Homes in Southern Chile April 2015

Homes in La Union and the environs are varied 

Groceries in Chile April 2015

Groceries are available in groceries stores like Jumbo, Lider, and Santa Isabel or in small tiendas like La Paloma (a little store hear our house) and open air markets.

Fresh fish from an open air market in Valdivia

Open air market in Valdivia, Chile

Milk in our part of Chile is all in boxes that stay on your shelf.  
Colun is a large milk product company which has its offices and factories in La Union.
Wonderful yogurt, butter, etc.

Cakes are purchased in the grocery stores, not made at home.

Sopapillas -- fried bread -- from a small cart in front of the grocery store.
Delicious!

Chocolate Store -- ummmm!

Life in Southern Chile April 2015

Here are miscellaneous pictures of life in our Chile.

Flowers in La Union, Chile

People in Chile

A Favored Senior Couple in La Union

Chocolate Store in Rio Bueno -- UMMMM!

One way things get done here - person power

Another way things get moved here - person power

Carabinero (policeman) in the rain

Missionaries hard at work

High School students "in uniform"

Family History Meeting April 2015

We had our last family history consultants meeting!  They are every two months and the next one is in June.We told the consultants that we were going home and would not be at the next meeting and they said that they would Skye us so we could attend!  We told them they would be fine without us!

Before the meeting we met with Hermana Figeroa who is the District Family History Center director here in La Union about the agenda.  She set up the agenda which worked well; the meeting went very smoothly. We are thrilled that she is going to be here after we leave.

This is Hermana Figeroa's daughter -- a real cutie.  
Small children here in Chile are cute.

Zone Leaders Meeting April 2015

Zone Leaders meeting is always held the Friday after transfers and is for training new zone leaders and refresh the ones who are remaining zone leaders.  We had some really good training by the Assistants to the President (the APs) about enthusing the missionaries in finding and teaching investigators.  The APs trained and then had break-out sessions to see that the training was learned.  Good job!

Looking for a Place to Go on on Outing with the Missionaries April 2015

We went driving to see if we could find a place to have a paseo, a preparation day party for the missionaries.  We took Elders Cluff and Bradshaw, two of our Caupolican Branch elders with us.

We looked for Traumo which has an old church and a harbor for the Rio Bueno.  We got lost following the signs and asked a man in his front yard who told us to return the way we came and look for the fork in the road.  We should have taken the other fork.  We found the harbor and the park but found that the park didn't open until 3 pm and our paseos have to be done by then!  So no luck.

We found the church and went through the closed fence to see it closer.  It was locked, but there was a b beautiful view of the Rio Bueno far below the bluff that the church was built on.

A nice little church with color-block stained glass windows
(which you cannot see).

Elder Cluff is tall, but the door is short too!

The next day we went looking some more and found the Rio Bueno, the river below the Tramao church.  Nice place for photos but not for a paseo!

 

General Conference April 4 and 5, 2015 and Farewell to Senior Missionaries

General conference was good, very good here.  It is a real treat to hear the general authorities speak when we are so far from home.

Conference ran from 1 to 3 pm for the Saturday morning session and from 5 to 7 pm for the Saturday afternoon session.  Priesthood meeting was from 9 to 11 pm!  We went to the district center for the broadcast even through we could have watched it at home.  It was more fun with the other English speaking missionaries all crammed into a little room watching the TV.  I brought fudge so no one would go hungry!

Sunday we watched the morning session at the district center and then went to Osorno to have a party with the other senior missionaries and the mission president and his wife to say farewell to the Biggs, a senior couple who were going home the next day.  Three of the four senior couples are going home within two months of each other, and the Biggs are the first.  The Poulson's go home the end of April and we come home the end of May.  As far as we know, no new senior couples are coming which is a real drag!  The young missionaries will just have to pick up the slack.  However, the Beecrofts are only half way through their mission so they will continue in the mission office, their calling.

We watched the last session of conference with the Poulsons and the Biggs in the Poulson's apartment.

A inspiring day with conference and a bittersweet day saying good-bye.

ElVive! (He Lives) Easter Plaza Party April 3, 2015

The Church celebrated Easter with a new video called "El Vive!" here in Chile, ("Because He Lives" in the US).  Our missionaries celebrated and got the word out by having a fiesta at the plaza from 4 pm to 6 pm, the time when many people would be strolling through the plaza.

We had a good time.  We showed the dvd "El Vive" on a sheet hung between a pole and a tree.  We had a tv too which was a good thing because the sun was still shining and a problem for the sheet, too much light to see the dvd.  We had 4-5 chairs set up for people to sit on and watch the 3 minute show.  Some did and the missionaries had a good time talking to them about the video.

We had soccer, water bottle bowling, free pictures of Christ, copies of the Book of Mormon and other LDS brochures about Christ.

