What a week, full of joy and opposition. We are experiencing a constant combination of feeling exhausted and invigorated simultaneously. Instead of just briefly telling what we did this past week we are including the behind-the-scenes challenges so you can sense the full scope of our mission days.
TRAVEL TO CASABLANCA
We worked in the office on Monday until it was time to go to Casablanca for the Santiago North PFJ group. Our usual truck driver that transports the supplies was delivering supplies for our JAS projects to Concepcion, Talca, and Rancagua this week, so we had a new driver for the Casablanca run that did not show up. Miraculously that morning we were told that we had to take the big van this week because the Director of Temporal Affairs was visiting from Buenos Aries and wanted the van we usually drive. Elder Lamb was grumbly because it doesn’t have cruise control or armrests and is bulkier to drive. But it turned out to be a tender mercy since we had to transport the supplies ourselves, at the last minute. When the 8 of us finally got in the van to head out there was a beeper that just kept buzzing. We stopped, put on our flashes, opened, and closed all the doors, etc., and finally realized that the emergency brake was on. Then we saw that we needed gas. Because it was a big van, the law requires that everyone exits the vehicle before the gas can be pumped. Wow. All we could do was laugh. It was a comedy of errors, but we finally arrived at Casablanca. Then, somehow, we had messed up the count of items for the school kits, so we ran out of glue and notebooks. That meant several boxes could not be sealed up. So much for saying last week that we had it all together!
The service projects were an hour later this week so that meant we didn’t leave Casablanca for home until 8:30 pm. It is an hour’s drive to the outskirts of Santiago where we drop off the Salgados, then another 40 minutes to the Acevedo’s home, and then 30 minutes back to our apartment. That means we get home between 11:00- midnight. The Lindquist’s are such good sports, riding in the very back in an uncomfortable seat. This ride to drop off the Acevedos is “over the river and through the woods” -through some very humble parts of the city. It seems like there are a hundred giant speed bumps and a thousand turns down alleys and back streets. It is a true adventure twice a week!
TRAVEL TO TEMUCO
After getting home at midnight Monday night, we got up at 4am Tuesday morning (you can always ‘seep on the plane,’- right Lambs and Goldings?) to catch a flight to Temuco which is 400 miles south of Santiago. Yes, Temuco. The area our buyer told us not to go to because of the civil unrest. But we checked with church security and were told that if we had a Chilean driver (who knew which areas to avoid) we could go. So, our wonderful field manager, Raul Seguel drove three hours from his home to pick us up at the airport at 9:00 am and was our chauffeur all day. We drove one hour north to Traiguen to a beautiful old Swiss school campus in the countryside where the Concepcion Sur PFJ was being held. The service project there was assembling care kits for COANIQUEM, a nonprofit organization with rehab centers for children ages newborn to 20 who have suffered burns. They also serve patients with other types of scars from bites, surgery, accidents, etc. Currently, there are centers in three cities in the country: Santiago, Antofagasta, and Puerto Montt. Combined, these three centers treat 8,000 children annually. A new center will open this year near Concepcion. It was a spirit-filled day to watch the youth writing notes to put in with each fleece blanket, to hear them sing, and to feel the joyful spirit of service that was present.
TRAVEL TO CONCEPCION
Raul then drove us four hours north to Concepcion. He took us to the airport to pick up our rental car but alas the rental agency that was supposed to be open until 8:00 pm was closed at 7:45 pm when we arrived. So, we took Raul to dinner, and then he dropped us off at the Holiday Inn Express after which he had another hour and a half drive home.
TEMPLE TIME
Wednesday morning, after picking up our rental car, we put what we thought was the address of the temple into the GPS but we ended up at a chapel on the opposite end of the city. It was like we were in slow motion. After the correct address was entered, we rounded a corner only to see the street blocked off with an open market/garage sale going on for blocks and blocks which required a long detour. Several times a car almost hit us, and dogs ran out in front of the car. It felt like we were in a driving simulator where obstacles, one after another, were put in front of us. We were so disappointed when we realized we were not going to make it to our 10:00 am session; we were so looking forward to this. We arrived too late to attend a session but were offered the option to do sealings which turned out to be a very sweet experience. The grounds were stunning!
