Conclusion

Dear friends- I am glad to be sending this, and yet embarrassed that I did not even let you know I had reach home safely, way back in December! Things were a little crazy, as I was in Alabama for just three days before heading overseas again to visit my parenst and two younger sisters for three weeks. I returned just over two weeks ago and jumped right back into school on the 11^th. It seems sort of strange to begin my life as a student once again, and I feel as if my time in Chile was not like a trip, but rather, especially by the end of the four months, another life I led there, in a small rural town in the mountains of Chile, with my students, coworkers, family, and friends. While I hope I may one day return to everyone I grew to know and love in Gualliguaica, I do not know what the future will hold but am thankful that, in this day of technology, communication is more possible than in the past. During the five day debriefing in Santiago before returning to the States, our leaders led us through thoughts about our experiences, lessons, and applications. Through taking this time I have come to realize how important it can be to mull over and process events in our life. One of our leaders noted how, even when we look back and are disappointed over mistakes we have made or bad memories in general, it is so important not to waste the worst experiences, choosing not to remain bitter but to learn from it, and, if it was due to a personal fault, improve and be intentional in the future not to repeat it. The following are some of the categories we were encourage to process through- it is rather lengthy but was so helpful in my own processing of the past semester.

Best/Worst Ministry Experience

-best: teaching bible stories and songs to the students at school, and seeing professor rene be excited about learning and passing that onto the children.

-worst: failure to initiation bible study again. We had several, but then were interrupted by a national holiday and the next week no one showed up, and we did not start it back up again. I think this was because it was hard and uncomfortable, and I chose to stay more in my comfort zone. We didn’t want to make the women feel awkward by asking them again if they would like to be in a bible study, but now I wish I had stepped out and risked my self esteem and been bolder for the sake of the gospel.

Blessings

-living with our host family, Adelina and Orozimbo, and really getting to experience the ins and outs of their life- bread making, goat milking (and killing), sewing, feeding the chickens, grandchildren (atleast two dozen), soccer games, dancing, matte (biter-tea)-drinking, and more. Adelina really became my Chilean grandmother it seems, and really took us under her wing, and it was such a comfort to always have her there, food in hand, with a hug a kiss and a smile waiting.

-supervisors and their family. We did not see them every week, but the time we did spent with them was refreshing, and they frequently opened their house to us, feeding us, letting us use their US phone, enduring me playing the piano, borrowing from their splendid library of books, spending time with their daughters, and goofing around with their young boys. They were a great foundation and were just full of knowledge about Chilean culture, and were so patient and understanding, and so invaluable to our entire experience.

-teammates- the opportunity to live with Jenny, and interact frequently with the three other ‘northern chile girls’, from texas, s.c., and Oklahoma. Our joyful reunions always brought encouragement and laughs along with adventures.

-friends in Gualliguaica- to hike with, go to the observatory, relax on the windy beach, teach some English, and offer helpful cultural insights and comments when we had problems or questions.

-the teachers in the school- Yenny and Sandra, the cook, and Margarita, and Tomas (who wore an FBI hat), and how inclusive they were in letting us join them as professional educators, despite my lack of training.

-the family of two of my students, the twin boys- whose mother was so friendly and really made us feel loved.

-at debriefing, getting to hear the stories of the other students who had been scatted throughout other countries in South America, and learning about their individual struggles and lessons and breakthroughs.

-the wonderful street music and endless dancing

-getting to try my hand at kitesurfing, just a little bit

-the wonderful, so abundant food

-learning how to milk goats

Cultural Lessons

-As I had heard, time and schedules were not so strict, and this took some real getting used to, and being honest I have to say that I have not yet perfected the joy of finding contentment wherever you are at the moment, without thinking of what you should be doing or will be doing next.

