Islands and Mountains and Argentina....oh my! part 3

Hey guys!  So, I am officially halfway through with outreach.  I have been for a few weeks I think actually.  But isn’t that crazy!  It has been FLYING by.  I can not believe I only have 2.5 months left here!  As you guys know, we took a vacation to Argentina for 6 days last week.  It was so good to just relax and get some things done that have been piling up on my personal to do list.  And it was just a great time to refocus and prepare for the last leg of this great adventure.   So I will fill you all in a little bit :]

On Tuesday morning, we all met at E’s house for prayer for our little trip.  Then we headed out and caught the bus to Puerto Montt at around 7.15.  Let me add just a little detail here.  When I came to Chile, I had one suitcase and a backpack.  That is it!  I was actually pretty proud of myself.  Granted, these two things were very full, but I knew that I would be leaving some stuff here and then I would have room for the souvenirs I would be buying.  So anywho.  Since I only brought  those two clothes carrying items with me, I only had those to use for Argentina.  And I decided that I was not even going to try to pack ultra light in my backpack for a 6 day vacation.  Just wasn’t going to happen.  So I ended up taking the same amount of stuff for 6 days as I did for 6 months.  It felt a little bit ridiculous, but it all worked out in the end.  The bus into Puerto Montt was a bit crazy with all my crap everywhere and people trying to find room to sit around me, but we managed.

We got to the bus station a little before 8, and our bus didn’t depart until 8.30.  So this gave us plenty of time to chill and watch the other travelers around us.  Most of us did this inconspicuously, but some of us (cough Jean cough) like to be a little more adventurous and stand on chairs to watch others.  This was a little bit funny.  I am pretty sure everyone saw the crazy gringa who was watching for a pickpocketer to steal so she could save the day.  Heehee. 

  

So anyway.  We got all situated on the bus and started the voyage to Bariloche, Argentina.   After a few hours, we reached the Chilean border and had to get out and formally leave the country.  This was a nice little break, seeing as to how we had been sitting for quite some time.  I enjoy bus rides tho, and spent my time sleeping and listening to music.  Then, we got back in the bus and drove for a little before having to do it all over again, only this time we were formally entering Argentina.  Luckily, our bus went directly from Puerto Montt to Bariloche, so we didn’t have to go through the hassle of unloading all of our luggage and finding another bus.  So we then spent another 2 hours or so on our way to Bariloche.   Thankfully we made it there without any incidents.  When we left the bus for the last time in Bariloche, it was about 5.30. 

As we were waiting for the bus that would take us to our hostile about 10 minutes outside of downtown, a woman asked us where we were from….IN ENGLISH!  She was from Canada and her name was Darcy, and she had just been traveling South America for the past few months.  And as we talked to her for a few minutes, we found out that she was heading to the same hostile as we were!  Looking back, this was truly a miracle.  And I’ll tell you why.  Bariloche is a VERY touristy city.  Just a quaint, pretty city with lots of shops and hotels and hostiles EVERYWHERE.  So the fact that she was going to the same one as us was just crazy!  And, there is another reason that it was a miracle.  We had directions for which bus we needed to take to get us to the stop that we needed.  So we get to that point.  And we started walking down this road that the hostile is on….or so we thought.  At this point, it was drizzling and we had all of our luggage and we had no idea where this hostile was, and it was just starting to look a bit ridiculous.  But thankfully, Darcy had a pamphlet with specific instructions with how to get there, and after taking a few more side roads, we managed to find our hostile.  Honestly, we would have been screwed without her as a guide.  I don’t know what we would have done. 

So then we get to our cute little hostile.  It was…perfect!  We had our own room of 6 beds, so we didn’t have to be split up.  It was warm in the hostile and very clean.  There were over a hundred movies that we could watch whenever.  Wifi was free and there were 2 desktops available to use.  The kitchen was very spacious and equipped with quite a lot of stuff to use for dishes.  We had HOT SHOWERS!!!! (I have now had 7 hot showers since being in Chile :]) And, the owner of the hostile spoke really good English!  It was such a blessing!  He helped us so much, and it was so good to be able to understand him perfectly.  Actually, while we were in Bariloche, we spoke SO MUCH English.  It was great!  There were so many tourists and we met some really cool people at our hostile, and it was just good to give our brains a little break and communicate without thinking so much of how to say what we wanted. 

Basically, Beth is AWESOME and did a FANTASTIC job at planning our vacation.  It was such a relaxing time.  That first night, we went to a pizza place like 5 minutes from our hostile.  It was really good!  We picked some random pizzas, and although they weren’t your typical “American” pizzas, they were still really good.  Mom, you should be proud of me.  I ate whole slices of tomatoes on the pizza, and it wasn’t even awful.  As I have mentioned before, this experience has been stretching me so much in practically every area of my life, and food is no exception.  I have learned to eat just about anything, and although I don’t prefer some things, they aren’t really as bad as they used to be for me.  There’s the random tidbit in this story. 

So yeah.  Vacation was just so good for relaxing and getting things done that have been on our to do lists.  I know for me personally, my to do list was getting pretty long and kinda stressing me out.  But for the week, we had no internet limitations.  The only rule was that you could only be on the computer for an hour at a time and then you had to switch with someone else that wanted to use it.  So it was wonderful for getting stuff done.  As you guys know, I love getting emails from home, but with a limited amount of time to reply back, it takes a little while for me to send replies.  And for this I am really sorry.  It is just a fact of life though.  I still do really appreciate it, and I read them and think of you all a lot.  So anywho.  I got caught up on some emails….not all….but a lot.  And checked out some scholarship options and things and skyped some people.  It was just so good.  I felt so relaxed and refreshed.  I also had a lot of time to read.  I love reading and Kindles make it so easy.  It is definitely one of my best investments.  And we watched a few movies.  Just very good.

Most of the week was just very chill.  We didn’t do very much while we were there except rest and just chill.  For me, this was great.  Others got a little restless after so many days.  But I think we all enjoyed our time.  And we did do something pretty exciting.  On our third day there, we all got to go paragliding!  It was so fun!  Beth and Jean went first while the rest of us waited in this little yard for them to land.  Their flight was a lot shorter than the rest of ours.  I feel bad about that.  The wind just wasn’t very good at that point of the day.  But they still had fun they said.  Then Clay and I went next.  We drove to the top of a mountain and then walked for a few minutes up to this area for take offs.  Clay went first, and it was interesting to see how it was done.  Then a few minutes later, my guide person was telling me to run and before I knew it, we were in the air.  So cool.  Basically, I was sitting in a chair ish thingy with a big wing above me and Ernesto was behind me.  He was very cool.  I talked to him pretty much the entire time we were in the air.  He had been flying for 19 years….my entire lifetime!  So it was as easy as breathing for him to fly and know all the wind changes.  It was pretty interesting, the things he was telling me about paragliding.  From the take off point, we couldn’t even see the area that we would be landing on.  Instead of landing in the yard place, we would be landing on the beach.  SO COOL!  So we spent about 10 minutes just circling the mountain and riding the wind currents.  And then we started descending a bit, making our way to the beach.  The view was beautiful.  So much fun.  And at one point, he let me steer!  I was like….of course!  So that was really cool.  I was flying a huge kite in the sky….with me attached!  Haha.  Also, he asked if I was feeling sick and I said no.  So he started doing really tight, fast circles.  It was so fun.  Like those swing rides you can go on at the fair, but like 23948 times better.  Then after about 25 minutes, we landed on the beach.  I think I was the luckiest one of us, I gotta say.  And I feel a little bad.  But, nothing could be done about it. 

