Toward Temuco

2009-04-18T11:29:00.007-06:00

Our Chilean adventure is over and we want to say thank you for your encouragement, prayers and support. We had an unforgettable time! We cleaned a lot of toilets, ate a lot of empanadas, saw a lot of lizards (but caught none), climbed a lot of trees and learned a bit of Spanish. We will miss working alongside the Sandvigs and being a Tio, Tia and friend to so many kids. We are spending a week in California before we get home. Thank you for following our adventure with us!

Goodbye Gifts

2009-04-18T11:25:00.004-06:00

We were sad to finish up at the boarding house for the local Mapuche school that we spent a lot of time at. We used the S`s gift of money to buy goodbye gifts for each kid.

School Supplies

2009-04-18T11:08:00.004-06:00

We really enjoyed our time at the inner-city school in Temuco. The teachers and administrators found ways to put us to work and the boys made some good friends. This Assemblies of God school has some government funding but it struggles with finances. We were so glad to be able to give them a gift of school supplies, including a gift from the R family.

Isaac's blog

2009-04-18T11:04:00.004-06:00

I love Tia Sharon and Tio Tim. They took us to the airport when we left. They gave us trading cards to play with on the airplane. Tia makes good chutney and she let me help her make it.

Simon's blog

2009-04-18T10:52:00.005-06:00

I like Erik. We miss him. He is a good mountain climber. He found a snake for me to see. He played with Phoebe and Chloe (the cats) with me. I am glad that we could be friends with him.

Almost as High

2009-04-12T19:16:00.002-06:00

We couldn't handle the 6hr trek to the top so we climbed a smaller summit instead.

Out and About

2009-04-12T19:11:00.007-06:00

We had so much fun touring Pucon this weekend! Pucon is an adventure-tourism center of Chile and is situated on a beautiful lake and the active Villarrica volcano so there was lots to see and do. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villarrica_(volcano)

Journey to the Center of the Earth

2009-04-12T19:06:00.012-06:00

We enjoyed the unique experience of travelling 400 meters into a cave created long ago by lava flow. The tour is on the Villarrica volcano.

Warm Weather, Cool Water

2009-04-12T19:03:00.004-06:00

The black volcanic sand at this Pucon beach made the day warm enough to take a quick dip in the lake.

Forever in Bloom

2009-04-12T18:56:00.003-06:00

We visited the beautiful city of Pucon this weekend. These flowers are works of art, made out of wood by craftsmen in Pucon and they look just as real up close. They welcome travellers on the way into town.

Get on the bus, Hus

2009-04-09T18:40:00.006-06:00

Isaac and Jeremy took the bus into Temuco today to teach English. Buses going into Temuco come to our bus stop every five to ten minutes and cost our family 700 pesos (less than $2). The trip to downtown takes about 30 minutes. It can get pretty crowded on the bus, especially with the five of us and all our groceries!

Nuevos Amigos

2009-04-09T18:34:00.007-06:00

A family from our church had us over for "once" (OWN-say) yesterday evening. "Once" is Spanish for "eleven" and it is the name of the light evening meal (bread, cheese, meat, avocado, jam...) that Chileans typically eat around 6pm or 7pm. Nobody really knows why the evening meal is called "eleven" but there are some good stories. Chileans eat their larger, hot meal during the day. And I thought it was hard to pack school lunches every day when it is just sandwiches!

Temuco

2009-04-07T19:53:00.004-06:00

This is the city where we are spending a lot of our time. The school that we help out at is at the upper left hand side of the picture and we're staying really close to the large hill on the horizon just left of center.

Colo Colo or "U"

2009-04-07T19:47:00.007-06:00

There are two popular soccer teams in Chili. Colo Colo and "U" are bitter rivals...but when the "U" fan can't make the craft (in the colours of his favourite team), the Colo Colo fan is still able to help. Las ninas just picked colours that they liked.

In Local News

2009-04-06T17:52:00.007-06:00

This weekend, the volcano we visited a few weeks ago (~60km to the east) sprung to life! http://www.smh.com.au/world/fears-of-major-eruption-at-volcanic-hotspot-20090406-9tuf.html The sky was overcast so we didn't get a glimpse of it but the pictures are amazing! The affected area was evacuated safely.

Going to Sev, Southern Style.

2009-04-06T17:39:00.010-06:00

It was back to nice weather today and we stopped by this Minimercado (mini market) for a drink. We went to two schools today and started working on a painting project here at Koyamentu.

Roaming Animals

2009-04-06T17:33:00.007-06:00

These are some of the animals we saw wandering freely on our way into town. The cows are finding green grass on the sides of the road and the chickens are using the local soccer field (which doubles/triples as a horse pasture) to find their food.

