Mission Life

We were invited to a special Temple Session with important visitors like Sister Dibb and Sister Stevens.

One of our Temple Tours.

Dad and two other missionaries from our mission inside the metro.  It was around 2:30 PM. 

I enjoy helping Anita prepare lunch for the missionaries when they arrive in Chile.

We all had a good time singing at the Family Home Evening with other senior missionaries.  It takes almost one hour to get to the OBISPADO by metro from our apartment.  Most of our Monday evenings are spent doing missionary work.

Spring is beautiful!  I am looking forward to warmer days.

My birthday present from Jo finally arrived after 6 weeks. 

We are walking up the hill to our Sunday lunch appointment.  We like to take fruit to those kind families who invite us into their home for Sunday lunch.

The Office Elders were invited for Sunday lunch by the same family.

While lunch was being prepared, we learned about Chilean kites.

While the Office Elders learned about kites, Dad and I helped set the table.

We had another great meal.  This family likes to invite the missionaries every month.

We try to be careful on the way up and on the way down.

We enjoy attending the Temple in Santiago.

On our way to the metro station we stopped for a snack with our missionary friends.

Liders is a store like Target or Wal-Mart that has everything we need.

On our preparation day, Dad is able to drive the Mission truck or van.

Many times we need to climb several sets of steps to visit families.

After climbing the hill we need to remove our coats.

This dog was not happy to see us, and was determined to keep us away from the door of a home we were trying to visit. We found a sister who had been a leader in Primary at one time, but had not been to church for years.  We will try to visit her on our next preparation day if it does not rain. She lives way up on the hill, and some streets are muddy after we have rain.

This is the sister and her beautiful daughter who saved us from the dog.  Sometimes it takes 4 or 5 visits before some of those inactive members actually return to church.

We continued to look for inactive members to remind them that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love them, and that they are missed in church.  We remind them of the great blessings that the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring. We always ask if there is something we can do for them.

We continued to look for families until it started to get dark.

Our journey down hill is always faster.

We have to be carful.  Many times there is no rail.

I appreciate Dad  polishing my boots.  He keeps my boots looking new.  I wear them every night since the temperatures get down in the 30's a 40's.  I also wear them when it is cold or raining during the day. 

The Office Elders look forward to "Pizza Night."  We now have several new faces in the office.

Dad is working on the emergency plan for our mission.

"DULCE MUNDO"  This is a great place to get treats for the missionaries and for families we visit.

This is the front of our apartment building.  Our maintance fee is used for the upkeep of this park and security.

This gate is secured 24 hours a day.  The security guard automatically unlocks the gate for the residents to go in or out.

This store is a few blocks from the chapel.

One Sunday morning on our way to church, we saw several groups of soldiers marching down the street. 

This evening, all these missionaries will fly home.  They are happy to have served in Chile.

This Hawaiian Elder knows Dad's cousin, and attended Kamehameha School.

We study and plan together.  We are enjoying our mission.

Dad loves to buy "Super 8's."  He buys 10 or 20 each time. He likes to share treats with the Office Elders.

Dad was responsible for the Family Home Evening lesson.  Some of the senior missionaries who work in the Temple or the Area Office get together for Family Home Evening

After we left an investigator's home, Dad and the two Office Elders are advicing the dog to go home.  It is a cold wet night, and it is almost 10:00PM.

This is INDISA, the modern medical facility where all our missionaries go to take care of the medical needs.

One of our missionaries had surgery, and stayed in room 906 -big, beautiful and modern.  906 is also our apartment number.  He had a great view of Santiago and the white capped mountains.

No one was up on the 9th floor so I had Dad take a picture so you could see the modern furniture in the hospital.  It was a cold cloudy day so we could not take a picture of Santiago.

The metro station is several blocks from the medical center.  As we walked, we noticed chairs and desks on this fence.  The students have been on strike for several weeks.  Many parents worry that their children will have to repeat the school year.  Some students have had the option to continue their education on line, and are preparing to take their final exams.

We arrived at the metro station just after the metro left.  We did not have to wait very long for the next metro.

The metro runs deep under the city.  There is usually an escalator and several sets of stairs to get out.

This dad has lived in this house for 60 years.  He was 12 years old when his family moved here.  When they moved here there were no paved roads or utilities.  They lived out in the country like pioneers. The area is now densely populated and there are many factories.  We had a very nice visit reading and discussing the scriptures.  After the closing prayer, we had hot chocolate and toast.  Before we left the family sang their favorite hymn-"I Stand All Amezed."

This family who is learning about the Gospel of Jesus Christ look forward to our visits.

The YW and YM from our ward are serving by washing all the chairs in our building. 

We had a great meal at the Oyarzun's.

The tall fence and locked gate keeps everything secured in the Mission Office.

We spoke at a fireside on a Tuesday. This young bishop, who was called after he returned from his mission, was delighted to have 40 members attend the fireside.

I am preparing a snack to take to the Mission Office.  Jam and so many items we use come in plastic bags.

Every week President & Sis. Essig bring treats to the office for our weekly coordination meeting. It takes a lot of work to support 175 missionaries in the mission.

This is a typical school bus in our area. Many students arrive by walking, private cars, and taxi cabs.

I am helping prepare the folders that are given to the missionaries the last day of their mission.  Passports like the one I am holding are among the important items in the folders.

Dad is enjoying a healthy snack.

My sewing ability helps me take care of repairs for the Office Elders.

The home of one of our members was destroyed by fire.  This is their future home.

A new senior couple arrived and another goes home in a few weeks. The arriving Elder served in Santiago fifty years ago and was here when the first mission opened in Chile. He will be here for the 50th Anniversary Celebration on October 15, 2011.