Goodbye to Sister Memmott, hello to Odell and Denise and Carly

The last couple of weeks have been really busy.  We said goodbye to Sister Memmott, the area Mental Health Specialist and said hello to Sister Thompson her replacement.  Their work is vital to work of the missionaries.  Many have just small problems that left unattended to might become bigger ones.  They counsel in person, on the phone, by Skype and use a translator when needed.  Sister Memmott is from Lindon, Utah near Provo. 

Sister Raejean Memmott

Sister Memmott and Sister Thompson her replacement



Dixie Bowler giving Sister Memmott her Chilean Soccer shirt

She loved the shirt with our signatures on it!

At the same time of the despedida of Sister Memmott our good friends Odell and Denise Peterson and his daughter Carley came to visit Chile on his dream vacation.  He was my companion in Coquimbo and came with me in 2004 with Gary Davis and Mike Dalton.  They attended this event and we also made it to Cerro San Cristobal.

 

Denise and Odell Peterson

Odell and Carley Peterson

The Petersons

Carley

Carley and Odell Peterson

 

 

 

Villa Alemana, Vina Del Mar and surprise packages!

Joe and Dixie Bower and Millie and I went to Villa Alemana out on the coast to visit the Alex and Elizabeth Rojas home.  Brother Rojas loves to cook and wanted us to come for the day.  So we took a Pullman Bus from the bus station.  We really enjoyed the visit and the food.  Brother and Sister Trincado also came over to eat with us.  Alex and brother and sister Trincado work at the temple on Tuesday mornings.  We have enjoyed getting to know them.  They are wonderful people.

Van Millie 2 sister missionaries from Panama that we met Dixie and Joe

Joe Dixie Millie Alex and Van downtown Villa Alemana

Millie and Dixie in front of the flowers

Enough already with the pictures

The beach at Vina Del Mar

Alex Rojas cooking outdoors on the barbeque stove

Dixie Elizabeth Rojas and Millie at Vina Del Mar

Millie and Van at the historic Vina Del Clock

Elizabeth and Alex Rojas, Dixie and Joe Bowler, Millie and Van at Vina Del Mar

The clock

Rachel sent us 2 boxes

Joe and Dixie Bowler at the clock

Rachel sent us 2 boxes of stuff for Millie.  She now can officially survive the next 12 months!!

Last Saturday was a very busy day at the temple.  There are 10 sessions on Saturday and they were all full.  I think there were 8
or 9 buses from all over Chile.  I was tired at the end of our shift.  But very satisfying.

We went to church at 1925 Ingeniero Budge in San Miguel at paradero 9 1/2 on the Gran Avenida.  The same address I went to in 1969 for 5 months.  But instead of nice old house there is a stake center on the premises.  It was ward conference.  Millie stayed home as she was a little under the weather but I went with our friends Odell and Denise Peterson and their daughter Carley.  He was my companion in 1969 in another branch.  We both served in San Miguel a year apart.  They are here visiting for 3 weeks.

Temple work is the best!!

Millie and I have been working in the temple here in Santiago now 6 months.  What have we learned?  Temple work is the best!!  I never thought I would feel so strongly about it.  I knew I enjoyed doing genealogy but now I understand why.  Getting names prepared to take to the temple is but one part of the Lord's work.  The other part is doing the work yourself.  Elder Richard G Scott reminded us of that at General Conference last Sunday.  Elizabeth Craine was thrilled to have her saving ordinances done today in the Santiago Temple.  Millie and I both felt it as did our good friend Sister Dixie Bowler.  We are having special experiences working in the temple each and every day. 

As you can see from these happy faces of Toby and Soledad Acevedo getting married in the temple is an awe inspiring experience.


Millie holding the bride's bouquet

Betsy, Clarence, Vivian, Yvonne, Soledad Villanueva and Millie

I knew the Villanuevas when they were 14, 12, 10, 6 and not born.  They were in Calalma where I served.  They are a great family and we love them dearly.  Especially on the Soledad's youngest Toby getting married.


