Last times are special times....

Whenever a "last" something comes around it makes you look at things a little differently.

I've been finding that to be true this past week. Here are a few of the "lasts" I've had in the past few days...

• Last workout on one of these things... lol I'm thankful that the park across the road installed free "workout" machines--- but I'm excited to get home to a good ol' Indiana style gymnasium!
  

• Last view of the beautiful, snow-covered Volcanoes of Villarrica and Ilaima. I've always lived in Indiana-------which is beautiful to me. But--living close to one of Chile's most active Volcanoes has been an interesting experience.

• Last time translating for Sunday School. Translating for Jordan, Ben, and Kaylee during my stay here was beneficial for me linguistically...and I was thankful to be a part of the ministry at the 21 de Mayo church (that the Flinck's attend in Temuco).

• Last time with the brothers and sisters at Church I have loved so many things about this church ...chatting with Fernando (a dear gentleman who loves talking about spiritual things), singing hymns in Spanish accompanied by Guitar, fellowshipping with the jovenes (college-age pictured here, lol), and so many other things. This church family shocked me with a despedida (going away party) that I will never forget.

• Last Trip into Temuco by Bus: Twice a week I've spent time at the Bible Institute. (for Spanish class, lunch with the Thompson's (Flinck's co-workers), and English class). I've grown to love Temuco's crowded, vendor-packed streets.... where strawberries, jewelry, flowers, or whatever you want is right there to purchase.

• Last chances to compartir (share). There are too many names to list, but I've said a few too many goodbyes in that past few days. The Lord answered a prayer and allowed me to spend a little time with Teresa this afternoon, and we spent a few hours chatting about life and the direction the Lord is taking each of us. (Teresa was the counselor who helped me sooo much my first weekend in Chile--I stayed in her cabin and she did some translating to help me survive).
• the Last, "last" that I'm going to mention is the studying part... I'm going to be finishing up the classes over Christmas break, but the end is nearing. I learned a LOT by taking classes online this semester!

I leave Temuco Tomorrow (thursday) and leave Chile on Saturday. I've been looking at and doing the same things for three months now... but this week I'm trying to take the 2nd glance and say the extra thank you.

"There's so much to be Thankful for"...

This past weekend I spent thanksgiving with the group of people pictured here. From Left to right in the picture!

• Dan & Liz Thompson and family (Camp Lican Administrators)
  
• Daryl & Earlynne Thompson (GMSA--working with the Bible institute in Temuco)
  
• Micah & Lindsey Lusher (short-termers, teaching in Santiago)
  
• Dan & Diana Kunnari (GMSA missionary co-workers)
• Leah & Troy Kunnari (my fellow professional babysitters, lol)
  
• David & Kristi Flinck and family (my hosts in Temuco)

We spent a few days out at camp, and I got to be a "fly on the wall" while these missionary co-workers had time to fellowship, encourage, and edify one another. I feel like that has been a lesson that keeps coming up during my time here..... I need to LISTEN to those who are right now living through the trials and experiences of ministry!

Those who are in the stage ahead of me in life have so much to share if I just ask :)

Camp was beautiful as usual, and we took the opportunity to enjoy the weather--it was a gift after many days of rain in the past few months.

After the weekend of rest we returned to Temuco on Saturday, and I officially began the "final frenzy" stage....... until December 12, I will be wrapping up classes, saying goodbyes, prepping to fly home, and pausing to look back on all the Lord has done this semester in my life and the lives of those around me! I have much to be thankful for!

"Take me with my boots on".... the story of Fresia Ormeño Diener

I mentioned in the Chillán post that I met a special woman at the retreat for Pastor's wives. Her name is Fresia Ormeño Diener, and she stood out to me for a few reasons.

First of all, this lady of 78 is just about as tall as I am......... rare for a lady of her age, lol, and even MORE rare for a Chilean lady of her age :)

Secondly, I could tell by the reactions of others that she had a story worth learning about. It wasn't that she drew attention to herself, but you can just TELL when someone is dearly loved and looked up to. so I decided to find out more, and I'm glad I did... Here's her story!

