First real post! :)

Now that I have had a break from school for the weekend, I have finally had time to write a substantial entry for my blog. :) Since it is rather lengthy (even though I tried to limit to the most important details), I have inserted headings; thus, if you are not interested in knowing everything, you can skip through whatever you don’t want to read! ;)

Enjoy the pictures as well! I picked the best...or sometimes the worst, depending on your point of view. :) It would take me a whole day to upload them all!

Arrival to Puerto Montt

After a 3 ½ hour drive to LaGuardia Airport, a 3 hour flight to Miami, and another 8 hour flight, Dad and I finally arrived to Santiago. We then rented a car and started the long drive to Puerto Montt. Thankfully, it was uneventful except for being slightly lost a time or two and almost running out of gas on a never-ending, low-populated highway with very few gas stations. :) The countryside was beautiful, or at least Dad says so. I did not see the majority of it through my closed eyelids. :)

First view of Chile, leaving the airport and Santiago

Some volcano somewhere... (I woke up long enough to take a picture or two and then fell back asleep after a few minutes... haha

A beautiful country!

And the never ending Ruta 5!

The following two images are examples of what you may look like or act like after

approximately thirty hours of traveling with several hours still ahead of you. Did I mention that road was never ending?? :-O

Finally!!! Signs for Puerto Montt!

The Hostetter's house

The next day (Thursday) we took a small boat to the island of Tenglo, where EMM has a piece of land with a small orchard. It is absolutely beautiful and very peaceful. The views of the bay/canal are gorgeous. We spent the afternoon on the island, walking around, picking fruit, relaxing and talking, etc. We were very blessed with beautiful weather the whole day, which is abnormal since it usually rains.

Two beautiful girls - Victoria and Christina (Hostetter)

Hey, Chile has at least one thing in common with Mexico...

Cutie pie!!

Crossing to Tenglo Island on a small boat

Elizabeth and I relaxing on our rock

Dad climbing the tree

Mission Accomplished!

Some of the people on the island working

The group, minus Dad who was the only male... poor guy! (The Hostetter women, a friend from the island, and family friends)

We then returned to the mainland and went into town. Nancy took Christina to ballet, and Elizabeth was our tour guide while we walked around the town. We visited the supermarket, Jumbo, to buy shampoo, toothpaste, etc (which I had packed quickly into my carry-on luggage and had to throw out at the airport… smart, I know.) We took a few moments to be tourists as well, walking around, taking pictures, and pointing at things. The very sweet Elizabeth was sure not to leave us behind, turning around every few minutes to make sure we were still with her. (Right behind you! :) )

Checking out the produce section of the store was a must, of course.

Those crazy foreign tourists

Plaza with a fountain (probably could figure that out without the caption! ;) )

Mike returned Thursday night, and Friday morning we prepared to leave for the island of Chiloé. Dustin and Sarah Gingrich came to the house with their three children for an hour or so. Dustin and Sarah are also living in Puerto Montt and serving through EMM. We talked with them about their life and ministry in Puerto Montt, also covering many other subjects. :)


Traveling in Chiloé

We took the ferry from Puerto Montt to the island. We enjoyed the fresh air, watching the sea lions, and talking about Mike’s work in planting churches on the islands in the region.

Our ferry

It was great to have Dad with me for a couple days! :)

Sea lions! :)

After crossing, we drove to Quemchi, the town where I am living. We arrived at the house, with the family business underneath, Supermercado Charly. We also went to the school I am teaching at, Colegio Santa Ana to talk with the director. A short time later, we drove to Castro, a small city an hour south of Quemchi. YWAM has a team there working with the students in the University de los Lagos. They were currently ministering on an island that was affected by the eruption of the volcano in Chaitén. We went to the YWAM base to meet Roger and Noami, the couple giving leadership to the ministry of YWAM. We spent the afternoon and evening with them, admiring the beauty of the land, eating moras (blackberries), provoking llamas, and eating la once (the third meal of the day).

Roger, Noemi, and family

Provoking the llamas... Mike really wanted to see them spit!

We then traveled to Tenaún, on the northeast coast of the island. We stayed in the Hospedaje Radal, with Mike’s friends, Rafael and Dalva, one of the only Christian (non-Catholic) couples in the town. It’s a long story how they came to be there, but they now have a comfy bed & breakfast. The little town is “in the middle of nowhere”, or rather on the edge, and it is absolutely astounding. We spent the night eating, reading the Bible and praying with them. In the morning Rafa took us on a “walk to see the view”. It was more of a hike than a walk, but it was so beautiful…I have no words to describe the how awesome this part of God’s creation is, and the pictures hardly do it justice. After a while, we returned and ate an amazing lunch prepared by Dalva, including clams and some great fish. Delicious! We then met Bárbara, we showed me her ‘chanchitos,’ or little piglets. She was very proud of them, invited me into her very humble house where I met some of her family. Her and her nephew (only a few years younger than her) proceeded to take me to pick apples. This short walk to pick apples ended up being a trek up and down hills and through all kinds of bushes and trees… needless to say, their small bodies fit through the tiny spaces much easier than mine did. Nonetheless, it was great to get a glimpse into life through their young, adventurous eyes. I finally managed to make my exit, although they were insistent on sharing everything with me. We thanked Rafa and Dalva for their wonderful hospitality, prayed with them, and then headed on our way back to Quemchi.

Enchanting!

Rafael y Dalva

Popular form of transportation :)

Rafa checking out his boat

Dad: "Get close! Give him a hug!"Me: "No thanks... I like 'chanchos' from far away."

