Weekends and my excessive peanut butter consumption

It's true. Weekends are just as good all over the world. Today we slept in--a much needed break from the rush of the busy week we had. Then I put PB & J on some bread and ate it! I also ate an apple with peanut butter on it. How we found peanut butter is kind of an interesting story. My teammate Bridgette and I decided the biggest culture shock here in Santiago was the lack of peanut butter (especially since we have exponentially increased our bread consumption). So, we decided to look for some. The biggest problem is that super markets tend to have a different set-up than those of the US so we grabbed a Chilean friend and tried to explain to him what peanut butter was (not knowing the word for peanut, and only being mildly confident of the word for butter). It turns out that saying "We're looking for brown butter" is not a good way to find peanut butter.

We also had plans to go dancing tonight, but the place we were going to take lessons from was closed (it's Saturday night). So that's why I'm sitting in a hostel, in Santiago, being an internet bug. I think places have interesting hours here. Most things aren't open till probably 10 or 11 a.m. and they probably close around 9 p.m. Furthermore, most aren't open on Saturday or Sunday. This really makes general shopping interesting. We do most of our shopping at Lider, the Chilean equivalent of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart recently bought out the company, actually, which is sad because it's originally a Chilean company, and now it's pretty much another component of Wal-Mart's global takeover. Yea.

Ok, time for input...

Ok, time for y'all to prove you actually look at this blog. I've been experimenting with different templates, and I'd like to know which you all think is the easiest to look at. The first was a black background with a light text. Next was polka-dots. Pretty lame (In my opinion). And now you're looking at a wonderful light background with some green overtones. Very warm, soothing, and I think Ok to read off. But you all get to decide. So, there's a job for you. Your vote counts!

Today was a wonderful day! I'm still trying to remember to live out what I wrote about yesterday, but I was able to have some great conversations with students and we had about 50 people at our English Club today! Woo-Hoo!

I think the number one adjective to describe the attitude towards religion here in Chile is suspicious. For so long they've associated religion with the Catholic Church, and the Church with politics. So, many of the students I talk to automatically question who is funding our group because the Catholic Church is viewed as basically nothing more than a governmental institution. It's a sad truth. The people are hungering for so much more, but have been taught all their lives never to question what the Church does. Asking question is always a good thing.

Two Updates in One Day...

Ok, so, I just sent this in an e-mail to all my supporters, so if you've already seen it, feel free to keep reading older posts, and thanks for visiting the site! Stop back often for more updates!

Our ministry here has been great! If you have had time to check out my blog, you know that on Saturday we spent the morning on the street corners with dozens of other Christian organizations in the city to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Pentecostal-Methodist church here in Chile. Our group actually saw 4 people come to accept Christ as a personal Lord and Savior that day! God took something that was almost a spectacle with the street bands, posters, and corner evangelists and spoke to the hearts of people through it! The work continues on the Campuses as well. Now, we’ve focused our work to two major Universities: La Universidad de Santiago de Chile, and La Universidad Catolica de Silva Henriquez. Most of my time has been spent at La U. de Santiago, and I love it there! It reminds me very much of the University of Iowa. It’s about the same amount of students, and many seem to have similar outlooks. It’s a very “open-minded” school, which can be a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, it means they are apt to be swayed by the Devil’s schemes. However, it works in our favor, because it also means they are ready listen when we speak with the love of God. Working with His Spirit, and taking leaps of faith, we have seen the ministry there grow in leaps and bounds the past two weeks.

Currently, God has been working my heart as well, this morning our team devotions were on the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25, and it really got me thinking! If you have time, check it out (Matthew 25: 14-30). First of all, verses 14-17 talk about how the Master “entrusted” his servants with different amounts of talents (1 talent was about 20 years’ wages). This word “entrusted” means stewardship, which entails an action-path, not a passive reception of our gifts. Furthermore, these first few verses show that the Master called each of His servants individually. He didn’t just give them a set quota and turn his back. Rather, He made a careful evaluation of each servant, and gave them a special charge.

The third servant really caught my eye this morning, though. When the Master comes back and asks for the third servant to present himself, the servant says, “I was afraid, so I hid your talent in the ground.” This means a couple things. First of all, he knew very well he had been given something special, but chose to disregard it. Are we turning our backs on God’s calling? When we evaluate our lives, do we see the gifts He has given us, but choosing to ignore them? He was also choosing to look at only one side of the Master’s character. He saw only the “hard” side, and not the “come share in your Master’s happiness side.” Are we putting words in God’s mouth, and living as if we are “afraid” of Him, instead of “in fear” of His holiness? Finally, we must evaluate the third servant’s motives for burying his talent. His attitude toward the Master in verse 26 shows, I think, that he was acting out of self-preservation, fearing his Master’s wrath, and not out of genuine love for the Master. The first two servants were confident in the Master’s love for them and their love for the Master, so they were able to step out in faith and make the necessary investments to further His Kingdom.

My favorite Chilean food

It's called cazuela and y'all need to eat it. Also, if you're planning on spending any amount of time with me in the future you will probably eat it. It was a broth-based soup that had in it the following:
1/4 of a chicken (bones and all)
1 potato
A bit of parsley and cilantro
That's all. I suppose you could add some vegetables if you are in to that sort of thing (but I'm not really). It was really delicious and filling, and well-followed with yet another trip to our favorite ice cream bazaar. Tasty and Delicious! What a great day!

1000 Corners

Today was the 100th anniversary of the Pentecostal-Methodist Church here in Chile, so we spent the morning working with dozens of other Christian organizations here in the City to promote the "One in Christ" idea. It was cool to see so many people working for the same cause, but I still had the impression that we weren't quite all together. It was also very intimidating because there were street bands and the like. Still, it definitely forced people to re-evaluate the Church. I only hope it didn't reinforce their beliefs. Still, it was fun to see.

First Day with Students

We're just ending our Day 4 in Chile (I think it's day four...)and we had the opportunity today to try our hand at communicating with students on our own. It went better than I thought it might for me. Chileans are rather notorious for speaking very VERY quickly, even other native speakers have trouble understanding their Spanish. As such, I wasn't sure I would be able to comprehend the speed of their speech. I held my own, though, and had a great time getting to know several of the girls. We had an English Club meeting today that was a great opportunity for us to practice Spanish, and the Chileans to practice English!

Today we also ate Döner kebab. If you're thinking the same "Donner" I was--you're wrong. We ate this Döner, not this Donner...We also ate a massive hot dog for dinner, finished off by delicious gelato--I should not eat for a week!

Faithful Reflections

Today is my second day in the wonderful city of Santiago, and while I enjoyed myself immensely, there’s something that I just cannot get out of my mind.

This morning, my team met at the director’s apartment in one of the nicer areas of residential Santiago for a briefing on how to share the Gospel with Chilean students. The main emphasis was that we need to form relationships. Please do not take my statements the wrong way; relationships are undoubtedly an important part of any ministry, but I don’t think “relationship building” can take the place of “spiritual building” especially on a mission trip.

There is a Truth in the Gospel that is more important than a relationship—sometimes, relationships must be sacrificed for this Truth, Jesus said this when he told his disciples that a man must “hate” his father and mother to be a true follower.

So, long story short, I’m going to try and make the most of this opportunity to share the Gospel, and hopefully gain the respect and friendship of the students along the way.

Prayers Please!