Burning Garbage

2009-04-02T10:43:00.003-06:00

Every now and then we burn our garbage here at Chile. We like to help our Dad or Mom to do it. Yesterday we did it first thing in the morning so my brothers were still in their pyjamas. The burning barrel is down by the compost so there are lots of yellow jackets (a.k.a. wasps) there. Simon and Isaac and I get to help put the fire out with water at the end. It is neat to live in the country.
Adios garbage!
By Ben

Dinner Guests

2009-04-01T19:27:00.008-06:00

We had some new Mapuche friends over for dinner tonight. It was fun to visit and play UNO, the game without borders, with them. Their youngest boy won both hands we played.

Teaching English

2009-04-01T19:22:00.012-06:00

The children that we are getting to know are so joyful and eager to share their world with us. We spent most of today teaching English in Temuco.

Awesome kids

2009-03-31T19:18:00.007-06:00

We're enjoying our friendships with the kids at the schools that we work at. Whether we are teaching English, doing crafts, playing games or trying to have a conversation, these kids are so kind and friendly. We are having lots of fun with them!

Weatherproofing

2009-03-31T19:13:00.009-06:00

Jeremy was busy sanding and staining doors this morning to protect them from the winter wind and rain.

That was then, this is now

2009-03-30T19:09:00.004-06:00

It's autumn in the southern hemisphere which usually means lots of rain but we've had hot, sunny days since we arrived. The colder weather this week (10-20C highs and overcast) means that drying laundry is not so easy anymore.

Care Package

2009-03-30T19:01:00.006-06:00

We had a rainy weekend, which was good for the farmers around here who are dealing with a drought. It was also a perfect time for us to open our care package. Thanks for all the treats L, C, Z, D&C-A!

Lots of soccer

2009-03-27T17:47:00.002-06:00

This soccer ball has been well-used since we got here! We've spent lots of time kicking it around with our boys and other kids. Thanks T,K,J&A!

Story time

2009-03-27T17:33:00.011-06:00

Tia Sharon (a.k.a. Sharon Sandvig) brought over a stack of Berenstain Bear books and the boys are loving them. We have had lots of time to read to and with each other here which is great!

Resting

2009-03-27T17:20:00.008-06:00

The forecast for the weekend is rain and we're looking forward to some quiet time as a family, with a few short trips into town to visit the market and go to church.

Star of Bethlehem School

2009-03-26T20:01:00.010-06:00

This is the street front for the inner-city school where we take turns (one parent and one boy each time) to go to help teach English. It's a church-sponsored school set in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Temuco. The doors and windows are barred and locked and the teacher with the key wasn't there today when it was time for us to leave. :) At the school there are not enough desks for the children so some of them share and some work on the floor. The kids are adorable and so eager to speak English to us. Instead of trading cards, some of the kids are collecting and playing with old valentines cards which they always share with our boys. Escuela = school, Estrella = star, Belen = Bethlehem.

The Road to Koyamentu

2009-03-26T19:50:00.008-06:00

All forms of transportation are taken on the gravel road from the retreat centre to the highway. This is the half-hour walk that we take to get to one of the schools or to catch the bus into the city. We saw about eight stray dogs on the way today which kept the trip exciting!

Dedication

2009-03-25T18:11:00.004-06:00

On Saturday, we attended and helped out with the dedication service for this new building. It sleeps over 30 people, has a kitchen, two bathrooms and a big meeting room. This building is used for retreats and as a training center for local indigenous pastors.

Shiny floors

2009-03-25T18:00:00.004-06:00

We spent this morning working at camp. Simon did a great job of sweeping and mopping.

Climbing

2009-03-24T20:15:00.005-06:00

No need for a playground.

The Andes

2009-03-24T18:45:00.012-06:00

We spent the past two days at Conguillio National Park. We stayed in a cabin on a lava bed from the Llaima volcano, ate empanadas, saw a beautiful waterfall, did some good hiking and found lots of lizards. It was a great holiday! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llaima

Snake Charmer

2009-03-24T18:37:00.003-06:00

Our guys really liked having the chance to see and touch a snake!

Feliz Cumpleanos!

2009-03-20T19:48:00.002-06:00

We stayed at Koyamentu today and did some odd jobs and cleaning. We also had a party! Happy birthday Jeremy!

Thank you B boys!

2009-03-19T19:10:00.009-06:00

The kids at the Metrenco school get so excited about the simple crafts that we plan for them. The group of 30-40 girls and boys about ages 5-14 make such amazing things with the supplies that we bring. Today we built popsicle stick boxes. A big thank you to sweet Z,W&J who saved up from their allowance to help us buy tons of supplies!