-With the loose time schedule comes the idea that people, and relationships, are a higher priority than efficiency or getting things done. As a university student, I would like to put this ideal in practice, though I am sure it will be seriously tested as tests and schoolwork increases. I am always reminded that have just one opportunity to do well in college, but what I often forget is that there are other one-time, relational opportunities that I do not want to miss-who knows when I may live with my sister again, or within just a few miles of my grandmother. Living in the small town highlighted for me the joy that can be found within families, and to treasure the steady companionship a family and local friends provide.

Challenges

-I learned quickly the challenges that come with living with another person, especially one you had never met before. Oftentimes I was convicted that, while I claimed to be seeking to love the Chileans, I would sometimes fail to love my own teammates as I should, and I realize it is sometimes hardest for me to love those who are most similar to me. Not only this, but it is often easy to love those you don’t know very well, because you don’t see their problems and struggles in life, and, upon knowing someone more deeply, the depth of your patience and love is tested. Also, I hope I more fully appreciate the joy of living with my sister, who knows me better than anyone and can read my thoughts and feelings at a glance.

- At times I found my faith questioned- and experienced the struggle of thinking ‘is what I’ve believed for so long really the truth?’, and ‘how do I know that this is true?’. I think this came some from letting myself be influenced by others, non believers around me, and, instead of going back to the truth, I began to doubt and struggle with even basic tenants of the Christian faith. Eventually, I realized that I can look back in my life, at what I have learned and knew to be true, no matter what others around me are saying, and can be encouraged and strengthened rather than defeated and doubtful.

-I realized my own pride, catching myself thinking I was better than another person and have been convicted in psalm 119, where it says ‘God rebukes the arrogant who are cursed, and who stray from his commands’.

Lessons

-Realization that so many times our original goal gets watered down, by time or challenges or weariness. Not sure how to combat this besides reviewing my goals and recommitting myself to them, and probably putting them on the bathroom mirror would help too.

-I also came to realize that so much of a person’s life is based on their own decisions. This should be obvious, I know, but for some reasons I seem really aware now that it is up to me how I spend my time, and what I make my priority. If I look back in the past months and years and regret not reading my bible more, or praying, or witnessing, or exercising, or eating healthy, or studying- the full gamut of activities, it is in my power, no one else’s, to change my habit and get my priorities straight.

-Rejoice!! I rejoice that Christianity is not a works based religion, for in looking back on my Chile trip, I am keenly aware of too many weaknesses and mistakes and sins, and would have no assurance if salvation if it was granted based only on good works, but because we are saved through grace, by faith in Christ, I can rejoice that, despite my weaknesses and failures, God is still all powerful and will carry out His will in Chile and in my life.

-My view of small towns has changed. I never thought I could enjoy living in a small, rural town of less than 300 people, but I now know what joy can be found living surrounded by family and friends, and rather than scorn or feel sorry for, I perhaps even envy those who do.

-I learned also about the mistake of forming a judgment on people too quickly, or on a first impression. I saw in at least two instances how my first opinion of someone turned out to be skewed, and also about looking for the best in someone, rather than being critical.

- I learned also about the importance of guarding your tongue- at all times. There is one particular instance where I really wish I hadn’t said something, but it was already said and heard, and I was reminded that guarding my tongue just 90% of the time isn’t enough, for even the other 10% can overshadow the other time and cause serious damage.

-My view of the Christian life has been simplified. Life as a whole in Gualliguaica was much simpler, which took some getting used to, but I realized also that the life of a Christian can be boiled down to a pretty simple standard- using each day’s decisions, both life-directing, and, more often- and even sometimes harder to do, with one goal in mind- to honor and obey God and love others. Even while coming back to a more hectic lifestyle, my life should still focus on these goals.

-How has my perspective on international missions changed? I now know first hand that it is no easy thing to make disciples of Jesus Christ, but sometimes requires long-term relationships with patience and perseverance. It does not just mean sharing the three step gospel plan, but may mean walking together with that person on life and always pointing them towards Christ along the way. I think this is very applicable as I return to my friends here, and remember not to get discouraged if someone hears the gospel but does not act on it immediately- for we also have to remember that it is God who may be working inwardly, and we should not judge our success or efforts but only what we can see on the outside, our job is to just remain faithful witnesses.