So that was our little adventure while in Argentina.  Very cool.  I think that those are the only two adjectives that I know….cool and fun.  Sorry about that.  But that’s what it was! 

Also, Bariloche is very touristy, as I told you all before.  But, another thing that Argentina is known for is its chocolate.  I guess the Swiss were the first people to inhabit the area, so the chocolate is DELIGHTFUL.  So good.  So there are tons of chocolate shops everywhere.  And the coolest part is that all of them have free samples!  So, we just shop hopped and got a bunch of free pieces of chocolate!  I did buy a few pieces to eat as we walked around, but I never did bring back any with me.  Such a stupid mistake.  I don’t even know why I didn’t!  And at the very least, I could have brought some back for our friends!  I really don’t even know what I was thinking.  Obviously, I wasn’t.  But anywho.  Chocolate was a delicious addition to our trip.

 

But now on a bit more of a serious note.  While we were relaxing and catching up on things, I was thinking back on our time here in Chile.  The highlights, lowlights, our ministry in general.  Just replaying my time here and reminiscing.  As I thought back, I realized that towards the end of these past 3 months, I have been not been pouring out like I could be.  I have become so accustomed to life here and how things work and have sort of lost sight of our purpose.  I mean, I love it here and doing stuff, but I have not been soaking up and taking advantage of our opportunities like I can be.  I need to be digging into the Word and hiding it away in my heart.  I need to be diligently praying for people we are ministering to here and at home.  I need to be spending my free time enhancing the lives of others as well.  I just need to take my eyes back off myself and onto the face of Jesus again.  I need to be seeking Him with all I have.  So this was a wake up call for me, and I am very grateful for it.  It is not wrong to spend some time reading and shooting hoops occasionally.  Not at all.  That is not what I am trying to say.  But I know that I personally have not been taking advantage of life here in Chile like I could be.  So since we have been back, this has been on my mind.  It’s a challenge for myself.  I want to be consciously striving to go deeper.  Deeper in my relationships with the locals here, deeper with my teammates, and deeper with the Lover of my soul.  HE is the reason I am here.  HE is the one who has saved me.  And HE is the one I want to glorify with my life.  I need to cut more pride and selfishness out of my life, and I am really striving for more of that over the next 2.5 months we have here. 

On that note, I think I will share the song of the post.  This week it is On My Cross by FFH.  Such a BEAUTIFUL song.  I love it so much.  And the words really make you think.  My punishment was taken from me and served by the Creator of the Universe!  He suffered….for me.  Just take that in for a moment.  Listen and really reflect on the words.  Very powerful and just beautiful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT-TG79htPg

So that was a little peak into our vacation time and some of the thoughts I had while we were there.  And here are a few pictures.  They may not make much sense or really give a very good overview of things, but at least something I can show you guys to give you a little feel. 

So on Monday, we got on the bus at 12 and started back for Puerto Montt.  The ride was pretty much uneventful.  We got back to E’s house around 8 o’clock.  Vacation was really good, but we were all very glad to be back in Alerce with our family.  We missed them a lot, and it was good to chill all night in their house and just talk with them. 

Ok.  So moving on.  So the next day, I don’t really know what we did.  I mean, I just cant remember anymore.  But, that night, we, meaning us 3 girls, started working on our snack for E’s birthday party the next night.  He was born on leap day!  Yay!  Finally 9 years old.  So anywho.  We were going to make those peanut butter cracker thingys covered in chocolate.  You know, the kind you normally find around Christmas time.  So we started the endeavor by melting what we thought was chocolate.  When we first bought this stuff, which happened to be quite a long time ago, I had specifically asked Jean, “Now you are sure that is chocolate, right?”  And she replied, “Yes, my mom uses this stuff!”  So I didn’t question it any longer.  So as we are melting this stuff, Beth keeps saying, “Chile chocolate is weird.  This looks nothing like chocolate.  Why is it so scratchy?”  We agreed and thought it might be old or wet or Chilean.  We just decided to keep going and see how it tasted when it was all the way melted. 

During this whole melting process, Jeano was working on making a fire and I was in the middle of peanut buttering lots of crackers.  After a little while, Beth finally decided to give it a try.  “This is NOT chocolate,” she said.  So Jeano went over to investigate.  After her taste, she said, “You guys.  What would you think if I told you that what we bought was molasses?”  Yes.  Molasses.  Actually.  We now think it was brown sugar in a hardened cube.  The stores here don’t have brown sugar and from what we can tell from asking, it sounds like a chunk of hardened brown sugar.  So at this point, I am racking my brain for things we can do for his birthday, since now our snack is useless.  And Jeano is just losing it.  She can not stop laughing.  Not because she didn’t care, but because that is just what Jeano does sometimes.  So she is all upset with herself and just cracking up and I am standing by a table full of useless peanut buttered crackers.  I was not in the best of moods at this point since it was getting late, and I thought I just wasted a lot of time.  So I just went to take a shower.  Meantime, Beth and Jean decide to try to make use of this strange melted liquid and crushed up a bunch of the peanut butter crackers in a bowl and added some molasses stuff.  I came out of the bathroom to see them chowing on this mush with a fork and some MnM’s mixed in.  And actually, it wasn’t bad!  So we decided to make little round cookie things of this substance, and Jeano ran to one of the little tiendas and bought some Chilean equivalent MnM’s to put on top.  And wouldn’t you know.  Most of the people at the party the next day really enjoyed them.  We actually had one of our friends stuff two in her pockets to save for later, which was QUITE hilarious since she was all sneaky about it.  I guess its like Beth said.  When life gives you molasses, make fake monster cookies.  (the cookies kinda looked like monster cookies)

The rest of the week was pretty much normal in the work we did, but with an added little twist.  On Friday, all three of us girls felt pretty sick.  Our stomachs just hurt.  At first, we thought it was because we had fasted the day before.  But now, we know it was not that.  You see, we actually had to take a trip to the hositally clinic place this weekend for Beth.  She got REAL sick.  Her fever was super high and she couldn’t eat anything.  It just wasn’t good.  And we all were suffering from diarrhea and just not being able to eat things without our stomachs feeling like they were shriveling and cranking over.  That description probably doesn’t make much sense to you all, but for us, it was exactly how it felt.  So anywho.  Basically, up to this point, we have been pretty sick.  You can continue to pray for Beth and the rest of us here.  We are slowly but surely getting better.  Jeano and I are fine now.  But Beth is still recovering with her prescriptions and rest, and Clay and E are now not feeling well.  Seems to be a pretty nasty little virus that we might have picked up from some sketchy looking lettuce.  We aren’t sure.  So if you all could just pray for the health of our team, that would be great! 

