A walk to Remember

Today for a change of pace, instead of working out upstairs in our gym, either doing a step class by DVD that I brought with me, or on the treadmill or bike looking only out into the treetops, I decided to take my camera with me for a great walk outdoors. (this would also ensure that I would be stopping often, to breath, catch my breath, and let the camera focus, so I don’t think this was the most strenuous workout that I needed after all was said and done. That means I better do more later tonight, or I’ll feel more like a slug, and trying to lose weight here is no easy feat!) I needed to get outside; as I’ve been dealing with some domestic help issues here in the mission home, and didn’t want to be here when some workers arrived. I thought of Sesame Street’s Mr. Rogers, and wanted to sing along, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, would you be mine, could you be mine, won’t you be my neighbor?!”


I started taking fotos of the houses all around my few blocks as I walked. I’m attaching them to this personal family blog, for our children, family to see. Today as I saw our signs and businesses, I thought these are just as familiar to us, as we walk, drive, wander these streets so often, much more than Mike and I ever walked in Utah. It seems that at night, or often in the early mornings, we want to have a change of pace. The day or events seem to be so intense or emotionally draining, that getting out seems to give us literally a breath of fresh air. We can get a different perspective of things, when we aren’t just inside the house, at the same computer, same office, same thoughts that seem to clear and become more specific when we go out for a simple walk together. There are beautiful parks, paseos, spots with park benches that we wander, just to ‘get away.’ I don’t think stopping for an ice cream is the answer, but Mike likes to do that too. It is ALWAYS better by the time we get home, that the things that were so heavy, or complicated, now seem more manageable and reasonable, with a bit of air and distraction. Even sitting out back on our patio, under the umbrellas in the shade help to cool our spirits, if we’ve needed a break. We love that option to eat outside for now while it is still warm and beautiful weather, before the rainy, colder weather arrives.

This neighborhood is very diverse. In the mornings, from our bedroom on the 2nd floor, we are up high enough that we hear, “in the leafy treetops the birds sing good morning.” They start early, like 5:30am, and we just hear them chirping away. It is quite pleasant right now, and we can sleep with our windows open these days at night, hardly any bugs here, so it’s not often we get flies or bees, etc. We don’t know why. However, if I go to bed and read there, (which doesn’t happen often cuz we usually fall into bed by midnight or so) or have lights on inside when we do go to bed, then we sometimes get moths or tiny, green lacewings in flitting about our lights until we turn them off. Also, our mission home is located right in the heart of the financial district really, but the homes and buildings surrounding our home have now changed and there are tall high-rise luxury apartment buildings, with older classic, mansion type homes that are scattered in between tall business buildings. Also, some of these homes have also been bought to be converted into businesses themselves, so some have lots of traffic coming and going in them daily. Directly across the street from us is a huge home they have converted into a FedEx type company with lots of workers, employees, and cars, traffic, coming/going.
On the corner a big house, also now home to a respectable Orthodontic office, which is lovely.
Down the block we have the Castano, bakery, Budapest-local café, Quiroz-seamstress, dress designer, Heladeria-ice cream place only open during summer days now. Also, as I wandered by the Chilean Presidenta’s home, the guards were looking at me suspiciously, seeing me take fotos around the other parts of the street, so I just greeted them with a “Buenos Dias,” and didn’t just whip out my camera to take photos of her home, as they surely would have stopped me. Last night, as we were driving past, we saw lots of her secret service people, suits, ear-pieces, like our own, out in force, all hustling about and near different cars, that told us she must be in the area, and if we hung around long enough, we might have been able to chat with her and give her a pass along card and invite her over for Family Home Evening! I walked past the Catholic church on the next block from our house, where we daily hear the bells toll at 12:15 noon and 7:15pm, which I love to hear, except for the fact that Mike tells me that is the signal calling the people in the area that it is time for mass to start! I just simply like the sound of the bells daily. It is something, that again, I don’t hear in Orem.

As I was out at such an early time, the traffic is something to see. Not just that the cars are out in force, but with busy people quickly walking to work, dropping their children at the local private schools all around our neighborhood, nanas pushing their babies they are tending in strollers, through the parks, gardens, etc. Lots of people bustling around, horns honking and many people dressed in suits and profession attire hurrying on their way. We see business men in suits with their formal briefcases, women in dress suits, high heels and purses, walking incredibly fast even wearing unusually high heeled shoes. Ouch they look so uncomfortable for the streets. I do see occasionally some women in business suits, with a pair of running shoes on with their feet, while I’m sure their heels are in their backpack they are totting along with them. Many smoke cigarettes, male/females/teenagers, etc. I enjoy seeing the people as they hustle quickly past our home, usually on the way 1.5 block up to Apoquindo, where the metro has a stop, right on our street. Also, that is the financial, business district, so there are many there who work in a variety of capacities in the many, tall skyscrapers there. They work long, tiring hours, often many lights on in these skyscrapers’ offices until after 10pm, when Mike and I are still out walking. We often go up to Apoquindo, find a bench there, and watch the foot traffic of many who are still coming off job, leaving by the metro, sometimes even spot the occasional high-end prostitutes that we can see obviously waiting for their next victim. Sad.
Usually daily, on a kinder note, I often see a nana/or caregiver walking an older, elderly person along, with their arm around the hunched over, slow steps as the elderly one as they try to shuffles along, confidently leaning on the other’s sure steps. It warms my heart to see acts like this, among this busy, fast-paced neighborhood, where the people take the time for another.

I still can’t quite believe that we are living in this big, beautiful house, in such gorgeous surroundings that are picture worthy from many angles, and feel more grateful for the opportunity to be here, and wonder what we did, or why the Lord chose us to live here and help with this work, in this part of His vineyard. We are grateful for this blessing of serving as missionaries, full time, and still find this is like a real dream for us. We constantly are still commenting to each other, that this is still surreal to be here, living and serving in Santiago. We never imagined we would live here, and that the work would be like it is. I know I can’t quite describe it well, in English or Spanish, but this work is a marvelous work. Mike and I often see that the Lord is providing just what is needed, in the exact moment necessary. Sometimes we are allowed to see through the great work these missionaries are doing, the most incredible miracles in the lives of their investigators, with members and in their own lives. We can’t document all of the private, individual successes or failures we hear or experience personally, but we enjoy through all of it, to see how the Lord intervened or guided and directed. This is HIS work, and we are happy to be here observing and helping. We hope that this will be a walk we will always remember.