Also, while talking with one of the resident missionaries, I realize how hard it can be to be a missionary on the field, under the direction of leaders elsewhere. We were told that one of the main reasons missionaries often leave the field b/c of conflict within the organization. I learned that while one often prepares oneself for cultural hardships/frustrations, but there are the challenges of team interaction and submission to authority that are no easy matter, which I don’t think I had really considered a whole in my regards to being involved in missions organizations more in the future. Overall, one of the missionary mothers I talked to summed it up by saying ‘you just have to give up your own will and obey’.

-This is just a general statement from one of my teammates. ‘you can say no to some things because you have already said yes to better things’. This to me is a good reminder, as I often feel torn about how to spend my time- so often there are two or more possibilities, and unless I realize and act on my priorities I may neglect the better choice.

-another quote from a teammate, talking about showing love to those around us. “if that’s how __NAME___ feel’s loved, then do it”, just a good reminder to be aware of other people’s needs, and seeking to reach out to them in a way that would meet their specific needs and show them compassion and love.

-regarding praying for people’s salvation- ‘if I don’t pray for them, who will?’, I was convicted by this, thinking that, if I really believe that prayer is powerful and effective (james 5), then why would I ever neglect to pray?’.

-what have I learned about God? –despite our weaknesses, He is strong, and despite our failures, He is faithful. Our limited skills do not limit God- He can use us if we are just willing and obedient. Also, God was in gualliguaica before I came, during my trip, and remains present and active even now. I am not the focalpoint of His plan, rather He is the focal point and I had the opportunity to join Him there for a short time.

-what did I learn about the global church? One focus we had, initiated by our supervisor, centered around reproducibility, the importance of not starting anything that cannot be continue, and reproduce, even after you leave. Mainly this idea seeks to keep a local church from becoming dependant on other people/resources/ideas, and strives to put a new church in the hands of local believers and teach them how to reproduce and grow, without requiring input/money/manpower from, say, a church in America.

-Chile is no longer my mission field. Now my mission field is Auburn, Alabama.

My time in Chile will always be a part of who I am becoming, and I thank you for your part in that, writing and praying and encouraging. While thinking through some of these things has been time consuming or difficult, it has also been a joy, and I think helpful in recognizing all that God has taught me and helping me to apply what I have learned, and I sincerely recommend it to you, whether you have been traipsing the globe or remained at home, just taking a recent chunk of your life to look back on and think about, and hopefully you will be able to say ‘man, I’m sure glad I’m not the same person I used to be’, since we should be able to see how God is changing and molding us to be more like Him.

It would be a real joy for me to hear how God is teaching you, of your lessons and hardships and blessings, so do keep in touch, and thank you again for your prayers and encouragement.

-Rebecca

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

First, before I get off on a ramble, updates on the most recent prayer requests:

Friendships with teachers-we continue to help in the kitchen and spend time with the teachers. Please pray that they would be interested enough to ask us specifics, and for courage- the spirit power, love, and self discipline, instead of timidity, that is mentioned in 1 timothy?. I am continually reminded that so many struggles in our life are not just a one time battle, but must be, over and over again, (often several times a day for me regarding my attitude and outlook) revamped according to the Lord’s power and commands and promises. The same goes for seeking God’s will; often times I may be searching for a long term plan, but all He may let me see is the day to day, which keeps me always coming back to Him, rather than striving out on my own, which I do seem prone to do.

