ISLA DE PASCUA REVISITED

IMPRESSIVE SUNRISES, SUNSETS, AND SEASONAL CHANGES

The crisp morning air and changing leaves tell us autumn has arrived in Chile.

INVESTIGATING NEW FRUITS

This is a pepino dulce. It’s about the size of a plum, has the texture of a ripe pear, and tastes like a cantaloupe.

INTRODUCTIONS & IDENTIFYING NEEDS

The communications director of the Santiago North area, Ricardo Castillo took us to visit with the leadership of the Department of Health in a small community outside of Santiago called Til Til. We met with the hospital director there last month. This town suffers from access to healthcare. It is located an hour outside of metropolitan Santiago in an area with no public transportation into the city. Most residents do not have cars nor the means to hire a taxi to take them into the big city. We await their solicitudes.

INDIVIDUALS OF IMPORTANCE

Manuel Rodriguez Erdoiza is considered by many to be one of the founders of independent Chile. He is more revered by some than Bernardo O’Higgins (a founding father and independence leader who is given credit for freeing Chile from Spanish rule) Manuel Rodriguez Erdoiza was killed in Til Til in 1818. We visited this monument built to him while we were there visiting the Department of Health.

ISLA DE PASCUA REVISITED-IORANA (WELCOME)

A solicitude from an island school was passed on to us from Elder and Hermana Ferguson who served as humanitarian missionaries in Chile before us. As soon as the island was opened last September after COVID-19, we came to visit. The project was approved and the requested items were delivered to our office in Santiago because shipping to the island is astronomical. So, on Friday morning, we checked four large pieces of luggage filled with projectors and carried 20 tablets in our two carryon bags and flew 5 hours west of Chile out into the Pacific Ocean for the delivery ceremony.

We received a warm island welcome and were happy to be staying in the beautiful Hotel Hare Nua where we stayed last fall.

The breakfasts served at this hotel are phenomenal.

On Friday evening Elder Lamb decided he wanted to have an inside perspective of public health care in Chile, and we found ourselves in the Emergency Room. Earlier that afternoon there had been a torrential downpour and he slipped in the mud. The result was a fractured wrist (thankfully no surgery was required) He is currently sporting a plaster splint.

But this did not keep us down. We enjoyed a lovely walk through Hanga Roa town on Saturday morning with our own personal mascota- a stray dog that followed us for an hour as we walked, and waited for us when we sat by the ocean to enjoy the view.

Many street signs are carved wood or stone statues.

Lunch at Tia Bertas was fresh tuna & pineapple empanadas. Delicious!

Then a drive around the island.

We ended the day at Kaloa restaurant for dinner overlooking the ocean.

On Sunday the branch president asked us to share our experiences and explain the humanitarian aid program of the church during Sunday School. We were glad to be on the island at the same time as two senior missionary couples from the Santiago North mission: the Cook’s and the Hunter’s. This small island branch was spirit filled we loved gathering with the Saints here.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch with Hermano Tuki and his wife. He was our tour guide here on the island last Fall.

ISLAND IMPACT- COLEGIO SAN SEBASTIAN DE AKIVI

Colegio San Sebastian de Akivi is located on Easter Island. This remote island is located 2,300 miles west of Chile and is the easternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. Currently, the school has 265 students ranging from ages 4 to 18 and offers preschool through high school classes. It has a capacity for 490 students.

In such a remote location, connectivity on the island is limited. Communication is managed by a telephone service that does not offer internet plans. Committed teachers make up for the lack of connectivity by downloading teaching materials onto tablets to present quality material to their students. Some of their current materials are so old they cannot find replacements for damaged parts. They currently have 3 functioning projectors that are shared between 14 classrooms. The donation of 6 projectors, 3 bulbs for the existing projectors, and 20 tablets will greatly enhance teachers’ ability to optimize learning using motivating technological strategies.