Living in the
Present
Becky and I just completed
our first week of Spanish
language classes here in
Santiago, CHILE....phew! We
certainly have our work cut
out for us. Among other
things, this last week we
were introduced to 75 verbs
and how to use them in the
present tense.
Spanish verbs change
spelling according to the
subject of the verb, so
there are many variations of
any one verb....not to
mention the variations for
future, past, and all the
other tenses! When we
mentioned to the man at the
front desk of our apartment
building about all the
present tense verbs we are
learning, he kindly joked, "Ahhh,
so you are living in the
present tense!" His humor
reminded me of the words of
Jesus, "Do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each
day has enough trouble of
its own." God will see to
it that our daily needs are
taken care of. We needn't
worry, just trust him.
We thank God for his daily
care for us. We arrived in
Santiago just over two weeks
ago. With the patient help
of missionary colleagues and
new Chilean friends, we are
learning where we need to go
and how to get there.
Santiago is a busy city of
about 5 million people
(about 1/3 of the country's
population!) and fortunately
it has a good subway system
to get around. We are
thankful to live only a 5
minute walk from a subway
station. Monday through
Friday, the whole family
leaves our 20th floor
apartment about 8:30 a.m.
and rides the subway to
school. The girls go to
a day care facility only 1
block away from our language
school. We have class for
four hours then go to pick
up the girls. It is a short
walk to the subway and
within 15 minutes we are
back home. Our afternoons
are spend studying, resting,
and doing needed errands.
Spring is making its
appearance here, so late in
the afternoon we often go to
the park just behind our
building. Alena loves to
watch the dogs and talk with
them..."Woof, woof."
We are very fortunate that
our time coincides with a
large patriotic celebration
here in Chile. This week we
have been treated to several
displays of the national
dance (known as "La cueca")
and even had a chance to
learn some of the steps.
Marissa, being a dancer, has
really enjoyed that part!
She even got a traditional
dress for dancing. Chilean
flags are flying everywhere
and the mood is festive.
We're enjoying the ambiance.
Thank you so much for your
prayers and support! We are
feeling a little more
adjusted each day.
Here are our special prayer
requests:
1) for Alena - that she
would be able to sleep
through the nights (means
us, too!)
2) for Marissa - learning
Spanish to be able to
communicate, especially with
other kids; getting through
feelings of homesickness
3) for J.R. & Becky -
strength for each day;
Spanish language skills;
friendships with students at
the language school who are
from all over the world
Join us in thanking the Lord
for the many generous
friends and churches who
have given towards the Peru
vehicle! We are a little
over half way to our goal of
$18,000.
Love from Chile,
J.R., Becky, Marissa, and
Alena
|
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Marissa wears a
traditional
dress for "cueca"
dancing |
Cueca dancers |
Alena celebrating her
1st birthday |