Just last week I had the eyes of an explorer, while looking northward, uphill from the lake-“oh, I bet I can find my way up that mountain and across the ridge and back down through the valley back home”, so off I go. Too bad I am not a goat though, because those prickly hills are sure hard to climb. Even when I came across a shoelace of a dirt path winding up and around, I wasn’t quite sure where it was going. In the end, I realized I had slightly outdone myself- not only was I not even going to cross the ridge, I wouldn’t even make it to the summit, at least on this trip. And so begins the descent. Now if it were only dirt and gravel, of course the sit-and-slide would rock, but, considering the terrain, here it would result in hands and a backside full of cactus needles. While I was never really lost, since you can tell where is home-ish by the ever eastward winds, I was sort of flustered, and ended up doing some introspective thinking on the way back and realized that in general, I don’t like not knowing where I’m headed, or how I’ll get there, and so, in life, I tend to come up with plans, ETAs, and expectations. But then I remembered that I don’t need to know what I will be doing next summer, or two years from now. All that is necessary is that I trust God and seek to do His will. Not sure who said this or if it’s a mix of lots of things I’ve heard, but “I don’t need to know the future in order to obey His word today”.

Two weekends ago, the five of us girls took a trip a few hours up north to Vallenar, near the Atacama Desert, to stay with a missionary family there. Considering they have 5 kids, the youngest just 2 years old, I think most of us were expecting a fairly stationary time, but oh no, were we wrong. Saturday morning, filled with French toast, we set off in a two car caravan, warming up by visiting an olive tree grove and oil producer, and then the adventure began. Having heard that it had rained (a rare event), and so there might be some flowers in the desert, and armed with a tip from a tour agent on their whereabouts, we turned off of the highway onto a dirt road and strove ahead. Seeing nothing but cacti, a few old men with even older looking horses, and a biker- we had to idea where he thought he was pedaling his way to- we continued on. Without being deterred by car sick children or goat manure smell or the reaching of the supposed town, which turned out to be one house with a few chickens and goats, we persevered and, at last, came upon some flowers. I certainly wouldn’t have described them as a field, bed, or carpet- but beautiful flowers none the less. Hoping to find a shortcut out, we delve deeper into the dunes, but are cut off by a small detour- the pacific ocean. So back we go, re entering civilization, slightly dusty and with a few souvenir flowers, another hour later.

The past week has been all but normal, but an answer to prayer all the less. Several weeks ago, after having asked around, I finally located the department of rural public health, and, after putting on my most professional face and hoping I would remember to use the polite ‘usted’ form of speaking, I waltzed myself into the office of the head of administration, and explained to him that I, a gringa with only two years a pre-med university degree, having no medical training, and less than fluent spanish, would like to shadow some of his doctors, if that would be possible. To my surprise, after showing proof of enrollment and my driver’s license (those of you who have seen it can imagine how mortified I was to pull it out- I though he might not notice it as he made a copy of it, but no such luck- I told him it was a joke and I don’t really dress like that normally) and wading through a few more formalities, we made the rounds through the offices, meeting pharmacists and secretaries, and lots of empty desks, since almost everyone was out working. I asked when I could start, and, to my surprise, (since here in Chile not a whole lot happens as fast as you think it should) he said to go on to El Tambo right then. It was a bit of a problem that I had never been to the town, much less the rural clinic there, but the bus driver and a woman on the street and a shopkeeper took turns pointing me in the right direction, until I finally got there. That first day I spend several hours with a dentist. The main problem with that is that he wore a mask, so communicating in spanish, without the help of lips, was a challenge, but I still learned all kinds of things. One cheerful old man came in to get a set of lower dentures, because his niece was getting hitched next month and he wanted to beaming smile. Several other patients came in with toothaches, which the doctor was happy to ‘remove’ for them, with pliers. The next week I spent several mornings and afternoons with a doctor, obstetrician, or nurse. The language problem is slowly lessening, but I could surely use a medical dictionary, since I can catch many medical words, because they are almost identical in spanish and English, but still have no idea what they mean- so the doctor draws lots of pictures for me. I am learning a lot about long term diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure, and one morning I even got to watch some pregnancy ultrasounds! I am planning on spending some more time later this week with them, but really the whole experience has been such a blessing. I had been praying that God would provide some kind of medical opportunity for me, and here it is- something so different from US medical care (chile is under a socialized healthcare plan) and the doctors are so open and willing to teach me, and I rejoice in His omnipotence and knowledge and plans for me in the future.

