Senior Couples and Pichilemu

Hola from Chile!  This week marks a new innovation in our blog because I, Hermana Warne, am taking over writing the blog for President Warne.  With his many duties, writing this blog is one way I can help.  Unfortunately, it won't be as profound as when he did it and it will be shorter.

This week was a busy one as usual, with the President interviewing each missionary, usually one zone per day.  The assistants and I, mostly the assistants, use the time to train the missionaries.  For my first time training in Spanish, I am doing a lesson about keeping apartments clean.  We filmed a video about the President cleaning a toilet, (under my direction) as an example that if he can do it in a white shirt and tie, they can also keep their bathrooms clean.  Hopefully, at least some of them listened!  President Warne is really enjoying getting the know the missionaries individually through these interviews.  After my lecture, I enjoy sitting with the missionary waiting for his/her interview and getting to know them better.  We have such great missionaries!  Of course as we know here in Rancagua, this is the best mission in all the world.

Friday afternoon we had a luncheon with all the senior couples in our mission, except for one.  Right now we have seven couples, but three go home at the end of August and one more in December.  We will certainly miss them and the hard work they are doing.  During the lunch the two couples leaving bore their testimony and said how much they had learned during their mission and how much they love the people here in Chile.  Also, both said that they are going home to visit family for a little while and then go back out to serve again.  Another couple is serving their third mission, while others are on their second time out.  As President says,  they are volunteering for hard work and sacrifice without thought of reward or recognition.  They are invaluable to our missionary effort.

Two of our valuable senior couples.

On Saturday we traveled with the assistants, secretaries, and two senior couples to a beautiful little town on the coast, called Pichilemu.  It is about 2 1/2 hours from Rancagua but it is a beautiful drive, partly through a forested area and then through the rolling hills near the ocean.  The views were gorgeous, the air clear, crisp, and the sky a bright blue.  The ocean looked amazing and a few surfers were braving the waves with pretty good results.  Near the beach was a beautiful park, very well maintained.  Since this is still winter, everywhere was empty of people, but the others said that in the summer every spot is filled with people enjoying themselves.

We stopped at the chapel which is set on the hill where the missionaries were conducting a mini Missionary Training Center (MTC) for the youth so Presi-

dent could say a few words and then went for lunch to a little place that served delicious empanadas.  We had a long drive back but it was worth the trip to see the ocean, the town and the beautiful scenery.

If you didn't recognize my plea for senior couples, I am going to repeat it here.  We need more couples to help with the work!  Every mission in the world could use the help and wisdom of couples with the vision of helping with the Lord's hastening of the work.  Thank you all and have a great week.