My Overseas Birthday

     So I have to say, my birthday was completely, amazingly blessed.

     It began the night before when Isa stayed awake 'til 12:00 just to wish me happy birthday and to pray that this would be a year of blessings, grace, "compromiso con Dios", fulfillment of my dreams, and more.... Compromiso in this sense is difficult to explain in English...it could mean promise, engagement, maybe even refer to walking in convenential context.

     The next morning as I was waiting my turn in the bathroom, snuggled up under piles of blankets, little Barbara came in to sing me happy birthday...in English! So sweet!

     I don't think I've ever been sung to so much in my life! Barbara continued to sing throughout the day. At each meal I was graced with a petition that the next year would be full of growth and blessing. At lunch, I recieved birthday greetings from the workers at the church who eat with us.

     Then in the afternoon, I chatted with my sister via skype for a while. Throughout the day so many friends chimed in on facebook I was blown away!

     My sweet friend plotted with her sister to surprise me with a birthday cake and little pizzas for Once. Imagine a delicious looking cake of manjar and whipped creamed, candles blazing in the darkness, and my Chilean family gathered round to sing happy birthday! Such a precious time.

     But I knew one more thing was likely to happen.

     You see, I noticed that this church likes to celebrate birthdays. Almost every week there's someone with a birthday and they are called to the front and the entire body sings to them and then Pastor prays over them.

     It was a beautiful thing to look into the faces of my new friends here and be reminded of the times we've shared together...and such a plethora of greetings afterwards! I was hugged and kissed by so many people it was a little overwhelming.

     To top everything off, I was able to chat with several friends just before I went to bed. Two of them I lived with in college, another was part of the Lee group, then a good friend from Lee, and the last a friend from home.

     Chileans are so correct when they say, "que los cumple in Cristo, doblemente feliz", or, if you fulfill your years in Crist, you're doubly happy.

The Fruit of a Good Life

     I thought it was about time to show you the handiwork of a family in the church. Every week they sell alfajores and sometimes cuchuflis. A couple Sundays ago they made super-alfajores. They were half a size larger and marbled with white chocolate...an addition to the typical milk chocolate. Que rico!  

Double alfajore! Oh yeah! 

    Around this same time, Isa's family was blessed by two different families in the church with a bag of oranges and a bag of apples, both straight from the tree. Isa decided to make a pie to eat, and since her dad is diabetic, made the filling with "indulcente", a suger substitute, and left out the sugar in the crust. She was a little anxious to see how it turned out, but as you can see, the end picture was beautiful. It was delicious.

       

Un kutchen de manzanas.

     This past Sunday, we had a great lunch together. Isa's sister, Elizabeth, and said sister's family came over for lunch. Eli's husband, Christian, grilled up some tasty churripan and pork chops. It was a gorgeous day outside and we carried the table to the patio. Close to the end, Pastor unexpectedly made churros. We stayed so long chatting and enjoying the time, that it was nearly five before things were cleaned up. Somewhere in the middle of everything, our precocious scalywag of a pup found a yogurt canister that Eli had thrown away after feeding Christina and brought it back to his bed to enjoy. He gets into almost everything now, I tell you!

      The little thief!

A lovely and delicious lunch outside with the family-including Isabel's sister, Elizabeth, and Eli's family.

     Even as the table was being cleared off, Isa and I were off to welcome home one of the teens who had spent the week at a Christian retreat. Though the surprise was spoilt by whisperings and shushings, I hope he was blessed. I know I enjoyed the time.

A Soliloqui

     Sitting in Church one freezing Thursday evening, I thanked God for His goodness in placing me in this church and for His goodness in revealing Himself to be the same in all cultures, all times, and all places. I cannot even remember the entirety of the message given by one of Isa's brothers-in-law, but I do know it resonated with me and yet, again, spoke of God's great grace and power. Even warmly bundled up, blessed with a heater, and sipping cafe or tea, we could hardly stand the cold. IT WAS WORTH IT.

     Such a blessing has been given to me in these brothers and sisters in the faith. Especially those in Isa's family. It's amazing to see how close they are to each other. Yesterday, one sister testified through song how there are hard, stormy times in life where the devil asks us, "where is your God", and where we feel alone, but we know that God never abandones us. Hearing her sing, filled me with such a peace that, despite hard times I've been through, God has been faithful, and I have not suffered loss. He holds securely in His hand what really matters and His promises never, ever fail.

      An unexpected well of richness in the things of God and in matters of language and history has appeared in the person of Mama Isabel. We talk over spiritual topics, literature, the history of Chile (and more)... And, as in all lives, the way in which she lives, her responses to everyday, and not-so-every-day, events has taught me much.

     It is still with the youth that I mainly interact in the church. During the last few days it has been an amazing feeling to realize that I am becoming part of the group. Yes, there are still language barriers, but aside from that, and aside from being Isa's friend "from the United States", I am truly being accepted as a member.

     The next month will be full of so many events (mostly parties...there are a lot of parties) that I fear it will pass all too quickly. I believe this last third of my time here will be the best, even if it is also the coldest.

Addendum to New Dimensions

      There's one more thing I want to muse on in reference to my last post. Since grace is an inexhaustable topic, for continuity's sake it's helpful to focus on certain aspects of it at a time. 

     So following the train of discussion...

     When grace penetrates a person's heart and God sets him/her free through the truth, gratitude and praise springs forth as a result. Because of the great gift received, the person experiences a desire to become more like Christ, to honour God and to bless others. It doesn't have to do with duty; rather, love and gratefulness. Grace works in the receiver the heart of a giver.