Jenny and I have recently been spending some time a kite surfing instructor. While they are bit older than us, they are the closest thing we have to peers here, and their friendship is a great blessing. Pray that jenny and i would have courage to share openly with them, and that we would not shirk from opportunities or conversations about spiritual things.

Overall, pray that we would have endurance, as we cannot help but count down just a little bit as we look foreward to seeing our friends and family again. Ask that we would not grow weary in doing good, galatians 6:9, but would be an encouragment to one another and continue to love all those we come in contact with.

la mitad-halfway

To begin, know that i am going to try to avoid typing any words that use my left pinkie finger. So far that’s pretty hard. But yesterday I found an awesome swing set and the seats were made out of rubber and had cheerful designs in them, so of course I started pumping away before I realized the chain was almost rusted through, so then I fell and now I have a hurt finger. But that’s really not important. I have no huge escapades to report in the past two weeks, mainly we have been getting to know a lot of people better and been spending time with them. One of the lessons I have been learning over and over again is that even the best intentions, or grandest expectations, are not always kept. One day we tried to organize a Frisbee game for the children. (here they play Frisbee, but only as a hobby, not a sport). After we finally round everyone up and try to explain, and break into teams, I think it should be pretty fun, after all, pretty much the only rules are dont run with the Frisbee, if you drop the Frisbee, it goes to the other team. But man, did it turn into utter chaos immediately. We had several small fights, a few collisions, people randomly stopping to get water or because they had their feelings hurt. The girls were getting the hang of it, but the boys, just like back home, like to show off with long throws, which is bad news in a wind tunnel.

Later that week Jenny and I had a double date with some twins who live in our town. We were going to cook for them and they were supposed to show up at 5:30. Everything went according to plan, except for the part about them showing up. We weren’t surprised that they didn’t come right on time, but, after an hour of figuring out how to keep the food hot, I was nominated to go look for them. They were almost ready when I got to their house, were freshly showered and, as is normal around here, doused with cologne. On the way back we saw their friend alan, so he came along too. Afterd dinner they wanted to watch ¨Ironman´, but we had to go teach English class, and so went our first date in chile. Did I mention they were all 9 years old?

On a more serious note, the following day I had a conversation that pushed the limits of my Spanish with don rene, the teacher at our school in gualliguiaca, about mary and the catholic practice of praying to her and other saints. Overall, it was enlightening, because he has had such a different background than I have, and I cannot ask anyone to accept a practice just because it is what im used to, but I tried to encourage to him just read the Bible and see for himself what direction it gives regarding prayer and our relationship with God.

Hmm, what else. We had a pet baby bird for 24 hours that we tried to save. The boys at san carlos had found and tormented it, so I took it home and dug some worms for it and fed it, but I think the boys had banged it up too badly, so I had to bury O´Henry in our backyard. (I wasn’t going to name it but it lived through the first night, and that was the naming checkpoint.)

Two Friday nights ago jenny and I had the 8 girsl from our class over to our house. I had ideas of a fun night of eating pizza and ice cream, watching a movie with all of us lumped on the couch, and sharing a short gospel presentation with the girls. However, that went out the chimney. The pizza took longer than it should have, and by the time I got back the girls had already devoured all the chips, soda, and eaten through our bowl of fruit. After the pizza and icecream and peanuts, one girl looked up at me and said, very genuinely ¨when are we going to eat dinner¨. So that was a test of my patience. It was like taking care of 8 very hungry caterpillars. Then the moving watching lasted all of 5 minutes. Instead, they wanted to have a dance party and fashion show, and invaded adelina´s house and it was all very crazy. Through its been 11 years since I was 9, I guess that might be normal.

