When it Rains, it Snows -- Danielle

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The rain welcomed us into Santiago, Chile on Monday as the four of us exited the plane. The darkness, a contradiction to the morning sun unable to break through the clouds and unyielding storm, made our initial view of the Andes mountaintops more dramatic. We could see their peaks poking through the fluffy gray clouds through the airport windows, seemingly so close, yet out of reach. We were fatigued after travelling through the night, true sleep eluding us all, but the beautiful sweeping backdrop awoke our inner voices of adventure as we readied ourselves for a full day of preparations for our activities over the next two weeks in Chile and Argentina.

(Amy Glen, Danielle Britt, Angela Helseth, and Michael Wilkins)

Two of our hosts, our traveling companion for the trip and local elder, Jaime Diaz, and the pastor, Jaime Gallardo, met us at the airport. We kicked off our morning with a wonderful breakfast prepared at the beautiful family home of hosts, Gerardo Roig and Marisol Espinoza. There are so many brethren helping host us throughout our journey, a testament to the inviting family environment they have cultivated here. After fueling up, we made our way into the heart of Santiago where we shopped for supplies to give as gifts and to use for later activities we will be leading at two of the local schools.

As we walked around the city, we took in many of the beautiful historical sites and architecture while sampling an array of local sweet and savory foods. (Pictures 4, 5a, 5b)

 

After a full day of planning and shopping, we took a scenic route up one of the mountains to get a view of the city at sunset. After a rain, the air between the two mountain ranges that flank both sides of Santiago is clean and crisp. We reflected on the beauty of God’s creation and His blessings that brought us here. Jaime mentioned that when it rains in Santiago, it snows in the mountains. The white peaks that fade into brown and into green coming up through the clouds on one side and the glittering city lights along the valley on the other, made for a spectacular final view of Santiago on our first day here.

We ended our evening with a delicious meal prepared at the home of the local minister and his wife, Jaime Gallardo and Mara Albarran. The spacious grounds include their home, the church meeting hall, offices, and a beautiful yard and garden. We were able to meet many members of their family, with wonderful time for fellowship in a home filled with so much warmth and joy. We are looking forward to many more cool winter days filled with such warmth here in South America.