Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

" For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."

Some nights I just cling to the hope that all season's of my life, were not out of reach from the Fathers hand. His Will covered them all. How thankful I am for that hope...

A quoet that has been speaking to my heart this week is one I heard in one of daddy's messages online,

"We all are learning, we all are failing, we all are growing if we are seeking the character of Christ."

and

""We all need someone in our lives who we cannot fool." -Dad's message on Authenticity in our Christian Lives.

Blessings of week 28

The blessing of "Kindred Spirits": A couple months ago my pastor's sons were telling me about their good friend Pablo who they had grown up with, who was married to a wonderful girl who they said I " would really get along well with her!" Well little did I know that the wife of my friends best friend, Priscila, not only lived in Santiago, Spoke English and was truly amazing, but..that she was the new assistant teacher in Kindergarten! I sat in that first meeting and just stared at her trying to figure out how I recognized her face...until it finally hit me! And when it did, I was immedietly excited to get to know her because of all the things I had heard about her. The cool thing is, we have both felt already such a "kindred spirit" between us, as if I have known her for a lot longer. That kind of friend that you just are thankful they are in your life because you almost couldn't imagin what life was like before their friendship. We have started a new tradition where on Saturday evenings I will go to her house along with Sonya for just girl time, and i just feel encredibly thankful. Even before I came to Chile I began praying for friendships that would help mold me, and that would last. Thank you everyone for your prayers in this specific area of my life, my friendships. I can see them answered.

I got to speak with not only my grandparents, but also my adoptive grandparents on Skype! All in the same week. I felt blessed again by the ability to do so, to be able to see the tears we both were shedding ...as we spoke of the goodness of Christ and His hand in Chile, in my life here. It was 3 hours of talking I was thankful for!

The Blessing of These Smiles every...single....day.

And These Hugs...oh these hugs. So special 

The Blessing of Late night chats, nightly " cleaning the dinner dishes" buddy, workout accountability and partner,and fellow explorer , oh and fellow lover of Christmas, she adds a new joy to my every day life. Its always sweet to hear her call me "sister".



New fellowship: Eating a huge meal with the Father In Law of Priscila, who has also been a Pastor of a wonderful Church here in Santiago for over 20 years. He and his whole family welcomed me into their home, and we just sat around their table talking a little bit of english, spanish, japanese ( or so it felt :)) and yet it was fulfilling and refreshing. They asked My father to preach at their service which meets in the evenings, and I am thrilled. Many churchs here lack teachers with biblical training like many pastors have to have before even thinking about starting a church. Here, when a man is called, he responds and answers, often times doing so along with continuing to work 45 more hours a week. For that reason, I know it will be a blessing for both churchs to sit and listen to my father, and I cant help but wonder if thats one reason why the Lord brought me here. To somehow get my father into some of these wonderful, Christ honoring, churchs!

This is The Church. They also have invited me to their Bible Study for young adults on Saturday evenings which will be  a great opportunity to meet more wonderful Chilean believers, who are also around my age!
Man how cool I feel it is to be able to be a part of two outstanding, bible teaching church's, with equally loving and welcoming people.

School Unity: Saturday Family Day at the school! Every Other Saturday we are beginning this new year to have a game day. And the turn out was awesome, considering it was cold and cloudy. Man how I pray that the students and parents who are not saved that go to the school, will come to know Christ...through the school. Not only the Director of the school but also the school secretary who has been at SCA for over 20 years, said last week that the whole spirit of the school is different this semester as well as, "The school for the first time in the last couple years,  feels like a school." I feel blessed to be here...for such a time as this!! There are big changes being made, and I just continue to pray the Lord use me in every way He has planned to, and that I do not get in the way!

The Blessing of a Special Opportunity! One of the most enthusiastic, exciting, and touching childrens musical-performance I have ever seen. With the absence of many of the props and electrical technology that most childrens performances entail, they put on a show only needing a small sound system, and some beautifully home sown costumes. Many children accepted Christ through it!

