Just call us "Reid Hostel"

So for a few weeks there we felt like a hostel having so many different people passing through our doors to stay here in our humble Chilean abode. First we had our Portland friends for about 5 weeks, then we had a Brazilian and Argentinian stay for 2 weekends - leaving to work in Dichato for the week in between - and during that week we hosted some friends from the East coast who are travelling around South America rock climbing. Needless to say we had some busy days, but it was great to meet some new people and catch up with old friends. Here are some photos from the last 2 weeks of homestays.

Andres and Rafael, from Argentina and Brazil, were a real treat to have over - they were super funny guys and had great attitudes!

Having Rhane and Lucy over meant some amazing food - they had some awesome vegetarian dishes that just blew us away!

Chopping up all the summer fruit and veggies

Delicious morning egg dish, chock full of all the veggies you can imagine!

The black bean burger has come to Chile, and it is delicious!

Thanks everyone for really blessing our house by your presence,

Missy and Jordan

Saying Goodbye

A week ago we said goodbye to some friends from Portland. They were able to be down here for about seven weeks, to share in the little paradise that is Tome, Chile. It was sad to see them go, but far sadder for the Chilean friends they made that may not see them for a long long time. They were able to experience a lot in the past seven weeks, and we are so glad they did. It is always awesome to be able to share this place with friends and family, it always reminds us of how great this little town is.

The kids with their Chilean babysitter

Such a little model

Chilean friends

The Portlanders

They touched a lot of lives down here, and made some great friendships that will last a long time. All arrived home safe and are still adjusting to the fast-paced life that is the good ol' USA, thanks for coming down guys!

-Jordan and Missy

Hasta Luego Karen

Last week one of our dear friends from the youth group left for Acts 29 in Ecuador for 3 months. Don't know what Acts 29 is? Well it is a great exchange program that many of the youth from our church down here have participated in. A 3-month Bible school that takes place in Sweden, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Congo, and India. Here is a video of some of the things the school has done in Tome. The students all live together, half being from one nation and half from another (Chile and Sweden usually exchange students for example) and spend their days learning about the Bible (all classes being translated into both languages), evangelizing in the city with dramas, and going on weekend excursions to serve in other churches in the area. It's a really cool program that has helped many of our youth mature in their faith, given them the chance to travel to other countries, and allowed them to learn more about evangelism. It's called Acts 29 because the book of Acts only has 28 chapters, so in doing acts as Christ's disciples we are the continuation of the book - thus chapter 29.

Anyway, back to Karen, one of our friends from the youth group that left last week to attend this program. Missy hosted a women's night at our house the night before Karen left, and it was great to pray over her in preparation for her trip. It was both exciting and nerve-racking for Karen, being the first time travelling outside of Chile and ever flying in an airplane. It was fun to be there to see her off - sending people off at the bus station is a tradition here in Tome.

Waiting

 Karen, Pastor Luciano, Karen's mom

Jordan!

Goofing around.

Getting the bags ready.

Chao Karen!!

Blessings,
Missy and Jordan

Home!

Hey all, just a quick note to let you all know we arrived safe and sound in Portland last Wednesday. We've been pretty busy with family and friends lately, but we'll be sure to get back on track with the updates soon. While you wait, here are a few pictures.

- Jordan and Missy

Our awful visa photos

An ostrich named Dave we encountered on one of our trips

Sea anemone at the beach

Coming Home

Well, with the Easter service came our time to hop on a bus and head out to Santiago to return home. We are leaving on Tuesday evening, and arriving in Portland on Wednesday. 

It seemed to come out of nowhere (minus the fact that we have been working super hard to prepare the house for winter while we are gone) and it was hard to say goodbye. We've made some amazing friends down here, and it is honestly difficult to believe that we've only been here a little over 7 months, because we simply feel so close to everyone. 

We got to say some goodbyes at church, everyone gave us lectures that we must return, and both of us cannot imagine saying goodbye for good. It is incredible how much we have grown together here in Tome, but also how serving this group of believers and their community has made us feel so connected, so blessed, and so much apart of them. We are going to miss life down here in Chile, but at the same time are excited to come home and share with all of you the mountains God is moving down here!

May you have a blessed day, and if you think of it – pray for our travels!

Jordan and Missy

The Weekend in Pictures

Last weekend we went out to the country with a few of the married couples from out Marriage group. It was supposed to be a whole group outing but only three of us couples were able to make it. All the same, it was AMAZING! The house was beautiful and beautifully decorated, we had some delicious bbq - Chilean style, and we felt like we were in the middle of Bend, OR. This part of the region - called Costa Seca, where the land is still very close to the coast, but there isn't the humidity the coast has - is very similar to the dry but green you see in Bend. We were also able to share out faith a little bit, as one of the husbands that came isn't a believer. 

Here are some photos of the trip and rest of the weekend:

 The house, a country cabin

It even had a pool, pretty lux, but it broke during the earthquake last year

The men getting the barbecue ready

The meat grilling

Slingshot 101

Enjoying some Choripan

 Salted to perfection

Almost ready to eat

One of the couples brought their daughter (who is in my Sunday school kids class) and her friend, and they loved hearing English and asking questions about the United States. By the end of the night they had made me these - SO cute. El Campo means "the country" - because we were out in the country.

We made these little evangelism bracelets in Sunday school this week, simple but a great way to share your faith (significance of colors HERE). I totally meant to get a picture with all the kids, but it slipped my mind. 

Blessings!

Missy

Santiago Trip

Thought we'd post some pictures from our Santiago trip last month. We went up to take Jordan's mom to the airport and stayed a few extra days. It was amazing, relaxing, and fun to explore a new city a bit. More to come later, but here's a taste!

Sitting on Cerro San Cristobal, looking down on the metropolis that is Santiago

Taking the opportunity to have some good coffee

The skatepark Jordan went to each morning..there is a lack of skateparks in Tome

Walking down the streets of Santiago in the morning before the hustle and bustle

Missy found an aloe plant...and picked some for it's healing properties

Missy looking down

At Cerro Santa Lucia, a mustn't miss in Santiago

Jordan at Cerro Santa Lucia, being the cameraman that he is

Blessings,

Jordan and Missy

Carol's Visit: At the Market

Jordan's mom, Carol, recently had the opportunity to come down here for a visit, and we had a blast showing her around! One of our first few days with her we stopped by the outdoor market that is held in Tome every Tuesday and Friday. We will have to get more pictures, because these just don't do the market justice - what with all the stands and kilos upon kilos of fresh fruit and veggies.

$400 el kilo, meaning about 80 cents for 2.2 pounds of apples, pretty good deal considering they are also super fresh!


Picking out the perfect head of lettuce.


One cool thing about Chile, because it is such a long country each region has it's own climate, so the country can grow just about any fruit/vegetable you can think of. It's nice when you can look at all the little stickers they put on the fruit and they say "grown in Chile"
... or at least the Spanish translation of that :)

Blessings!
Missy