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