I have several praises to report at the school in gualliguiaca. First being that two women who were at first fairly cold towards us, are now quite friendly. I don’t know exactly how or why it has changed, but it is encouraging to know that they seem to want to be friends now. Earlier on we sat in the classroom a lot, but now we have taken to, after we teach, spending time with other people in the school.

One day we helped weed the flower beds (which is the best chore around because the flowers are so pretty and the birds so chatty), and most every day we now help in the kitchen, washing trays (they don’t use any Styrofoam or plastic throw away stuff here, hooray!) and cups and cutting vegetables and sweeping and wiping. The woman who works in the kitchen is very fun and we chat while cutting or mixing. - the other day we cut so many onions and were crying so hard we couldn’t help but think how sad our lives must be. They don’t use cutting boards here, so I am learning to cut potatoes and carrots and onions all in my hands! All kinds of exciting adventures pop up there- on Friday I was rinsing a spoon when all of a sudden the faucet just fell right off and so begins my second shower of the day, this time in a fountain. Also on Friday, for teacher´s day, I tried to concoct an American lasagne, using my mom´s recipe, or what I could remember of it, main problem being that we couldn’t find cottage cheese, but it still turned out okay, and most of the teachers had seconds, so I count that as a success.

We are also beginning to build a friendship with the ´principal´ , as we have gone to her house for dessert and played with her daughter and also this big sort-of-like-a-bull-dog dog named Minnie.

We are no longer doing our own bible study on Tuesday nights, but now jerry (our supervisor), and a member of the church in la serena come and lead first a short bible study then a craft. Watching jerry teach this past week was so encouraging because he has so mastered the language that those listening really seemed to understand and were interested in learning. As this is already the normal overwhelming length, here are the quick point prayer requests:

1- continued development of friendships. Boldness and courage to speak out about the message of god´s love, without worrying over language problems or fear of rejection.

2- Willingness to bless others wherever we are. It is often temping to try and control our schedules, and get frustrated if we get stuck at some get together when we wanted to go somewhere else or go to the store or have a nap, but I try to remind myself that I do not know what the big plan is, and if I find myself in a given situation, is should use it joyfully instead o wishing I was somewhere else. This goes along with using even simple opportunities, like washing the dishes or sweeping, to do it all in joy, knowing that God does not always call us to do great awesome acts, but sometimes just to persevere in our desire and efforts to bless others and bring glory to Him. For we are not here helping just from a humanitarian viewpoint, but with the goal to soften people´s hearts towards Christ.

3- As we have reached, and now passed, the midway point, please pray that I would really focus my mind on His will, and make time to spend in His word and in prayer, seeking how best to spend the remaining time. About a week ago I was feeling pretty down, missing friends and family, sort of feeling like I wanted to come home, but now I feel rebooted, so to speak, and am excited about the remaining time. Pray that, each day, I would give over to His will, not my own mood or feelings, and that, at the end of the trip, that I will feel like I have given everything I was asked to give, that I did not hold anything back.

Please do write me if there is something I could pray for you. This is not a one way street.

Psalm 19:14- may the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, o lord, my rock and my redeemer.

I have been trying to remember this to guard both my actions and thoughts, and, earlier this week, when flustered, was encouraged that He is our rock.

With much thanks, rubia

(many people here have stopped using my name, they just call me rubia (blond))

chile 2 (134 photos), by Rebecca Williams

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Chile 1 10\02\09 (449 photos), by Rebecca Williams

