I went to youth group the other day at Union Cristiana, which consists of a broad range of young people (high school to college and just out), but it was a different service this time round. As Chile is gearing-up for their Bicentennial celebrations during the week of Fiestas Patrias (Independence Day), the church was gathering together to pray for their people, the church and their country. It was such a neat opportunity to witness the Lord moving through the young people and bringing them to their news to pray for a broken and hurting country, especially this year with the major 8.8 earthquake in February, several server aftershocks and now the 33 miners trapped in the North.
It wasn’t just the natural disasters, but they also prayed for the some of the same things that the church in the States is praying for like: the institution of marriage in their country, abortions, drug addictions and physical/emotional abuse. The coolest thing was to be able to pray for Chile along Chileans in both Spanish and English. My time may be limited, but I have come to love this country. I will continue to pray for Chile like I have been, am doing now and will continue to do even after I leave. It was such a blessing to be able to give back the greatest way I know how, through prayer, for their/our country.
Like I said, it’s the Bicentennial year, meaning Fiestas Patrias is even more a slam-bang show. Most Chileans and outsiders have said that Chileans tend to be timid and modest, not as orgulloso or proud. However, that night at youth group, I didn’t just see National Pride in full-bloom but a truly humble passion for the Lord to move mightily in Chile. Whoever said that Chileans are timid and non-prideful, think again. This country is one of resilience and determination. They have consistently bounced back and rallied together to restore their country and now they rally together to celebrate and pray in the good times and bad. So let the festivities begin, the flags fly and the Lord to move mightily in Chile!
CHI-CHI-CHI, LE-LE-LE! VIVA CHILE!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
The good, the bad, the ugly.
Alright sorry I haven’t blogged in awhile. I don’t even know where to begin. First things first, the Seahorses won! Haha. We barely came out with a win in overtime, but we did it! Our next game isn’t for awhile, so it practices for us.
Secondly, I must inform you of a terrible event that occurred this past week. I was out with a friend and as we were leaving to head home, we crossed halfway into the street to see if it was clear to cross. I saw that we could not make it in time to clear the buses, so I headed back to the sidewalk. When I turned around, thinking my friend was behind me, I saw a man come running towards her. At first glance, I thought he may be pulling her out of the way of the oncoming bus, but after a second or two, I realized he was not so nice. He pushed her once and then into the stopped bus that we were in front of. Before I could take two steps I heard a snap and he took off running with her purse.
Thankfully, she was okay despite having been shoved into the front of a bus and hitting the ground. It was definitely a traumatic event for both of us that I never want to relive again. After running after him for a bit, yelling help in English, to the tons of people watching and staring at us, I stopped. At that point it was a lost cause, safer not to follow him and not draw anymore unwanted attention to us. We quickly got on a bus and headed home.
Needless to say we were both pretty shaken up and got very little sleep that night. It was definitely learning and growing experience. I knew that I couldn’t harbor any bitterness and anger towards all of Chile just because of one man’s decision. Furthermore, I knew that I can’t be afraid to go out into public anymore because of the incident.
I jokingly say though that the incident was the end of the “honeymoon period” for me. Through it all though, I just had to praise the Lord. There are several reasons why. One, I had my passport on me because I needed it for something earlier (I never carry it with me though!). Two, that the Lord protected us from something worse. Three, that I could freely forgive without harnessing any anger or resentment, yet actually laugh (probably to prevent myself from crying), smile and praise.
The verse that came to mind that perfectly describe this “honeymoon” buster is John 10:10. It says, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that you may life and life abundantly.” Despite everything that happened, the money lost, the shock and all, the attacker wasn’t able to steal my joy! It reminded me that I have these material things, but my worth isn’t in this world. My worth, my joy and my hope is Jesus!
So out of the bad comes the good. Thank you, Jesus that You have come for all to have life to the fullest even when things go terribly wrong. I almost didn’t want to tell the story to scare y’all because it really is a great, safe place and loving people, but I share because through it all we are to praise Him!
And now I don’t have a great transition onto the next thing, but I do want you to know that I am enjoying it here! My family is great! My Chilean brothers were definitely sweet after the incident and concerned for me. They kept talking of how they should have been there and prevented it all or taken the guy out. It was flattering to say the least. Seriously though, it has been so much fun in my house. Never a dull moment!
They constantly tease me for a couple of things…my laugh and being from Texas. They always mimic my booming laughter and they never cease to get me going on the laughter. The second is that they have a weird image of Texas that is a mix of Chuck Norris in Walker Texas Ranger, John Wayne and Yosemite Sam. They think of Texas with a bunch of tumbleweeds rolling around and gun-toting Cowboys constantly dueling. So, they always act out a cowboy shooting at the feet of someone else yelling “Arriba! Arriba!” For this, I found a little kids sheriffs badge and pistols with the holsters. It was a big hit with everyone! I told, Matias, the ring leader of it all that they were for when he makes his grand trip to Texas. He’s ready now!
