We arrived in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday, October 11th around 9am, and quickly realized that this was not one of those countries that spoke English in addition to their native language (Spanish). Maybe it was a little naive of me to think that most people would know some English because in the past when I have traveled to foreign countries, most of the natives know some English, too. Don’t get me wrong, I expected to practice Spanish while I was here, but I didn’t realize the extent of how often I would NEED to use it. While it was a little scary at first, especially being in a place I didn’t know and being responsible for getting us to the next location, the necessity to speak Spanish has actually been exciting and surprisingly fun. This challenge, while seemingly small, has opened up so many opportunities to talk to others, experience patience and kindness, and grow. The people here are beautiful. We haven’t even been here a full week and I can’t tell you how many people we have just laughed with about mispronunciations or lack of vocabulary. Strangers on the subway, the teenage girls we live and cook meals with, employees at the local Chilean walmart aka Lider, the man running the cell phone kiosk, the person selling the bus passes, a group of young boys in the park who want to race or swing in our hammocks. All of these people, most of whose names I cannot remember, have caused me to fall in love with this country. All have attempted to understand our attempts at speaking Spanish, and all have laughed with us in the shortcomings and failures. They’re just people like you and I, but they chose to listen to our broken Spanish, be patient with our lack of cultural awareness at times, and embrace our goofiness. It has been so refreshing to just experience the kindness in strangers. It makes me think, do I take the time to help the people who don’t speak English in my own country like these people have helped me? I don’t think I do. Lesson one, check.
It was pretty chilly getting off the plane and going through customs. We had already arranged transportation (on a website in all Spanish #googletranslateforthewin) which was a van that we all packed into and rode to our ministry site. This city is unlike anything I’ve seen. Driving to the Ministry site, it looks like a normal city. Concrete, street signs, cars, buses, stop lights, graffiti, and then these HUGE, GORGEOUS mountains. It looks so strange, like two worlds collided. I don’t really know how to explain it any better than that. Anyways, we get to our ministry site, where we meet Tio Jose, who welcomes us and he shows us around the property and the houses. There are 3 buildings, a fenced in basketball court with soccer goals, a shed, a garden, a henhouse,a shed, and a trampoline. One building is where our host and his family live, who we met later that day, one building is where we are staying, and the other building is a large house where the offices are, the teenage girls live and where we make & share most of our meals together. I love everything about it and it’s integrity.
So, what are we doing here? Good question. These past few days have been a bit of a learning curve for my team and I, but that’s okay. I think our ministry this month is not limited to just one specific place or group of people, which is awesome. 🙂 The organization that owns this property is called Vision for Children Chile, House of Hope (Casa Esperanza), and they partner with the local orphanages, schools, and church to help the kids learn English; how to play musical instruments like guitar, keyboard, and drums; play sports, cook, garden, and hear about Jesus. Because they are a private organization and not funded or run by the government, they have the freedom to share the Gospel with the kids (similar to how things are in the US). There are about 7 girls, ranging from ages 17-22, who are too old for the orphanage, that live in the large house here. In this area of town, called La Pintana, there is a lot of discrimination and a lot of poverty. It is not uncommon for robbery, rape, and drug dealing, and women are generally seen more like objects than people. Most of the girls here have probably been victims of some kind of abuse, whether physical or sexual before they got here. Our host has asked that we be an example to them while we are here, and I’m looking forward to what the Lord has planned in these relationships. They speak very little English, so our conversations are usually consistent of lots of laughter and funny faces. We do chores together everyday, cooking and cleaning. The “Tios and tias” even have the girls rotate the responsibility of budgeting the food money and doing the shopping for everyone in the house. The idea is to provide a safe place for them to live in this transition period, teach them some real life skills, and share the love of Jesus.
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.”
??Psalm? ?27:10? ?NIV??
When we aren’t hanging with the girls or out exploring the local parks and places together (never alone), we will be working with kids at a special needs school a couple blocks away. We stopped by the other day, to meet the kids and teachers, and did a little dancing with everyone. SO STINKING FUN!! So that’s from 9am-1pm each day, and then in the afternoons, we will help Tio Jose with construction type projects around the property. There’s still lots that has not been finished up and is still being completed.
I don’t have any complaints about the food. 🙂 Lots of tea, bread, and eggs. We have comfortable bunk beds, and the showers are usually hot. There is a washing machine we can use for our clothes, and the drinking water is clean. We are pretty spoiled this month compared to what future months may look like, so I am thanking God daily for what He provides. WiFi is not easily accessible, but we can travel to the mall via bus and subway in about 45 minutes and there is a Starbucks there-where I probably will upload this.
This is just the beginning and we are still adjusting to our new normal, community living, adapting to a different culture, and learning our roles, but a song that seems to constantly by sung or hummed by someone on our team is Take Courage, which ironically is appropriate for the transition we are all in.
He’s in the waiting. Stay tuned. 🙂
Slow down, take time,
Breathe in He says,
He’ll reveal what’s to come.
The thoughts in His mind,
Always higher than mine,
He’ll reveal all to come
So take courage my heart,
Stay steadfast my soul,
He’s in the waiting,
He’s in the waiting.
Hold on to your hope
As your triumph unfolds,
He’s never failing,
He’s never failing.
Sing praise my soul,
Find strength in joy,
Let His words lead you on
Do not forget His great faithfulness,
He’ll finish all He’s begun.
Take Courage by Bethel Music & Kristene DiMarco
Love you XOXO