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

early october escapades

Where to begin- its been almost two weeks since the last epic, and while it seems like things are really settling into a rhythm, we are at no loss for adventures. This weekend we, all 5 chile girls, are discovering Ovalle, a larger town SE of us, while staying with an older missionary couple. Things today were pretty relaxing- shadow michelle around and daphnie around their schools while they teach. Everything was pretty routine, whistles and cat calls included- which continues to puzzle me-if only they knew that, due to a gas run out=cold water dominates, jenny and I have,,, lets just say we have not showered all that recently. They use several songs to teach various English words, using tunes ranging from fra ra ja quais sp?? to the adams family. Next we ate lunch, (then another lunch) at a smallish restaurant that played beatles music and served huge portions. Also had a wildlife adventure- just as we were sitting down- I was just getting settled, saw something out of the periphery of my eye and felt just a hint on my left cheek, then on my right, was slightly confused, and decided it must have been my hair, which would make sense considering how unkempt looking it was. I said something to the girls, and wiped my face with my sleeve, and forgot all about it. That is until two minutes later, when we saw a smallish spider scurrying across the table. Putting my face and 8 together, I realized the spider had just used my face as a runway to launch itself midtable. I don’t think we killed it, I hope not, since it certainly had the opportunity to wreck havoc on my face but instead passed right on through. I cannot really complain- there are no snakes here, which is nice considering how easy it would be to step on them- even while running here the slippery gravel and rocks, combined with turbine strength winds, add a whole new thrill to running. I have a small mountainish/hill thing that I have been running up (semi) regularly- the going up is painful, but on the way down you can see the surrounding valleys and the lake and larger mountains rising in the distance. Just gotta be careful on this one spot- the wind whips through so fast I sincerely believe I could be a human kite if I was in the habit of running in ankle length dresses, with arm flaps of course. On the way up I usually try to review verses (take my mind off the mountain-goat-ready steep hills), but on the way I down I try to pray. It has been useful to spend just that hour by myself, seeing the huge mountains and the huge expanse- several times it has been a great reminder to adjust my attitude- one of the things I wanted to start practicing during my time here. If, while trotting along, I feel downtrodden or depressed, the heaving hills and valleys remind of me our God’s greatness; if my ego is kite high, I am reminded of my tiny-ness, that, no matter how much I feel like I may accomplish, really it is not me who is going to change anything or anyone. Daphnie said something that really caught my attention today during team meeting- she wants people not to remember her, persay, but rather the message she brings-the good news of the gospel of Christ Jesus. I think this caught my attention because, in the midst of trying to teach English, and befriend the community, and learn the way of rural peasant life, it is easy to forget why we are actually here. I think I have oftentimes fallen into the habit of putting myself first, wanting to make a good impression of Rebecca on the people of Gualliaguica, but the most important thing is that we represent Christ faithfully.

Rejoice that in the Gualliguica schools, this past week, we have had open opportunities to share parts of the Bible. I first read a passage from one of the gospels, while Jenny illustrates with her awesome art-minor skills, followed by a discussion on the lessons- both moral and theological, with much help from the professor Don Rene. I sort of get us pointed on the right track, then he takes over. Then we assign roles, go over the story one more time, and the children act it out. On Monday we did Jesus healing the paralytic that was lowered through the roof, and on Wednesday we did Jesus’ birth and the angels appearing to the shepherds-we even have two students, maria and josa (mary and joseph, in English) and we taught the angels to sing the song ‘alelu, alelu, alelu, alleluia, praise, ye the lord’. The funniest thing was that we used Pepito, wrapped in my scarf, as baby jesus. Pepito is the classroom anatomy manaquin torso-armless, legless; with his chest and stomach and half his brain open and ready for inspection, but he served the purpose well.

Our Tuesday night bible study has been not quite so successful- no one came last week, but we think its because one woman had a sick child, and the other girl didn’t want to come by herself, but it was sort of taxing to prepare, then wait, not knowing if they were just late, or were not coming at all, or if we had miscommunicated- but when we talked to the girl she still seemed interested so perhaps this coming week.