As far as the next several photos, all I have to say is: SIMPLY AMAZING. The pictures do not do justice to the beauty of this place!

My new friend, Bárbara :)

Praying with Rafa and Dalva before we left

:)

Quemchi – Finally settling down!

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing different parts of the island, but I was glad to finally be in one place to stay for a while. We arrived late Saturday afternoon to the house, got my stuff lugged upstairs, and sat down to talk with Charly, my ‘papá’ while I am here, while the others were working. Well, Dad and Mike talked with Charly. I sat down a few times, but every time I did I was dragged off by either Natalia (6) or Ximena (5) to see another toy or read another book in English, etc. After a while, Ana, Charly’s wife and my ‘mom,’ took us to her parents’ house so Dad could take a look at their greenhouse. We spent some time there, then came back and soon had dinner with the whole family. We also spent some time praying for them before Dad and Mike left. They headed back to Puerto Montt, and I spent some more time talking with Paulina and Juan Carlos, the two younger children of Charly and Ana. Hmmm… let me make the family lineup a little more clear. :) Charly and Ana have three children: Isabela, Paulina, and Juan Carlos. Paulina is married with one son, Carlos, and they live about 3 minutes by car up the hill. Paulina and Juan Carlos live in the house, as well as Paulina’s two daughters Natalia and Ximena. Juan Carlos is, however, studying in the nearby city Ancud, so he is not here during the week. And that is my family in a nutshell. :) I have really enjoyed getting to know the family. Charly and Ana, in the short time we have been together so far, are very protective of me and making sure everything is going well for me. They were on a much needed vacation for the week and are returning today, so Paulina and I kept each other company, along with the girls. Paulina is only a few years older than me, and we have both found encouragement through conversation, laughter, and reading the Bible and discussing what we are learning. It is encouraging for me to have her as another woman I can spend time with and share with openly. I am also excited by the ways God is moving and placing me in the presence of family friends and others who have a heart that seems to be open to the truth of Jesus Christ and His salvation. My Chilean Spanish abilities are very limited, and I am constantly tired from trying to listen to and understand the conversation around me. However, God’s word and His truth can break down those barriers. Just last night, some friends of the family came to the house for a visit. While we sat there, I was mostly lost throughout much of the conversation. The accent and vocabulary in Chile is completely different from that of Mexico, where I learned Spanish. The language is full of sayings and phrases that make absolutely no sense and are include words that are made up by the Chilean people. Not to mention, I am living in a very small town on an island that has practically it’s own accent and vocabulary, apart from that of the rest of the country. Oh, and did I mention that they really don’t like to open their mouths the whole way when they talk? (The men are even worse than the women.) Anyway… long story short, half the time I just smile and nod and pretend that I understand everything, when the reality is that I am only getting the gist of the conversation. :) Back to the point: As I sat there, exhausted from a 6-day school week (…yes, we had school on Saturday to make up for another day that will be missed later… :( ), I barely had an idea of what was going on. Then the conversation all of a sudden turned to religion and the experiences of those who had come to visit. For some reason, I understood nearly every word of the conversation during the time we were discussing church, religion, Jesus Christ, etc. I pretty much feel like that was simply a miracle from God, breaking that language barrier so that I could share with them what I believe and what my experience has been. Very exciting!

Charly and Mike... and my room!

Natalia and Ximena... two silly girls

"Did you know sharks do this? and this? How do you say "tiburon" in English?"

Visiting Ana's parents and the greenhouse

Colegio Santa Ana

My first week in school required a lot of adjustments to culture and just how things are run in the school, but it went well. The students are well behaved. (There are, of course, a few in every class who like to cause trouble…) My cooperating teacher has a fun personality and is great to work with. We have a good time working together and using my English and her experience. I think we will be a very effective team as we plan and teach together. She is also about the age of my own mother and treats me as such when she thinks I am not eating enough or getting enough sleep. :) The other teachers and staff are also welcoming. The students are my favorite part of my student teaching, of course. I am teaching every grade from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. I am always greeted with hugs, the customary kiss on the cheek, and ‘Tia Janell! Ummm digo MISS Janell!’ (The teachers are called ‘tio’ o ‘tia,’ by all the students, but they are supposed to call the English teachers ‘miss’.) I have found connections with several students who knew Travis and Bekii (the missionary couple who lived here for about a year and will be returning in the near future), and they and their parents are inviting me to their houses. I am praying for and looking for the connections I can make personally with students, whether it be the casual conversation during break times or offering one-on-one English tutoring once a week. I enjoy the time talking with the students, and it is also an opportunity to share with them about my relationship with Jesus Christ.

Woohoooo new school!

Pictures of students coming soon!!!

En Fin

I, myself, am amazed at all that has happened in less than two weeks since I left home. Some days I become frustrated or impatient, wishing I could be doing more as far as evangelism with the students. I see a lot of sadness and hopelessness in the eyes of many students and just in the faces of people I see as we drive with the girls to school in the morning or when I walk home in the afternoon. I am praying for patience and reminding myself of what I have learned from those who have been living in Chile and ministering to its people for years – the best way to reach the hearts of the people in this culture is to develop relationships with them. Once the relationship and trust are in place, the seeds planted will be much more likely to survive and grow. Well, with the book I just wrote for you, hopefully you feel updated. :) There is so much more I could share, but I should leave something for the next update. :) Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me in any way. Please continue to pray for the work God is doing in this region and for me as well. I am thankful for the prayers of my friends and family, especially in the days when I miss home, sunshine, and real brewed coffee. :)

Be blessed!
“Chao!”