It is early in the morning on February 6, 2010 and the airplane that we are riding - Delta's Boeing 767 - is making a very smooth decent into Santiago, Chile. Dean and I slept as well as we could on the plane but trying to get some good "shut eye" while flying tends to be a talent that neither he or I have yet to master.
After waiting for our luggage and having a slight delay clearing the agriculture portion of customs
(for some reason I decided to declare a bag of trail mix. It was sealed and purchased at an appropriate location but something inside me said to declare it. I had to fill out new forms and that held us up for another 10 minutes - oh well. At this point in the trip speaking Spanish in any form would be very helpful - but we press forward not looking back at that minor missed detail) we made it through the Santiago Airport. We were greeted by our wonderful friends who had willingly volunteered to cart us around Santiago. We have been so grateful for their hospitality as we climatize to this place. We will be forever thankful for their sacrifice!
(for some reason I decided to declare a bag of trail mix. It was sealed and purchased at an appropriate location but something inside me said to declare it. I had to fill out new forms and that held us up for another 10 minutes - oh well. At this point in the trip speaking Spanish in any form would be very helpful - but we press forward not looking back at that minor missed detail) we made it through the Santiago Airport. We were greeted by our wonderful friends who had willingly volunteered to cart us around Santiago. We have been so grateful for their hospitality as we climatize to this place. We will be forever thankful for their sacrifice!It is summertime in Chile, the air is warm and there is sunshine! The city has a lot of smog but you can still see the sun and blue sky. The flowers are blooming and the trees are just beautiful.
After a wonderful breakfast we headed out into the city. We started at a fruit and vegetable market. WOW the size of the produce is unbelievable. I could not believe what we were seeing, grapes, strawberries, cherries, two different types of corn and so
many other things! There was also a small fish market at the end with so many kinds of fish! I loved seeing the market, the people and just being in the city. We then went to Los Dominicos a market where artisan crafts and clothes are sold. Also lapis lazuli is a big item as this stone is only mined two places in the world - Chile being one of the places. We finished the day at Cerro San Cristobal one of the highest points in the city - which today offered spectacular views. At the top is a 22m high statue of the Virgen del la Inmaculada Concepcion.
many other things! There was also a small fish market at the end with so many kinds of fish! I loved seeing the market, the people and just being in the city. We then went to Los Dominicos a market where artisan crafts and clothes are sold. Also lapis lazuli is a big item as this stone is only mined two places in the world - Chile being one of the places. We finished the day at Cerro San Cristobal one of the highest points in the city - which today offered spectacular views. At the top is a 22m high statue of the Virgen del la Inmaculada Concepcion.
Sunday, February 7, 2010In my opinion, today has been worth every penny we paid for the trip to Chile. When I booked the trip - I simply knew that Dean had served his LDS mission in Santiago Chile I had no idea the exact dates that he was in the city. As Dean prepared for the trip, by scanning and copying all of his letters and journal entries, he realized that our visit to Chile would be exactly 30 years to the day that he first arrived in the country. Our friends took us to Dean's last mission area San Bernado to go to church. To start nothing really looked familar to Dean. But the ward was wonderful, testimonies were thoughtful and the saints were very kind. After the sacrament meeting, there was a gentleman that Dean thought he knew - after speaking with this Brother, Dean realized that he was the first counselor in the Bishopric in the area that he was in.
Relief Society was a joy. The sisters were very kind and as each bore their testimony I could feel their spirits so strong without truly understanding most of what they were saying. As we left each of the sisters said good bye with a kiss on the cheek. It was very touching for me to realize that going to church is the same anywhere in the world. The lessons are the same and the spirit of the people loving and kind. We had the opportunity to stay for a baptism - just adding to the spirit of the day.
After church, we drove to another ward in San Bernardo and now the scenery was beginning to look familar to Dean. We found the building - this was the ward that Dean served in. It has been updated but it is the same place from 30 years ago. After speaking with the Bishop we found out that he was baptized the day President Spencer W. Kimball was in Chile to dedicate the land were the Santiago Temple in now built. We left and drove around and found an area where Dean would play basketball on P-Day and show and teach magic tricks to the local children and play NERF football with them as well - Dean called it cultivating.
Since the time that we left church today, Dean has researched more in his journals and he has realized that the Bishop we met today at the second building is probably the boy he baptized on May 30, 1981 - the same day the site was dedicated for building the temple. We did not get the bishop's name so we are back tracking to see if this is indeed the person from the family Dean baptized that day. What an exciting moment!
Tomorrow it is on to Punta Arenas as our adventure continues!
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