Cooking for the Hermanas

May, 2014  The zone leaders called last Sunday and asked if we would do a cooking lesson for the hermanas.  They wanted to go somewhere with the elders and had to have something for the hermanas.  So we had a cooking class for North American completos -- chili dogs.  Completos are fast food here, a hot dog with everything, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, relish, etc.  We cooked chili which the gringas really liked as it is not served here and the latinas were not sure of.  Everyone had two hot dogs so I guess everyone liked the chili.  I showed them how to make frosting (chocolate, of course) for the brownies and that went over well also.  Sweets are not very sweet here so the brownies with ice cream and chocolate sauce was appreciated.  We had a good time.  I asked Elder Jensen, the zone leader, what the elders did and he said that it all fell through!  So, the hermanas did better than the elders!  Elder York wanted my brownie and chocolate chip cookie recipes as he wanted to cook something from home.  I told him about the hermanas' cooking lesson and he said that would be better than any paseo (excursion) that he has been on.  So we may be cooking for the elders too.

Family History

We had our monthly family history meeting with the consultoras on Sunday.  It was fun because we had two people on each of three computers trying to find themselves and family names in FamilySearch.  I tried to teach them about the Help/Ayuda button.  One still is having problems with her LDS.org username and password so I worked with her individually with the help section.  Two worked on how a consultora can help someone on FamilySearch.  It was interesting!  I tried to tell them how to use the help button.  I used the help button and got the answers to three questions they had last month.  I told them the answers and got more questions to answer next month.  All of this in Espanol!  I have got to work on the Family History Spanish!

Two Family History Meetings in the Ramas

Easter

April --  Happy Easter to all.  We want you all to know that we have a testimony of the divinity of Christ and his atonement and resurrection.  

Easter is celebrated big time here -- lots of Easter candy in the stores as well as ducklings and chicks.  I worry about those birds -- they may end up as someone's pet or someone's lunch!

General Conference -- in Chile

April -- General Conference was great.  English speakers (North American missionaries) has their own classroom with a "big" screen tv while the Spanish speakers met in the chapel and cultural hall with conference projected on a screen.  However, I understood conference!  That was a worry until I heard that we got a room with English.  I was relieved.  It is hard work listening to Spanish and trying to understand enough that you somewhat understand what is expected of me.  I really liked Bro Ballard's talk about missionary work -- of course!

Hermanas' Pizza Party

June 2014  The hermanas (10 sister missionaries) came over to our house for a pizza party.  The Radimadi branch hermanas made the pizza dough and the rest of the hermanas brought toppings.  Our oven was cooking pizza for almost 3 hours!  It was great fun.  One of the hermanas bought some bacon (it is very expensive here, about $8 for a half pound) and I tasted my first bacon since the mission started.  (We are too frugal -- OK cheap -- to pay that much for bacon.)  It was delicious!

We supplied brownies and ice cream for dessert.  Everyone had a great time!

El Rescate (The Rescue)

I am working on El Rescate, the Rescue.  We have a database that compares two databases, the MLS from the Church and the Chile voter registration database.  In Chile everyone over 18 has a Rut number, an ID number and we are trying to find the Rut numbers for members of the Church that are missing in MLS.  Then we an compare addresses that the Church ahs and the addresses in the Registro Civil and have the missionaries go out and find these people and invite them back to Church.  It will help clean up the MLS system, moving people who have moved into another ward, removing people who have died, etc.  It is a great program.

But I am having a hard time trying to find people and it has been frustrating.  However,  I am getting much better about Chilean name spelling and deciding if the person in the Registro Civil is the same person as in the Church's MLS.  The work is moving forward!

Baptisms in La Union

 March, 2014  --  Last night we went to another cita with Hugo Avilla, the young man who was baptized two weeks ago.  He is truly golden, answering all the questions and telling the hermanas the correct answers to all their questions on the plan of salvation!  It is a joy to watch new members come into the church with such enthusiasm.

June, 2014 --  Carlos Vasquez was baptized last night by Brother Hugo Avila (see above).  Brother Avila is the new branch missionary leader for the Caupolican branch and so got to baptize Brother Vasquez.  It is so fun to watch these new members grow in the gospel!

Pallititos in Castro, Chiloe

Castro has palifitos, houses on stilts in about 6 areas.  The fronts of the houses are on land and the backs on over the bay.  They are in all different colors, but I liked the purple one best! 

Pichangas

July 21, 2014  Today was preparation day and we went out to lunch to try pichangas, a Chilean dish containing french fries (papas fritas), 3 kinds of meat (including sausage, pork, and hot dogs), hard boiled eggs, avocados, tomatoes and cheese.  It was pretty good!  One serving was enough for both of us.

New Mission President

June  --  Presidente Obeso is our new mission president.  We really enjoyed President and Hermana Rappleye and were sad to see them leave.  But Presidente Obeso and Hermana Obeso are wonderful, humble people and will do a lot of the mission and the missionaries.  I will have to learn more Spanish because he and his wife are from Mexico and speak Espanol as their primary language.  He speaks English a little so he understands my Spanglish.

June 30, 2014  All the senior missionaries were called to Osorno this evening to meet the new mission president and his wife.  President Obeso talked with us about plans he has for the mission.  They are happy to be here.  Both President Obeso and his wife are former Mexican missionaries.  The president wants to be active and visit the mission.  He acknowledges that there are problems in Chile, lack of priesthood and divorce.  Basic precepts to teach investigators are prayer, attendance at meeting, and reading the Book of Mormon.  He is a good man and we are happy to serve under him.

July 16, 2014  Elder Stott and I has a very nice meeting with President Obeso today.  He wants us to become involved more with family history throughout the mission.  This is already our assignment in La Union so we are to find out where family history is not functioning in the stakes and districts in the mission and help to get it started again.  He wants Elder Stott to emphasize the marriage assistance program.  This is a new program to help investigators get simple divorces so they can be baptized.  Brother Salas, a lawyer in Valdivia, wants to get this going as a service by lawyer members of the church to help investigators become eligible for baptism.  Great program with lots of potential.

Futbol Fever

The world soccer cup has ended and Chile did not win.  Sad!  But an other interesting experience.  In the US, I do not get caught up in soccer but here in Chile everyone does.  The missionaries can go to members' comes and watch the games that Chile plays because there is no one on the streets to talk to when the games are going on.  Everyone is watching tv!  The whole economy rose with all the food consumed during the games.  Elder Stott went to the grocery store right before the first game and had to ask someone why so many people were there buying everything, especially party supplies.  The person he asked looked at him strangely and said that it was the Chile game that day and everyone was going to celebrate.  So we watched a little of the game.  Alas, soccer is not my thing.

My cold

June (Winter) -- I caught my first cold since the start of the mission and was housebound for almost three weeks!  I ended up with bronchitis and had to go to the doctor.  Interesting experience.  I had hoped to avoid doctors all my mission, but alas, no.  The funny part was at the x-ray area when the technician gave me instructions in rapid Spanish and Elder Stott had to tell her that I didn't understand her.  I had such a blank look on my face that I thought that was evident!  So she showed me what to do in mime!  It was so cute! Then she told Elder Stott to tell me when to hold my big breath and when to let it out.

As in the US when you go to a clinic, you wait until called.  We were 4 hours at the clinic including the chest xray and filling the prescriptions.

However, five days later when we went to pick up the xray, we got our hepatitis booster shot without a doctor prescription.  Rules and customs are different here.

Such are mission experiences -- doing things you do not necessarily want to do and succeeding in doing them.