Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013
We celebrated Thanksgiving --El Dia de Accion de Gracias -- Monday night  (so the missionaries who work at the temple could come)  by having a turkey/ham dinner complete with mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, sweet potatoes, relish trays and lots of desserts.    Senior  missionaries from  six missions were invited (more than 50 were able to come):  Santiago North, South, East, West, and Rancagua as well as the MTC President and Counselor.  The dinner was at the Alcontara House -- which is the old mansion that is a dormitory for about 40 missionaries at the MTC.   So while the young missionaries were away at class, we partied at the house!   The house was the Swiss Embassy in the 1950's and was built for entertaining.  There are two adjoining dining rooms with large french doors that open to the patio.  So some people sat inside and some of us sat out side.   It was a perfect evening for a party.

Missionaries and Mission Presidents from Santiago and surrounding area

I think I was the only one who tried to make a pie.  Making pie here is really challenging -- shortening is hard to come by(I have looked and looked at the grocery store) --but  I found a small can in my pantry left from some by-gone senior missionary (expiration date 2011)  But it had not been opened, so I figured it was good.  I wanted to make Pecan pie and luckily I also found Karo syrup in the pantry -- another item hard to find in Chile!  Then I needed brown sugar -- non existent in Chile-- but the Karren's were going home from their mission and three of their children came to visit and brought a suitcase of brown sugar!  So with those three essential ingredients I was ready to make a pie!  However, pecans are also non existent in Chile, so I substituted fresh walnuts and the pie was a hit!  It was nearly perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, is not a holiday here, so we were all back at our respective assignments, but a group of us went to our favorite pizza joint -- Hiper Pizza to "celebrate" the day.  Most of us talked to our kids at home and so we shared stories of what our families were doing in our absence.

Today was a ward picnic. The Young Men and Young Women leaders cooked cheese empanadas to sell as as fund raiser for the youth -- fried cheese empanadas are amazing!  The ward provided the meat and I have never seen so many big chunks of beef on the grille.  Sorry to say Chile is not like Argentina (which is known for its beef).  The beef looked good and had good flavor, but my-oh-my was it tough.  We sat with the Stake Patriarch and his wife who both speak Engish because they've lived in the US and Australia, and listened to them tell us their wonderful conversion stories when they were young.

After eating we were getting ready to leave and two of the women we were visiting with were surprised that we weren't staying for dessert.  They reminded us that dessert was the Chilean favorite -- Mote con Huesillo (the dried peach floating in peach juice with cooked wheat in the bottom of the cup).  They were surprised to learn that we don't really LOVE it.  Then one lady said she had lived in the U.S. for a year and could not believe a dessert that children in the U.S. enjoy -- Root beer Floats --she thinks they are horrible!

 


Last Sunday night we were invited to a Ward Missionary fireside in an area that was quite a distance by bus, the metro and a 15 minute walk.  But it was well worth the 1 hour trip!  The music was absolutely fabulous and there were about 40 "investigators" in attendance with friends and the young missionaries.  About half way through the program, I looked down and saw this little "visitor" asleep under the bench in front of us.  He behaved himself all through the program, and only barked at the end!

A cute little poodle asleep in church

These pictures were taken last week at Los Dominicos -- an old Spanish House, church and surrounding buildings that is now home to beautiful artisan shops.  I bought a wonderful copper Nativity - por supuesto!

We were walking past a little cafe and this cake caught our eye.  It tasted even better than it looked -- thin layers of spice cake with rice pudding and whipped cream between layers!

Yesterday Richard was rummaging in the closet at the office and found some Christmas decorations!   Yeah!  I have a Christmas tree on my desk!

Nov 18, 2013

We haven't done anything exciting this past week.... lots of computer work...emails, reports, phone calls...just keeping the Perpetual Education Department afloat until the new Self Reliance Center opens in January!  We visited the employment center that we will be working with the other day.  With all the changes that are taking place, we sometimes wonder if what we are doing is making a difference.  As we look back at some of our experiences, we have had some very sweet and tender moments.  A young man who works as a teacher at the MTC (mission training center) called Richard a week or so ago to let him know that he was a participant in the PEF (perpetual education fund), and wanted to know if he could come up to our office to say hello and introduce himself.  Of course we were thrilled that he called.  As we visited, he informed us that he was going to be graduating this next spring with two degrees.  He was such an outstanding young man with a deep testimony of the gospel and had such confidence in what he was doing and what his future looked like.  Richard and he finished their discussion with a big abrazo (hug), the way men in Chile greet and say good bye to each other.  He was also proud to tell us that his wife also had a PEF loan, and she too would be graduating in the spring as well.  We have had a number of these types of experiences, and each one leaves us with the knowledge that we are indeed on the Lords errand.

We decided to walk the mile back to our office and we stopped off at the Costenera Center for lunch -- the largest most amazing shopping mall we've ever been in.  And even though it is starting to feel like summer, the shopping centers -- just like in the USA-- are decorated for Christmas.  I had to take a picture of the tallest Christmas tree I've ever seen!

Notice it is at least 5 stories high -- no it is not real!

It amuses me that the sign is in English

Richard -- to give proportion to size -- We need to go back and get us both in a picture -- this will be our only Christmas "decoration" this year!

