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Sunday, October 7, 2012

Once upon a time, in a far away land


This is going to be a long post, because it’s the first time I’ve had internet on my computer in a while. I think the trip can be divided into the following cities: Santiago, Loncoche, Lanco, Panguipulli, Puerto Montt, Puerto Chacabuco, and Coyhaique. As you read, keep in mind that this is roughly 1,000 miles of travel. Another thing to remember is that the words I will use could never truly describe the trip. Chile is one of the most beautiful places on earth and we saw about half of the country (the longest country in the world).


Santiago

We left Santiago early Friday morning. It was a great trip! There’s a very tasty sausage in Chile called a longaniza…not to be confused with the Mexican longaniza that you can get in the states. Well everybody in Chile knows that the best longaniza in the whole country is in the city of Chillán. I decided that we couldn’t drive through Chillán without trying their longaniza! So we made a little stop there. In the afternoon we visited a place called Monte Águila. There are two Mexican missionaries there, and I was there specifically to meet a third who we found out is back in Mexico right now. I enjoyed meeting the others anyway. One of their names was Rodolfo Ventura and the other’s first name was Roberto.


Loncoche

Our first stop to stay overnight was in Loncoche. It was there that we met up with Jody Ray. She is a great example of what a Christian lady should be and we sure love her. She opened her home to us Friday and Saturday night. There we also made a couple of other friends named Cyntia and Cristian, a young couple living with her. Cyntia has a brain tumor and is taking medicine that makes her extremely ill so I have been praying for her.


Lanco

Iglesia Bíblica Bautista el Calvario is the church in Lanco where Jody attends. It is about 15 minutes or so from Loncoche. Her son-in-law Neil Arias started the church. He is now pastoring a Spanish department of a church in Tucson, Arizona. I was invited to preach at this church on Sunday morning, and we also sang.


Panguipulli

After Sunday lunch we left Panguipulli to meet some new friends, Steve and Sandra Reyes. They have 3 adorable children, and they’re funny kids too. Their son said to me, “You’re stomach is big, you must have eaten too much fish.” Then the next day he said, “Carl, you have a funny name, but it’s a good one anyway.” We attended church with them Sunday night and sang in the service. After church and the next morning we played games with them. It was refreshing for all of us, and I think it will be a good friendship in the future. The highlight of my stay with them was late Sunday night. There is a lady in their church whose mother was ill to the point of death, and the doctors said that she’d never wake up (I’m not sure if it was a comma, or if she was just sleepy/incoherent for a long time). Steve received a phone call informing him that she had woken up, so he and I headed out to the hospital and I stood next to her bed as Steve led her to Christ.


Puerto Montt

Our plans changed a couple of times as we tried to determine what would be the best way for us to get to our destination in Patagonia: Coyhaique. It was a blessing to cross paths with Cyntia and Cristian in Loncoche because as it turned out they had a lot of family that had made the trip to Coyhaique. The trip is not as straight forward as one would think because of the Andes. You can’t just drive there. Instead you have to either travel through Argentina or take 1 or several boats to get there. We determined that though it was a little pricier, taking one boat from Puerto Montt to Puerto Chacabuco would be best because of the gas we would have spent, the uncertainty of travelling the other route, and because of the dirt roads we avoided with our excessively loaded vehicle. Pastor Louis Long and his wife Kathy received us into their home on Monday night in Puerto Montt. Sweet couple. We shipped out Tuesday night at 8 pm.


Puerto Chacabuco

The boat trip from Puerto Montt to Puerto Chacabuco was a 24 hour trip. We were very comfortable in a cabin with four beds and a private bathroom. I loved the trip, though I must admit I’ve never really developed my sea legs. I saw dozens of islands on the trip. On one of the islands were two populations: one by the name of Puerto Aguirre and the other by the name of Caleta Andrade. We really need to plant a church there…maybe two.


Coyhaique

Late Wednesday night we got in to Coyhaique. Home sweet home. This is where we will live and do ministry. Coyhaique is the capital of the XI Region of Chile with a population of over 50,000. We were received into the home of some friends and are there until we move in to our own place. I believe the Lord ordered our steps to a certain home and we sealed the deal with evangelism in that neighborhood on Saturday. We write up the contract this Tuesday and move in whenever we are ready. I can’t wait to get settled in and start a weekly Bible study that will pave the way for the church we are starting in a few months.

What an adventure! I’m so glad to share it with my best friend, Annie, by my side.

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