Along with all of you during the Thanksgiving week, I
have been counting my blessings. Wow, I have a lot of them!
However, I would like to focus on one of the big ones. It is hard to
believe we just had our third Thanksgiving here in Chile. As the other
years, we had Thanksgiving dinner with the other senior couples. It was
delicious and a real privilege to spend time with our hard-working senior
missionaries. They labor every day to serve the missionaries in temporal
ways so the missionaries can serve more effectively, safely, healthfully and
hopefully with cleaner houses!
When we arrived in Chile, seven
couples were serving. We appreciated that fact but did not realize how
rare it was. Our numbers have gradually reduced until now we have three
couples and one will not be replaced so we will leave only two to the new
president and wife. That number is still a tremendous benefit since many
missions have none.
Another part of this grand blessing is the friendships we have formed with these couples. As we all work together (and separately) we learn to rely on each other and the Lord. The experiences we share cannot be easily explained or replaced in any other situation. We are also united in our admiration and love for the young missionaries. While we understand that they are young and not perfect (obviously a trait we all share), to see their dedication, testimony and growth during their time here changes and strengthens us.
Every full time missionary has made the decision to sacrifice time, family and other pursuits to serve the Lord. I am not trying to minimize or criticize anyone since we are all engaged in the process of living worthily in order to return to our heavenly home, but I am trying to express gratitude for this opportunity and to urge each person who reads this blog to think about serving when the time is right or to encourage and support someone else who is ready. Thanks for your support of us and our missionaries.
Another part of this grand blessing is the friendships we have formed with these couples. As we all work together (and separately) we learn to rely on each other and the Lord. The experiences we share cannot be easily explained or replaced in any other situation. We are also united in our admiration and love for the young missionaries. While we understand that they are young and not perfect (obviously a trait we all share), to see their dedication, testimony and growth during their time here changes and strengthens us.
Every full time missionary has made the decision to sacrifice time, family and other pursuits to serve the Lord. I am not trying to minimize or criticize anyone since we are all engaged in the process of living worthily in order to return to our heavenly home, but I am trying to express gratitude for this opportunity and to urge each person who reads this blog to think about serving when the time is right or to encourage and support someone else who is ready. Thanks for your support of us and our missionaries.
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| Yes, it is consejo time again. The missionaries had to hold on to the tablecloths to keep them from blowing away. |
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| This group moved their table to the shade. It is definitely summer time. |
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| Lovely coordinadoras |
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| Since it was the day after Thanksgiving we had turkey dinner without quite as many side dishes. |
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| After our dinner with a great view of Rancagua in the background |
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