INTERMISSION-time for popcorn and cucumbers

While walking around downtown Ovalle today, (now Saturday) there was a make-me-want-to-dance band playing in the street, five guys with long hair and prize-worthy beards playing all kinds of ethnic flutes and the pan flute and tambourines and cymbals and acoustic guitars and drums and singing-after listening for a while I went up and talked to them- we even got invited to an ‘asado’ (cookout) they were having tonight but, alas, couldn’t go. Oh the frustrations of having to ‘be wise and cautious’- I guess that’s why they didn’t just send me out completely on my own into the heart of skinny ol’ chile- but I did buy one of their cds to break out at dance parties back in the US.

I think part of my struggle now, as I begin to miss friends and family more, is to make sure that I am living completely here, instead of spending time thinking about returning to life back in the US. I am somewhat surprised that I do look forward to coming back- I guess I find more joy in living in Auburn than I even realized, but then I am like ‘how in the world can I even think about wanting to go back- here I am, being stretched in all kinds of ways- (several times each day I have to remind myself ‘do hard things’) while having great adventures, meeting hordes of people, and getting to know well quite a few, surrounded by volumptuous vineyards (enough to supply southern Baptists with a lifetime supply of wine, haha). I also now have a pet chicken named Genghis Khan, who was supposed to be a ‘pio pio’ (little chick) but is actually a full grown chicken who lays eggs- yes, a girl named Genghis but she has less than friendly looking eyes so the name suits her. We have had one chicken chasing festival in our backyard so far- really it was me chasing the chickens and Jenny and Katrina laughing, but, after twenty minutes of failure, I didn’t manage to catch the most sissy chicken. Next time I am going to christen it and name it formally. I was explaining to my teacher’s family (while at her house for lunch) that I was going to ‘bautizar’ (baptize, I don’t know the word for christen) my new chicken, laughing between words, but the family just gave me a look which was hard to read, but I think it might have meant something like ‘is this a weird part of her religion, baptizing chickens?’ We have also adopted a cat, named Francis, because for a while we didn’t know if it was girl or boy, but now it’s a girl, and its sort of like I am a pirate and she my parrot, because, immediately upon being picked up, she insists on climbing up and perching on my shoulder. We gave her a bath last week- boy was that wet, because she wouldn’t stay in the tub so we she had a bath while sitting on my shoulders- but hey, it was warmer that day. Once she was clean I let her sleep with me, but once again, she is less than normal and prefers to sleep ON my neck. Out of goodwill, she licks my neck but sometimes gets carried away and takes a nibble. But back to the point, that I have such a unique opportunity here in chile, and I don’t want to miss any of it. I want to be focused on Chile, not preoccupied with the future, but living each day here, focused on doing whatever comes along to the best of my ability. Please ask God to give both Jenny and I courage- courage to use the friendships we have built to glorify Him and present the gospel. It is so easy to just never talk about spiritual things- but pray that not only that God would provide opportunities, but that I would be eager to talk about Him, not anxious, but trusting that He will provide the words and guide me, and that I would take every chance to speak about Him, and not wait until it is staring me in the face. Specifically, you can pray for our Chilean grandparents, Adelina and Orozimbo- that we would have opportunities to speak with them, perhaps over supper or dominoes, or maybe even a game of Dutch Blitz, which I have been trying to teach them (sort of ironic, Chileans playing dutch blitz). Also for Don Rene, our teacher at school- joyful praise that he is so open to the bible- on Wednesday he commented on how he was sort of surprised that we had not yet taught anything contradictory to what the catholic church teaches. Pray that he would have an increased desire to know more, and that even the simple stories we use with the children would spark an increased interest in the life of faith in Jesus Christ.

So here’s the quick prayer list:

1. making a clear and true representation of Jesus Christ and the gospel, my focus, not simply making a good impression myself
2. Adelina and Orozimbo and Don Rene
3. active courage to speak openly about Christ in various friendships
4. seeking God’s will each day, being fully IN chile, not becoming preoccupied with stuff back in the US

good news- pictures are up- all almost 500 of them. (I had to clean off my camera memory card). They are on snapfish but I will try and send you an email invite so you can go see as many as you want without being overwhelmed.