Long time, no blog!

Where did time go?

Wow, it's been almost three weeks since I last wrote! Time got away from me, mostly because of the mini trip I took to the south, and since then it's been flying by like crazy! So to begin...

The day after I last wrote, I had my weekly meeting in the office, where I was presented with the potential opportunity to go to Lautaro, Chile with Pastor Doug to work with a team from Thousand Oaks, California. Lautaro is about 7 to 8 hours south (depending who you're driving with!) and there's a church that's part of Iberamerican Ministries. It was only a possibility though, so when I found out Tuesday afternoon that I'd be leaving Wednesday morning at 8am, I got really excited! After spending the afternoon at the movie theater with the kids from Casa Esperanza, I packed for the 5 day trip to the south. That same evening, I actually went out to dinner with some Chileans that I wouldn't see again while being here because they were leaving for Ecuador a couple days later, and returning the day I get back into the US. So basically I had a really long, but fun, day and was out until 2am! And after about 5 hours of sleep, I started my small adventure. I was with Pastor Doug and another tall Chilean guy that I have been friends with since the first time I was in Chile, which made the 8 hour ride enjoyable.

On the way down, we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant on the side of the road. As we walked in, everyone was staring at us, and at first I was wondering why. Then shortly later I realized... We were a white male who is 6' tall, a blonde haired blue eyed woman who's 6'1", and a Chilean who is 6'8" (side note: only few people in Chile are over 6 feet). That was a pretty funny moment :)

When we arrived that night to the church, the team from Thousand Oaks, California wasn't back yet from the Hotsprings they had been visiting all day, so I got to meet the missionary Rachel who I'd be staying with. She's from Port Angeles, and is permanently living on Chile now, about to get married in November! Staying with her and her roommate Yesenia was such a fun experience. I learned a lot about how Rachel "found" Chile, which makes me have more confidence in my future and helps me remember to trust in The Lord...

Anyways, when the team arrived and before eating once (if you don't already know, that's basically dinner, pronounced "own-say"), we played a whole bunch of soccer! There were a group of Chileans who I played with, so for the evening I was a Chilena. My team did pretty well, scoring 4 goals with our heads in a row! Later, when I got to my home, we lit the wood stove in the living room. That's something I really enjoyed about the south because most homes have these stoves, and it makes the insides much warmer!!! Of course, when I got back to Santiago, everything smelled like campfire. Within the next two days I did so much shoveling and wheelbarrowing cement that my muscles hurt and my arms felt like noodles. If you've ever been on a mission trip and you know what I'm talking about, you'd also know that it's an amazing feeling! I was only there for half the time that the group from Thousand Oaks was there, but within those few days we finished the entire floor for a new school. It was a really amazing time working with this group because that was more of the work I'm used to when in a different country!

On Saturday, me and a small group of the Californians went to el campo (countryside) to help build a fence for one of the church members. It had been burnt in January, so there was just a bunch of rotten posts ready to fall apart. We re-dug holes and added in the new posts, and once that was done we put up the wires again. This was actually a big highlight for me because I got to be the translator! It's a little bit hard, because there's a lot of construction words that I don't know. You'd think since I've been on 4 mission trips to Spanish speaking countries that I would know some of those words already... But overall it was a fun and new experience!

I actually went back to Santiago a day later than Doug and Seba, so I took an 8 hour bus ride through the night on Sunday. It was a nice bus and I actually slept alright... Aside from the fact the guy next to me was snoring and had his arm on me the whole ride! But those things always happen ;) overall Lautaro was an amazing experience working with the Californians, making new friends, and learning more about the indigenous Mapuche tribes of Chile! (Of course another couple of highlights would be the nacho music party, my "boyfriend" named Jacob aka Juan Luis Esteban, and the crazy guy named Chelo... But maybe those stories will be left for another time!) ;D

God is good.

Wooah, we're halfway there...

Living on a prayer!

I apologize for the cheesy title, but I couldn't resist! 😉 But really, I'm halfway through my time here in Chile, which gives me such a mix of emotions. In one way I'm excited to get back into summer in the states since I'm seeing everyone posting pictures at the beach, and my weather app telling me that there's a string of 90 degree days coming soon (which anyone from the Northwest would tell you that NEVER happens before August!). Yet I'm also sad at the thought of leaving Chile, leaving the relationships I've made, and leaving the place I love so much. And as I keep praying for answers, I'm still working on patience! (As I talked about in my previous post).