I think that’s a good stopping point for now. Too long already and I hope I haven’t bored you to death. So far, so good! Vaya con Dios!
Secondly, I must inform you of a terrible event that occurred this past week. I was out with a friend and as we were leaving to head home, we crossed halfway into the street to see if it was clear to cross. I saw that we could not make it in time to clear the buses, so I headed back to the sidewalk. When I turned around, thinking my friend was behind me, I saw a man come running towards her. At first glance, I thought he may be pulling her out of the way of the oncoming bus, but after a second or two, I realized he was not so nice. He pushed her once and then into the stopped bus that we were in front of. Before I could take two steps I heard a snap and he took off running with her purse.
Thankfully, she was okay despite having been shoved into the front of a bus and hitting the ground. It was definitely a traumatic event for both of us that I never want to relive again. After running after him for a bit, yelling help in English, to the tons of people watching and staring at us, I stopped. At that point it was a lost cause, safer not to follow him and not draw anymore unwanted attention to us. We quickly got on a bus and headed home.
Needless to say we were both pretty shaken up and got very little sleep that night. It was definitely learning and growing experience. I knew that I couldn’t harbor any bitterness and anger towards all of Chile just because of one man’s decision. Furthermore, I knew that I can’t be afraid to go out into public anymore because of the incident.
I jokingly say though that the incident was the end of the “honeymoon period” for me. Through it all though, I just had to praise the Lord. There are several reasons why. One, I had my passport on me because I needed it for something earlier (I never carry it with me though!). Two, that the Lord protected us from something worse. Three, that I could freely forgive without harnessing any anger or resentment, yet actually laugh (probably to prevent myself from crying), smile and praise.
The verse that came to mind that perfectly describe this “honeymoon” buster is John 10:10. It says, “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that you may life and life abundantly.” Despite everything that happened, the money lost, the shock and all, the attacker wasn’t able to steal my joy! It reminded me that I have these material things, but my worth isn’t in this world. My worth, my joy and my hope is Jesus!
So out of the bad comes the good. Thank you, Jesus that You have come for all to have life to the fullest even when things go terribly wrong. I almost didn’t want to tell the story to scare y’all because it really is a great, safe place and loving people, but I share because through it all we are to praise Him!
And now I don’t have a great transition onto the next thing, but I do want you to know that I am enjoying it here! My family is great! My Chilean brothers were definitely sweet after the incident and concerned for me. They kept talking of how they should have been there and prevented it all or taken the guy out. It was flattering to say the least. Seriously though, it has been so much fun in my house. Never a dull moment!
They constantly tease me for a couple of things…my laugh and being from Texas. They always mimic my booming laughter and they never cease to get me going on the laughter. The second is that they have a weird image of Texas that is a mix of Chuck Norris in Walker Texas Ranger, John Wayne and Yosemite Sam. They think of Texas with a bunch of tumbleweeds rolling around and gun-toting Cowboys constantly dueling. So, they always act out a cowboy shooting at the feet of someone else yelling “Arriba! Arriba!” For this, I found a little kids sheriffs badge and pistols with the holsters. It was a big hit with everyone! I told, Matias, the ring leader of it all that they were for when he makes his grand trip to Texas. He’s ready now!
I think that’s a good stopping point for now. Too long already and I hope I haven’t bored you to death. So far, so good! Vaya con Dios!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Viva Basquetbol
I decided that it would be fun to play on the women's international team with the university. All the international students play on one team against other women teams from different departments in the university. We had our first game yesterday and it was a lot of fun!
We won 23-0! We have a picture of us after the game on the university website. You can check it out here:
http://ucv.altavoz.net/prontus_unidacad/site/artic/20100818/pags/20100818111710.html
It was strange though because Chilean basketball is a bit different. We only played two halves of 10 minutes. Nevertheless, it was fun to finally play a sport that you don't have to use your feet! Namely soccer. I'll keep you posted as we fight our way to the top! Viva gringas!
Oh I forgot to tell you that we are the Fightin' Seahorses!
We won 23-0! We have a picture of us after the game on the university website. You can check it out here:
http://ucv.altavoz.net/prontus_unidacad/site/artic/20100818/pags/20100818111710.html
It was strange though because Chilean basketball is a bit different. We only played two halves of 10 minutes. Nevertheless, it was fun to finally play a sport that you don't have to use your feet! Namely soccer. I'll keep you posted as we fight our way to the top! Viva gringas!
