Quick and Random

This week has gone by so fast, and is full of random things. Likewise, this post may feel quick and random. Stick with me!

The week began on a wonderful note; for the first time since I’ve been here, I was lucky enough to Skype with some friends in the states! It was so extremely refreshing to hear from them, and to feel re-connected. That night, the girls were gone on a visit (see Kirsten’s blog for a descriptive story of those events - there is a link to my teammates’ blogs on the side --->), which afforded me some time by myself. It was particularly great timing, since I would be giving the message at ch-rch in just 2 short days. I had written an outline a few weeks before, but it was great to polish it up and just spend some time in pr-y-r.

The next morning held some great conversations with some of my teammates, and we bought and chopped a lot of new firewood. Ben, the wood stove, gets pretty hungry in the mornings when it’s particularly chilly (chilly in Chile - preposterous, I know). That afternoon was our second of our weekly kids’ program meetings. We’ve had about 7 or 8 kids each time, and they seem to really enjoy the short B-bl- story lesson, snack of fruit, and games with Clay, Jean, and Kirsten. Later that evening, Jeff and I planned all of the music for ch-rch the next morning (a surprise to us), but it was nice to know that we could make it work on a moment’s notice.

The next morning at church went very smoothly. I felt very responsible for a lot of the happenings of the service (all the music, and the message), so beforehand I had gotten pretty nervous. It’s a good thing someone else is made strong in my weakness. My translator arrived just in time, and we had a few more people than the typical week in attendance. I began by telling the c-ngr-g-t--n that I was nervous, but ready, because G-d helps me (I still speak a little bit like a cavewoman in Spanish - always in the simple present tense). E-mail me if you would like to have a copy of the message (written outline, or if you’d like to hear me stumble through reading the B-bl- in Spanish, I also have audio links). I was reassured that my words were from G-d (something I had pr-y-d for) afterward by a few individuals - just for them. Eduardo said that women are typically run by emotions while they speak, and he was glad to see how organized my message was. Gl-ry to G-d!

There has been a stomach bug going around our neighborhood recently, and Jean had left the service early to rest. That afternoon the girls and I took very long naps. Kirsten woke up first, and headed to the internet café. Jean and I were going to join her, and when we left our gate, we saw the boys walking our direction. It was a good thing that they did, because pretty soon after, Jean felt sick and we walked her back to the house. As we were trying to unlock the door, she passed out, slumping over on the trunk of a car. We got her inside, and I had to tap her quite a bit. The kind where you say, “Stay with me, Jean. Stay with me.” She was only out of it for about 30 seconds or so, but that feels like a long time in a crazy situation. It was a little bit scary, but G-d was all over it: the boys were there at just the right time, we had extra time that day and the next for her to rest, and everything turned out just fine. She is 100% healthy now, as is the rest of the team. (Just kidding… it got Kirsten just a little while ago. Please pr-y for a quick recovery for her.)

On Tuesday of this week, Jeff and I went to the island of Tenglo again, this time to help with a music class for kids there. It was a great opportunity to use another skill we have, but it is hard to teach sometimes, because all music is notated in sol feg syllables here. The kids are sweet, and eager to learn. Afterward we helped to put some more finishing touches on the house we painted a few weeks ago - spackling, and sanding and such.

My English classes continue to go well. It’s a little bit difficult at times, because my class contains a 6 yr. old boy, up to middle-aged women, and everyone in between. I also don’t have a lot of consistency in my students, and my lessons tend to build on each other. Still, I’m confident that they’re learning. They have advanced all the way to be able to say, “When do you go to the library?” “I go to the library on Thursday.” “At what time?” “At 3 o’clock in the afternoon.” They know all the present tense forms of “to go,” several places, family members, present tense forms of “to have,” fruits and vegetables, telling time, numbers, and some other things that I can’t remember. I’m also going to begin teaching another English class on Friday evenings to just a few people in Puerto Montt. This one will be a bit different, as I’ve been asked to teach using the B-bl-. A new challenge, for sure.

Our host mom, Juanita, is just so funny. This lady is super sweet, and doesn’t say a lot, but she loves to laugh. She is the kind of person that I just enjoy laughing with. Most of the things she laughs at aren’t particularly funny, but it’s just fun to laugh along with her. This week, Jean was trying to memorize how to say, “everywhere” (“en todos los lugares”), so she was repeating it non-stop. It was bothering Kirsten, so she said, “Pare!” (“Stop!”). Jean stopped after a while, and Juanita picked up right where Jean left off. J Every time she can use it in context, Juanita now says, “En todos los lugares,” and completely cracks up. Every time. J

Also… during our d-v-t--n-l (Man, these words are hard with spaces! This one is the kind of B-bl- study you do in the mornings), Kirsten said (in Spanish), “J-s-s just says it like it is. It’s cool.” Jean tried to say, “He’s not a chicken” (“No gallina”), and it came out, “He’s not a cookie” (“No galleta”). There you have it, folks… J-s-s is not a cookie. Definitely our favorite mistake so far. J We were giving Jean a pretty hard time about it, and Kirsten called her a baby. Juanita piped right up and said, “Justin Beiber.” J So funny.

Yesterday, Jeff and I took a long walk for our 1-on-1. I have 1-on-1 meetings every other week with my teammates to check in on how they are doing personally. On our way back, we came across an elderly man pushing a wheelbarrow full of firewood. He had stopped to rest, and Jeff suggested we ask him if he needed some help. The man gladly accepted, and Jeff pushed the wheelbarrow while I walked with our new friend very, very slowly, and tried my best to have a conversation. He spoke very quietly and mumbled, so this was quite the task. We walked and talked with him for about half an hour, until he told us that we had gone far enough. He thanked us, and we bl-ss-d him and parted ways. This encounter was just very spontaneous and encouraging, since it is one of our team’s top goals to be Chr-st-centered opportunists.

This afternoon we visited one of my favorite neighbors. She’s a sweet elderly lady named Erna. She called us “angels from heaven.” Eduardo continues to tell us how very special it is for us to be actually living in Alerce. We are the first REACH team to be in this region, but teams from other similar organizations have been here in the past. Apparently we are the first team who doesn’t live or work with English-speakers, and actually lives in the neighborhood. He says that we are speaking volumes by simply living in Fe y Esperanza and sharing community with our neighbors. What a sweet privilege.

Jean and I joined Eduardo on a trip into the city tonight to have 2 B-bl- studies with friends there. On our way there, we had the craziest bus ride we’ve experienced since being here. At one point, we bounced straight off of our seats completely! During this trip we: met a 15 yr. old with Downs Syndrome who told us all about how J-s-s was in his heart, to his surprise, Eduardo pulled one of his 7 yr. old daughter’s My Little Pony toys out of his bag, and our friend pretended to read my journal. His version is as follows (all in Spanish): “I have a boyfriend. He is 26. His name is Luigi, brother of Mario. He likes to jump.” Very funny.

When Jean and I got home tonight, we found that Kirsten and the boys had invited a dog into our little fenced-in yard. We have seen this poor girl be bothered very much by a gang of boy dogs in the neighborhood. If you remember, there are an abundance of homeless dogs just roaming the streets here. There are probably at least 20 in the block and a half it takes for us to go from our hose to Eduardo’s house. We’ve taken on the new challenge of chasing these boy dogs away with sticks in the mornings (Jean has even chased a few with a towel on her head J), and this homeless girl dog will be much safer and healthier in our fence. Kirsten had even bought a kilo of dog food for her. Stay tuned for next week’s post to learn her name.

Like I said… quick and random. Ok, maybe not so quick - kudos to you for reaching the bottom.

Until next time! Ciao!