The Children's musical that Priscila's church's young people put on FOR my church and other churches in the community.  IT was AMAZING!!! A lot of dancing, bright colors, and lively music! I along with another missionary couple who saw it, agreed on how they all seemed so enthusiastic and happy to be doing what they were doing, being in front of those children singing about Jesus right then and there. They did a wonderful job. Very well planned and prepared for.

We are sitting in the back staying warm by drinking tea, and enjoying the show

Oh I love this little one. She is raised by her unsaved, single mother. They have very little money, but has a brother who loves Jesus more than anything, and who brings her to church with him every sunday.

The

The good shepherd finding his Lost sheep and loving him back home. The boy who played the lost sheep seemed to really have a special light in his eyes during the whole performance, like that of a new believer, and so I asked about his testimony. Never did I expect it to be what it was. His parents had been missionaries in Argentina until they got divorced, and shortly after his father killed himself. This young man lived through that and dressed as the Lost Sheep and with Bible in hand after the performance, he challenged the children to give their hearts to Jesus. I was moved to say the least. He has been on my heart ever since. Please lift him and his mother and brothers and sisters up in prayer also.

The Blessing of Windows: Now in the Summer time with no central AC I can already imagine what a wonderful blessing windows will be, a sort of respite from the heat, however in the wintertime....it can cause for some unwelcomed intruders who are also trying to flee the cold. In this story, the intruder was the church cat. This was actually a story I was not sure to share in the blog, not knowing how appropriate talking about ones experiences in the bathroom is, but upon my grandparents encouragement...I am...because well, it was a memory made specifically in Chile :) I was sitting on the toilet minding my own business...freezing.....but non the less content, when I hear a thud behind the shower curtain, close to the open window ( It being broken is the reason it remains open). I peaked around the curtain only to find the cat purring and upon seeing me...began walking towards me. Now what would you do if a cat refused to stop trying to jump on your lap, while on the toilet? I must say it was a first time experience for me and so it just became humorous as I began "psshhh  scat!!!"  "GO AWAY" " RAWRRRR" all  to not avail. Instead, The cat seemed to find me entertaining enough to sit on its behind and just look at me, with its head cocked to the side. Forget having privacy in the bathrooms. That is just not always a given here.....thanks to the open windows ( even in 30 degree weather) and how they never fail to liven up the most routine moments in ones day.

The Blessing of reading through the book of Judges with my father, thanks to Wisdomonline.org. It is such a wonderful Book that before this study, I had had no former personal connection to, that is until learning about Jephthah "the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. ² Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of another woman.” ³ So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him. ^{Judges 11
By all accounts He was an outcast, and doomed from the start. Prostitute for a Mother, driven away by his family, closest friends were people who were no good. However, as the book of Judges continues we see Him  asked by the very people who rejected him...to rise up and lead them into battle. When he won, the Bible says he gave the glory all to God. This story reminds me a little of David, and a little of Joseph. What the devil meant for evil, the lord allowed to shapen and prepare Jephthah for His greatest Victory and his purpose. Seasons of our lives are always for a purpose, be it a week...a month...a year...or 5 years. Hurtful things the Lord allows those around us to do to us, are all serving an unseen purpose. This story that previously had not connected with my heart has been encouraging my spirit mightly. May it encourage yours also!}

A New Mercy:
"His Mercies are NEW every morning" is what keeps coming to my  mind as I reflect over this past week. It is amazing to me that as Christians who are following the path that the Lord has laid out for us, we can rest in knowing every day brings new mercies and new blessings. With every "New" thing there are uncertainties, excitements, unfamiliarities, fears, as well as new hopes in the new opportunities. I've felt every one of those emotions as I met and....barely scratched the surface of meeting and learning my 6 new little ones. What a wonderful New Mercy of the Lord they represent to me of the Lords continued sufficiency and grace in my being in Chile. In six mini sized, wide eyed little ones, I see the reminder of how I made it through 1 semester already....and have been given the opportunity to experience it all over again!
 But with a whole new bunch of faces who have already brought joy to my heart. Their names are Susan, Ming-Zhe, Gabriel (Boy) Aaron, Amaro ( Boy). 3 Chilean and 3 Asian.

