We have been two weeks since our last post and time is really moving along. We are maintaining seeing about 10 people each week in quality meetings. We teach gospel principles and look for service opportunities. Last week we met with the Alcalde of the city (city mayor/city manager) and offered our services to help in community services. We hope something comes from the offer and we are able to provide some service to the city.

We have now met with almost every member (missing 6) of the church in the area. We have about 100 members. We have personally visited with each and had beneficial experiences. Probably our most disappointing though is a lesson for all. We met with a man (about age 55) who was active and enjoyed the gospel until about age 18. He was preparing to go on a mission for the church. Then one day he saw a member of the church who was in a responsible leadership position doing something that is very much against the teachings of the gospel. Anyway that man's poor example caused this man to rethink his membership and his participation in the teachings of the Savior. He has not been active since.Our example and our living what we preach is so important. In this case the leaders example influenced the lives of 5 young men who were otherwise on a good path to follow the Saviors teachings. Bonnie and I have thought long about the example and life we live to make sure we are who we say we are and we represent by our lives what we teach.

We have some new pictures to share also:

 

This is a picture in the downtown plaza. We are looking west at the cathedral. It is a pretty landmark. 

 

How would you like to have this view out your front door each morning? This is late fall. The mountains in the background are the Andes and there are about 8 peaks at 16-18,000 feet in this area. The town is at about 3,000 feet.

 

Her is Bonnie on the town square. On weekends the square is full of people and two sides of the square are filled with all kinds of local vendors, from candied apples, empanadas, handicraft, trampolines, home made jams and everything in between. Vacationers come from Santiago every weekend and pass through the city on their way up to vacation homes and hot springs sites. The city is quite busy on weekends.

Our efforts to see people take us to all kinds of places; Dirt roads, houses on hillsides, multifamily compounds, etc. This set of steps is from the house of a member. We are looking up towards the street where our car is. We walk up an down this to see her. As representatives of Jesus Christ we are in a suit and dress each day so it makes the venture more fun.