SANTIAGO, Chile — The newly constructed meetinghouse of the Sotero del Rio Ward, Santiago Chile Puente Alto Stake, has yet to host a single sacrament meeting. But already, the stately red-brick meetinghouse is impacting the neighborhood.
Members are waiting for municipal approval to open the building for worship. Until then, they have kept busy landscaping and sprucing up the grounds surrounding it.
Residents living around the chapel — which was built on land that was once a garbage dump — have appreciated the change in their neighborhood, according to Rodolfo Acevedo, bishop of the Sotero del Rio Ward. The beautiful meetinghouse has inspired neighbors to plant gardens and improve the landscaping of their own yards.
"The chapel is an example of order and cleanliness for all," the president of the neighborhood association said.
The building's influence has gone beyond gardens and lawns. During the Christmas season, ward members gathered outside the building and sang holiday carols. Their songs introduced many to the Church's message. Now neighbors are excited to see the inside of the chapel during the future open house and dedication, Bishop Acevedo said.
One neighborhood leader told Bishop Acevedo he was interested in having local, non-member youth participate in ward activities. Members also visited each home in the neighborhood, handing out Church information.
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