We look forward to having more special experiences in the temple during the next 11 months and beyond.  I have often felt comforted that all 6 of my children have had the privilege to be in the temple at least once in their life.  So I know they felt something special and hopefully will want to return there one day to be with Mom and Dad and brothers and sisters.  And wives and husbands too of course.

Van has been bugging me to write on the blog and after reading some of his posts I can see why he wants me to write.  He no longer proofs his writing.

 

Last Friday, the 5th of October, we went to our first Chilean wedding reception.  We had to go the the central bus station which became a taxi ride, I can do that.  At the bus station we got on this maybe 30 passenger bus (enough said).  It stopped at every little bus stop out to Penaflor which turned into an hour ride due to all the stops and traffic.  The reception was to start at 7 pm.  We arrived at 8 pm and the bride and groom arrived at 9:15 pm.  We had to leave around 11:20 pm to catch the bus at 11:30 pm.  We got dinner, missed dessert and all the fun things afterward.  The party went to 3 am.  There were three temple workers there.  We really enjoyed ourselves very much.  Our good friend Gary was with us as well.  You probably have seen the couple, Toby and Soledad, on Facebook.  Toby is the son of our good friends Rodolfo and Soledad Acevedo.  Yes, wife and mother have the same first name.

My indentifaction card experience

On September 6th Millie and I with another couple went to get our cedula indenficacion(indenfication card) that allows to stay in the country as missionaries.  I had one issued in 1969 when I was here before.  So right away I had 1 more place to go than the others.  It is called PDI short for Policia de Investigaciones de Chile.  It took more than 1 hour.  Then we went back to other place where Millie and the Grahams had been done for quite some time.  There they decided that I had to have 2 last names Layman Vanderbeek because that is what my Carne from 1969 said.  So then we all go over the the civil registry to complete the process.  They took one look at the visa with 2 last names and my passport with 1 last name and said they couln't give me one.  So fast forward to today.  We go where they issued the visa with 2 last names.  They were serving 136 and my number was 223.  Thank goodness Gabriel my helper and taxi driver went and talked to someone who took my passport and disappeared.  He came back 1/2 later and took us to someone who showed the law that says I can have 2 last names. She attached her name to the copy of the law and sent us on our way.  We went to the civil registry.  The boss lady asked who told us they couldn't issue the cedula with 2 last names.  Gabriel very quietly said you did!!  Well she knew this other boss lady and said go get a copy of the picture etc from the PDI and come back and they would process it.  So we go to the PDI and wouldn't you know it, the computer was down.  Another 45 minutes waiting.  Get what we need and go back and finally all is well.  I walked about 3 miles down town Santiago doing all this and it took 5 hours in total.  Millie no problems she has hers for a week!

Last Sunday we went to the El Bosque ward near San Bernardo to go to church with Eduardo and Soledad Rojas.  A young couple who work in the temple.  We then went to eat at her mother and dad's home where they live.  It was a very sweet experience.

Eduardo Soledad Rojas Millie and Van

Millie and Soledad

Soledad Millie and Eduardo

Soledad showing Millie Eduardo's mission pictures

2 missionaries both from Mexico Soldedad's mother and father

Millie Eduardo Soledad getting ready to eat!

Sunday evening there was a going away for 19 missionaries leaving the Chile Santiago East mission whose mission office is in the building next to the temple.  So they invite people to come and say goodbye on the square behind the temple.  We were watching from our apartment window when we noticed Elder Christofferson was there.  Had slipped my mind he was going home.  He worked in the mission office and we had taken them to dinner once.  So I went down and took a picture with him and said goodbye.  Gave him $10 for junk food in the airport at Atlanta.  He wouldn't take it at first as there is a mission rule they can't take money.  I finally convinced him it was ok.

Elder Christofferson and Van

A better picture!

This is me in the subway station showing you the map of the subway system.  In going to El Bosque we took 1 taxi, 2 subways and another taxi to get to the church.

La Cisterna metro station paradero 25 on the Gran Avenida

 

 

 

Procrastination plus!!