     Short and sweet.

New Dimensions

     I must admit that for about the first 5 or six weeks here, I struggled between feeling at home and feeling the part of an outsider. I hurry to say that is not due to any lack of feeling accepted or wanted. My family has welcomed me as a daughter and sister and I know that their concern and love for me began before I even arrived. Nor is it that I am unused to being in a latino church...I attended one for almost a year in college. Let me tell you, I felt more at home in the small, beautiful fellowship that loved Christ and was composed of new believers who spoke Spanish, than in any of the several churches I visited where they spoke English.

     I think a part of me had difficulty completely feeling at home because I knew that this experience is a blessing that comes to me and I don't deserve it. This time here is something I would never have imagined that I would desire or be granted. Not too many years ago, I was the little girl that prayed God he wouldn't send her to other countries (at least not as a missionary) and begged Him that I wouldn't have to leave the States for long periods of time. Begged. And cried.

     Yet, God has a funny way of taking what you fear He'll ask you to do, and changing your heart so that what you feared becomes what you love.

     I find myself very much at home in Chile...but until recently part of me still felt an outsider. You want to know what I have discovered? There was still more grace in this journey that I was resisting. Grace to not feel ashamed to speak awkward, bumbling Spanish at times. Grace to know that even though I'm the only gringa in the church, and almost anywhere I go, that I'm welcomed and accepted even though I might not have the opportunity to know all of the brothers and sisters here. Grace to rest...grace to work. Grace given to me to enjoy this time and make the most of it because I did not earn a moment of it. I think that is of enormous value: learning to wholeheartedly embrace a gift that you have not earned and simply emjoy it and be thankful without seeking to justify why you've been given the gift or how to repay the giver.

      I like to recieve gifts. Who doesn't? But I think that sometimes, especially with very thoughtful or with very expensive gifts (expensive doesn't necessarily mean monetarily), it is hard for me to receive the gift for feeling self-concious and undeserving. The more I understand grace, the more I realize that it produces a child-like amazement where you're unashamed to stare open-mouthed in wonder...and then wholeheartedly plunge into enjoyment.

     Receiving grace, I've found, requires humility. Not the false humility that says, "Oh! I don't deserve this" and bemoans what the recipient lacks. Rather, embracing grace contains a humility that acknowledges the blessing is undeserved, but gratefully receives the generosity of the giver, trusting the giver, and knowing that it is a mark of love. That's where the issue hits bottom. With God, we may not understand why He loves us, why He saved us, but we eventually we must accept that He chooses to do so.

       Outside of walking in grace, we are never secure in the blessings that are given to us in life because we always fear that at some point they will be taken away from us. We become greedy and possessive. Perhaps in trying to hold onto what we have, we lose the real significance and enjoyment of it, and we certainly lose sight of the love, benevolence, and faithfulness of the giver. Instead of trust there is suspicion that they are witholding something from us or waiting to watch us make a mistake so they can take away the good gift they gave.

     These are simply some musings on aspects of grace...some of them a reminder of things already learned, others applying lessons in a new way. All I can say is that God is so faithful and that He gently teaches us (and sometimes not so gently) that our hope is found in Christ alone and that His Gospel is one of grace that changes us from the inside out.

     

In Everyday Living

To my dear friends and family who read this blog,

       Forgive me for having remained silent too long. It's not that I have not had time to write, but rather that I have strangely lacked the impulse to do so.

       After the group from Lee returned to the Homeland, I crashed-literally. This past week and a half I have remained close to home and my outside activities have been few. When I expressed my chagrin at being so tired, Mama Isabel and Isa simply told me that they felt this time was a gift from God to me so that I could rest after my studies before beginning work in the fall. I must confess it has been a wonderful gift, but one I had not expected to be given so freely during this time...another measure of grace that this trip is teaching me: how to live simply, at rest, in peace.

      It's been a pleasure to study as I can go at my pace and as my studying involves a wide range of activities including reading pleasure books (which greatly increase my understanding of grammar and vocabulary), movies, and conversations.

      Finally, after more than a month of living here, I am beginning to recognize patterns and know what to expect. Every Sunday, Pancho sells alfajores and other sweets after church and I have never failed in enjoying said treat so far. Every Sunday, Isa's family comes to visit and one sister-even if it's Isa- makes a delicious treat for once. Two to three times a week, a brother who is rebuilding the church, lunches with us. Bread is baked about an hour after lunch. Most Saturdays, there is a party-all incidentally, of course, and I don't expect that to continue. Saturdays I also teach English when people can make it. The youth meet that evening. I even know when the sun will hit the table in the kitchen as I sit and study. Once or twice a week we go to a feria...usually for fruit, but also for other things. I'm flabbergasted at how cheap fruit is. It's a good thing because I eat so much of it. I can't help it...it's so juicy and delicious!

       Yet, I still don't know my way around the neighborhood and I'm hopelessly lost when it comes to the micros and metros. I also long to know more about the people here...it's taken me this long to catch up to the rapidity in which people speak. I'm convinced that Chileans are the fastest Spanish speakers in the world! I just thought I understood spoken Spanish! I'm now to the point that I can interject little snippets in a conversation without slowing it down terribly much. I'm encouraged by this small progress but desperately long to chatter away like the rest of the world here does.

      Isa and I help each other out a lot. I ask her how to say this or that in Spanish and she does the same to me about English. She and her mom are introducing me to the vast world of Chilean culture and food.

      I think I've probably given you enough details for now about how life is here in the city of Santiago. The next post, I shall try to recount some of the more exciting experiences I've had. Hasta luego!

Tuyo,

Katy