Hola from Chile! I’m just finishing up my second month in South America, and this was one like no other! Here’s the scoop of what my month has looked like:
The World Race has a program called “WR Exposure” that gives 18-21 year olds the opportunity to join a team that’s already out on the field for one month, and our team was one of those chosen. We had 2 lovely new members on our team for the month, and they were such a blessing! My team spent our time in Lo Prado, which is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Santiago. Even though it is a poor area, the people here are very rich in Spirit!
We served at a baptist church, and we lived in the houses of a few church members. This was amazing because we got real beds, towels, and even robes to borrow (I don’t even own a robe at home). Our ministry mainly consisted of leading church services, making home visits to members that are too sick to leave their house, planning and running children’s ministry, fellowship with the church members, serving coffee and tea by the local metro station, and evangelizing with the community.
Serving coffee and evangelizing by the metro
Children’s ministry
Our ministry schedule was very different this month. We adapted to the Chilean culture by sleeping in late in the morning and staying up late for ministry at night. Here’s a look at our usual schedule:
9:30-10am Roll out of bed, even though it’s FREEZING outside and staying in the warm covers sounds enticing
10:30am Walk over to Jose and Susana’s house at the church for breakfast and coffee/tea…sometimes it was on time and sometimes we would hang out for an hour
11ish-12 This was usually my quiet time and when I would read my Bible
12-2pm Break time! It was usually filled with playing cards, riding bikes, or playing foozeball
2pm Lunch time! Susana cooked delicious meals for us everyday, and we would repay her by doing all the dishes
3:30-4:30pm We usually filled this gap with team time
4:30-9pm Scheduled ministry! Filled with one of our various things mentioned above, as well as eating at a church member’s house
9-11pm We would go back to the house at the church for more food, and then we would just spend time with the family. This usually included telling stories, sharing testimonies, playing cards, and telling poop jokes
11pm-12am Every night that we came home we would sit in the living room with Eva and Arnoldo to talk about our day. Arnoldo is very animated and loves to tell stories. This quickly became one of the favorite parts of my day!
In Chile I learned the value of simply spending time with locals, even when there’s not specific things on the agenda. My Chilean padres and abuelos will forever hold a place in my heart!
The team with several members of the church
Please keep my team in your prayers, as we have a physically taxing month ahead of us in Bolivia. We will be hiking 30 miles into Mojos, a remote village that doesn’t have much contact with the outside world, and then will have to hike back out 2 weeks later. We are all looking forward to this unique opportunity, and we would love your prayers for confidence, endurance, and unity.