Oh I forgot to tell you that we are the Fightin' Seahorses!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Almuerzo con la Familia
So, I think that I am finally caught up on the events and stories thus far. For the most part at least. Yesterday, we had a lovely lunch at my aunt and uncle's house with some of the family. It was fun and I tried oysters and shell-fish for the first time!
Uncle Lucho is my favorite uncle! He always make sure that I am taken care of and always ask me questions. He enjoys to talk to me in English and then I respond in Spanish. It's great! I challenged him to smile and he said that he never does. So, I worked my charm and beauty to get him to smile in a picture with me. He did, but I had to sit in his lap! He's so funny and always cracks me up!
I'll post a picture soon of my Chilean family! But, here are some of my aunts, uncles and cousins thus far!
Uncle Lucho is my favorite uncle! He always make sure that I am taken care of and always ask me questions. He enjoys to talk to me in English and then I respond in Spanish. It's great! I challenged him to smile and he said that he never does. So, I worked my charm and beauty to get him to smile in a picture with me. He did, but I had to sit in his lap! He's so funny and always cracks me up!
I'll post a picture soon of my Chilean family! But, here are some of my aunts, uncles and cousins thus far!
El Banco
Funny story:
I went to go talk to the people at BBVA Bank to ask if I had to pay the ATM fee everytime or not, because I am a client. Once I got up to the counter to talk to the fairly good-looking, younger banker, I started in on my predicament. I thought he was looking at me intently, because he couldn't quite understand my Spanish. I don't know bank terms very well and had to ask him a couple times to repeat what he was saying. Finally, I point-blank asked him if it was possible to avoid the fees or not. He finally gave me a straight-answer that I could understand, no. Then, he turns to his co-worker walking by and tells him, "Mira sus ojos son lindos!" Translation: Look, her eyes are beautiful! So, I finally understood why he was staring so intently as he and his co-worker marveled over my eyes.
I didn't know whether to be flattered or frustrated. I wondered if he actually was paying attention to anything I was saying! Nevertheless, I didn't get much more out of him. I left saying in Spanish, "My eyes are pretty, but my Spanish is horrible! Thanks and good-bye!" haha. It was quite funny and sweet with a little frustration!
My parents later said, "Why didn't you bat your eyes and milk it to see what he would do?" I did bat my eyes a bit, but I was in shock that I didn't know what to do! So, I'll visit another bank later and try with someone else. Maybe a banker a little older...
I went to go talk to the people at BBVA Bank to ask if I had to pay the ATM fee everytime or not, because I am a client. Once I got up to the counter to talk to the fairly good-looking, younger banker, I started in on my predicament. I thought he was looking at me intently, because he couldn't quite understand my Spanish. I don't know bank terms very well and had to ask him a couple times to repeat what he was saying. Finally, I point-blank asked him if it was possible to avoid the fees or not. He finally gave me a straight-answer that I could understand, no. Then, he turns to his co-worker walking by and tells him, "Mira sus ojos son lindos!" Translation: Look, her eyes are beautiful! So, I finally understood why he was staring so intently as he and his co-worker marveled over my eyes.
I didn't know whether to be flattered or frustrated. I wondered if he actually was paying attention to anything I was saying! Nevertheless, I didn't get much more out of him. I left saying in Spanish, "My eyes are pretty, but my Spanish is horrible! Thanks and good-bye!" haha. It was quite funny and sweet with a little frustration!
My parents later said, "Why didn't you bat your eyes and milk it to see what he would do?" I did bat my eyes a bit, but I was in shock that I didn't know what to do! So, I'll visit another bank later and try with someone else. Maybe a banker a little older...
Gone Skiing!
Well I had the opportunity to go skiing for my very first time in the Andes Mountains! It was so much fun to get to see SNOW and MOUNTAINS! Everyone kept giving me a hard time, because I like a kid in a candy store. I was so giddy and excited! Until...I actually got into my skiing class. haha. I realized that they make it look easier than it actually is, and that it hurts. ALOT!
Right out of the gate in our ski class, I pulled a muscle cuz my skis went both ways. This caused a painful split, that I didn't know I could do. After that we practiced how to stop using our skis. Well I did so well this time around and fell. My instructor, a goofy guy, came over to help me up. He told me to jump up as he picked me up. However, as I did this my skis clipped him and he fell on top of me. Quite funny and embarrassing all in one! Thankfully everyone took out the instructor at some point in time!
After our 2 hour long ski class, we took a break and ate lunch. The most exciting thing was to sit down! haha. Then the other beginners and I ventured to ski on our own! I fell many more times, but it happens. Two of the others decided they had enough, but my buddy, Dylan, and I wouldn't give up. We went back down the hill a couple of times and practiced on the ski machine a bit.
