COPIAPO
We had a 5:00am airport pick-up on Wednesday morning. We flew 500 miles north for an entrega ceremony for our CESFAM project in Copiapo. CESFAM Dr. Bernardo Mellibovsky is the original healthcare center of eight-like facilities in Copiapó. It was built in 1993 with the capacity to care for 10,000 people. With growth over the years, especially from the immigrant population, this center now cares for 33,783 community members.
The request for two containers, one to be used as a dental clinic, and the other for diagnostic services will provide the much-needed space for quality care. The dental equipment will increase their capacity to see more dental patients. The autoclave and complementary equipment will replace antiquated equipment that no longer works and provide the ability to sterilize medical instruments on-site.
It is very fulfilling to see these projects through from start to finish. Each humanitarian project is accompanied by a service project by local members of our church. As a part of this project local church members painted the exterior of the building in three different painting sessions.
The local stake communications director, Rosa Quevedo has worked tirelessly on the details of these service projects and on planning a lovely ceremony. We enjoyed meeting her in person and getting to know her better over lunch after the ceremony.
We flew back to Santiago Wednesday evening.
CALAMA
Another 5:00am airport pick up on Thursday morning- this time to fly 950 miles north to Calama where 870 elementary school children were waiting for us at Colegio Evangelico Ejercito de Salvation Catherine Booth. Most of the children who attend school here are immigrants.
The 8000 school kits that were assembled by the youth of our church in 10 PFJ sessions all over the country in January and February have been distributed this month. Pictures of happy school children opening their kits have been flowing in since school started. We were able to visit this school to witness the distribution of the kits in person.
We were invited to stay for the Easter devotional and enjoyed listening to the children bear testimony of the Savior through music and drama. We were showered with hugs and love notes and questions about the United States.
Since we were only an hour from San Pedro de Atacama, we went to a favorite restaurant there for lunch and enjoyed the unique sight of seeing snow on the Andes in Atacama.
We turned a corner and the parable of the sheep and the goats took on new meaning.
The next day we met with the Stake President of Calama. He is such a humble man and was so excited to look for a project for his stake. We found a lovely restaurant for lunch in Calama before we flew home. It was called Oasis, and it really was an oasis in this desolate desert city.
CASA BOSQUE & COPPER
On Saturday, back in Santiago, we drove to Cajon de Maipu to another favorite restaurant for lunch with the senior missionaries in our apartment complex. We will all be going our separate ways soon, so this was our last group outing before Lindquist’s return home to Idaho on April 20. The Ruiz’s head home to Mexico City on May 23 and we will return home to Utah on June 1.
We also visited Los Dominicos to make some copper purchases. Chile is the top copper producer in the world, and we all wanted to bring home a copper souvenir.
CELEBRATING CHRIST
Elder and Hermana Bruland hosted an Easter dinner.
We have felt a special spirit this week as we have prepared for Easter by studying the last week of the Savior’s life. To Quote Gary E Stevenson: “Because of Jesus Christ, everything changed. Because of Him, everything is better. Because of Him, life is manageable-especially the painful moments. Because of him, everything is possible.”
We know He lives! These good tidings of great joy are for all people. We are so grateful for the grace of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice that makes possible resurrection for us all, the opportunity to change and grow and become better, and for His enabling power that gives us strength to do what we could never do on our own. We love Him.
“Easter is the day that changed everything.” Dieter F Uchtdorf
We hope you had a wonderful ‘holy week.’
Abrazos, Élder y Hermana Lamb, (aka Ed & Debbie, Mom & Dad, Pop Pop & Tu Tu)
Lambs in Central Europe 