When you see the Southern Cross for the first time...........

As often as we have been close to the southern hemisphere, we have not actually been able to see the Southern Cross.  Elder Jones located it and we watch it from our apartment building stairway at night. It is quite small and is surrounded by brighter stars and therefore doesn't jump out at you like the Big Dipper does in the north.  It is beautiful, with a blue star as the bottom point.  It is not positioned exactly south, but off to the side a little, so we can watch it rotate in a circle over the course of a year.

Crash Test Dummies!
Hermana Cluff and I are being tutored 2-3 times a week over scype by Brother Rodrigo Duran, who is the South America Family History Center Services Manager.  He is teaching us how to set up and run the Family History Center, plan FH events, teach, etc.  He is very excited to have us here getting something happening in Chile.  Right now he is in Salt Lake for meetings with FH people regarding South America.  He took with him a copy of the Ovalle District Family History and Indexing Plan we just wrote and presented to our District Presidency and Branch Presidents last Sunday.   Bro. Duran tries new things out on us, so we call ourselves his crash test dummies!

Here is a photo of our District Center.  It is where we spend most our afternoons working in the Family History Center.  On Thursday I had a Sister from a different branch come to learn how to index.  She has never used a computer before, so working through all this in Spanish was quite challenging.  I spent two hours with her getting an email account set up and then an LDS account--only to find out when she tried to log in that she already had one!  Its a good thing Cluffs were here to help with the Spanish or I would not have survived it.

Notice the two iron gates that have to be unlocked before you even get to the doors of the building.  Then two doors need to be unlocked to open the FHC, the last one sets off an alarm if you don't punch in the code just right.  Security is a big issue around here.  Each of the chapels in Ovalle have a huge gate surrounding them like the one in this photo.  (This building has the only comfortable lawn for miles, and some young boys have figured out how to climb the fence and come in to play soccer! So much for security!)


Last time I wrote I mentioned an investigator who was coming to church, but didn't.  He is the man we met in the hardware store just after we got here.  We were there to buy something and he was helping us and when he saw our badges he asked if we were here for religion.  We said "yes" and he gave us his name (Jamie Garcia) and phone.  He said he was also a magician and a radio JD.

After going back twice and not finding him, I decided to write my testimony in el Libro de Mormon and put it and a restoration pamphlet in a bag with his name on it and leave it for him the next time if he wasn't there.

So when we went in, Elder Jones was buying something and I was looking around for Jamie.  He saw me and walked right over and gave me a hug!  I showed him the book and he held it close to his chest and said it made him very happy.  He said he wanted to come to church and would like missionaries, so we arranged it with the ones in his area--Elder Araya from Costa Rica and Elder Puefua from Samoa--who is always singing, smiling, or laughing.  I love that guy!

Jamie came to church last week and Elder Jones and I were there with him.  He will have his first lesson tonight, and we are excited.  He will have to make some changes in his life--I just hope and pray he can do it.  He said to the Elders, "If you want me to give up smoking, I am ready!"

In Chile, as in other South American countries, some people love their houses to be bright colors This one has cosmos to match behind the fence if you can see them.  It is very pretty right now.  The other photo will remind those of you who have spent time in  tropical countries how beautiful these hibiscus can be.

Personal interview with Mission President:
I never knew something that I anticipated with such a high level of stress could end up being so wonderfully inspiring and uplifting.  Elder Jones and I were last (we were interviewed separately) after about five hours of other missionaries from this zone, and President Kahnlein was still smiling, radiating the spirit, and full of love and appreciation for anything and everything we are doing.  When he, or anyone, feels Elder Jones' goodness and desire to help the Young Singles, everything somehow seems possible.

Everyday brings miracles and new experiences.  We are learning a lot and are happy.  We love you all very much.  And...........we know now why we came this way!

Elder and Hermana Jones

P.S.  We participated in a regional devotional for youth this morning where Elder Oaks and his wife spoke.  They mentioned the Southern Cross as something they can use as a guide to direct them and remind them who they are!

Completos!


We have been trying to find out if there is a food dish that is specifically Chilean.   We think we found it.  It is called "Completos"  This is how you make it:

Boil a small hotdog, put it in a large bun, fill up the extra space inside the bun with chopped up tomatoes and a layer of mashed avocado, squeeze it together, toast it in the oven, squirt mayonnaise along the top, then eat it!

We had this at a recent Young Singles activity.  They voted to have it instead of tacos or pizza.  I ate it without the mayonnaise, of course, but it was more tasty than I expected.  Who would have thought?

Speaking of food, the grapes here are ripe (it is vine country) and they are delicious!  We buy some every day.  They remind me of the ones Grandpa Jones used to grow.

This is a photo of our front room, kitchen table, and about half of our kitchen. We still can't get used to the sound it makes when we drop something on this plastic floor, but as we see other people's homes here, we are grateful for a clean, new space that is comfortable.

Speaking of missionary apartments, did you know that it is against mission rules to play football or darts in their apartments?  I try to imagine what the apartments of 18-21 year olds look like when they are on their own.  Scary!  On the other hand, my companion cooks, cleans, repairs, and does laundry and dishes--without being asked!

At least every day something makes me aware of how much effort (personal, family, mission, and church) goes into keeping 85,147  missionaries alive, healthy, happy, feeling the spirit, and productive.  It is huge and amazing!  Hna. Cluff, who we work with here in Ovalle, is the mission nurse.  She takes calls from any missionary who needs medical help.  We hear some of the calls, and recognize dog bites, flu, intestinal infections, in-grown toe nails, bedbug bites, flea bites, etc.  One sister from Texas got hit by a car a few weeks ago.  One Elder fell off a roof he was helping repair.  They both recovered without serious injury, fortunately.  Being on a mission can be dangerous!

