It´s so sad to be leaving Brasil and South America tomorrow. It´s been such a blessing here. I constantly was apologizing for being a burden, but every one is quick to ensure that there is no burden.

Itu has some amazing individuals. Thanks to Felipe, Marusia, Marcio, his parents, Antenor, Phyllis, Ali, Paul, Jorge, Jefferson, Guto, JB, Pamela, Salena, Reid, Shirley, Clau, Heather, and so many others.

It´s been great. Thanks for your immense hospitality.

More pictures will be up soon on Flickr. Currently I have no way to connect my own computer, these posts are posted via an other computer, not my own.

Enjoy LTVS´ photos from Santiago.

Our last day in beautiful Buenos Aires was wonderful. We were able to take a bus tour of downtown and visit several sites. We departed very early on Thursday to go to Foz do Iguaçu (Brasil).

Iguazú (Argentina) is a place where Argentina, Brasil, and Paraguay meet, but it is better known for the massive water falls that fall there. Amazing to see, feel, and hear. Brilliant. See the pictures.

Ah, but Foz do Iguaçu was not all fun. We left the hotel at 5:45A on Saturday. We arrive at the airport and some one realized their bag was left at the hotel and an other could not locate their passport. On top of that, two members going to Santiago again were not allowed to board, because of a mistake of the travel agent. So eleven, out of sixteen, board and depart to Sao Paulo.

At Sao Paulo we wait for ten hours for the three who went back to the hotel to arrive. They come in at the other airport on the other side of the city, a two hour drive through traffic. So finally all are back at the same airport, but the one still can´t find their passport. Four of us leave to Itu with out knowing if the one will be able to leave the country. Luckily, the two not allowed to board got new tickets and the airline found a lost luggage with the passport inside.

God is in control.

It’s so fun in S. America every one you greet, you greet with a kiss. Well not every one, in Chile and Brasil one greets with a kiss to the girls and a shake of the hand with boys. But in Argentina one kisses everyone and it’s nothing. Really it’s a kiss in the air while pressing each other’s right cheeks together. Very unAmerican.

Today we went to an other church building to paint and work on other projects around the building. It was a good day. I went with an intern, Ashley, to get some fruit in the morning for lunch, and honestly I thought I was going to vomit. The smell in the area we were in was horendous, truly - worse than the Bangkok sewers. It smelled like old cheese and car exhaust, just nasty.

Tonight, four of us were invited to go to a small group Bible study at a member’s home. We, the four, shared about our faith - joys, struggles, why we were here, etc - with the group. One of the guy’s birthday was today, so we had cake for him and the father of the household made baloon animals. His name is Jorge, he’s deaf, but with my signing background he is very easy to comprehend. He actually does not use Argentine sign language, but his own he created and taught his wife and children. Amazing and very easy to understand. Great people.

Good night. Too bad for the Spurs.

Proclaiming:

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Happy Juneteenth! Happy Father’s Day, as well.

We caught an Air Canada flight from Santiago to Buenos Aires today. Our group is spread over three church buildings in BA. We didn’t do too much today, but quite a lot for our first day in a new city.

An indoor futbol coomplex butts the church building all the guys are staying at, so two of ours went over and soon came back disappointed. Later we were sitting around and a knock on the door came and we had five minutes until 8 o’clock to get ready and play for an hour. Some guys JB, one our guys, had met wanted us to come play with them. It was a fun game. Total play for the full hour. I was a bit afraid to play with some locals after seeing how good they were, but still a great time was had.

Dinner was on our own, so we headed a couple blocks down to an Italian place. I got some gnochi. Superb. The exchange rate is so good here it ended up being a cheap meal. Oh so good.

Being so indepedent is so fun and a blessing to jump right in to culture. No one translating or guiding an other. Just pure interactions flaws and all. I love it. Buenos Aires, ‘bu/e/nos ai/des,’ not ‘aries,’ is tops.

Buenos noches.

Today was a beautiful day in Santiago and sadly our last full day. We didn’t spend it in Santiago proper, but headed up in to the mountains that surround the city.

The ski resort was sparsely populated, most Chileans are in school or working, so most of the people out today were foreigners. I heard/met Brazilian, Czecholovkian, American, Scot, Aussie, and others.

It was fun and a great way to end our time here in Chile. Ciao, Dios bendiga a Chile.

Several people have been contacted by parents about the recent earthquake in northern Chile. If you did not know Santiago, is in central Chile and only experienced a tremor, which was not even felt.

From Reuters:

Boulders littered city streets and highways in northern Chile on Tuesday after a 7.9-magnitude quake caused landslides and wrecked homes, killing at least 11 people and injuring 200.

We were in Vina del Mar at the time. I was in a local church building around noon yesterday when a tremor shook the doors and windows. Rocio was near and went to the door, she thought some one knocked, and a minister stepped out and told her to calm down and she had no idea what he was talking about. Interesting.

This past weekend some of the missionaries took us to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso on the coast Sunday to visit a local church and see some sights. We had a wonderful time and returned yesterday.

This morning was the 3rd bi-annual AFCSA: Missionary - AFC Futbol Game. Yes, we won 7-6 and I got some play. Fantastic fun, yet some took the game a bit seriously and others a tad sore. Any ill feelings, though, were dismissed after when we ate at a Viking-themed restaurant. I had to have the lengua (cow tongue). Delicioso.

Be sure to check aggiesforchrist.org for AFCSA updates, as well all the other trips out across the world.

Take care.

Chile won the game, that knocks Bolivia out of the World Cup run. By the way the situation in Bolivia is not getting any better - civil war may break out soon. Tonight, Chile plays Venezuela to determine which will progress, Brasil plays as well.

Chi-Chi-Chi Le-Le-Le Vive Chile

Today we returned from a fabulous retreat. On AFCO and AFCSA there are 42, a domino game, tournaments. Players are randomly selected in pairs and set up on a bracket system. The final losers after several rounds must eat some thing “nasty.” Well I was paired with Reid, one of our trip leaders, and we lost. Our prize was to eat cow tongue, lengua - I actually love lengua tacos, and cow rectum, potito.

The retreat was great to refresh the missionaries that don’t get English fellowship often. It also was a refresher for us in the middle of our trip. Late today, we are heading back out to several Santiago universities to make new contacts with students and invite students to the many activities we have this next week.

Take care.