We had a good time.  I even talked (in my limited Spanish) with two teen-aged girls for 15 minutes!  They want to know where I lived, and when they heard the US, they wanted to know if I knew Justin Beiber!  I had to disappoint them on that notion.  We talked about school, the Church, and other girl things.  It was fun, but one talked with a lot of slang and I kept having to look at her companion to have her tell me what was being said.

It was much easier this time at the plaza with pass along cards because I spoke more Spanish.  How can you go wrong with "Para la Pascual" -- "For Easter."

Elder Hazard walked around and talked to people about the Book of Mormon.

Children and their parents stopped at the popular picture coloring station.

We had Easter egg pictures and bunny picture pictures and colored pencils and paint.
The kids really enjoyed themselves!

Rio Bueno and Caupolican baptisms

We have had two children baptized in the past two weeks, both boys about 10 years old.  Both Martin and Tomas were baptized by Elder Sanchez.  Martin is in the Rio Bueno ward and Tomas is in the Caupolican ward.

Martin was baptized in the Rio Bueno River.  The two of Rio Bueno has a very nice area for swimming and partying on the shore of the river so we held the baptism at the far end of the swimming area.  I love this picture,  Martin is looking at Elder Sanchez as if he is thinking, "This is what I want to be when I grow up, a missionary!"

Tomas was baptized in the baptismal font at the Caupolican branch building.  Elder Sanchez was transferred to an Osorno ward a week ago but received permission to come back to baptize Tomas as he taught the family the gospel.

Relief Society Anniversary And Chatting in Relief Society 3-22-2015

We celebrated the Relief Society's anniversary

 yesterday with a manicure!  

I met with the El Centro branch's Relief Society yesterday and got my nails done -- without polish!  I didn't want to have to buy polish remover for a one time use.  Nail polish here in Chile is much thinner than US polish.  So they put on more coats.  Most of the colors brought by the young sister showing us how to manicure our nails were muted colors: rose, brown, lite brown, and ORANGE!  I was so surprised to see the orange.  But one of the sisters used the orange and it looked really nice with her skin tones!  I am too used to the paler skin of our family.  

Then the Relief Society president connected the manicure to Pres. U's talk about our hands being the ones that Christ uses.  She showed Pres. U's talk on her computer.  It worked really well!  Nice going, Presidenta Villarosas.

 I don't know what these sisters were talking about, but she doesn't look happy!

Nice colors but missing the orange!

Orange polish

Remember, file your nails from the underneath side.

While at this meeting, I found that I can chat better now.  My Spanish is finally up to a chat with some sisters who like to talk about their families.  I was talking to this sister who asked me if I have an bis-nietos -- great grandchildren.  I had to tell her no, that my oldest grandchild, Allison, is on a mission and not yet having great grandchildren for me!  She has 24 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. She is hopefully many years older than I am!  She is so nice to me, always willing to talk with me and listen to my "distinctive" Spanish.

Ordination of Nicolas - March 8, 2015

Yesterday (Sunday) Keith had a surprise in Priesthood meeting.  Nicolas, the brother of Tomas who was baptized Saturday (see other blog entry), received the priesthood and was ordained a deacon. Usually, the person to ordain the young man is asked ahead of time so he can get the total name (Nicolas has four names) and review the Spanish words used.  When it was announced in the meeting that Nicolas wanted him to do the ordaining, Keith was surprised, to say the least!  We assume that everyone thought that someone else was asking him and no one ended up asking.  He hadn't ordained anyone in Spanish for 50+ years -- not since his mission to Argentina when he was 19!

But he got out the Mission Manual (the book telling the mission rules and discussing how to do a variety of ordinances) to see what were the Spanish words for ordaining someone, and he was good to go.  The blessing after the ordaining was easy with his Spanish.

After the meeting I was waiting for Keith to come out of Priesthood meeting, and Nicolas came up to me and told me that Elder Stott (Keith) had ordained him, but I didn't understand his words except "priesthood" and "Elder Stott" so I just smiled and said "Felicitaciones" or "Congratulations."  I had to ask Keith what NIcolas as talking about. Sometimes (a lot of the time) my lack of vocabulary gets in the way of my understanding what people are saying to me!  Oh well, I am still learning.

Zone Meeting at the Park - March 3, 2015

We had an interesting zone meeting last Tuesday. The zone leaders called and said that we were to meet at the municipal park instead of at the chapel.  So we met at the municipal park by the river that runs through the park.  

Without any explanation, the zone leaders had each companionship make a boat out of materials that were supplied, boxes, bottles, balloons, plastic bags, tongue depressors, etc.  The zone leaders gave everyone a "passenger" -- a raw egg that they had decorated with a face and the branch/district name!  I was pleased that everyone participated, every boat was different, and all the boats were launched and floated.

The one problem was that the zone leaders didn't think about the boats getting away from the missionaries and floating on down the river -- free to ride the rapids!  It was funny to see the missionaries finding a big branch and trying to use it to guide the boats to shore.  It was a very big branch that needed two missionaries to handle it.  But it did get two or so of the boats to shore.  