Funny story though: Before we went back down the hill, we saw some friends by the netted fence. We ventured over to them to take some pictures, chat it up and take a breather. The funny part is that as we were leaving to go down the hill, one of my friends asked if she could help me any. As I was saying no, I slid right into the netting and got stuck. After getting out of it, I went to go to the ski lift and slid right back into the fence a little ways down. When I looked up, I was stuck right in front of another beginner's class. The instructor asked if I was alright, but all I could do was laugh! So embarrassing!
The biggest accomplishment, though, was that I made it down the (little) hill without falling, and that we got on and off the ski lift with our skis on perfectly! Success!
It was so much fun, gorgeous and exhausting all in one!
Right out of the gate in our ski class, I pulled a muscle cuz my skis went both ways. This caused a painful split, that I didn't know I could do. After that we practiced how to stop using our skis. Well I did so well this time around and fell. My instructor, a goofy guy, came over to help me up. He told me to jump up as he picked me up. However, as I did this my skis clipped him and he fell on top of me. Quite funny and embarrassing all in one! Thankfully everyone took out the instructor at some point in time!
After our 2 hour long ski class, we took a break and ate lunch. The most exciting thing was to sit down! haha. Then the other beginners and I ventured to ski on our own! I fell many more times, but it happens. Two of the others decided they had enough, but my buddy, Dylan, and I wouldn't give up. We went back down the hill a couple of times and practiced on the ski machine a bit.
Funny story though: Before we went back down the hill, we saw some friends by the netted fence. We ventured over to them to take some pictures, chat it up and take a breather. The funny part is that as we were leaving to go down the hill, one of my friends asked if she could help me any. As I was saying no, I slid right into the netting and got stuck. After getting out of it, I went to go to the ski lift and slid right back into the fence a little ways down. When I looked up, I was stuck right in front of another beginner's class. The instructor asked if I was alright, but all I could do was laugh! So embarrassing!
The biggest accomplishment, though, was that I made it down the (little) hill without falling, and that we got on and off the ski lift with our skis on perfectly! Success!
It was so much fun, gorgeous and exhausting all in one!
Sand Dunes of Con-Con
Some friends and I ventured about 30 minutes north of Vina del Mar, where I live, to Con-Con. It is known for its massive sand dunes. We had hoped to go surfing off them, but were unable. Don't feel bad for us though, because we definitely had fun despite it!
The fun started when about 15 of us "gringos" jumped on the public bus. I just know we made everyone's day on the bus! haha. From there the bus driver put on some of his favorite tunes, Michael Jackson. They love him down here. All the Americans started to laugh, sing and dance a bit as we are standing crammed like sardines on the bus.
Then I was stuck standing as our lovely bus driver flew around corners. I was tossed like a rag-doll all over the place. It was comical to everyone (Chileans and Americans), but myself. No one in our group was too sure of where to get off either, so being the lucky one, had to make my way up to the front of the bus to ask the bus driver to tell us which stop. It was quite funny!
Documenting the lovely bus ride.
Once we made it to the dunes, the adventure was on! We all started running, climbing, sliding and hiking up and down the dunes! On the back side of the dunes is the sea with some cliffs that you can explore and climb. That was our mission!
We definitely hiked down the dunes and and rocky areas that I don't think were made to be traveled on. No big deal! We made it to the cliffs and it was beautiful! The waves were crashing and splashing up on us, and the view of the cities along the bay was neat!
After the exploring, we decided to start to walk back to catch the bus. Needless to say, we ended up walking about 2 miles to get back to the bus! It's okay because the view and company was great! All in all, I think we hiked about 4-5 miles that day.
The fun started when about 15 of us "gringos" jumped on the public bus. I just know we made everyone's day on the bus! haha. From there the bus driver put on some of his favorite tunes, Michael Jackson. They love him down here. All the Americans started to laugh, sing and dance a bit as we are standing crammed like sardines on the bus.
Then I was stuck standing as our lovely bus driver flew around corners. I was tossed like a rag-doll all over the place. It was comical to everyone (Chileans and Americans), but myself. No one in our group was too sure of where to get off either, so being the lucky one, had to make my way up to the front of the bus to ask the bus driver to tell us which stop. It was quite funny!
Documenting the lovely bus ride.
Once we made it to the dunes, the adventure was on! We all started running, climbing, sliding and hiking up and down the dunes! On the back side of the dunes is the sea with some cliffs that you can explore and climb. That was our mission!
We definitely hiked down the dunes and and rocky areas that I don't think were made to be traveled on. No big deal! We made it to the cliffs and it was beautiful! The waves were crashing and splashing up on us, and the view of the cities along the bay was neat!
After the exploring, we decided to start to walk back to catch the bus. Needless to say, we ended up walking about 2 miles to get back to the bus! It's okay because the view and company was great! All in all, I think we hiked about 4-5 miles that day.
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