IN THE OFFICE
We had a rather quiet week in the office. It was good to have a chance to get caught up on paperwork. We spent most of our time receiving multiple shipments, inventorying, and organizing items for our rural school kit projects which will provide school supplies for 4,600 children. Our original proposal was for half that many but when the Presiding Bishopric reviewed our plans for this year, they asked us to focus on education and double this effort.
This is Carlos Ceballos. His official title is physical facilities manager, but he is much more to us. Elder and Sister Ferguson (the missionaries before us) told us he would be our best friend. They were right. Everyone needs a Carlos in their life. He pops his head into our office every morning to ask if we need anything. He receives our deliveries if we are out of the office. He texts us to say he misses us when we are out of town. He fixes anything that needs fixing in our office and at our apartment. He arranged for our carpet to be cleaned, ordered us a new oven, purchased us some patio furniture to name a few ways he has helped us. He tells us where to go shopping for various items and this week found us space to store materials for 4600 school kits. He teaches Sister Lamb Spanish vocabulary words and tries to say a sentence or two to her in English. He is a gem.
OUTSIDE THE OFFICE
While Sister Lamb has her Spanish tutoring on Thursday evenings, Elder Lamb meets with a young man in our ward who has received a mission call to England and wants to improve his English. Sister Lamb focused on phone conversations this week. Her homework was to randomly call her tutor to chat. We enjoyed a temple session this week and had the sister missionaries in our ward to dinner.
We must share what our Christmas present was to each other. It’s the small things in life that make such a difference!
LATTER DAY SAINT CHARITIES 2021
We tell you about our humanitarian projects in Chile each week. We thought you might be interested in this post from Latter-day Saint Charities that mentioned a sampling of worldwide projects in 2021. Latter-day Saint Charities is the legal name for our Church-sponsored non-governmental organization and the official humanitarian arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“2021 was an eventful year. Latter-day Saint Charities worked with dozens of organizations to help millions of people worldwide. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to respond to natural disasters with emergency relief, deliver billions of COVID-19 vaccines, support Afghan refugees, distribute medical treatment, and more. We look forward to continuing this important work through 2022 and beyond.”
FELIZ AÑO NUEVO
We spent a very quiet New Year’s Eve. After working in the office, we had lunch with Elder and Sister Lindquist enjoying a favorite Peruvian dish called ají de gallina, consisting of chicken with a sauce made from the ají chili pepper.
We brought in the New Year watching a movie in our apartment. We heard no sounds of celebration here in Santiago, although we have been told that there is a massive fireworks display in Valparaiso on New Year’s Eve. Many in Chile follow the tradition of eating 12 grapes as the countdown to midnight begins. Each predicts how the coming 12 months will fare for you. Is each grape sweet or sour? So shall be the associated month next year. Some make a wish for each grape. They also eat lentils as they ring in the new year to guarantee a financially prosperous year ahead. If they are hoping to travel, they go for a stroll around the block with a suitcase. Although we did not participate in any of these traditions, we hope for and wish you all a sweet and prosperous 2022 perhaps with some travel thrown in. May we add our own wishes for your health, joy, and peace during this coming year.
With love, Elder y Hermana Lamb, (aka Ed & Debbie, Mom & Dad, Pop Pop & Tu Tu)
Lambs in Central Europe 