Finding your way around Chile can be a challenge. Signage is, at best, unremarkable. If you miss this sign to some beautiful waterfalls you miss a truly beautiful scene in Chile.
Here is the next clue. We've already been on dirt roads for 30 minutes and asked 3 different people for directions!
This is what we were looking for. It was worth the find.
It is called "Salto de Itata" or the Itata River Falls. No guardrails to be found.
The Itata River also goes by Coelemu, another small branch in our mission.
Our apartment has become the mission's bed and breakfast. Sally has quite a reputation for being a great cook. Of course, I've known that more than 40 years. All of the hermanas love to stay with us.
Sally has given a wonderful recap of our activities.
"We hope you have had a great "day off",
today, and have enjoyed your last holiday of the summer. I am always
sad after Labor Day, because the summer is over and school starts, and
winter is on its way. However, in Chile, I'm happy because it is almost
Spring time!! The blossoms are on the trees, the flowers are opening, I
don't need to turn on my caliente cama anymore, and we are opening our
windows for part of the day! I don't have endure winter again
until almost 2015!"
"Our last week is already a blur. Our mission
had Elder Walter Gonzalez, the Area President of the South America,
South Area, visit our mission. The mission was divided in half for two
separate zone conferences. Six hermanas came and spent the night,
Friday, so they could be to the chapel by
8:00 a.m., waiting for Elder Gonzalez to arrive. They were up at
6 a.m.,
showering and doing their personal study. Picture the chapel, full of
missionaries, quietly reading their scriptures, with the piano being
played. The mission president and his wife walk in with the Gonzalez',
and Elder Gonzales opens up his arms to the group and invites everyone
to go up and shake their hands. He asked everyone where they were from
and a question or two, and then we had a four hour meeting. He and his wife did most of
the teaching. It was great because he would throw in some sentences in
English, and he had a great laugh and seemed like a regular man. His
wife was especially awesome. You could tell that she had traveled all
over with him and had taught many missionaries. They are both from
Uruguay. I didn't have to feed them because he wanted his time to be
exclusively with President Arrington and his wife.
"We were supposed to go to Santiago, this past Sunday, but we had to change the date to
Sept.8th
due to some computer problems. It all worked out for the good, as most
things do on a mission. We decided to visit Cauquenes. There are two
struggling branches there. One branch is especially needy. As we were
going through Parral, Dad thought to call the District President, who
lives there. President Troncoso thought it would be good if he went to
visit with us. We told him we were right in Parral and we could give
him a ride. (He doesn't own a car). He said he would hurry and get
dressed and would meet us on the street. We pulled a "Uey" and found
the green, "servi-centro", (it was a gas station, and it didn't say,
"servi-centro" on it.) Then he called and gave us the rest of the
directions to his neighborhood. He was there, on the street, in his
suit, looking like a great Chilean, church leader. We know him well.
He is very nice and tries to help us with anything we need. He knows
about 20 words in English but speaks pretty clearly, for a Chilean."
President Troncoso helped us last Tuesday as we were looking for a house for the Scholes. They get here the first week of April.
"When we arrived at the Estación Branch, the Branch President
was happy to greet us. Both of his counselors don't come to church,
regularly. Neither of them were there,
Sunday.
The same lady taught the Gospel Doctrine class and the Relief Society
lesson, and conducted, because the R.S. President quit. You can see
that the Branch needs help. Dad and President Troncoso went to the
other Branch, "Cauquenes, Centro", and Dad got to watch President
Troncoso call two, strong couples, from that Branch to go and serve in
the weaker Branch. When they returned to Estación, they were both
beaming."
It was amazing to witness the dedication of those humble chilean members. They all accepted the assignment to be assigned to the neighboring branch and help fortify it. If you are a faithful church member here in Chile you never get our of the saddle. You may change horses but you never get out of the saddle.
"We then had a short meeting with the 4 missionaries that are
serving there and gave them encouragement and hopefully a vision of what
can happen to that poor little branch, as they try to work with the
members and increase the attendance. I think we will be attending there
often. I met some cute kids; Filipe, Vickie, and Joaquin. I gave out
hair clips and candy and took their pictures. No one speaks a word of
English, except the Branch President. In the other Branch there are two
women who can speak some and we have a great time trying to talk to
each other."
"It was a great Sabbath and we felt like we were instruments in
the Lord's hand. We have had so many experiences when we have been in
the right place at the right time. We even bought tickets to a Beatles
impersonation concert, last week. We totally forgot about it and it
ended up that we got a phone call and were needed to pick up some
missionaries and have them stay over. At
1 a.m.
Doug said to me, "guess what we forgot?" I still didn't remember! It
is great to be totally immersed in the Lord's work here. We have so
many opportunities to help, in so many ways, here in our mission and in
other missions, as well. This weekend the Arringtons will spend the
night
Saturday,
because they have to attend a stake conference in Chillán. Sister
Arrington can stay with me instead of sit in the car or on a bad bench,
while her husband is in the Priesthood meeting. I'm so thankful that I
can help her out. They like to stay here and it is great to get to know
them better.
On Sunday, we will drive to Santiago and train people in the West mission, on how to find the names and addresses of so many lost people."
So that has been our experience here as we strive to establish the Church more firmly here in Chile.