All this recounting details has gotten kinda long and again, I am sorry.  But I am happy to report the end of this post has arrived.  Thanks for the support and prayers.  We appreciate them so much!  You guys are truly the best.  Love you all and God bless!  

Islands and Mountains and Argentina, oh my Part 2

So I said we were going to the mountains and before we left I said that I was ready for an adventure.  Well, I got what I wanted :]  Mom, this would have been the worst vacation for you.  It was…an experience.

On Tuesday morning at 630 am, we all met at E’s house ready to depart.  True to Chilean culture, we didn’t leave until around 7, but we were still in good shape.  We were quite the sight tho.  All 10 of us (E’s whole family and our team) were loaded with stuff.  We had 2 cardboard boxes full of food, 4 tents, 2 bags of clothes to give away, at least 11 backpacks and lots of random other things, like sleeping bags and purses.  Yeah, it was pretty crazy.  So we got on the bus to Puerto Montt and managed to get there with no problems.  And about the time we got to the big bus station, our “micro” rolled up.  We stored all of our stuff underneath, which was really nice, and I got settled in to my seat by the window, plugged in my iPod, and prepared to just chill for the next 4 hours.  Bus rides are seriously some of my favorite times.  It’s my “me” time to just sit, think, and listen.  So anywho, it was really good.  I slept for about 2 hours and then annoyed Nacho and Jeano in the seats in front of me.  We even stopped to get cookies.  Just a good time. 

Soon after (about 4.5 hours after we boarded that bus), we got to the boat landing.  It was….so beautiful.  The whole bus ride was picturesque really.  The mountains surrounding the lake/river…just gorgeous.  So, we unloaded all of our crap and waited for the boat (ferry thing) to take us across the river.  The sun was out and we all ate sandwiches.  And at just the right time, the boat thing pulled up, and we made our way to the other side.  That took about an hour.  We were all chipper and happy to be almost there. 

When we got off the ferry, the interesting things started.  The bus that would get us up the mountain was full and there were about 20 of us with a ton of supplies still waiting.  Luckily, the bus driver was kind enough to say he would come back and get us.  The down side was that it would take 3 hours.  But oh well.  We had applies to eat, a warm sunny day, and a picture perfect view to enjoy.  Jean and Nacho of course started climbing the mountain/rock wall and explored.  E and the boys went to find a spot to fish, and J, Beth, the kiddos, and I all just chilled by the water.

After a little while, I got a little restless and decided that I would probably never again get the opportunity to swim in the mountains of Chile.  So Nacho, Jeano, and I all decided to jump in.  It was…refreshing.  The kind of refreshing that makes your feet hurt and takes your breath away.  Yeah, it was cold.  But it was fun and gave us something to do.  The rest of the time we spent drying and a game of “let’s see who can knock this water bottle off the ledge first by chucking rocks at it” broke out.  Free entertainment.  And then, just like he said, the bus driver came back, and we all piled in for the last leg of our journey…so we thought. 

I don’t really know how long that took.  I fell asleep.  But it was probably around an hour.  And before I knew what was going on, we were hauling all of our stuff over a barbed-wire fence that surrounded a cabin and its property.  E and Jeff stayed on the bus to get the keys to the cabin from his friend.  Now, let me give you some background information on this whole situation. 

You see, E and his family have been coming to the mountains for vacations and evangelizing for a few years now.  And they stay in this cabin each time.  It’s basically a vacation cabin that a friend of theirs owns.  We had been planning to stay there the whole time, but the day before we left we found out that the son of the owner and his girlfriend were staying there.  A bit of a problem.  Now, we brought tents with us, but we were going to use them INSIDE of the cabin.  I guess rats and bugs are a pretty common thing there.  YIPPEE.  But, if a random couple that we don’t know was going to be staying in the cabin, then we had to plan on sleeping outside. 

So here we are, standing outside of the cabin, all of our stuff in a heap on the ground, and E and Jeff are off figuring out stuff and getting the keys.  Now what?  That was the main question on my mind.  We just chilled for awhile.  Pretty much all of us were just ready to settle in, eat and sleep.  Almost all of us.  Nacho thought it was hilarious to annoy us, so we had to beat him up a couple of times :]

Finally, we got so sick of doing nothing and waiting that we checked all the windows to see if we could get in.  And wouldn’t you know.  On the second floor and window was cracked just a little bit.  Of course Jeano offered to scamper up the rickety ladder we found, and she tumbled into the hosue with a THUD.  Then, she opened the door and said, “Uhhhhh.  Guys, the door wasn’t even locked.  Look.”  And promptly, she shut the door to show us.  …..it was locked.  Brilliant.  So, once again, she scrambled up the ladder, this time with much more finesse than the last time, and kept the door open long enough for us all to get in.  Thanks Jeano.  I love you :]

So, we began making dinner and finding dishes to eat with and putting up the tents while it was still light outside.  By this time, about 2 hours had passed since we first got there and we still didn’t know where E and Jeff were.  So we decided to just sit down and eat.  When we were basically done, a truck pulled up and Jeff and E hopped out.  I was thinking, “Oh good.  Finally we can relax and go to sleep.”  Nope.  They came flying over to us to tell us that we weren’t, in fact, allowed to stay there, and we needed to leave right away.  That was crazy.  All of the sudden we were running around, tearing down tents, washing dishes, and throwing all of our stuff into the pickup.  No one really talked.  We just did stuff very fast. 

Then, as we were all squished in this pickup, heading to another house, it hit me.  We just broke into a house, made a fire, and ate dinner.  WHAT?!  I mean, how would you react if you came home to a heated stove and a pot of spaghetti?  I think I would be freaking out a little.  But luckily, everything turned out ok.  No one was mad, and the couple enjoyed the leftover spaghetti :]

So we got to this other house like 10 minutes away, and by this time it was pretty much dark.  So we reassembled all of our tents as fast as we could in the pasture area of the yard and then of course went inside to have some mate with the family.  At this time, I was pretty wiped out and ready to just crash, so we all squeezed into our cozy tents, and before too long I was out. 

