ONE PHOTOSHOOT
Our week began with a photoshoot. A photographer came to our office and took pictures of us for the new self-reliance training manuals…we think. Honestly, we are never 100% sure what is going on here with the language barrier.
ONE LAST SCHOOL KIT ASSEMBLY PROJECT
We had our last school kit assembly project with Santiago East JAS at the chapel next door to our office. They graciously stepped up to help us when Rancagua PFJ was canceled. We prepared 300 school kits.
ONE FAREWELL DINNER TO CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION OF TWELVE ASSEMBLY PROJECTS
We took our missionary helpers to dinner afterward. We could not have done these assembly projects without their help. You really get to know people as you work alongside them. They are now our very special friends. One of the joys of missionary service is the wonderful people you meet along the way.
TWO PROSPECTIVE PROJECTS
We drove 1 ½ hours west to the port city of San Antonio to meet with the Health Department there to discuss a possible project. We await their solicitude.
Six hours south of Santiago, we visited students at a school for adults who did not have the opportunity for an education when they were young. This was followed by a wonderful meeting with the faculty to discuss their needs. We look forward to helping these determined adults with any help we can offer as they struggle to learn basic reading and math skills. Education truly is the road to self-sufficiency.
TWO DELIVERY CEREMONIES
We drove four hours south to Curepto to an Entrega ceremony at Padre San Jose Cappell Hogar de Ancianos. This was our first project visit after we arrived in Chile so it will always hold a special place in our hearts. Long-term stay facilities for the elderly in Chile are established to welcome and care for vulnerable older people over 60 who do not have family support. There are 18 residents at Hogar Padre Jose Cappel, one being 100 years old. These residents need special care. Caretakers were getting by with only 2 stovetop burners, no ovens, unsanitary kitchen counters, worn-out washing machines, nonfunctioning dryers, and a handicapped wheelchair that was taped together. Several hospital beds no longer worked, and they had no lift to assist in changing nonmobile patients’ positions in bed. It was rewarding to see the happiness on the faces of the residents and the staff as they took us on a tour to see the donations.
One morning, we attended our first school kit delivery ceremony in Hualpen. It was such a sweet experience, and Hermana Lamb’s teacher heart was so full. The kindergarten and first-grade children were adorable in their school smocks. One little boy was so interested in the globe, he wandered away from the other children and just kept spinning it. We went over and showed him where we were from, and he told us he was from Venezuela. Many of the children at Colegio Cristobal Colon were immigrants from Venezuela, Peru, Columbia, and Bolivia. This commune is in a very poor part of town and this donation gave these children much-needed school supplies.
FOURTH COVID SHOT
One morning we headed to the health department to try to solve the question of why our mobility passes suddenly stopped working. Mystery solved- They had been deactivated because it had been six months since our booster and Chile is requiring the fourth shot. So, we went to the stadium and marveled at the efficient manner in which within a matter of minutes we had shot number four and we were on our way. We headed straight to the mall to buy washers and dryers for one of our Hogar projects and by the time we were finished we felt horrible. The reaction we had to the vaccination was offset with Advil and we spent the afternoon catching up on emails from last week when we were traveling.
2000 KM (THAT’S OVER 1200 MILES OR 23 HOURS) OF DRIVING THIS WEEK
Driving in Chile is a cross between a NASCAR race with cars and motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic at breakneck speeds and a Drivers Ed simulator where cars pull out in front of you. At each toll booth, traffic piles up with long lines and people honking their horns. There is only one four-lane highway that runs from north to south, from one end of Chile to the other. This highway is filled with trucks loaded to the brim with produce, logs, and construction materials and families on summer vacation with luggage tied to the tops of their cars, all sharing the same highway with no concept of a fast and slow lane or a passing lane. It is an adventure, and we breathe a sigh of relief and utter a prayer of thanks every time we arrive safely back at our apartment in Santiago. No pictures could do these wild rides justice. We have to say that the roads are in great condition, and they are so clean.
THE MIRACLE OF THE BICYCLES
(Sister Lamb speaking) We received a call this week from a senior missionary at the Santiago North mission office. He informed us that in the South America South Area (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay) young missionaries will no longer be riding bikes. They will be walking or using public transportation. This means there are many, many bikes available for donation. He asked if we might know where we could donate them. Frankly, I felt annoyed. I feel so overwhelmed at times with all our responsibilities, I didn’t feel it was our job to find a home for these bikes. We talked about it, reviewed all our projects (hospitals, clinics, assisted living homes…we thought -maybe our children’s home but no, these are adult bikes) and told him none of our projects put us in contact with people who needed bikes. My kind husband told him we would do some research and I rolled my eyes because trust me he does not have time to do bicycle research. With a less than ideal attitude, I asked Heavenly Father to guide us to people who could use bicycles if He wanted us to find a home for them and crossed it off our list of things to do. Fast forward two days where we were sitting in a meeting with the faculty of a school for adults. They shared that transportation for their students is an issue. Ding ding ding…Elder Lamb and I looked at each other. And so, the bicycles found a home in less than 48 hours. I need to be humbler and turn more over to the Lord sooner!
May we all recognize the miracles in our lives this week and know that Heavenly Father truly wants to be involved in the details.
With love, Elder y Hermana Lamb, (aka Ed & Debbie, Mom & Dad, Pop Pop & Tu Tu)
LATTER-DAY SAINT CHARITIES INSTAGRAM POST
“Many have been asking how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been helping with the developing humanitarian crisis resulting from the current armed conflict. From the earliest hours, the Church began contacting friends and collaborating with organizations in the region to assess needs and purchase food and other necessities. Through decades of experience in providing assistance during natural disasters, refugee crises, and other humanitarian conditions, we have developed a tested and proven model for identifying needs and providing assistance. This model includes empowering local leaders to use the Church’s financial resources to purchase goods and services in the local economy to provide what is truly needed. Following this pattern, the Europe Area Presidency is working with the Church headquarters teams to identify and address needs. Relief supplies including sleeping bags, cots, and tents are being delivered to local government agencies, the Red Cross, and other NGOs who are attending to Ukrainian refugees arriving in bordering countries. Additional aid is being organized. Church members and friends have also been invited to fast and pray for those so deeply impacted. More will be shared about their efforts in the coming days and weeks. Church members around the world have inquired about how to help or contribute. We invite them to do so through the Church’s Humanitarian Aid Fund, which will be used to address this and other crises.”
We join many all over the world today in fasting and praying for the good people of the countries involved in this conflict. We pray for peace- in their hearts and in their countries.
Lambs in Central Europe 