"We are in Chile now"

Car
I forgot to write last time that one of the senior couples went home about a month ago and since they were using one of the mission cars, it became available.  The Mission President said we could have it so we could travel to the outlying branches to visit Young Singles and talk about Family History.

 When we arrived back in Chile and went to the Mission Office, we were able to drive it here to Ovalle.  We are sharing it with Elder and Sister Cluff and have made good use of it.  Since her fall (that I talked about last time) she has needed some mending time, and a ride to the church is really helpful.  It is a 2009 Toyota Corolla.    When we wrote the Mission President to thank him, he said it was a blessing from heaven.  He's right!  We will be able to make better progress with it, and are grateful.

Speaking of the Mission President, we have a new one as of July 1.  We will meet him next week in a Zone Conference.  President and Sister Kahnlein were wonderful, inspiring, and supportive.  They have gone back to their home in Argentina, but I would not be surprised if they are given an assignment in Salt Lake sometime soon.  They are amazing people.

Our new Mission President is Chilean, and from what we hear, he will be different but also wonderful.  He only speaks Spanish, so our personal interviews next week will be interesting.  We are progressing in Spanish, and are amazed that we can have a 2 hour meeting with a few people and come away from it understanding and being understood.  Blessings!

It is winter here, and getting colder every week.  We have learned to appreciate thermal underwear.  I have only ever used them out in the wild, but since we are in unheated buildings all day we have found an equally good use of them here. Some rooms in the church have small heaters in them, but it is not quite the same as what we are used to.

Since it is winter, the poinsettias are in bloom.  This one is close to our walking route between our apartment and the church!  Try taking one that size to a Christmas party!

America Cup, 2015

Chile recently sponsored the America Cup for soccer.  Every time Chile played, and won, the whole apartment building shook with excitement.  Last Saturday they played Argentina for the championship.  We watched the last half of it on a big screen in the food court down town.  The game itself was rather uneventful, with only a few goal attempts by either team.  After a full game, and a 20 minute overtime, the score was still 0 - 0.  So then they did the one-kicker-against-the-goalie thing.  In five exciting minutes, Chile won the game with a score of 4 - 1.  Ovalle went crazy!  People ran into the streets and all of them headed to the town square.  Screaming, blowing horns, waving flags, and generally making as much noise as possible lasting about three hours.  

I took these photos just as people were starting to arrive.  It went from crazy to crazier, but was fun!

Our Young Single program is going great.  The young missionaries are finding people their age in the branches who want to come back to church.  It is exciting to feel their enthusiasm for it.  We have a District activity next week and are working hard to get the information to everyone.  The District covers an area a little bigger than Salt Lake valley with people and churches scattered all over.  It's success is definitely a group effort.   Elder Jones has such a way with that age group.  They feel his love for them and his desire for their happiness.  They are all naturally drawn to him.  I love watching it!

We are working with Cluffs to get our Family History Center ready for people to come and work.  We are having a Grand Opening on August 1.  Great day for it, don't you think?  Pictures to come next time.  Things don't work the same here as in the States. We are having to improvise a lot.   Elder Cluff keeps reminding us that "we are in Chile now."

We have had some very special spiritual experiences lately.  The Lord is definitely helping us in this work.  We are constantly reminded how special it is to be here.  We are truly blessed.

Love to you all,

Elder and Hermana Jones