The next morning, we ate bread and coffee and talked a little about the craziness of the day before.  Some poor decisions were made and we all kind of just decided to start fresh and learn from those mistakes.  The rest of the day was open for visiting families that E and J knew.  Really, that was the purpose for us being there.  We visited 3 houses that day.  The interesting part was that we walked to every house, and since we were in the mountains, the houses are pretty spread out.  The farthest house was about 2 hours away (because we did have a 4 and 7 year old with us).  So that was a pretty good chunk of time out of our day.  That first day was really hot and dusty.  When we finally made it to the house, we all guzzled down some water. 

Now, the house that was 2 hours away was the house where Diego (the kid who stays with E and J during the school year) lives.  The house is in the middle of the mountains for sure.  It’s a good little hike to get there, but luckily, there were all sorts of fruity trees and berries to eat along the way.  So we had our fill of natural apples.  Delicious.  But anywho.  So when we finally got to their house, we were greeted by his mother and his 8-year-old sister, Luz.  She was such a sweetie.  Stole my heart right away.  You see, she has Down’s syndrome, and…..I don’t know.  I just have a passion for kids with disabilities.  That’s definitely something I can see myself pursuing in the future.  Who knows where God is going to lead me, but I would love to somehow help kids with disabilities.  So anywho.  She took a pretty fast interest in me because of my blonde hair, something she has probably only seen a handful of times.  So she pretty much had my attention from the beginning.  So much love!  True to most Down’s syndrome diagnosis, she was strong physically, and therefore she loved very strongly.  My head was squeezed far too tightly at least 17 times.  But she was a gem.  I loved being with her so much.  I’m so glad that we had the opportunity to meet her.  I would LOVE to see her again. 

While we were at the house, it began to sprinkle.  Not too bad though.  We knew that we would be returning to that house again the next day, so our stay wasn’t too long.  When we left, the sprinkling continued in spurts.  It felt really good actually.  The day was pretty hot, and since we were walking so much, the little precipitation felt really good. 

When we finally got back to the house we were staying at, it was time to start making dinner.  While Juanita was preparing that, the rest of us had a little Bible study in the property owner’s house.  It was good.  Jeff and Beth each shared a little something, and E of course finished it off with a great message.  I love studying the Word with him and just hearing all of his wisdom.  It is so thought provoking and inspiring. 

That night after we finished dinner, we all were pretty ready for bed.  So we all headed for our designated places of sleep.  When we got into our tent and took off of our boots that had been on our feet all day, it was one of the worst smells of all time.  Ok, maybe not of all time, but it was GROSS.  Knowing that I was putting my nasty feet inside of my sleeping bag also made me want to gag a little, but, we all survived the air pollution and found a way to fall asleep. 

During the night, it started to rain.  That wasn’t a good sign.  When we woke up the next morning, the edges of our tent were pretty wet and so was the stuff that was against them, but otherwise, we were all pretty much dry.  Despite this blessing, I woke up with a TERRIBLE attitude.  It was not good.  I was so caught up in the things that were not ideal, that I failed to see the blessings that were right in front of me.  All I could think about was the fact that I was tired, smelly, and my things were a little wet.  WHO CARES!  You are in the mountains of Chile, experiencing life with a WONDERFUL family and spreading the Word of the Creator of the entire universe!  What does it matter that this wouldn’t be my first choice of fun things?  But, I couldn’t see that at the time.  I am learning now though.  So that is pretty annoying for me to think about the time I wasted complaining. 

But God was speaking to me through all of this.  You see, one of my goals here are to learn a verse each week and seriously remember them.  Like, truly hide them in my heart.  And although it hasn’t been every week, I have been memorizing chunks of verses throughout my time here, and the one I was memorizing while we were there was Philippians 2:1-16.  SO GOOD!  And I said it to everyone about 6 times.  Heehee.  But anyways.  It says, “Do everything without COMPLAINING or arguing…..”  WITHOUT COMPLAINING KIRSTEN!  Jeesh.  I am such a brat.  But, God is speaking to me and teaching me throughout this whole process.  And that is definitely something that stuck out to me.  Too bad it took me so long to realize it. 

But anywho.  So that morning I started off with a bad attitude, but I got a bit better in my outlook as the day went on.  Why?  I have no idea because the day really just got worse from then on.  But I have some very great people around me who keep me accountable for my attitude.  God really speaks to me through my teammates, and I am so thankful for them!  You guys are the best.  So yeah.  Through the verse and the influence and words of some teammates, I realized all I had to be thankful for, and I started to enjoy what was going on around me a lot more.  Just rolled with the punches better, ya know? 

After we had breakfast, we headed out to Diego’s house for a second time.  As we were walking, there was a steady mist coming down.  We were pretty damp when we finally got there.  But along the way, Jeano found a stick and her and Nacho took turns playing baseball with it.  That was fun to watch and made the trip go a little faster in my head.  When we got there, we just spent a lot of time talking while Norma made lunch for us.  That day, Beth really hit it off with Luz, and it was SO COOL to see their interactions together.  Beth has had a lot of experience with people with Down’s syndrome in the past, so she knew a lot of good tactics in interacting with her in a really positive way.  They sang the same song together a billion times, but the super awesome part was that Luz started picking up on the words!  It was so cool.  Then, after lunch, we had another little Bible study at their house.  The rest of the day was kind of just more of the same.  Interacting and trying to speak Spanish and just engaging in culture.  It was good.  I really enjoyed being at that house. 

When we started heading back, the mist turned a little more forceful and a steady drizzle was coming down.  We were WET.  My pants were so soaked that there was a distinct color difference between the front and a tiny section of dry on the back of my legs.  They just looked like different pants.  We spent the rest of the night drying around the fire.  Since it was now raining and our tents were soaked, we decided to all sleep inside.  So, Beth and Clay slept in the beds at the other house, and the rest of us all slept on the floor around the little stove.  It was very “Little House on the Prairie”.  I was very amused and grateful to be sleeping inside this night.  It was quite cozy.  :] 

The next morning we woke up a little earlier and ate breakfast.  Then it was time to clean everything up, try to pack the damp clothes as neatly as possible, and tear down the soaked tents in the rain.  Then we ended up waiting for the bus for about a half an hour.  And finally, we were on our way home. 

As you might have noticed, throughout this VERY detailed story (sorry about that, I tend to be long winded in my writing), not once have I mentioned showering.  That was not an accident.  It is because since Tuesday night, I had not been able to shower.  So after traveling for about 8 hours on Friday and 4 days later, Kirsten and shampoo had a glorious reuniting.  Soap, conditioner, and razor all showed up too, and it was probably one of the happiest reunions I’ve had all trip :]

All in all, the mountains were an interesting experience for me.  I do believe we are having the opportunity to go back, and I’m actually really excited.  I plan to learn from my past mistakes and really try to focus on seeing the positive in the situations and just learning from The Lion King.  Hakuna Matata.  No worries.  Just go with the flow.  And I think it will be a lot better for me. 

