Hi, again! We hope today's earlier post was "worth 1,000 words!" . . . but I since I don't often take time to write (or as Darla said recently: "for lack of time" ) I thought I'd go ahead and send this recent response to a question Carol posed: "Is your work in the office hard?"...so we can all be on-the-same-page. =)
Sometimes our work/service here in the office is challenging both
physically and mentally...given that we learn as we go and there are
times during the six weeks between "changes" that are inherently busier
than others. We just finished our first series of 4 zone
conferences. Normally these occur once each quarter; but our mission
Christmas activity was a substitute last quarter...and Elder Bednar's
visit to Chile just before we arrived was another mission-wide activity
in lieu of zone conferences. We play a supporting role at zone
conferences in that we facilitate a snack at break-time midway through
training sessions prior to lunch . . . which we also prepare and/or
provide. Snack was PB and jam sandwiches with a piece of fruit and a
juice box for between 55-85 people, depending on the size of each zone.
PB is not always available in Chile...so is always a big hit with the
missionaries. Lunch was PIZZA at the first two conferences, sloppy joes at the third
and mammoth German thinly-sliced, roast-beef sandwiches at the last...with salad,
dessert (delicious brownies baked by the sister who works for the church
helping with everything needed at the mission home. She is also the
one who prepared sloppy-joes for us for the conference here in Rancagua.
:-) chips and soda +\ or water, as needed. Previously, tossed salad
was on the menu but was not a big hit with some of the Latin Elders...so
we served a macaroni-chicken salad w/apples, grapes, celery and
pineapple this time instead. It seemed to be well-received...and,
thankfully, we were accustomed to cooking for a crowd :-)! Sam gained
more experience driving in Santiago...gathering pizzas and sandwiches
and picking-up Chilean nurses who helped give flu-vaccine shots to the
missionaries. Other senior missionaries at each location helped make
sandwiches and set-up tables and it all, amazingly, came together...with
the end-result that NOW we know better what to expect NEXT time.
MUCH
excitement and many changes have been generated by the announcement
made last conference-time. We had 25 new missionaries come a few weeks
ago...over half of which were sisters. We're expecting 28 "NEWS" April
23...followed by 33 six-weeks later!!! These are the largest groups
that have come since we've been here, by far! Every six weeks, then, we
make orientation books for the "news" and their trainers...as well as
go-homer books for those who leave. And Elder B. helps prepare
emergency back-packs for each NEW...in addition to facilitating finances
for all the housing and beds, etc. that are needed by all these
new missionaries. What WONDERFUL challenges to have, eh???
The
young elders with whom we serve in the office are truly amazing. We
call them "jovenes valientes" (valiant YM) because they truly are! They
are not only patient and helpful, but genuinely friendly and courteous
to us. Pres. MacArthur has been tasked with manning the new Santiago
South Mission which is due to open July 1st; so he is busy identifying
missionaries to serve as APs and in the office who will then spend time
learning-the-ropes from us old-timers. ;-)
The
office elders surprised me with a pizza-size raspberry-cheesecake-pastry
for my birthday yesterday...which we all promptly shared and enjoyed.
And Sam took me to the Rancagua rodeo grounds on our lunch-break to see
some handsomely-dressed huasos (Chilean cowboys) show some fancy horsemanship on
some very beautiful animals! There will be a rodeo Sunday; but as we
understand, it will be somewhat different than rodeos in the States. We
enjoyed seeing a competition of some fancy steering of steers =) ...smelling the horses and the leather...eating shelled peanuts and churros
(like long, thin cake donuts sprinkled with powdered sugar)! AND I was able
to visit with 4 kids and 7 grand kids . . . So I thoroughly enjoyed my
special day!
Please know that our love and best wishes are always with you. We know our Heavenly Father is watching over you while we are away...and are grateful, indeed, for all of His tender mercies. We are grateful, too, for all we are learning as we strive to be of help. I love the way Doug put it recently: "Both Gregg and Shane will be released in the next month or two from
their service as Bishops. As you will well know, all who are related to
them have enjoyed rich blessings from their service. Both have grown
in kindness, spiritual depth and commitment to the work. What a
blessing it is to belong to the true Church with its lay ministry!" Amen. XOXOXOXOXOXOXO
