp school. You can watch the story "The 33" on youtube.com. 

One by one, about one minute apart, the 33 miners were brought up in the capsule (I believe where the yellow thing is) and taken directly to the hospital on site.

Camp Esperanza (Hope). One miner had to deal with two wives/women when he came up!

probe plug of solid granite

33 Chilean flags and 1 Bolivian on the hill

We were disappointed not to be able to hear the account of one of the survivors who was not there the day we visited, but we felt the atmosphere, accepted some rocks, read the display information and saw the covered capsule at this historic site. Amazing! All made it!

Scott and Nina, after raising 17 adopted children, have enjoyed their mission as a break from all the responsibilities their large family has entailed. They will return to Utah the same day I return to California. Scott helped make our arrangements and rented a car so we could visit the area form Juana's. 

Chileans build many "animitas" to remember those who have died in accidents (this family of 7 died together in an accident and are remembered in an elaborate site near Juana's home.

We drove south and stopped at beautiful deserted white sand beaches (I got my feet in, but too cold to swim!) on our way to visit the town of Caldera, which was established in the 1850's with railroad, mining and fishing industry. It was a holiday so there were carnival activities, military parade, and LOTS of people. 

These birds made no sign of wanting to let us pass.

We enjoyed the railroad museum (sculpture made of rails) with displays of historical figures, old carriages and relics.

The Isaacsons are planning to take home 30 (?) "palmitas" (on the beach called "playitas") to their grandchildren and kids!....we enjoyed them!

Playa/Bahia Ingles is gorgeous

May 21 in Caldera with 1858 wooden cathedral. We walked around and then drove to gorgeous white sand, turquoise water Bahia Ingles for fish lunch/dinner....back to Juana's with a gorgeous sunset over the "south" Pacific; such a delightful trip. Thank you Juanita. Now it's back to the temple, my last full week! For New Year's, at soccer games, etc., Chileans chant: chi chi chi, lelele, Viva Chile, Viva Chile! as seen on this "license plate."

Back to Santiago to friends whom I will soon miss:

Jose Riveros, a Chilean who has lived all his adult life in Australia with his wife and children came back to Chile with his wife, got sick and is now unable to travel. He was our stake patriarch, attended our English Sunday School class, and has a wonderful painting of southern Chile mountains in the temple baptistry. As he recovers from his cancer surgery he has been painting again. We have missed his wisdom in class.

I have spent lots of happy hours helping Hermana Rojas in the temple laundry which she is in charge of. I will miss her.

We've gotten to know and appreciate the engineers (Hno. Marin) and security guards, gardeners, cleaning staff, etc.

Silvia Soto is a dear friend and faithful temple attendee. The below women are faithful members of my English class.Next week is our last class. I will hopefully have a photo of the whole class, whom I shall miss so much. 

Guille Guerra (our ward primary president, a temple worker, wife of an institute of religion director and former mission president in Venezuela). Below is Sophia Dongxin from northern China, here with her husband, improving her English, learning Spanish, and full of fun. Bottom photo is Aura Marina Gonzalez from Venezuela who is working hard to find a job now that she finally has Chilean visa. 

I learn so much from each of these wonderful women (and the rest of the class) each week, and hope to see them all again

Temple friends

Sometimes the weeks with the least to report are the busiest!
Since my mission is winding down, there are lots of memories to record, things to sort, and friends to say good-bye to. It is all bitter sweet. Although we work long hours, missionary life is in many ways simpler, less cluttered and scattered, more focused.
Temple missionaries work 5 7-hour shifts per week, Tuesday through Saturday. Other local temple workers usually 1-2 shifts. My shift has been 3:30-10:30 PM (the morning shift works 8-2). This is a good-bye lunch at a local restaurant, La Hacienda (with delicious food and beautiful stained glass ceiling above) with some of the great Tuesday PM shift in honor of myself and Sister Umber, who finishes this week. The Isaacsons and I arrive home in Utah on  June 18. We will fly together until our ways part in Atlanta.

Hermana Paulina Paez, who
made me a lovely "tatted" collar

Hna Francis Sanguineti
arranged my pension for
June visit to Easter Island

Hnas Maria Espinoza (assistant coordinator), Vargas (sisters)

Luz Urriola de Luz
(another assistant)

Mery de Montalva
who gave me blouses from her
factory

Hnas Rivera, Corro, Bravo, Cuadra, Davila, Berrios

Los Barrios
This week we have a group of 60 from Arica (1,035 miles from Santiago, and the northernmost city in Chile, part of Peru before Chile's victory over Peru and Bolivia in the War of the Pacific ending in 1883). The population is largely mestizo, Aymara and Quechua Peruvian. There are Gustave Eiffel structures among the grand Peruvian era buildings. It is such a distance that most come only once per year. Cochbamba Temple in Bolivia is a little closer.

Hermanas Castillo, Gonzalez, Bravo 

Thursday shift coordinator (for the women) Hermana Denise Sommermeyer and assistant Ruth Bravo with their husbands.
Below: Tatiana Aguilar (leaving in 2 weeks to serve a mission in the Dominican Republic...I hope I have not scared her but only prepared her for the big adventure!), Hna Labra and Hna Araya (the other assistant coordinator for Thursday PM). They had all changed out of their white clothing, but I was trying to catch as many as possible just outside the door.

 Above: Sisters Pena and Prieto, Labra (Friday coordinator), Anita Sepulveda who keeps the records office running and is a great friend to all; Chico; Castillo, de Schweinitz, Gonzalez, Bravo; Ingrid Quiroz; a few Sat. shift sisters

Saturday was Alma Umber's last day! 30-40 men and women from our shift formed a huge circle, waving white handkerchiefs to thank her, give her a hug, and wish her well! Very touching!
Afterwards a few of us (Lorie Marchant, Nina Isaacson and their husbands) and I said goodbye to Alma as we will be north in Caldera/Copiapo visiting Sister Diaz for the long weekend (Tuesday is a holiday) Good-bye 'til we meet again. Next week will be more landscape and ??

Monday evening Holly Young presented a wonderful review of the Santiago Temple dedication in 1983 and re-dedication after major renovation (2006) of the Santiago. No one thought to take screen shots, so here is a little information and one photo from the internet:

The Santiago Chile Temple was the second temple built in South America, following the São Paulo Brazil Temple (1978), and the first built in Chile.

The Santiago Chile Temple was the first temple built in a Spanish-speaking country.

The site for the Santiago Chile Temple was purchased by the Church many years before the temple was constructed with the intention of building a Church school. It was a school!

Before the re-dedication in 2006, many members and non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints visited the newly enlarged and beautified temple. (visitors wait in the rain to tour the about to be re-dedicated temple. Some of their comments:

 “I give thanks to your members for permitting me to know you a little more.” Even one who professed no religion said she’d felt the Spirit of our Father in Heaven: “I arrived with great pain, but after the tour, I left without pain.” Said an atheist, “If God exists, today I found his house.”

Don't forget to visit the open houses of the new or renovated Temples in Oakland California, the Tucson, AZ, Idaho Falls, ID and others if you live near-by. I promise you will feel a wonderful spirit!