I used to tell my piano students that they have to memorize a piece of music at least 6 times before they really have it memorized.  In Spanish, our average is about 25 times--but we are making progress!  We committed to being able to speak by the end of this month--especially Elder Jones as he attends the District Presidency Meetings.  That's what we are working toward.

We came across a hardware store that resembled Home Depot!   When a pair of channel-locks won Ross' heart I knew we were in trouble.  But at least the stuff here is of good quality, where most of what we have seen is really cheap.

This is a beautiful flower I have been watching as it came out.   It is about 10 inches tall.  I know this as a house plant back in Utah, but I have never seen it blossom before.

The young man in the park (Daniel Araya) who said he would come to the Young Single activity last friday, didn't come.  I was disappointed, but not surprised.  We said we would meet him at that park and we waited there about 20 minutes.  I realized that he probably said yes to me because he was too nice to say no,

 To go somewhere completely unknown with someone you don't really know very well (and is more than twice your age) and mix with other young people you don't know takes a lot more motivation and courage than he had--at least at that time.  I tried to arrange for one of the newly baptized members come to the park to meet him and walk with us to the church, but he didn't understand my message and was just waiting for us there.  

But I talked to Daniel yesterday and we are still friends!  Hopefully at some point I can inspire him to make something more of his life that taking care of parks all day.  

Last Sunday Elder Jones and I had a friend (investigator) coming to church but he lives in the area of the Ovalle Sur chapel.  We also wanted to attend the confirmation of our friend, Maykol who got baptized about 3 weeks ago.  Couldn't do both because they started at the same time.  So I went to Ovalle Sur to be with the investigator and Elder Jones stayed in our Branch to be at the confirmation.
He didn't come.  And I missed taking the sacrament waiting for him.  I was feeling pretty discouraged during fast meeting and wondered if I should just walk back to our Branch when it was over.  Then I thought that maybe it would be good to stay, so I did.  I met a wonderful lady who talked to me about family history and wants to help, then I met a new young single who is here from Bolivia and I invited her to institute, then in RS we were discussing a certain subject in small groups and I sat there with my usual dumb smile hoping no one would expect me to say something when the other sisters looked at me waiting for me to contribute.  I said something very simple but relevant which they actually understood.  

At church we are both becoming more aware of what it means to these people to have senior missionaries here.  They look to us as people who should have something meaningful and inspiring to say.   I always feel so badly when all I can do is offer my dumb smile and my deer-in-the-headlights look.  Patience!

The last thing that happened at church that day was that a sister I have seen several times said hello to me and then asked me if I wanted a ride home.  Sure!  I'll ride instead of walking 30 minutes uphill anytime.  On the way we actually had a conversation.  She is District YW President, and now she is going to help me plan our District participation in the International Spanish Indexing Day in May.  Planning that day just became a whole lot easier.

We see small miracles every day, we feel the spirit guide us, we know this is where we should be right now.  We see these wonderful young missionaries full of light and love, and we are grateful.

With lots of love

Elder and Hna. Jones

Pineapple, oatmeal, nut, what?

Pineapple, oatmeal, nut, what?

I have finally had the courage to bake a few things, but since the gas oven has no temperature gauge and the ingredients are different from home (and I didn't bring any cake recipes) it is a bit of an experiment.  The last cake, which I made for District meeting, was a total experiment but there was only one piece left after the meeting, so I guess the home-cooking-starved missionaries didn't notice.  It feels like "playing house" when I use 1-kilo bags of flour and mix everything in a bowl by hand.

We start our day at 6 am with Book of Mormon study.  The President has asked us to read it looking for and marking specific topics.  It took me a while to understand, but I am amazed at what a meaningful experience it is.  I am noticing beautiful, wise, and inspiring things that I never have before.  We are doing this reading in English.

Then we study Spanish.  We call this time "Don't confuse me with the facts!" because we usually end up realizing again how complicated this language can be.

Then we exercise, eat, shower, and go to Elder and Sister Cluff's apartment (two floors down) to study Spanish with them using the Book of Mormon.  We usually only make it through about 15 verses because we study pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and, oh yeah, scriptures.  

This is a picture of our apartment.  You can see Ross in our front room window.  We also have the two rooms to your right, which are our office and our bedroom.  The other picture is of Ovalle as we see it from our apartment building stairway.  It is not the view from our windows, unfortunately.  Our apartment faces the opposite way.

Elder Jones' talk in District Conference was amazing!  He really worked hard on it and spoke clearly and with feeling.  When we have a success experience like this, it seems like we might actually learn this language.

It has been so interesting to see the reactions of people as we walk around town.  Often it is Elder Jones' white shirt that catches people's attention; but with our name tags (we finally got our Spanish ones), and being all dressed up we are quite noticeable.  Actually, I think it is the peaceful and kind look on Elder Jones' face that attracts people, but I won't embarrass him by saying that!

We have pass-along cards ready when we stop to talk to people, and have turned in a few names to the missionaries.  There are people here very ready to find more meaning in their lives.

Wearing a name tag that says we are a representative of the Church, and our Savior, makes us realize what kind of an example we need to set.  It makes us even stand up straighter and be sure we greet people.

I run in a park that is about a mile away from our apartment.  A young man (in his twenties) is always there working.  As I run around the park I study my flash cards, and ask him each day to help me with pronunciation.    At first all he would do is hide in his hoodie, he now greets me with a smile.  (Bringing him some home-made cookies last week helped).   Yesterday I gave him a pass-along card and told him I was a missionary for the church printed on the card.  ("Oh, so that's why she needs to learn Spanish!").  Today I asked him if he wanted to come to a YSA activity next week and he said yes!  This will be fun!

 Have a blessed Easter, we love you all!

Elder and Hermana Jones