Last Friday we went to the Santiago West Mission Office to meet the Livingston's -- a new senior couple who just arrived that morning to join us with Perpetual Education/Self Reliance.  Truthfully they looked like "Shell-shocked puppies" and it only got worse as the young missionaries drove us to the apartment they had rented for them.  The young missionaries were so excited to tell them the apartment was furnished with a new sofa, new table and chairs, new bed, new fridge, new stove and new washer and dryer on the way.  I was getting a little jealous as I thought about our awful, old, torn, over-sized maroon and green floral sofa, dining table with 2 broken chairs, OLD stove with only two working burners and an oven that I have to light every time I use it  and the used mattress we sleep on...  Well when we got to their apartment and saw how stark empty it is, with light bulbs hanging from the ceiling and only the things I mentioned in the apartment, I realized how lucky I am to live in an apartment that has been home to many senior missionaries over the past 10 years who have all purchased "stuff" to make it more liveable!  I told Richard on the way home to kick me in the shins if I complain about our ugly green carpet or awful sofa again .... I will still moan about our temper mental hot water heater every time I shower, but I am certainly going to be more grateful!

We checked in with them Sunday morning and learned that a hose leading to the toilet had burst, so Elder Livingston had to round up some tools from the building manager while Sister Livingston crimped the broken hose and dumped buckets of water into the tub... They got the water shut off and made it to church!  Richard then took the Metro to meet them and bring them back here for dinner.  So after a hot meal (because their new stove still doesn't work) and phone calls and Facetime with their kids -- they were ready to face a new day.  Today they are doing much better...FOREIGN MISSIONS FOR OLD FOLKS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!!

I wanted to brag a little.... my first meal baked in my oven burned because we had the broiler and oven on at the same time.  The second meal I baked was raw and took an extra hour to cook.  But Sunday I fixed a FABULOUS dinner !

Chicken strips, grilled veggies, grilled potatoes, Artesian crusty bread and Apple crumb dessert

Tuesday November 5, 2013

Every Monday the senior missionaries meet together for Family Home Evening... we have lessons, dinners, games, movies, just any reason to get together as a group.  So the week of Halloween we were asked to come in costume.  We were pretty impressed with some of the costumes made from things around the apartment.  But one couple went all out --  Silly, silly missionaries!

I made us "domino" costumes since we play dominos often.  We are wearing trains on our heads to show we are playing Mexican Train!

The Candland's are a shepherd in a bathrobe and a witch in garbage bags

 

The Karren's designed and modeled their outfits of newspaper and LOTS and LOTS of scotch tape!

The Fisher's went all out with Horse costumes!  I don't know where she got the pattern but it required LOTS and LOTS of fabric and she whipped it up in a week.

The 31 of October and 1 November are national holidays in Chile, so our church offices were closed.  Seven of us planned a road trip south to Villarrica and Pucon.  It was a 10 hour drive, so we rented a van and took a 3 day trip to some of the most beautiful country we have ever seen!  Villarrica and Pucon are vacation destinations for adventure seekers from all over the world who come to climb the volcano, ski, hike, bike, fish, raft, and other outdoor activities.   We were traveling with a bunch of OLD people (not us of course), so we were just there to look!   We visited before the summer tourist season begins, so it wasn't too crowded, but the town of Pucon is packed with restaurants, hostels and shops of every kind.

Thursday when we arrived it was raining and we had heard that when it rains in Villarrica, it can rain for days! (Luckily I packed the ponchos that had been carried to Peru and the Mediterranean and never been used). The volcano was covered in thick cloud cover.  But the next morning we awoke to a glorious clear day with the volcano in full view.  We spent the day driving to the base of the volcano and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

 

The back yard of the first charming hostel we stayed in Chillan --We enjoyed the best hot, but not TOO HOT shower we've had in 2 months!

A contemporary Catholic Church across from the Plaza de Armas in Chillan

We drove past many canola fields on our way south

 

 Saltos de Laja-- a little detour on

the trip to see water falls -- in the rain.

 

 The rain ended in the evening after dinner and we were told that the weather was going to be perfect the next day -- and it was!

The Geronimo Hostel in Pucon where we spent 2 nights -- Our room had a balcony and a fabulous view of the Volcano!

When we stopped to take pictures two hungry little pups followed us around.  So we fed them some crackers away from the road.

Driving toward Villarrica Volcano

Looking down at the lake at Pucon

Evone and Richard  at the base of the ski resort -- closed for the season

The whole group Renee and Vaun Mikesill, Sandra Thompson, Evone and Richard, Janean and Dale Perry

The other side of Villarrica Volcano

The ski resort is on the bottom right of the volcano

Just a picturesque sight!

A little village near the volcano

We stopped at some shops, watched this man carving a bowl, and then bought one -- of course!

A view of the Villarrica Volcano from town

A bridge and gazebo near Lake Pucon

What "Senior" Missionaries did for excitement rather than climb mountains, ski, fish, hike, raft, soak in hot springs or any of the other things that bring tourists to Pucon.

 

Close up of the branches of the "Monkey Tree"   It is very hard and prickly.

One final shot of the reason to travel to Pucon!

A beautiful LDS Chapel in Villarrica.  We met a group of missionaries serving there.  The chapel is just up the road from the lake.  What a gorgeous place to serve a mission!

 

 

...And look what I found yesterday back in Santiago!

It felt like "home" -- even the quilt books were in English!

P.S.  Richard met these great missionaries a couple of weeks ago and promised to take them out to eat Milanesa -- one of his favorite Argentine food -- the Elder on the left is from Argentina and hadn't eaten Milanesa since he left home.  The Elder on the right is from Peru and practiced his English with me.  They both ate every last bite.