Fresia has Alzheimer's disease-- and yet as I watched her and talked with her (She knows English!)..... I discovered that she remembers well her God and His faithfulness to her.

Fresia was born January 14, 1931 in Chillán, Chile. Her mother at times would read from the Bible, so she knew about the God of the word.....but she did not yet know Him. Fresia's father was an alcoholic who abandoned the family when Fresia's mother grew ill. The future looked grim, as the kids were split up to live in different homes and their mother was expected to die. Yet, the Lord had other plans... Fresia's mother recovered, and upon being released from the hospital, moved the family to Temuco, Chile.

One day, while passing an Evangelical church Fresia met a missionary lady named Ellen Eck who made a deep impression on her life. After one meeting, the woman's kindness won Fresia's trust and friendship. (praise God for a testimony like that!) From that day on, Fresia never missed a church service....and a few months later at the age of 12 she became a believer in Christ as the only way of Salvation!

Fresia yielded her life to full time service at a Christian camp (...GO CAMP! lol), and later studied 4 years at a Bible institute (grad. 1952). To sum up the rest of her life; Fresia kept busy serving the Lord.... never marrying, but traveling within Chile to teach ladies, writing materials for children's ministries, and serving in charge of the dept. of Christian education for many years. Concerning her life, Fresia wrote the following in an Autobiography---don't worry, I'll translate :)

"El nunca me ha fallado, ha cumplido Sus promesas y ha derramado bendiciones en abundancia...es incredible que Dios pueda usar a persona tan indigna; por eso El reciba toda la honra y la gloria por estos años, pues ha sido El quien lo ha hecho todo, yo sólo soy Su instrumento. Exalto el Nombre de mi Señor y le ruego que me use hasta el fin, y si fuere Su voluntad, que me lleve con las botas puestas."

Translation: (mas o menos, lol) "God has never failed me, has fulfilled His promises, and has poured out blessings in abundance ... it's incredible that God would use a person so unworthy, so he gets all the honor and glory for these years, because it was He who has done all these things. I am only His instrument. Exalt the name of my Lord and (Lord), please use me to the end, and if it be Your will, take me with my boots on. "

..... "Take me with my boots on" I love that last phrase, and love the example this lady set for those who would follow after.

That's just a story that I wanted to share........ just an example of someone who has served the Lord faithfully. May many more join her in this~

Chillán

This past weekend, I had the privilege to accompany a group of pastors wives to Chillan, Chile for a conference. The roses were blooming in Chillan, which is located about 3 hours north of Temuco. We squished 8 people into a 7 passenger van for the trip, lol... as you can see in the picture we had a great time! I am neither a pastor's wife, nor a missionary's wife at this point in my life, lol! But~I was thankful for the opportunity to learn from these ladies.

I can't really express how special it was to talk with and listen to this group as they shared experiences from ministry. I guess it opened my eyes to the perspective of a pastor's wife... and it gave me a lot to think about! During a question answer session, a few of them shed tears at the way God had been faithful through difficult times, and I won't ever forget that.

I met some special people this weekend. One in particular named Fresia~ who speaks Spanish, German, and English. This woman was a missionary, writer, teacher, and mentor to many here in Chile and so I want to post a little bit about her life in the future! Hermana Fresia has Alzheimer disease now, but her life still shines as an example to those around her. Praise God for people like Fresia who give their lives for the Gospel!

"Hi Jenna!"

"Hi Jenna, its been awhile....What have you been up to lately?"

• I'm glad you asked :) The past few weeks have been focused a LOT on classes~this is the middle of the semester, when things start to get busy! I've also spent time with a few church members--this past Sunday afternoon I rode in the back of a truck to visit Tia (aunt) Metche and her family. We ate a big lunch, looked at photos, walked around the neighborhood, and even watched some tv in Spanish. It was a good opportunity to get to know them better!
  

"oh, and how is your Spanish? are you fluent yet?"

