Catching Up!

My oh my… Where has the time gone?! I feel like I haven’t had a chance to sit back and really write about what’s been happening this past week. I really don’t have the time right now, but I’m taking it anyways so I don’t get too far behind on everything haha.

To begin with, last Wednesday I headed to Los Andes, where I stayed for five days and worked with Elvira and Juan. I not only taught a painting class to Elvira’s women’s ministry ladies, but also got to participate in their Wednesday night Bible study (they are currently reading through the New Testament!), Thursday night English class and the girl’s ministry on Saturday. It was an incredible, cold, rainy and fulfilling week! The women’s ministry went well, though it didn’t exactly go according as planned. We had originally wanted to have a three day long workshop, where I would do a short Bible study over Proverbs 31 and then show them step by step how to complete a painting I had prepared for them to do.
The first day went very well. I read Proverbs 31:10-16 and showed them some examples of how God is seen in the life of the woman in this passage. The idea I wanted to stress the most was that the woman depicted in Proverbs 31 is just an example of how God is glorified and seen in this person’s life, and not a step by step list of things we need to be showing in our lives in order to be considered “godly women”. I told these women that the more time they spend with God, in prayer and communion with Him, the more His qualities will be seen in us. That’s what we see in this passage! And I hope they at least got that out of my jibber-jabbering!
The second day I taught up until verse 24, planning on reading the rest of the passage the following day, and then enjoyed a time of fellowship, once and laughter with the women. Unfortunately, not many of them were willing to come back the following day for the third part of the study and to complete the paintings, so we had to quickly finish them up after eating our once, in order for them to take the paintings home. I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to share the third part of my Bible study with them, but I’m so glad they at least came, participated and enjoyed the days they did come!

Please keep these women and Elvira in your prayers, because they are a very hard group to work with, very set in their ways and something Elvira really needs help with. Her patience with her women’s group is inspiring, but I know she is feeling drained and discouraged with their attitudes and actions. For that reason, I know that she would really appreciate y’all to pray for her to work on her patience, attitude and pride when working with these women.

While at Los Andes, I was able to go to one of my favorite places there- a ceramic shop named Cala. We got to see the whole process they go through to make their beautiful pieces of art, and even saw two demonstrations of how they use the potter’s wheel. The first guy we saw had been doing it for over SIXTY years, and the guy in the pictures had been doing it for around FORTY years. I was amazed at how much time they have put into their jobs! They really were experts and made it seem like a piece of cake.

On Saturday the girls came and we really enjoyed the time spent with them. I helped some of them learn how to make “Rice Krispy” treats… Which were made with Chocapic because we couldn’t find any Rice Krispies at the store! We had a good time making them… and licking the bowl once or twice! It was also a very powerful night for many of the girls, and the Lord was definitely moving and doing great things in the lives of these chicas. We used the Solarium cards (the ones we use at the university) to initiate conversations with the girls in different groups, and many of them really opened up and showed how much they need God in their lives. Juan and Elvira were able to talk with those girls, pray with them and simply show them His love… Something they have really never experienced in their lives before. It was an amazing night! Keep the girls from the hogar in your prayers as well, that God may continue to open their eyes to His truth and that Juan, Elvira and everyone else working with them may be ready and willing to be used by Him!

After the girls left, Juan, Elvira, Barrett, Griffin and I all went to their house, had once and laughed for hours at the table. Being able to share with them, talk to them and simply enjoy our time together was the perfect ending to such an incredible week in Los Andes! I am blessed by what I call my “Chilean family” up in the humble Baptist church of Los Andes.

On a side note, the other day, before heading up to Los Andes, Uncle Cliff and I headed up a hill in Santiago to take pictures of the BEAUTIFUL view! I absolutely love Santiago after it rains.