One week feels like 2 months.

One week feels like 2 months. Today marks one week since we were in an airplane, but so much has happened already.

Our day of flights (and waiting for flights) went as smoothly as it possibly could. From Columbus to Miami, Miami to Santiago, and Santiago to Puerto Montt, the team was both entertaining and well-entertained. With good senses of humor all around, and a knack for creative, self-created games, I think we can all say it was a good day of travel. G-d was with us in the small things that day, too. A few different times we wondered if our carry-on bags would be either too big or too heavy, but each time we passed those check points, the employee(s) were preoccupied. In the Santiago airport, we had a few… “cultural” moments, also. When we were paying the fee to enter the country, the attendant refused to take any US bills that were either torn (even a millimeter), wrinkled, or smudged/written on. That made for a bit of an anxious moment on my part, but the team scrounged our own money, and we made it through just fine. We also had a man that approached us in a very friendly manner, offering help, but we had been warned about such “helpers.” Another Chilean man told us, “Be careful. It’s dangerous. Only talk to uniforms.” The whole situation ended well, no worries.

Our coordinator and his family are very kind and warm. Their house is in a neighborhood named, “Fe y Esperanza” – faith and hope. They have 3 children – 14, 7, and 4. It is a very fun and hospitable environment. Today, Jean and Kirsten and I moved into a small house about a block away. It is small, but perfect for us. We’re excited to establish a schedule and a sense of normalcy.

The weather has been very nice so far. 60s or 70s, and a little windy, but very sunny. It definitely doesn’t feel like December, especially since the kids are preparing for their summer break from school. The landscape looks a bit like what I picture Colorado to be. Out one of the upstairs windows of the house, you can see a beautiful view of Osorno (a snow-capped mountain/volcano), and Calvuco (another picturesque volcano) is nearby, too.

For 3 days this week, we took a trip to the island of Chiloe. It took about 8 hours, 3 buses, and a tug boat to get there. We first visited some of our coordinator’s friends, played soccer with a little boy, and enjoyed their traditional form of hospitality: mate (an herbal tea that is shared around the table), and bread. Lots and lots and lots of bread here. Always bread. After that visit, we walked a few miles down a dirt road, and through thick brush to visit “una hermana” – a sister of the ch-rch. Her home was tiny, but very cozy. She and her son were very hospitable. We enjoyed watching a little bit of “Teleton” – a nation-wide telethon where all of the national celebrities gather to put on a 48 hour telethon to raise funds for children with muscular dystrophy. A great idea.

The next morning, we enjoyed a very large meal of rice, boiled chicken, potatoes, lettuce & tomatoes, coffee, and bread. Our largest meal since we have been here, for sure. Meals here are different – breakfast is at about 8 am and consists of coffee or hot tea, bread, butter, and jam. Lunch doesn’t happen until about 2, sometimes 3. Lunch is usually soup, coffee or hot tea, and bread. Always bread. Dinner happens at about 9 or 10 at night, and is… bread. Lots of bread. Oh, and coffee.

After our big meal, we hiked for about 2 hours, over fields, through woods, and over/under fences to a small pier where we waited for our tug boat. Our boat ride was very choppy, and lasted for about an hour. We were almost at our destination – a very small ch-rch where we would spend the next 12 hours, 9 of which were spent in pr-yer/w-rsh-p/s-rm-ns. At this point, our team was feeling a little bit grimy and very tired. It was a challenge to stay awake during a 9 hour service that we barely understood, but we were grateful for the cultural experience. It seems a bit cliché to say, but it is always a neat experience to see one G-d be gl-r-f--d all around the world.

At one point, our coordinator gave a s-rm-n on the importance of displaying Chr-st-like character to your family. G-d is first, then your family. He spoke of the importance of setting a G-dly example, since that is how we will understand the father heart of G-d. Oh, and on our way to the ch-rch, we also visited our coordinator’s brother-in-law, and his family. They are C-th-l-c, and we were able to observe our coordinator have an interesting conversation about the real and personal experiences he has had with G-d. He said, “You know that an apple tree is an apple tree because of its apples. In the same way, you know that a Chr-st--n because of the fruits of the Sp-r-t.”

After the service, we began our long journey home. We were eager to be still, and to take showers. On our way, on what we thought would be our last bus, our seats were sold out from underneath us, and it was an… interesting experience, to say the least. Our coordinator told us to go to the back of the bus. We had our big backpacks and sleeping bags with us, and were bumping into a lot of people, as a flood of Chileans were coming toward us. We kept moving backward, but the Chileans kept coming forward. At this point, there was nowhere left to go! Then our coordinator called my name (which usually comes out as “Bet”), and began moving quickly to the front. I panicked a little, and tried my best to follow him, but there were several people in my path. The bus started to move a little bit, and it looked like we had missed an opportunity. I had no idea what was going on. A few moments later, the bus stopped, and we were standing on the side of the road. J We walked a to a bus station that wasn’t too far away, and bought tickets for another bus. A cultural experience.

Since then, we had our first night in our new little house, washed our clothes for the first time (they’re still drying 12 hours later J), and celebrated Clay’s birthday at a VERY small restaurant. It was on the second floor of a little fishing port. The whole thing had a small kitchen (open, so that we could watch our food being prepared), and 2 tables total. VERY small. The boys and I ordered the most traditional dish – curanto. A humongous plate full of oysters, clams, a sausage, boiled chicken, milcao (a potato pancake), and some sort of dumpling. It was very fresh, but too much! We brought the rest of the oysters back to our coordinator’s family to enjoy.

Thank you for your pr-y-rs and support, everyone. Our team loves to hear updates from home, and we miss you all very much. Look for pictures on facebook!