As I said before, this got REALLY long and I am sorry.  I just tend to type as my thoughts come.  And this trip was filled with so much detail in my mind.  So I hope you enjoyed.  I really appreciate you all checking in and taking the time to read this.  You all are so great.  Thanks for all the support.

Currently, I am sitting in a quaint little hostile in Argentina, as I finish up this post.  Stay tuned for next week and the recounting of this trip.  We have already seen God work in some really great and obvious ways today.  Its been awesome, and we are all safe and now full of good pizza :]  So yeah.  More to come next week.  Much love and God bless! 

OH!  Song of the post.  I almost forgot!  It is well, Kutless style.  I LOVE it.  Here is the link.  It is the same great song with a little different, beautiful style.  So sweet.  Enjoy!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntklZwAzEEo

Islands and Mountains and Argentina, OH MY! ….part 1

Wow.  It has been a long time since I have told you all what we have been doing.  Sorry about that.  I feel bad that my video didn’t work to upload.  I feel like my blogging has gotten a little strained lately, and it makes me sad.  I like blogging a lot.  So I will try to do better.  Time is just a funny thing, you know?  Here is a little snippet of our past 2 weeks ish. 

About a week ago, our team, along with E and 4 youth group kids, went to Chiloe, a large island about 6 hours from where we are staying in Puerto Montt.  We were going to help out a little Baptist church there in any way they needed.  Basically, it was a mini missions trip. 

While we were there, our group was split up.  Jean, Clay, and Camila went to a different town to minister to the people there.  Then the rest of us were assigned different sleeping arrangements.  I had the opportunity to stay in the house of the pastor and his wife, Juan and Marta.  It was a very good experience.  I really enjoyed my time there with them, and I learned a lot.  I was very blessed to be able to stay there with them. 

Let me give you a little background on them.  Both of them have lived in Chiloe their entire lives.  They are in their early 60’s and have had lots of missionaries stay with them in the past.  Such a cute, funny couple.  I had many laughs while staying there.  Just your classic couple.  Marta was extremely nice and hospitable.  She took the reins a lot of the time.  The lady keeps herself busy.  But she was so sweet.  Juan was a lot more quiet, unless he was telling a story of course.  He was very patient and followed Marta’s cute commands.  Ahhhhh.  I wish I could have gotten a video of one of their typical interactions.  Just so funny and like your stereotypical cute, hospitable, elderly couple. 

Now for a little overview of Chiloe.  Like I said before, it is a large island just off the coast of Chile.  Unlike Tenglo, the other island we go to often, this one can not be walked from one side to the other in 25 minutes.  Its like a state kinda.  So yeah.  Most of the people who live there have lots of pigs, cows, and chickens that provide them with food.  Also, the water there is not fit to drink unless you chlorox it and boil it or something.  I am not really sure of the process, but you need to go through the process or you can get sick.  So that makes showering interesting.  It was quite chilly there as well.  I felt like it was just a lot more breezy there then here in Puerto Montt.  But the scenery is beautiful!  Everything is natural and green.  It really is a very pretty place.  But I think it would be a hard adjustment for me to move there.  Just a lot more rural then I am used to. 

So now for some things we did there and the things I learned.  A lot of our time there was spent visiting people.  But, these visits were different than the ones we do here in Alerce with our neighbors.  I didn’t enjoy these nearly as much as our normal ones.  The reason for this was the way they were done.  The approach we took here was a lot more confrontational than I think is right.  Basically, to reach people and bring them to a relationship with Jesus, I think there needs to be a sense of respect in the conversation.  You know?  I think that the goal of going to a house to talk to people should be to build relationships and get to know them.  Then, when they have opened up to you and have opened their hearts, you can open up the Bible and tell them about the AWESOMENESS of our Father.  But that is not how it went in this situation.  We were led to just go straight to the Bible and preach at the people without their consent really.  It was just….strange.  I just feel like the approach was off a little bit.  At least in the one group I was with one day.  It was not like this the whole time, but for a portion, I did not enjoy it really. 

But, there are some things I learned from this.  Obviously, I was shown a way of how not to go about witnessing to people.  And it really made me stop and think of how I need to do a lot more of friendship evangelism when I get back home.  You know?  Its important.  I cant be satisfied just chilling in my own little comfort bubble when I return to the states.  I want to continue to reach out to people around me and make new friendships and really love like Jesus did.  I want to be a friend to those who need a friend.  I need to not allow my heart to go back to being calloused.  I want my heart to break for what breaks the Father’s heart. 

Also, just keep in mind that not all of our visits went like this.  We had some really great moments in visits as well.  2 people actually came to know Jesus in one of them.  God is so good!  And a lot of really cool prayer things went on during these times as well.  Also, the visits showed me just how much I have and need to be thankful for.   Some of the people there had very little, but they were very content.  They found joy in life and the little things.  And I have so much, and so often I am hung up on the things that I don’t have.  Its ridiculous, really.  And my eyes were really opened to this while we were there. 

One thing that really showed me how much I have to be thankful for was the water situation.  Here, I find myself longing for a hot shower pretty often.  I mean, the water is FREEZING!  And when you wake up to a rainy, cold morning, sometimes the thought of showering in the cold is enough to make me want to sleep the day away.  But there, in Chiloe, not only do they not have hot water, but they don’t even have running water that they can just use!  I did not drink water one time while I was there….not once!  They always have coffee or tea or juice.  Part of that is just the culture there, but part of it is because you have to clean the water before you drink it.  The showering situation there is a process as well.  You have to take bucket showers…..in the tub.  They just don’t have running water to use.  And I realized how ungrateful I have been here with the water that we do have.  I have NO reason to complain at all.   We have been so blessed here.  We have a house, gas for the stove, running water, and a supply of wood to keep warm.  So blessed, and I have been focusing on the unnecessary things that I want and don’t have.  God really spoke to me there on the area of thankfulness. 

On Sunday while we were there, we saw 3 people get baptized as well!  It was really cool.  God is working and the light is growing.  Its so exciting!  Then we had a big meal at the church.  So much food was prepared!  It was quite the process, too.  Never before have I seen a piece of raw meat being hacked away by a saw and knife-with-hammer.  It was kinda crazy, but it worked :]

Also, while we were there, we made a few friends with the kids in the area.  And, I personally feel like I got to know the youth group kids that we went with a lot better.  I am gonna miss them so much when we leave here.  They are mis amigos.  We hang out, joke, and play basketball together.  It’s a lot of fun.  And I’m really excited and thankful for them.  I see God growing in each of their lives, and I feel like they are a big reason for why we are here.  Friendships are huge, and I am stoked to have them as friends. 

So all in all, it was a really good trip.  I have some really great memories from there.  I was encouraged to know that I could survive staying with a host family by myself.  I learned lots and have so much to be thankful for.  I have new friends.  I got my butt kicked in ping pong (the people here are pretty legit at ping pong…..for real.  It gets intense).  I got to ride a horse for the first time in my life I believe.  And I got to experience life on Chiloe for 6 days.  It was a good time.  And I am so thankful for it.  I realize that that overview was rather short and sporadic and kind of all over the place.  Sorry for that.  I just right what I think and that is what I got. 