Elder Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, asked us in a recent conference talk to look for spiritual meaning in our everyday experiences. These are our thoughts on our temple trip: Even if we are late, even if we get off on the wrong path and obstacles block our way and cause delays and detours, Heavenly Father has put in place a perfect plan for us to come back into His presence and feel joy. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can compensate for missed experiences and turn disaster into peace. He has better things in store for us than we can imagine.
WORKING “TOGETHER”
After our temple trip we changed clothes and drove to the Institute building to set up for our JAS service project to assemble 630 school kits. We surely missed the three other missionary couples that usually are there to help us. Thankfully a few young adults showed up early. Eventually, 23 college-aged youth arrived and came up with their own assembly line process. In a little over an hour, we were all done. It was another spirit-filled evening working side by side with these wonderful young adults. The future of the world is in good hands with these marvelous people becoming its leaders!
On our walk back from dinner we saw a man selling shoes from the trunk of his car. He was giving great customer service, kneeling on the pavement to slip the shoes on the customer. We fell into bed exhausted again.
TRAVEL TO SANTIAGO
The next morning, we flew back to Santiago. Our plane landed at 1:00 pm and we left for Casablanca PFJ at 4:00 pm. Hermana Lindquist was so sweet to have soup ready for us to eat when we got off the plane. Unfortunately, on Thursday while at Casablanca, we found out that the last two PFJ sessions there were canceled and have to be relocated to chapels since the COVID status for the Casablanca area has been downgraded to gatherings of 20 people instead of 200. As we left Casablanca for the last time there was a beautiful farewell sunset. Back to the drawing board to figure out how to assemble the 1000+ kits from the canceled PFJ sessions.
FUTURE TRAVEL
Saturday, after cleaning and washing clothes, we headed to the mall to buy a washer and dryer for one of our projects and do our grocery shopping. The Lindquists came over to our apartment and we spent the afternoon making reservations for our upcoming Puerto Montt trip. We accidentally booked a 5:00 am flight so that took several phone calls and three hours to resolve.
And so, you see, it was a week of joy and of ‘opposition in all things.’ (2 Nephi 2:11)
OF MIRACLES & EXAMPLES The Spoken Word Jan 30, 2022
Have you ever felt like you needed a miracle? In the midst of calamities global and local, shared and private, we wish we could change the world-or at least some small part of it. But big problems can make us feel small, powerless to help.
What can we do when it feels like it would take a miracle to make a difference? Perhaps the answer lies in something theologian and physician Albert Schweitzer once said: “Do something wonderful, people will imitate it.”
The fact is ordinary people are doing wonderful things all over the world. In Argentina, volunteers are harvesting the oranges that grow on public streets to make jam for people in need in their community. In Mexico, compassionate people are delivering rice and beans to the hungry. And in England, volunteers are teaching English to immigrants, helping them prepare for success in their new home. The example of serving others is catching on and spreading across the globe.
What might happen if you tried doing some small, wonderful thing? There’s a good chance that your kindness, your generosity of spirit, or simply your willingness to help could spread beyond the person you set out to bless- it may also touch others in your family, among your friends, and in your community. Just as a seed grows into something much bigger than itself, your act of kindness might make a difference much greater than you expected. That would be a miracle.
When we refuse to get entangled in an online quarrel when we stop what we are doing and listen to someone who is anxious or distressed, what we reach out to someone who is alone when we say something encouraging or hopeful-any act of kindness can be contagious. Even a smile and a compliment can catch on. And once people try being kind, they often feel so good they continue it. We never really know how far-reaching each of these small acts of love can be.
God is a God of miracles. He often does intervene to bless His children. And it may be that the next miracle He has in mind will start with you. So, when you find yourself thinking it would take a miracle to change the world for the better, consider being that miracle.
Thank you for your examples and for all the good you do in your everyday lives!
With love, Elder y Hermana Lamb, (aka Ed & Debbie, Mom & Dad, Pop Pop & Tu Tu)
Lambs in Central Europe 