The topic for our theme was The Articles of Faith. We read and studied them for a few weeks in advance and were to pick one to speak about for 5 - 10 minutes. We really enjoyed the experience with both the Martinsens (Argentina missionaries) and the Hynes (Mission directors on Skype).
The experience brought a thought to my mind about the importance of The Articles of Faith. On our mission we are not supposed to actively teach the gospel, but if we come across someone who is interested we put them in touch with the full time missionaries.
Walking about with our name tags does bring on an occasional discussion about why we are in Chile. I felt impressed that we should buy some article of faith cards in Argentina and carry one or two with me all the time. You never know, right?
The other day Barb and I ran to Santiago for one of the men on the farm. We had to pick up a much needed package at DHL. While there, we went to the mall for a few items. We decided to eat at the food court and taste a bit of Americana. (see photo) We had to laugh at ourselves as our food was delivered. Our lack of language skill had cost us some money as you can see. (I was surprised, our communication is not usually so bad.) Trust me, we were not this hungry.
The cashier had even confirmed the order with us as we just smiled and nodded "Yes". We each ate our sandwich and were wondering if the third one would keep or should we just toss it.
As we were discussing our choice we noticed a rather skinny young man, about thirteen or so, moving from table to table asking for a little money. This was the first time since we have been in Chile that someone approached us for money while we were eating. He looked like a meal would be a welcome donation. He was grateful to receive a drink, fries and a sandwich, but also an Article of Faith card. (BINGO)
Three happy people left the food court that day and we were grateful for our provident mistake. We were also grateful that we happened to have The Articles of Faith cards. He was munching and reading as we left.
You have heard the phrase, "Died and gone to heaven!" That happened to Barbara the other day. We met with our friends the Thompsons on their last day in Chile. We were going out to eat one last time before their moved to Florida. They chose to meet us at a mall in Santiago close to their hotel. The next day they would fly away. A few photos from the mall will tell you why we went back there the other day. Barb loves this place.
Oh, we're not done.
There were more, but you get the idea. A real blast from the states. It made us feel just a little guilty, however. I told you about the Martinsens in Argentina. They are serving on a cattle ranch that is a 30 minute dirt road drive to a small town. They get by with a limited supply of products. We are very spoiled here if you can brave the 90 minute drive on Chilean streets and highways.
To soothe our guilt, we ate at another American experience. We first enjoyed this chain of restaurants in Las Vegas. You will probably be able to tell where we are by the photo. While there, Barb spotted this amazingly identical set of twins. You'll have to agree, there is a remarkable resemblance.