After Chiloe, we picked up life here in Alerce again.  It was really good to be home again.  So this past week has been really good, just to sort of charge our batteries again.  I missed seeing the family everyday here and sleeping in my room and clean clothes.  We have been visiting families and helping get a house ready to move in on Tenglo.  Just living life here at “home”.  It really does feel like home now.  I mean, my home will always be in Ohio, and I have no doubt that I will be a Buckeye til the death of me, but right now, Alerce is home for me too.  So it has been nice to be back. 

But, the week is now over and tomorrow we will be leaving once again.  February is turning out to be the month for trips for us.  It’s crazy and exciting and I enjoy it a lot.  But tomorrow, our team and the entire family will be heading to the cordiera aka the mountains.  We will be traveling for about 7 hours again, so prayers would really be appreciated.  While there, we will be visiting some more people and just spending time there.  We have heard that it is BEAUTIFUL there, so I am excited to take some pictures and see some really cool sites.  Its going to be a good time to just chill with the family as well.  I love them so much.  We have been so blessed to have them to help us and get things going for us.  Such a God centered, fun, loving family.  I guess that while we are there (for 4 days), we will be staying in tents inside of a house.  The reason for the tents is to keep out the bugs and rats, or at least try to.  Yes.  Bugs and rats.  I am slightly paranoid about this fact, but I know it will be an adventure and I have a feeling that lots of funny stories will come from it, so I am getting pumped.  But like I said before, prayers are appreciated :]

So that was a very scattered, quick overview of some things that have been going on here.  As you all know, I love hearing about home and how you all are doing.  Thanks for all of your prayers and encouragement.   It has been such a blessing.  As our schedule here gets kind of crazy sometimes, it is sort of hard to find time to sit down and right about life here.  But, know that I love hearing from you all and will reply as quickly as I can.  You guys are so awesome.  I really could not ask for better support, so thank you all so much. 

As the title says, this is part one of the post.  I will be writing more about the mountains when we return from them.  Also, a couple days after we get back from the mountains, our team will be leaving for….ARGENTINA!  We have 6 vacation days that we have chosen to combine and use in Argentina, since we need to renew our visas there anyway.  It is looking like it is going to be a fantastic time there.  Cant wait to fill you all in on what goes on there.  We also have started praying already that while we are there, we focus on any ministry opportunities that pop up for us.  I am really excited to see how God works and what doors He opens for us there.  So yeah.  Lots more stories and thoughts to come from our experiences here.  Stay tuned.  Love you all so much. 

Prayer requests:

-         - That we as a team could continue to grow closer together and become one in unity

-        -  Safety as we travel a lot

-        -  That we could stand up against any attacks from Satan that he is trying to bring us down with

-         - Health and protection from sickness

-         - And for me, to continue to grow in love here and that I could stay focused on what God is doing here and finding ways to join Him in that

The song of the post is going to be All I Need by JJ Heller.  So beautiful and chill, one of my favorite genres.  Just so good.  She is one of my favorite artists actually.  All of her stuff is really good.  Here is the link       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whRhU_Lgk2E       Thanks, enjoy, and God bless!  

Failed Video, but Thank You just the same :)

Song of the post:  Skin by Rascal Flatts.  One of the more adorable songs I have ever heard, AND ITS COUNTRY!  What is happening to me?!  But, this is one of my new favorites.  Hope you enjoy!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyz9ykhZjkM

I have been blessed.  The people in my life have been such good examples for me.  I feel like everywhere I turn, I am learning something from someone.  But I think that is what is supposed to happen…right?  What I am trying to say is, thank you guys so much for showing me little parts of Jesus in the way you live your lives.  From Ohio people, to Costa Rica friends, and now amigos en Chile, you guys have been such a blessing and illustration for my life.  My goal is to be like Jesus, but you guys have shown me practical ways to live and love like He did.  I pray that God will greatly bless each of you for the impact you have made on my life.  

So this was going to be just a very short post.  Me and my team will be going to Chiloe, a large island, with the youth group for the next 5 days.  So I just wanted to post a little video, showing you all a tour of our house.  But.....I dont think it is going to work.  obnoxious, I know.  But.  In the video, I just told you guys how much of a blessing you have been to me.  Thanks for all of your support!  Really, it means so much to me.  Hopefully the video works, but, if not....and it probably wont.....just know that I am so thankful for you all and care about you so much!  Love you guys!  God bless!

Faith

I love my family!  Quite the opening statement, huh?  But its true.  They are truly the best.  And I need to start off this post with a shout out to the best family in the world.  Seriously, I am SO blessed to have you guys in my life!  I received my Christmas package from them yesterday, and it was EXACTLY what I needed.  What a boost.  Pieces of home are pieces of gold here.  So thank you so much Grandma, Grandpa, Carol, Cana, Luke, Genessa, and Lincoln!!  I miss you guys so much!  You made me feel so special, and your support is honestly extraordinary.  Not everyone is this lucky.  You guys are amazing and I love you so much!

Switching gears a bit, here is a fun fact.  I rescued a dog!  You see, there are 2048957987513 dogs here that just run around on the streets.  You can’t go anywhere without seeing a dog.  And this one dog in particular, she is a poor little thing.  Basically, the male perros (that’s dogs in Spanish….pulling out my skills :] ) love to give her a hard time.  It’s terrible really.  She has had a rough life.  So, I gave her a little oatmeal and let her in our gate.  She made herself right at home.  Beth made her a little water dish out of a plastic bag, and I bought a little dog food for her and give her the scraps that we don’t eat.  We even named her!  We voted and Hope won.  Not in Spanish unfortunately, since Esperanza would just be too hard to say very often.  “Here, Espe- Espe- Ranza” doesn’t have a very good ring.  But, “Here, Hopey-Hope-Hope” works a lot better :] But there is a little twist.  After about two days of Hopey living with us in a cardboard box outside, our little neighbor girl told us repeatedly that that was her dog.  Turns out….she kinda is.  Oops.  I think that they kind of did what we did….rescued her from the evil clutches of mean male dogs.  But, she loves our house more.  So now, we are kind of in a predicament.  Also, Hopey has now brought a friend to our house.  Before we knew she was also a girl, we named her Mcgee, so Mcgee she will be.  Another little twist is that Mcgee also belongs to our little neighbor girl.  Yes, we are the big bad gringo neighbors who steal small children’s pets.  …..oops :]

Also, there has been a stomach virus going around, and this weekend it was my turn for the fun.  This virus had Jeano passed out just last week.  It doesn’t mess around.  For a pretty solid 2 hours, I was in the bathroom, ridding my body of everything in it.  It was one of the most miserable times I have ever been sick actually.  But then, our coordinator E and his whole family and the whole team came over to pray for me.  At the time, I was not that thrilled because having lots of people listen to me puke is not exactly ideal.  But you know what?  They came in and they prayed for me, and I have not had any problems since!  Honestly, I felt great and just that morning I was MISERABLE.  You can’t tell me that that is coincidence.  I have no doubt that Jesus touched my body.  We are here, serving in Chile where there is a big need for a revival of passion for Christ in the people, and He looked on me with compassion and took away my discomfort.  He is awesome. 

