First days in Vina...

I arrived in Vina Del Mar after the longest flight of my entire life. The whole trip was super tough and I would lie if i didn't say I was lonely, missing family and friends. Descending into aeropuerto Santiago i looked out the window (i had a whole exit row to myself) and saw cracks in the earth with smoke rising, looking like Yellowstone, but not giesers, thanks 8.8. We then went through customs at a tent (because the airport was damaged from the earthquake) and there was a super long line of people, this is when i knew...I am not Glen Allen...hah. I got in the van with Joel (our driver from the university) and another girl from Tijuana who spoke english and spanish. The 1 1/2 hour ride into Valparaiso and Vina was long and unfamiliar. However, some of the mountains looked like central California, some comfort, some. I arrived at my Host House at about 10am, met the family, Oscar (father), Sebastian (28), Andrea (26), and Fransisco (21). Monica (the mother) was at work, but i would meet her that night. The first day was very slow and i was exhausted and it didn't make for a comfortable mix at all. That night we had a bbq with other people in the family and after i went to sleep. Those first 2 days, i thought many times, "why am I here?, What was i thinking?, How can this work for any good? This sucks." But yesterday and today that has slowly worn off and as my focus has shifted to Christ, i've explored some more, met another Gringo who is staying with the brother of my host mom, just down the road, and become more comfortable with my surrounds...all is becoming better. Today I bought my Chilean cell phone, for making local calls to the host family, etc. I began to seek and draw near to God, and as His word proves true (James 4:8), He drew near to me. Just a touch was enough, and His grace is sufficient for me.

So, it's is getting better each day, no easier, I still miss, very much, everyone that I have left behind, but I have much more peace and direction about this season of life since I arrived. "Cuture-Shock" i guess hit hard, but when you step back and simplify it, we are all not but so different...we eat, sleep, and work - all to survive - but there is no fullfillment in those, only "a striving after wind." The real joy and peace comes from knowing Christ.

I think this is just one very big, very real, and very difficult training session in my life. Training is tough, preparing is tough, but I have faith and hope that this experience with be worth much more than it has cost me.

Thank you for your continued prayers, I love and miss you all. Jessica, you are beautiful.