A Time Capsule...

It is time for me to pause and summarize what all has gone on during the past 14 days. Things have begun to happen so quickly that for my sake and yours, I need to write down what has taken place! So here is my first time capsule...full of memories of the past two weeks.

• The first item that will be in this time capsule is a boarding pass... Saturday, September 12, 2009 is the date written on it. That's the day I left Green Bay, the United States, and the Northern Hemisphere to come to Chile.

• Next I will put in a handful of legos, a stuffed animal, and a pacifier in honor of Jordan, Ben, Kaylee, and Lukas Flinck. We've been getting to know each other through various activities they like to do...hence the toys in the capsule. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to watch and help David and Kristi shepherd these little ones! Parents are heroes!
  

• A sleeping bag will go into the capsule next. This signifies my stay at Camp Lican, and the many things I learned there. I will remember the retreat as a "cultural growth spurt" of sorts. Camp is intense, but camp in another country brings out cultural differences. Jumping into a Chilean Camp the way I did was difficult, but the result was the beginning of a learning process...which is exactly what needed to happen.

• This capsule wouldn't be complete without my Linguistics book, which represents both my online class and my struggle with Spanish. Taking Linguistics while trying to learn Spanish has reminded me of an attribute of God... His Sovereignty. God knew what he was doing at Babel, and I've found that climbing the language barrier He put into place is exactly what He intended it to be.... WORK. My current struggle is not a reason for discouragement, but a reminder to worship.

• A 500 peso coin represents the trips I have taken to the Bible institute by bus. I will be traveling to the BI at least two times a week for prayer meetings, lunch dates with the Thompson's (GMSA missionary couple), and English/Spanish classes. This bi-weekly trip will help me get to know Temuco, learn from a seasoned missionary couple, practice Spanish one-on-one with a tutor, and gain experience watching/helping Myrian teach her English class.
  

• A cup of instant Chilean coffee is the last addition to this capsule. Coffee represents the students, missionaries, and Chileans of all ages I have met and my desire to get to know them better. Building relationships in Chile means spending a LOT of time around a pot of coffee talking about family, culture, and God's word. I'm praying that God would give those opportunities in His perfect time.
  

There's my story of the last few weeks in "time capsule" form...I hope it gives you a picture of what I've been up to. No way is this a complete summary... That version is a 14 page Microsoft Word document. :)