But now switching gears for the last time.   Buckle up for Thoughts with Kristina (the name I was given when we first arrived here….I think I forgot to ever mention it.  Turns out Kirsten is just too hard for people to say here, so I have become Kristina to most.)  But really, this has just become a much more serious post…..starting…..now. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3fr2Kl4Fcs   If ever there was a song of the post that I wanted you to listen to, it would be this one.  I’m Still Yours by Kutless.  It’s a song for everyone.  Guy/girl.  Young/old.  Really.  Listen to the words.  So challenging.  So powerful.  And after listening, read what the song had to say again.  Let it sink in.  And then, ask yourself, “Do I believe this??”

If You washed away my vanity, if You took away my words, if all my world was swept away, would You be enough for me?

 Will my beating heart still sing? 

When my life is not what I expected, the plans I made have failed, when there is nothing left to steal me away, will You be enough for me?

 Will my broken heart still sing?

If I lost it all, would my hands stay lifted to the God who gives and takes away?

 If You take it all, this life You’ve given, still my heart will sing to You.  Even if you take it all away, You’ll never let me go.  If you take it all away, I still know that I’M YOURS.

Pretty powerful lyrics, huh?  Well these thoughts have been at the forefront of my mind for quite some time now.  Actually, these thoughts are what pushed me to do REACH in the first place.  You see, as I thought about my desires and what I wanted the future to look like for me, I realized I had absolutely no idea what God had purposed for my life.  My life has been so blessed and things just seemed to fall into place in the past.  I never really had a big decision to make like this one, and therefore I never thought to consult “God’s advice”.   So when I came to the point of having to decide what to do with myself in the coming year, I realized I was in some trouble. 

I began to think seriously about missions after coming back from a class trip to Costa Rica.  God showed up and spoke loudly to me at that time.  It was like things got put back into perspective.  So much of my time had been wasted being comfortable in life, not really caring about growing.  But after Costa Rica, I was reminded just how AWESOME God is.  I realized that my faith was stale.  Yes, I went to a Christian school, I had great friends, and I went to church every Sunday, but I wasn’t going anywhere.  My faith really hadn’t grown much over the years.  And as this realization dawned, I began to question how strong my faith in God even was.  If I was taken out of my little Christian bubble, would I be able to stand strong?  If I got cancer, how would I react?  If my family was taken away from me, what would my reaction be?  And these scenarios scared me, not only because they are devastating circumstances, but because I honestly didn’t know how I would respond. 

So many thoughts.  I didn’t really know where to start.    All I really knew was that the foundation that my life was sitting on wasn’t nearly as strong as I thought it was.  That is never a good feeling, and I wanted it to change.  I realized I needed to get out of my comfort zone.  This iffy faith of mine would not get me anywhere.  So I began looking at my options.

Was college really for me right now?  What else would I do?  If I did choose to do missions for a year, should I go through an organization or volunteer alone?  What organization?  Can I volunteer alone?  Where?

 

Basically, through the influence of someone I look up to a lot, I was persuaded to at least apply for REACH.  What could it hurt to apply?  And as I applied, I realized how much this program could really suit me and what I wanted to do.  At this point, college was out of the question because I had decided to take a year off for missions, and when I found out that I had been accepted to REACH, I knew that it was what I was supposed to do.  Thanks, Kevin, for nudging me to give it a shot  :]

Honestly, this experience has just been incredible.  Never in my life have I grown and learned so much….and in only 5.5 months so far!  I was taken out of my comfort zone time and time again.  I have been challenged, stretched, loved, blessed, pushed, and tested throughout this experience.  It has been hard….really hard.  A lot harder than I ever thought it would be actually.  But these past few months have also been some of the greatest of my life.  Throughout this journey, I have met some INCREDIBLE people that I will never forget.  These friendships have taught me so much.  So many good examples of what following Jesus is really about and how love is the greatest gift you can give anyone.  I was shown true forgiveness, love, grace, and the redeeming power of Jesus Christ.  And, I was able to see firsthand what true FAITH looks like. 

Faith is trusting God in the uncertainties.  I have learned that God is not going to always show us the path.  In fact, I believe He rarely shows us 4 steps of the path at one time.  It’s not that He can’t.  But He chooses not to.  Because if we knew what the future held, how many of us could truly trust in Him to be our Everything?  No, I have come to realize that God does not normally operate like that.  But if we are truly seeking His face and walking in His will, He is faithful to show us exactly where to take our next step.  Of this I have no doubt.  He is right there, illuminating the path just enough for us to see His hand, pointing.  The question is, do we have enough faith to follow that finger?  When the path is dark and we don’t know what lies ahead of us, do we trust Him enough to take that step of faith? 

Faith is also trusting God when He takes away.  This is so hard!  And this is what I did not trust myself with.  During DTS, a question that God kept asking me was, “If I took away the most important thing to you, your family, would I still be enough?”  It was and still is such a challenging question!  Do I really live my life in such a way that says He is enough for me…no matter what?  Sure, He is enough for me when life is going great and everything is falling into place.  But will He be enough for me when the bottom falls out?  It’s so hard to know for sure how we would react to something that has not happened yet.  And I don’t think we can really.  But I don’t think that is the point.  The point is, are we trusting in Him and DEPENDING on Him while we still have the bottom beneath us?  Are we living in a constant state of reliance on Him for our everything?  IS HE OUR EVERYTHING FOR EVERY SITUATION?!  That is the challenge.  That is true faith. 

I have come to the point of thinking that if He were to take away everything from me, I would be ok.  Like I said, I can’t know for sure because it hasn’t happened to me, but I tend to be a pretty stubborn person, so when I make my mind up on something, its usually pretty tough to get me to sway.  And I have made up my mind to stick with Jesus through it all, no matter what life throws my way.  In Him, I have EVERYTHING that I need.  He is Comfort, Peace, Strength, Redeemer, Help, Father, Hero, Joy, Hope, Lover, Living Water, Bread of Life, Just, Good, and LOVE.   Whatever situation comes my way, He will be whatever I need to get me through, you know?  I finally believe that and stand on it.  But now, here is an interesting thought.  Abraham was a man of ENORMOUS faith.  God took away lots of things from him, but he stayed true to Him and was blessed for it.  But then, what did God ask him to do?  Kill his son?!  Not only was God taking away the very thing he had waited for for so long, but he was asking Abraham himself to do it!  And Abraham was going to!  Now that is just a whole new level of faith.  I can tell you that my first reaction to having God tell me to kill my sister would be…..ARE YOU CRAZY!???!  NO WAY.  I mean, wouldn’t you think that God was bogus?  Why would He ever ask me to sacrifice someone….especially the person I love the most?  But you know what.  That is faith.  God’s plan is ALWAYS better than ours.  If you don’t believe this, just read Abraham’s story. 