• Emm... I'll be transparent here. My Spanish is progressing~ but I've found that the process is slow and at times frustrating. I tend to be more reserved in conversations anyways, so the temptation is strong to just listen and not speak!! I have so much I want to say--but it takes endurance to fight for each sentence. After awhile its easy to go on autopilot instead of staying actively engaged. My experience with Spanish here has been a process... one that has shown me some areas of personal weakness, and one that has caused a deeper dependence on the Lord for endurance.
  

"Hmmm... that's interesting. How are the online classes going?"

• Bien... mas o menos! I have a Spanish reading assignment due each week, which keeps me busy! 1 Corinthians and Syst. Theology 3 just started, and I am enjoying the audio lectures. (and need to start work on the outlines!) Linguistics has been a challenge for me personally. I am struggling with some of the content, and desperately need to finish the first part of the class soon. Focusing and using wisely the time that I do have has been a struggle that I've constantly dealt with... welcome to life, eh? :)
  

" Jenna~tell me the truth~Do you ever get lonely?"

• Good question.... and to be honest, the answer sometimes is yes. Although I am generally independent, and mom/dad/friends are only a skype call away.... Every once in awhile I do feel isolated and away from all that is familiar. But~ that's part of adjusting to a new culture, and God has given the grace He's promised that He would. Most of that battle was during the first few weeks, but since then it continues to test my belief that God alone satisfies .... Psalm 139 has been such an encouragement.
  

"Hey, I don't want to keep you, but what is one of the things God been teaching you lately? and how can I pray for you?"

• One thing (I'll spare you the book version,lol) that being out of the United States has taught me is that I ought to strive together with those I love by praying for them--that includes those here in Chile, at home, and at Northland. Believers can and must bear up one another by spending time alone with God in prayer. The cause of the Gospel is too important, and time is too short for us to forsake one another--even when separated for awhile.
• You can pray that I'll stay faithful to what God has called me to do in Chile. Pray that I'll keep my eyes wide open, and keep my heart tuned in to the things the Holy Spirit is trying to accomplish. You can pray that I'll redeem the time that I have left here (a mere 5 1/2 weeks). and most of all... you can pray that I'll focus on the Gospel, and not myself.
  

Thanks for listening~and thanks for asking, too.

A good reason to put down the books...

I learned this week that at times, the right thing to do is put everything down... and one of those times is when it would make a difference in a kid's life. ;o) I tend to be task-oriented, so it was a lesson that I needed to learn!

On Tuesday, I was sitting at my desk working on school when I started to hear a lot of noise outside the room. I kept hearing "Shhh...... don't tell her" and "NO... put that over there!!!" Jordan and Ben kept peeking in to ask when I would be done with school for the day. (it is so hard to explain to them that, "Miss Jenna's school work is not like your school work...." I could work on it all day and still leave a list of unaccomplished tasks, lol).

It came to the point that I couldn't hold them off any longer with a good conscience. So, I put down the books and decided to join Jordan, Ben, and Kaylee in whatever adventure they had been planning for the past few hours...

I'm glad that I did, because upstairs they had set up ALL of their play-doh on a table, made a "pin the tail on the monster" game,
and had even put some "mood music" on for a PARTY! Party we did, and the wonderful afternoon was completed with none other than an etch-a-sketch competition! It was special, because they had planned it... and the books were still there when I returned a few hours later!

Classes con café

Most of my updates so far have been pictures of Chile when I'm out and about, but the reality is that I am a full-time student this semester.... not a tourist. I spend a LOT of time sitting here at this desk with headphones on and something to drink if I'm lucky! This is a well-used space... and I like to spread things out as you can see :o) it helps the thoughts flow. This is the room/office in the middle of the day when things are busy... it doesn't always look this way!
At first progress was SUPER slow on classes, but as I've settled in and saw some due dates approaching... I've started to pick up some speed. Continue to pray for me in this area, as it is a matter of stewardship and discipline! but on a side note.... I've enjoyed the classes so far :o)