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!}