It’s been awhile since I posted about what has been on my mind.  I feel like I could keep writing on this subject for another couple of hours.  I love discussing this topic as well.  Really, I love discussing any thought-provoking topics like this.  I love learning new truths and being stretched in this way.  My mind is constantly trying to figure out how things fit and make sense.  If there is no logic behind it, why do it?  And so, when talking about matters of faith, I am challenged.  Because, by definition, faith does not make sense.  It’s believing in the unseen.  It’s trusting in the invisible.  It’s challenging.  It’s scary.  But it’s worth it.  When faith is developed and you trust the One who CAN NOT FAIL and who WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, this is what you can be assured of.  The following lyrics are from the song Times by Tenth Avenue North.  I guess it is the second song of the post.  But this is what we are promised for our faith!  Again, I highly encourage you to listen to this song.  So true and powerful.  The ending lyrics are below.  Enjoy and God bless.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRN0QPXrdR8

I hear You say, “My love is over.  Its underneath.  Its inside.  Its in between.  The times you doubt Me, when you cant feel.  The times when you question, is this for real?  The times you’re broken.  The times that you mend.  The times you hate Me and the times that you bend.  Well My love is over, its underneath, its inside, its in between.  These times that you’re healing, and when your heart breaks.  The times when you feel like you’ve fallen from grace.  The times you’re hurting.  The times that you heal.  The times you go hungry and are tempted to steal.  In times of confusion, chaos, and pain.  I’m there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame.  I’m there through your heartache.  I’m there in the storm.  My love, I will keep you by My power alone.  I don’t care where you’ve fallen or where you have been.  I’ll never forsake you.  My love never ends.”  …….pure beauty.  

Story Time: Scares, Rares, Hilares

Ok.  So the title may be a little much.  But I can get a few points for trying, right?  This is the story of 2 girls experiencing life on Tenglo. 

The day started off by Jean, Clay, Jeff, and I going to Tenglo to finish cutting grass at Gaby’s house.  We had been there the previous day and got a lot done, even though it didn’t look like it due to our tools and the amount of grass on the property.  Basically, we were using scythes and pick-like thingies to cut this really tall grass/prickly bush thingies.  Hard work and it was VERY hot.  So anyway.  We went back to finish up some more of that.  The purpose of us doing this was to try to prevent a massive fire.  So we got to work once again.  But this time we had a new twist: the area close to the house was being cut with a knife.  Yes, the old “grab a chunk of grass and chisel away at the bottom til it breaks” technique.  So many “firsts” experiences for me here.  That was fun. 

After lunch, the boys left, but Jean and I were going to be spending the night at this house.  As lunch wrapped up, Gaby popped in a movie.  The interesting thing was, her favorite type of movies are horror.  SCARY!  We watched part of Legion until she realized that neither of us were enjoying the movie at all.  Really, it was something I never want to see again.  Bleh.  But we survived and decided to head to the beach for a bit.  Although it was very hot outside, we are very far south so the water was pretty chilly.  But we all got in and had a good time talking (or trying to talk :]) with Gaby.  Language is difficult, but we are improving.  After grabbing a $.20 popsicle, we returned to the house for showers.  This is where the story gets even more interesting. 

So we go inside and Gaby changes her sons’ clothes (they are 3 and 5) and grabs her towel, a pitcher, and some shampoo and says, “Vamos!” so we got our stuff and followed her outside.  We leave their property and walk down this trail until we get to another path which is some dirt steps leading to a little “well” full of clear, cold rain water.  There are trees and pretty flowers all around.  It looks like the jungle.  It is just this cute little perch overlooking the bay.  There is not much room because it drops off a good 40 ft down to the beach.  The opening between the trees allows us to see 2 sea lions soaking in the sun.  Gorgeous!  Then Gaby begins to demonstrate how to take a shower.  Just your average bucket shower, except we were using a pitcher and doing it out in the open, fully clothed.  Probably the craziest shower I have ever taken, and afterwards I didn’t feel that much cleaner, since I was standing in mud and all.  But it was a very memorable experience.  :]

After that, we watched Ice Age in Spanish with the kids while Gaby was preparing supper.  I decided that that is one of my all time favorite animated movies.  One of them.  Then we ate supper around 8.  Sopaipillas are pretty much super delicious.  Little fried bread thingies that are especially scrumptious with a little jelly on top.  Mmmmm.  And of course we had coffee and tea.  I really love tea now.  So good. 

Javier got home while we were eating and brought home the last Harry Potter movie.  Now, I have never seen the other Harry Potter movies and neither has Jean.  I used to be a hater, but recently I had decided that I shouldn’t hate without even knowing what they are about.  But Jean was a full-fledged hater.  But after dinner he popped that in, and we really had no choice but to watch it.  It was in Spanish, but he put the English subtitles on for us.  And wouldn’t you know, we both want to see the other ones now.  I am very intrigued.  But it is interesting that we watched the very last one first.  Oh well.  I’ll probably enjoy it more in English anyway. 

ANYWHO.  Now for my favorite part of the story.  .  After the movie, we were both very tired and ready for bed.  Let me give you a little rundown of the setting first.  The house is pretty small.  There are 4 “rooms” to the house, but none of them have doors.  So as you can imagine, the bathroom is definitely one for the brave :]  You can pretty much see the whole inside from anywhere in the house, except part of the bedroom and bathroom.  There is a love seat and 2 comfy chairs that we offered 2 times to sleep on, but to no avail.  Instead, we got to sleep on the bunk beds.  But there was a twist.  The little boys were sleeping on the top bunk, and Jeano and I were sharing the bottom bunk.  Yes, it was quite cozy.  But to make it even cozier, Gaby and Javier’s bed was within an arm’s reach from our bed.  All of us were squeezed into a little room together.  I’m pretty sure Jeano and I laughed for 6 minutes straight.  It was just the icing on the cake to our very fun, cultural, funny, and interesting day. 

But don’t have my story telling make you think that this trip was only good for laughs.  Although we did do that a lot, I am very thankful for the opportunity to experience life as they do on the island.  It really helped us further our relationship with the family and also helped us a lot with our Spanish.  I have a feeling that it will be one of my most memorable experiences here.  :]

I know this is a shorter post.  Just a story this week.  Next week, I will inform you more of what I have been learning and thinking about lately.  Until then, thanks for reading!  Praying for you guys.  God bless.