What's Going On???

So what's been going on around here?
Tuesday was Andrew's 16th birthday. I still can't believe my oldest "baby" is growing up. We were able to celebrate with a few of his friends and their fathers. It was a really special time and I'm glad that he has the kind of relationship with his father that he was willing to include him and the fathers of his other friends as well in his birhtday. I'm very thankful for the son that the Lord has given us. He's a very special, talented young man and we look forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do with his life.
Wednesday morning 6 men from our home church came to participate in an evangelistic campaign that my husband and Bro. Heinz are coordinating. 3 of the guys are staying with us and 3 with the Heinz family. The first day was kind of rainy so they got off to a slow start but it finally cleared up and today was a beautiful day. Last night we took our 3 visitors to Pucon where they were able to meet their fellow brothers in Christ. We had a good service with Bro. John Nadaskay preaching. We also had 100% attendance which was a blessing as well. We've had a lot of fun with our visitors. We are not sleeping much and as long as I have a pot of coffee ready in the morning and after every meal we all get along just fine!! Please pray for the work they are doing here in Chile that it will bear much fruit.

9 Days Later

well, it has been 9 days since we have returned to Chile. They have been very busy days to say the least. We arrived in Santiago on a Wednesday morning. ALL of our suitcases arrived with us as well for which we were very thankful. There were so "much" of us that they actually HELPED us right through customs to get us out of the way!! We're hoping that the guys that come down next week get the same treatment. We then went to Pastor Luis' house and cleaned up, got our spanish tongues in tune again and they had a cook-out for us! Wednesday night we got on the bus and traveled through the night to get "home" to Temuco. Amy Heinz and her girls were busy in the kitchen cooking breakfast- bacon, eggs and pancakes! Hmm! the house smelled good! Yes, after 2 nights of sleeping on planes and buses we were tired but so very happy to be back in our house. All was in order. Garry's dad was happy to see us and so was the girl that takes care of him. She was so happy that she left THAT DAY on vacation!! We spent Thursday trying to unpack as much as we could but our bodies demanded some attention so we ended up resting and not getting too much unpacked. Friday we went to Labranza where my husband preached in Bro. Heinz' missions conference. We are so thankful for the Heinz family and their friendship over the years. They have been such a help to us while we were off the field and helping us to get back in the "saddle" again. Saturday we went to the mission work in Lastarria. They didn't know we were coming and the looks on their faces was worth it!! They thought we were NEVER coming back! They are doing well and have remained faithful. They went and found a separate place to meet in that would be easier to invite visitors to. It needs some work but its a step in the right direction. Sunday, of course, we went to the church in Loncoche and then on to the mission Pucon. All were happy to see us! The mission in Pucon has also moved into a separate building. All signs of growth for which we are thankful. They had a cook-out for us too!! So much for coming back and losing weight! In between all this we were still unpacking and finally got down to the last suitcase on Monday. On Thursday my husband preached in Temuco which is now in Fundo el Carmen. The brethren dismantled the auditorium and moved it across town to a new housing developement where they are purchasing the property that they have re-built the church on. They did a great job of putting the church back together! We were kind of nervous about what it might look like but we are so proud of the way they have been so careful to preserve the original "look". They are doing well and have endless opportunities in the new comunity that they are in. Yesterday, the ladies in Loncoche had their weekly Bible-study time and I went down on the bus and was able to teach and share a special "tea-time" with them. They have also remained faithful to the Lord and have grown spiritually. Of course, there are a few negative things that have happened while we were gone but the positive definitely outweighs the negative. We have also been to our new house in Villarrica. The lady that we bought it from is moving out and next week the house will be empty. We have decided to move at the end of the month since we have visitors coming very soon! Please pray that we can sell our house here in Temuco SOON! It is on the market and in the paper. Want to buy a house in Chile????? We are very happy to be back to out place of service yet a bit homesick as well. The changes coming back don't happen from one day to the next. We enjoyed our time in the States, have some precious memories to store away in our hearts, and have come to appreciate our families and our church family even more. Until the next time.............

Today Is the Day

Well, today is the day we have been feverishly packing for! 15 suitcases later we are ready to begin our journey "home". Are we excited? Yes. It has been our home and place of ministry for 14 years. Is it hard to leave? Always. I have come to the realization that I live in 2 worlds. When I'm here in the States I miss being in Chile and when I am in Chile I miss the people in the States. Every once in a while when we have visitors the 2 worlds come together for a brief moment of time and then separate again. I've come to realize that those 2 worlds will never completely come together until we reach heaven. So for the meantime we have to be happy in whichever world we are in knowing that someday we will all spend eternity together with the Lord and there will be no more good-byes.

Good Memories

Today is our last Sunday here in the States and I can't help but review over the last 4 months and think about some of the special moments that we have experienced. Today Sarah Anger brought me a small foto album that she had made (she was very sneaky and very THOUGHTFUL) of some of the activities that I had the opportunity to participate in while here at the church: the ladies Christmas dinner, special times of sharing with our ladies groups, good fellowhip around the lunch table, birthdays, etc. just to name a few. Of course, any time spent with our families is always special for us. This year was truly "Christmas At Home" for us as we were able to be with my family for Christmas and New Years. We were also able to spend some special moments with my husband's sister, brother and nephew. My children will NEVER forget their week-end with Aunt Terry: chocolate chip pancakes (that their mother would never make because of all the extra energy they produce afterwards), playing LIFE, drinking hot chocolate, and going shopping and being able to buy ANYTHING they wanted(that won't happen too often in their lifetimes!) We were able to spend several weeks with my mom and brother just hanging out, watching movies, laughing together and tripping over each other in my mom's BIG house! The recent passing away of my grandmother was certainly a sad but precious moment in our lives as we were together as a WHOLE family for the first time in many years. All in all it was a precious 4 months of memories that we have made that will have to last us a few years. There are no regrets but only thankfulness to the Lord for His perfect timing in our lives so that we could be a part of other people's lives for this moment of time in our lives. Thank you to all of you that have made these months special and memorable for us.