Sunday, November 7, 2010

Getting Up to Speed

Hi Everyone!

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but we thought we should get you up to speed on what life has been like down here in Tome! We are still getting the hang of everything, but we are learning Spanish like crazy people and (of course) practicing A LOT. We've been super blessed to make some very close friends down here already – Rudy and Ida – who speak English as well as Spanish. It has been an amazing help to us to have them around, not only to spend time with them (they are also a newlywed young couple) but also because they have taught us so much about the language. We are so sad to see them go – they are leaving in January to move to Sweden for a few years (Ida is from Sweden) and we will miss them dearly! If you think of it, pray for them! Their travels, their preparation, and their integration into the Swedish way of life.

Jordan has had the opportunity to travel a good amount to film different conferences, classes, and preachings the past few weeks as well. We go to Concepcion every Tuesday to film classes at a Christian University, Jordan also films the service every Sunday morning, he went to Santiago a few weeks ago to film at a conference, and has taken many day trips to get some footage from Dichato and the surrounding areas that are still recovering from the earthquake. In terms of reconstruction efforts, there are still thousands living in emergency housing, which are small 1 room houses that provide protection from the elements. They are sturdy, but some of these emergency housing communities still don't have running water! Pray for these people for continued provision and encouragement.

I (Missy) have begun teaching Sunday school to the church's children. It has been amazing already! Though small, the church has the desire to expand and grow their children's program. This week, we will be cleaning out an office space that we can use until February for a place to have children's classes each Sunday. I went to Concepcion last week and bought a few small games for the kids, and they loved it! We have many small children (about 3-5) who are too little to sit through even a children's Sunday school, so I bought blocks and toy animals for them to play with. Currently, most mom's just sit outside of the service and try to keep their little ones occupied during the preaching, so I am hoping that we can develop an area, and get one or two extra people to play with these little ones so their moms can hear the message. The older kids enjoyed playing with a Jenga that I found in Concepcion, and by tying it into the message of the week we were able to bring out more meaning and interaction. Please pray for continued guidance in how to create a space for these kids on Sundays, and that they might start coming regularly to spend time learning more about God!

We have also really enjoyed hosting the prayer night/English classes every Thursday. It has also become a bit of a “cooking class” time on top of that too – as everyone loves the cookies we've made, lemonade, hot chocolate, etc. that we prepare for the meeting and asks for the recipes. Some of the girls from the youth group have made it a habit to come early so that we can prepare the goodies for the night together – it is so much fun! We have English class from 6-:7:30 and then prayer for the church from about 8 – 9. We spend 7:30-8 talking, eating, and hanging out, and it has really enriched our experience here, and allowed us to meet more people from the church. You can pray for continued growth in the English classes/prayer time, as some of the people who come for English class have been staying to hear the devotional that Jordan prepares, it has become a very cool ministry opportunity for those who don't know the Lord but want to learn English and stay after class!

Along with all these other things we've been working alongside the youth leaders on many youth events, and Jordan has become quite a hit with his designing ability. He just finished working on a CD cover for the youth group kids who participated in our Halloween event – Pactoween. It's an overnight at the nearby camp that the church owns, and was an amazing time of fellowship, food, devotionals, and I shared my testimony.

Finally, we've had a great time getting to know the city more, and Concepcion as well – I went with Ida last week for a “girls day” and got to know the mall just outside Concepcion, it was really fun. We've also had fun fixing up the house, walking and playing (and bathing) the dog, and getting settled.

Thanks so much for all of your prayers, we have felt so guided as the Lord continues to challenge us in getting out of our comfort zone while also equipping us to do many things here in Chile. We are hoping to get more pictures and a video up, so hopefully that will happen soon!

Love and blessings to you all today,

Missy (and Jordan)

2 comments:

  1. Hey! It's so encouraging to here about the work you two are doing in Chile. I praise God for His perfect timing in all of this.

    Miss, how many kids are are teaching on Sundays? What are there ages?

    Entonces ya entienden perfectamente el español?? Sabía que no sería dificil para ti ni para Jordan. :)

    God bless you both and keep you safe in His arms.

    Much love,
    emily

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  2. So glad to hear things are going well for you two!

    Love you, Miss!

    -Jules

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