Charla Fogonera y Baha'i' Temple

  Having no Wi-Fi in the apartment again is no fun.  Since we moved we have not been able to connect.  So we are at the office on a Saturday afternoon catching up on football games and the blog.  We enjoyed dinner on the 15th with President y Hermana Brotherson, Los Potters, and Los Hughes.  It was our last "date" night with the Hughes.

We have sure enjoyed our Friday evenings with them this past year.  It is hard to believe that they are ready to finish their mission.
     Saturday the 16th we visited the last item on the bucket list with the Hughes.  We have seen this dome from all over Santiago and have wanted to visit it and see what it is.

This is the Baha'i' Temple.  They have 8 of them in the world, Western Samoa, Uganda, USA, Australia, Panama, Germany, India, and Santiago.  

This religion believes and teaches from the writings of Baha'u'llah.  They believe he is a prophet just like Abraham, Mahaumad, and Jesus Christ and was sent in our time to bring everyone back to God.  They want to inspire people and communities to work to better lives and contribute to the advancement of civilization.  This temple is open to everyone.  Visitors can simply pray and meditate in a serene atmosphere or at times listen to the holy scriptures of the world's religions being recited and sung.  Baha'u'llah was persecuted, jailed for 40 years and finally killed because of his beliefs.  He wrote volumes of prayers and other literature that is used in their religious services.  The Baha'i faith came to Chile in 1916.  The functioning community was founded in 1940 with pioneers arriving from the US.  It is estimated that there are about 27,000 members with 6000 in Chile.  Nearly half of the Chilean Baha'i community is of the indigenous Mapuche people.  

I borrowed a few shots from the internet.  It is an amazing view from here

As a symbolic tribute to the Baha'i faith, the temple is divided into 9 sections with 9 separate entrances.

This areal shot was before all of the gardens surrounding the temple were completed

We were not allowed to take fotos inside so these are from the internet

There is no talking inside either

outside looking in one of the windows

The 9 walls come together at the roof with windows in-between each wall.

There were over 150 stairs leading up to the temple or a wandering sidewalk that you could take.  We chose to walk up the sidewalk and down the stairs.

The view was just stunning

The water lines were all over the hill to keep it green

We visited the Nunoa 1st Ward on Sunday because they borrowed our 2 posters of Christ to decorate with for their Primary Program.

Elders Gomez and Ramirez serve in this ward

Every child in the Primary had their fotos taken in front of Christ

As you walked into the building, they had pictures that the children had drawn about their blessings from their Heavenly Father .  It was a wonderful program.  The children were very prepared and the music was outstanding.  It was a wonderful start to a full Sunday.

We got home in time to eat and leave to get to the Charla Fogonera in La Reina.  I was privileged to lead the choir made up of the La Reina and Alicahue Zones.  They did a great job.  Each of the 5 special numbers that I had chosen to perform did great.  It was a special evening spent with our young missionaries and some of their recent converts and some of their current friends that they are teaching about their Savior.

A few random fotos from our travels in the city

A street entertainer dancing this giant

Stop lights can really be fun

A horse and buggy with 2 horses behind going down one of the busiest streets

This entertainer threw the benches into the air with ease just like someone would juggle balls

Before all of the protests began, Halloween was being sold at the street venders

Smoking pot is legal here

Fun statues around the city

As we went by them, the trees were in the way so I again borrowed fotos from the internet

       The Hughes flew out on Friday morning.  They are heading to the south of Chile to tour and see the penguins and that part of the country and then over into Peru to see the pyramids.  They will be back in two weeks and we will meet them at the airport with their luggage for their flight home to Washington, Utah.  It seems very strange for them to be gone but that is how missionary life is, here today and gone tomorrow.  Time just flies by.
    We spent Friday at their apartment getting things organized for the Potters apartment and for our apartment.  We will get our couch, table, and bed delivered on Tuesday. We were able to deliver everything to the Potters today.   Then we will move the hermana's who live in the same complex down to the Hughes apartment.  Right now they live on the 4th floor so this will be much easier on them.  Don't know yet if we will keep their apartment or turn it back.
     I am going to send this now as I don't know when I will get back to the office to write this weekend.  We have a baptism and a dinner to go to tomorrow.  We are busy getting the pensions ready for our new 19 missionaries who will arrive in a week and a half.  We just hope the President can let us know where to move beds before the last day.  Cambios or changes are our busiest times and they happen every 6 weeks.  We actually saw a section of the metro running this week.  Hopefully the protesters will leave it along and not destroy it again.  There is one line that will take a year to be up and running again but they are getting section by section on the other lines going.  We are safe and are being watched over by angels.  We testify of this!  We send our love to all.  Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends.  We have so much to be thankful for.  Counting blessings is an eye opener as you realize just how many miracles and blessings our Heavenly Father has rained down on us and our family.  Till next week, Chao