4/5 year olds are known for the cute things they say, which is one of the many reasons I love teaching this age group, and often mention that to people when I hear the emphasis question " How do you do it?!" :)

Well in this "cute" situation we read 1 Fish 2 Fish Red Fish Blue Fish ( I have found that Dr. Suess books transcend language barriers, and its made me love them even more than before) and had just finished it  when
The conversation went like this...

Me:"Friends where do fish live??"
Kiddos:"The water"
Me:"Right!! Good Job!"
Me:"Do we live in the water?"
Kiddos:"NOOOOOOO" giggles
Me:"Well where do we live?"
Kiddo: " In the Grass!!"

Ming-Zhe enjoying the Traffic light cookies we made on a day we were learning about Road Safety

Susan reeeeeeeally loved that icing!!

My new Tueday/Thursday Teacher Aid Liz. Her children attend the school and she and her husband are missionaries here in Chile

Susan was trying to offer a yummy cookie to Amaro, who was currently very unhappy at me for waking him up from his ( 1 hour) nap. He likes to sleep his mommy later told me!

This picture cracks me up because it captures their relationship. Gabriel has taken little Aaron under his wing and just loves that little man. I havent figured out yet if Aaron enjoys it.....

Playing Red Light, Green Light After eating our Cookies! They clearly loved it. Oh and Gabriel is holding Aarons hand....

My youngest munchkin Aaron. He is a VERY old 3.

Always tuckered out,bless their hearts. Learning in a different language, double the work!

How fearfully and wonderfully made we truly are, and the childrens alertness and ability to retain knowledge and grasp so much at such a young age, always speaks to their Creator, and is so neat to watch.



A cultural observation I wanted to share is how the South American people, but more importantly the youth respect and honor their elderly.
I cannot name all the times I have been on a crowded metro with 29823023 people vying for the same seat and searching for that little space that is not yet inhabited by 2928823 other people. Ah yes, this is just a part of the way of life here. Crowded, every man for himself...public transportion! However, the exception to that norm is the elderly...and rightly so.
 I have seen numerous young 14+ year old boys stand up as soon as an elderly women entered into the metro or bus as if second nature, without a blink. I have even witnessed a boy who looked about 16 or 17  lean over and tell a women in her 40's and unaware due to intently reading her book, that there was an elderly woman who had entered, to which the woman got up and offered her the seat .
Another cynario where this respect was shown happened while I was sitting in church. As in any church, at any given moment there will be someone sneezing, coughing, or making some bodily noise that can easily disrupt ones attention to the message, leading one to glance their way in hopes the glance makes a difference.. We all know what I am talking about right? Well I began hearing a horrible coughing sound  coming from somewhere in the front of the church, and as it continued...off..... and on, I began searching the crowd trying to find the culprit.  Not intending to offer assistance, just to offer a glance.....
 Well, as I was sitting there searching the crowd.., I saw my friend say to one of the younger boys " Go get her water." And He did! The young man ( 16ish) jumped up, and came back with water and walked right up and gave it to the older woman. Two young people lent a helping hand when one was needed, and so often I feel other places can be overlooked and tuned out. Yes, I felt convicted.

Just a very cool thing to watch, as well as something I truly appreciate, and admire... whether its offering a seat, or fetching a glass of water this culture has got the "Care for the elderly" thing down pretty pat.

A Suprising Treat!

On saturday I decided to take a new missionary friend out to see the city, never knowing we would litterely stumble upon a HUGE festival! These pictures were taken as we watched the parade of music and native dancing and costumes for hours!! It was a treat to see....

Thankful for all of your prayers and support! It means the world to me!