The last little while I have been able to put off writing this blog with ease.  I will take a page out of my daughter Rachel's blog.  She does small ones often! 

Millie and I have come to realize that we and our extended family are the recipients of blessings each and every day from Our Heavenly Father.  It has been so for so many years.  I hope that we take time each day to thank Him for those blessings.

Good-Bye everyone!

Rick and Stephanie Lee returned home to Denver after serving 12 months here at the temple.  It is sad to see them go.  We so enjoyed them.

We went to Mendoza, Argentina last week while the temple was closed.  Bowlers, Roberts, and Karrens went with us.  We had a great time.

Eating Dinner

We also had a special experience of having all 6 couples meet in the temple with the temple presidency on a Sunday night.  It was a very spiritual meeting and we took pictures as well.

Pres and Sister Sepulveda(1st Counselor) President and Sister Otay(Temple President) Pres and Sister Flores(2nd Counselor

Laymans, Haydens, Sepulvedas, Otays, Flores, Onate, Pardos, Roberts
In back Bowlers and Lees
 

We are so blessed by the lives of the young missionaries that we see and interact with.  The 2 sets of sister missionaries that serve in the Pocurro ward we attend are so great.  We took them out to steak dinner last week.  I just think if my daughter was serving what would I want the senior missionary couple feed them!  Sister Chamberlain and Sister Conner, Sister Johansson and Sister Rineheart.  They are great!

Have a great week!  We are nearing our 6 month mark and we look reasonably good!!

Millie and I in front of the temple

Calama final, San Antonio 45 years, and Family Home Evening

I am posting the final pictures from Calama trip.  We spent an evening with a wonderful young couple.  He is Chilean and she is from the Dominican Republic.  Pablo and Greicie.  We stayed at a the Sonesta Hotel which was very nice.  I also visited with Aniceto Perez who I baptized in 1970 in the River Loa. We returned there to see what it was like.  Pretty much the same just alot of commerce had grown up around it.

Joe and Dixie Bowler Van and Millie Layman and Greicy

Aniceto and me at the Rio Loa

Aniceto Perez and me at the Rio Loa where he was baptized

This is where we met for church in 1970 on La Torre street

Me at 1333 La Torre in Calama where we held church in 1970

Monument to the copper industry

Sonesta Hotel eating area

End of a long trip with our favorite taxi driver Ariel

The stake in San Antonio celebrated 45 years of the church there.  I arrived about 16 months after the branch had been opened.  I was asked to speak on Friday night and Gary Davis and Charles Acevedo spoke on Sunday night.  It was wonderful to see people I knew then and some I have gotten to know with previous visits to Chile. 

Leonardo Jr and Daniel playing. 

Leonardo Sr and daughter

Now playing the guitars

Rene Briceno and his wife.  I have know him since 1970

Ricardo Acevedo and Gary Davis with 45 year plaque

Leonardo Wilches Sr and Jr and Daniel and Me

Leonardo and his wife and daughter

Their backdrop to the stage

It seems it has been hard to get on this blog and write.  It could be that Millie and I are finding our time to be increasingly decreased!!!  What I mean is that we are really tired working the evening shift.  We go in at 2:30 or 3:30 and leave at anywhere from 10:30pm to 11:00pm.  And we are not getting to sleep until the wee hours of the morning.  So it has been a real difference from working in the mornings.  We go back to the mornings in October and November which we will like alot better.

The 18 of September is coming up and the temple will be closed for 2 days for their Independence day.  The Bowlers and the Roberts and us are going to Mendoza, Argentina via bus.  You go thru the Andes Mt's on a pass with many switchbacks.  We are riding on a double decker bus and we are sitting in the front seats up on top.  Millie wanted a first hand view.  Yes kids we have permission from the temple president to go.  Mendoza is in our temple district.  Nellie and Paul took this same trip when they were in Chile a couple of years ago.

Good bye for now.  Count your many blessings, name them one by one.  You have so many I hope we all are counting each day.

Van and Millie