Trip to Santiago, Chile

We had a chance to visit chile in the month of February for a Cluster meeting with Bishop Davies and as always it was wonderful. The first day we got there was Sunday before the meetings so we went out to see Jose Ignacio's grave. He was born on April 7, 1993 and died July 3, 1993. He was 4 days shy of turning three month. Coming to see his grave was something we wanted to do for a long time and there by this mirecle we were in Chile. I can only imagine the sorrow the family must have felt when this happened in that home where Daniel is standing in front of the gate but what is wonderful to know is that he is in heaven with Jesus and that one day Daniel will get to hug him and I will get to meet him. His life is eternal and he knows he is loved.

The following day, on Feb. 27, 2014 we went to the Church's olive farm to take a tour. What we learned from the tour that the demand for olive oil is greatly increasing so it is profitable. The oil has high level of mono-unsaturated fat compared to vegetable oils and people are becoming more aware of all its benefits. Chile has the perfect climate for these type of plants. The farm is non-labor intensive using the latest technology and the state of the art machinery to do almost all the work to harvest. It is also a welfare reserve. Also US and Chile share a free trade agreement. Chile is a country known for not having corruption, friendly to foreign invetment and very secure. I was amazed at how develoop it has become considering that is in Latin America.

The following days on Tuesday and Wednesday we received the training for the DTA's and their respective wives who attended. We shared a little about our children and Bishop Davies talked about the Proclamation to the Family and Christlike leadership. My favorite part has always been when we have a special ladies meeting. Sister Darla Davies prepared a theme of bees and what they represent. We were given the book by M. Russell Ballard. "One Drop at a Time" a message for women. A quote in the book reads: " There is power in our love for God and for His children, and when that love is tangibly manifest in millions of acts of Chirstian kindness, it will sweeten and nourish the world with the life-sustaining nectar of faith, hope, and charity.

The following day, we checked out of our hotel and again visited the grave. We noticed the flowers we left on Sunday were gone since they clean up and mow the lawn every week so we got another bouquet of flowers. This time we took a knife and a wash towl to clean the dirt from the stone and cut any grass covering the grave.  We left it immaculate and at peace that we had come to see the place this little baby so dear to the family was buried. The stone reads: Jose I. R de Alemeida Bianco 7-4-1993--- 3-7-1993