The purpose of the activity was to illustrate to the missionaries that they need to take care of their investigators (the eggs) and guide them past the shoals and rapids (help them overcome trials and teach them the gospel), and that by the time they get past the shoals the investigators should have a friend, a calling, and teaching.  We lost some of our investigators/boats!  But others will help them down the river.

Chalk up one for the zone leaders for creativity!

Learning English Exams

Working with BYU and Language Testing International (LTI), the mission offers English language instruction for the Latino missionaries.  We have had 19 missionaries study the three manuals and take the English test offered by LTI.  The missionaries get manuals 1 and 2 in the MTC and I give them manual 3.  They have all their mission to study, generally taking the test the last week of their mission.  Not all of the Latinos take the test.  It is up to them.  I have the assignment of giving the tests.

It is interesting to work with the missionaries, getting them a date to take the test, giving them instructions about the test (you can make up any answer you want--what the test is looking for is vocabulary and grammar!), and then proctoring the Latina tests.  Keith proctors the Latino tests.  Someone must proctor the test, staying with them during the test making sure they do not use anything but their brains.  Some of the missionaries have very good English skills, some only average.  They receive a certificate after the test showing their grade.  They can use these certificates to prove to prospective employers that they do know English.  It is a great skill to have and I'm glad that they get the opportunity to show their stuff!

Volcon Villarica Blows!

There are many volcanos in Chile, but the one most likely to erupt is Volcan Villarica.  It is about 3 hours away from us so it is not a danger to us here in La Union.  Every 3 or 4 years it erupts, nothing huge, but it is spectacular when it goes off.  

Missionaries from Pucon and Villarica were moved out of harm's way when the alert level went to orange.  So there were missionaries in Valdivia who had elders sleeping on their floors! The volcano blew at red. 

 The Biggs are senior missionaries in Pangipulli who were moved too.  I had called them the day before they were moved asking about the danger of the volcano to them.  Sister Biggs said that she figured they were out of the way, and that the Chileano she has been talking to about the volcano said that it would erupt on Thursday (it erupted on Wednesday so not too bad a prediction!) and then it would "nap" again.  It does not "sleep" as it is one of the few active volcanoes in Chile.  It always has a small pool of liquid lava in its crown. 

The next day Sister Biggs called to tell us they were on the way to Osorno because of the volcano, and did I want a job as a prophet because I was asking her if they were being moved!  Too bad we do not have extra beds in our house.  They could have stayed here.  I offered the floor but she said they were too old for that!  Silently I agreed that we are too old for that too.)

Volcan Villarica erupting

Lago Ranco Hike -- All 6+ Miles of It!

Lago Ranco -- a small town next to a large lake!

Last Monday, the missionaries and Keith and I went to Lago Ranco (on the bus) to go on a paseo.  Only one missionary (besides us and the Lago Ranco missionaries) had been there and she did not climb the mountain behind the town.  We celebrated Elder Petrovelli's and Keith's birthday on the mountain.  Below is Keith's journal entry about the trip.

"Lago Ranco is a large lake to the east of La Union and Rio Bueno and the head waters of the Rio Bueno river.  We have two missionaries in the small town that overlooks the lake.  The featured activity was a hike up the mountain that overlooks the town and the lake.

The last time we took this trip we had a car; this time we didn't.  What a difference it made.  The 3+ miles up the mountain  was very arduous with 30-45 degree climbs.  The trip down was difficult for different reasons.  By the time we were finished we were starting to weave back and forth!  We won't be making this climb again!

The missionaries were a spirited group and climbed much faster than we did.  Those who lagged behind with us provided conversation and we got to know them better,  Some of the missionaries had just turned 19.  It was Keith's birthday today.  He is 71 and feels pretty good for a man his age if you take our hike into account.

The ride back was interesting.  With 16 missionaries on board, the bus was loaded to the gills with people standing in the aisle and up by the driver."

View from the mountain

Our missionaries

Birthday Boys

Color on the side of the road

Paseo to Parque National Alerce Costero

Yesterday we went to see a 3,500 year old tree. It's in the Alerce Costero National Park in La Union, Chile. It was a steep mile+ down and the same up, but the tree roots were so bad that it was very hard to walk. Grandpa and I were both exhausted at the end! But the tree was lovely and huge! So impressive! It was a very hard walk after Monday's paseo! I am so sore and stiff. It was hard to get up this morning to get ready to go to church. It was a long walk to church -- all of 5 minutes -- but it seemed much longer! But it was worth it! (Besides we live on the Calle Parque Alerce Costero (Alerce Costero Park Street). So we had to go!)

At the bottom, starting back

Tree roots!  Nasty to walk on!

At the bottom

This tree grows a "scab" when the tree is
attacked or ill.  Very interesting! 

One tall tree!!!

We went with a group from La Union,
the town we live in.