Circunvalacion 1 - Week #3

¡Hola Familia!


I'm beginning to echo Sean's feelings regarding the office in that we are basically a bunch of house elves working around here... It is amazing how secretive the work of the office is for the rest of the mission. It isn't that most of what we do here is confidential, because only a small portion is, but if you aren't in the exclusive club you don't have a clue! LOL. I love it!!!


First things first... I love the package, but I did not receive any jam. :( ... But I'll be waiting on that in the next package... LOL


As for the whole driving thing, I'm now one of the designated drivers in the mission... there are only 3 of us at this moment as a few of the office missionaries don't have their licenses. So I've been driving all over the mission this last week and will be doing it for a while, luckily a few will be taking their driving test again this week to get their licenses... It is super crazy driving in Santiago. The city itself isn't super huge, but it has a lot of people crammed into a pretty little area. It is smaller than Houston (so clearly smaller than Dallas) but I really don't like driving here much. Luckily if you are driving and you stick your arm out of the window and signal to the person beside you (with a smile of course too) they are basically obligated to let you go. In Chile there is a phrase called "permiso" or "permiso tío" [permission uncle... the translation doesn't work real well] that when you say it you basically get what you want. I LOVE CHILE!!! But, I'm still working on learning my way around too, so that doesn't help much.


Work here is crazy, I'm trying to get organized enough that I'm not completely lost, nor a complete basket case looking for stuff when deadlines are coming up. It has definitely been some work and it is still in progress. I've got a couple deadlines that I work towards but right now I somehow got ahead! We'll keep trying to stay that way too.


Sounds like everyone has had a pretty crazy week. I can definitely testify that this week wasn't as smooth as I wish it had been, but we survived and I don't have to work in the office today during my P-day time!!! YAY!!! Unfortunately that happens all too often as we have presentations that we have to have ready every week for meetings that President May has with the stake presidents, but I finished the one this week on Thursday (apparently faster than one has been finished in a long time). But it is all good...


Good to know the family isn't doing anything exciting for summer vacation without me... just keep saving up that money to come pick me up at the end of my mission! LOL. And have me a nice Blackberry waiting for me when I get home too...


I've got to admit, I kinda miss the humidity with the hot rather than with the cold. Right now it is a bright sunny day, which is really rare... We've been pretty cloudy here for the last couple weeks, but today there is SUN again.


Also, I almost forgot, that yesterday we went to the temple. There were about 30 elders in one session and then we had the great opportunity to have a little meeting with the temple president, President Lyon, and talk a little about the temple. All of the hermanas from the mission were there for the talk and then entered the session immediately afterwards. To get to go to the temple once in a while makes you really miss it. One goal I now have is to attend the temple at least once a month when I get back from the mission!


Sounds like a lot of things are changing in the ward with the future missionaries you've got... hopefully they'll get on the ball and get their papers sent off pretty soon. It seems like there is a thing that runs in a lot of families about brothers and sisters going to the same country, and at this time it seems to be hitting Chile for a while. So there are a lot of siblings serving in neighboring missions here... Gabe better get his papers in while the bug is still alive!!! LOL.


Well I think I've just been jabbering a lot this week... SORRY! Hopefully y'all can still make heads or tails of this letter.


Please send me pictures! My desk is looking pretty empty and lifeless right now, and it looks like I'll be here a while so I need something to liven it up a little. I think the family could do the trick!!!


Love y'all and talk at y'all again soon!


¡Todo mi amor y cariño! ¡Saludos de la oficina de la gran Misión Chile Santiago Norte!


-- Élder Hendrickson