So this last weekend was actually the best couple of days here so far! Some highlights: On Friday, Independence Day, I had my weekly meeting with Leticia and was picked up by Pastor Ricky to spend the day with his family. His wife Tracie is from Portland, and we needed to get together anyways to plan a redecoration of the kids room in the church. So after looking at Pinterest and getting some ideas, we had hamburgers (what else would we eat?!?) with potato salad. Later we decorated Oreos with white chocolate, and red, white, and "blue" sprinkles. The blue was really green, so we had to use our imaginations a little. It was a nice way to spend an American holiday in a foreign country!

Then Saturday, during the basketball ministry in the morning, it got sunny and pretty warm actually! We all had a lot of fun as I connected better with some of the girls participating. They were really interested in my "sky blue" eyes. After a shower and lunch, I returned for Identidad, the youth group, and had a lot of fun worshiping and seeing some Chileans that recently returned from the States! And afterwards they invited me out to dinner with some others. Between the crazy car ride, funny videos, and good Italian food, the night was fantastic!

Sunday, after a sunny church service, my family and I went out for lunch at a Chinese restaurant, then jumped on the metro and headed to Santiago. We went to a tourist place called Parque Metropolotino, which is basically a big forested hill in the middle of the city. There's a part where there's a zoo, but we took a team up to the top and enjoyed the view while taking lots of pictures! At the end, on the way down, they bought me some cotton candy which was a fun treat, considering I haven't had cotton candy in years! Overall a beautiful day.

Casa Esperanza on Monday and Tuesday was better than before, as the kids are beginning to respect me more and are getting to know me better. This has been the hardest part for me, only because I'm further out of my comfort zone. But it's a test, a challenge in a way, and I like it! It's pushing me to learn new things, including patience. But...

This weeks theme is going to be trust. As I open myself up more and more to what The Lord has planned for me, I have to let go of MY preconceptions, MY plans, and MY ideas, and start following HIS. Every day I'm continuing to be pushed out of my comfort zone, so trust is something I'm going to have to remember in every situation!

 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

PS Don't take a cold shower during the winter, even if it's 3min long... Because you will end up with a sore throat and that will not be fun. I learned that the hard way ;)

Two down, 4 to go!

Getting used to the way of life

So now I've officially been here almost two weeks... Two down and 4 short weeks to go. Monday marked the day where I will have been in a foreign country for the longest amount of time! So yes, I got a little homesick already while seeing everyone's pretty summer pictures, but I'm happy to be here and excited what this next month will bring me! :) anyways...

On Monday I stayed home and got to get to know my family a bit better. We played some card games and just relaxed because of the futbol game. The place where I was supposed to go, La Casa Esperanza, probably wouldn't be the best place for me to be when people get excited about a game, to put it in a good way haha. Anyways, after a day of resting, on Tuesday I went to La Casa Esperanza with Becky. It's connected to another one of the churches of Iberoamerican Ministries, but is a place where some kids come after school to play and eat lunch. There I met Tia Dulce (Tia means "aunt" but can also go before a name of an adult) and she's a part of Overlake church, and is from The Bothell/Kirkland area! Overlake is basically my church Canyon Hills' "mother church." She and her husband Alejandro live here and help out at La Casa Esperanza. It also happened to be her birthday so we spent the day making paper flowers and preparing a little party. After having some cake and other treats, I got to play with the kids on a concrete soccer court. Dulce and Alejandro took me home and I ate dinner and went to bed a little later. Wednesdays I go to a thing at the church called "Cajas de Gozo." This is where a group of women get together and make little encouraging things, put then into a box, and give it to someone who needs some picking up. After that is a bible study led by Pastor Ricky. Last Thursday I went to Oriente, the school part, with Becky to help and English teacher. It was a fun experience  as we went into a 7th grade class, then wild 2nd graders, and ended with cute kindergarteners. Then I had the afternoon to relax! Friday I went to the Iberoamerican Ministires office to talk about my time here and make sure everything is going well. This is basically how my time is going to go here, plus some extra things here and there.

Last Friday/Saturday was something special though! Oriente had a vigilia, which basically was a lock-in. It started at 10pm Friday night and went until about 7:30am Saturday morning. It was an amazing night filled with games, worship, the Word, and a lot of coffee! I got home by 8am, slept until 2pm, and woke up just in time to see Chile lose to Brazil... :'(

Now to get a little more personal, I'll share something I've been working on lately: patience. Tracey, a guy from North Carolina who lives here in Chile, spoke at the Vigilia and something he said stuck with me. Sometimes we ask for something from God, and we wait and wait for the answer, sometimes losing hope. But an important thing to remember is that his timing is perfect, so whether we have to wait 2minutes or 20 years, it's all for a reason beyond our knowledge. Patience is a crucial part of our faith, yet is so easily forgotten...

Anyways I hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July in the states!!! Blessings! 😇