Scott served his two-year mission in the south section of Santiago, Chile from 1995 until 1997. It's been a dream of his to return to this place, to see the people that touched his life so deeply during that time and to explore more of this land that became such an important part of his life. We planned this trip twice before, and one of those times even had plane tickets booked, but for various reasons we had to postpone the trip both times. Finally this year, some 20 years after Scott finished his mission, we were able to make the trip happen at last. We planned to explore three distinct regions of the country, each requiring separate plane rides to reach, Santiago, Patagonia and the Chilean lakes. It was a lot of travel and planning to make all three happen, but it was well worth it.
It was important for Scott to have enough time to reconnect with many of the people he knew on his mission while we were in Santiago. I was also glad to meet some of these people that I had heard so much about the last 20 years, people that had a real impact on Scott. So our week in Santiago was a mix of a little sightseeing exploring the city sights combined with visiting places where Scott used to spend his days, including where he lived and worked, and reunions with the many people who left their mark on his heart. For me it was an amazing week remembering the man I first met almost 20 years ago, the man who had just left this place where he served with all his heart. Meeting some of the people I saw again how beloved and respected he is, and my appreciation for him grew, again. He was such a good missionary, and he is an equally good husband and father. Though my paltry Spanish language skill was put to the test, it was a full circle experience stepping back into the places and greeting the people from that time. What a blessing to have this experience as a family.
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