Wildlife

2009-03-19T18:19:00.007-06:00

We've seen some pretty interesting birds here. This one sticks its long beak into the ground to find food.

It Fits!

2009-03-18T18:40:00.007-06:00

The focus of our day was going to an inner-city school where we are helping with English classes. The children who go to the school are bussed in from poorer areas of Temuco. They were learning colours and were so proud to show us their work.

This evening we started a puzzle which looks like it will be a long project despite all the eager help.

Mas Espanole

2009-03-18T18:36:00.005-06:00

Miriam and her family just got back from Minnesota where they lived for 4 years while they helped establish a Spanish-speaking church there. She is helping us with Spanish lessons once a week. She was well-prepared and fun to work with.

Green Eggs and Ham

2009-03-17T19:06:00.007-06:00

We visited the kids at the Metrenco school again, making a craft and playing some games. In the evening we ate at our Mapuche co-worker's house and were able to have a pretty good Spanish conversation, thanks to their patience. Our boys had lots of fun playing outside with their boys and the chickens. We left with a gift of a dozen "campo" (country) eggs which have green shells. Happy St. Patrick's day!

Frogger

2009-03-16T15:23:00.007-06:00

Arelio, who works here full time, told us he eats frogs, but larger ones than the boys found. This has us worried because we're going to his house for dinner tomorrow night! He promised we would be eating something else.

Back to Work

2009-03-16T15:17:00.007-06:00

Today we were cleaning cabins, washing windows and chopping wood - actually three of the five of us spent most of the afternoon catching frogs. Tomorrow we return to the Metrenco school.

Cook-out

2009-03-15T19:12:00.003-06:00

Nothing like roasting tube-steaks over an open fire to end off a beautiful weekend.

Oceano Pacifico

2009-03-14T18:34:00.005-06:00

The ocean was cold but we had a fun time on the shore. We also ate at a seaside restaurant and had yummy seafood empanadas. We move our clocks back an hour tonight. When we got here we were 4hrs removed from MST, but now are only 2.

Smiling Simon

2009-03-13T17:26:00.004-06:00

We're glad about two seasons of summer fruit this year. Here's Simon enjoying dessert this evening.

Mapuche Museum

2009-03-13T17:18:00.003-06:00

We took the bus into Temuco today to go to the Museo Regional de la Araucania to learn more about Mapuche (indigenous to Chile) history and culture. The walk to the bus was long on such a hot day but we made it there and back and only had one unleashed dog try to chase us down.

Building Shelves

2009-03-11T18:11:00.006-06:00

Today we did some more work at the camp and then got the opportunity to visit a second school. It looks like we'll be doing an after school program at the rural school twice a week for the (35) kids who live there and helping out with the K to 3 english class at an inner city school.

First Chilean friends

2009-03-11T18:02:00.005-06:00

Three of the friends that our boys are really fond of here are the Sandvig's big old German Shepherd and their two small kittens.

The Sandvigs

2009-03-10T19:57:00.003-06:00

Tim and Sharon Sandvig are the amazing people who administer the retreat center that we are staying at. Fluent in Mapudungun, Tim helped to translate the Bible into the local Mapuche language in the 1980's. The Sandvigs have very kindly welcomed us here and we are so glad for the opportunity to spend these six weeks with them.

Isaac teaches ESL

2009-03-10T19:20:00.009-06:00

We visited our first school this afternoon. The kids were excited to see us. We did a craft and played soccer with them. Some of the older kids got their English books out and Isaac taught them to pronounce different articles of clothing. This is Isaac in a less serious moment.

No snow...

2009-03-09T19:26:00.003-06:00

...but there are bugs! Ben spotted this tarantula yesterday and got stung by a wasp today. We're 50 degrees warmer than we would have been in Calgary though, so we're not complaining.

We're here!

2009-03-09T19:02:00.003-06:00

Southern Chile is a long way from Canada! Our flights were uneventful and the boys were wonderful, despite very little sleep on the overnight from L.A. to Santiago. We took a short flight from Santiago to Temuco, where we are staying for the next few weeks and were welcomed by Tim and Sharon Sandvig who are SIM missionaries here.

Hablamos un poco de espanol.

2009-02-21T22:57:00.002-07:00

This is Ingrid. She is our Spanish tutor and a good friend. God put her into our lives at just the right time! She has been a big encouragement to us and she has taught us a lot these past two months.

Missing teeth

2009-02-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ben has been wiggling his top two loose teeth a lot lately since he wasn't sure whether the tooth fairy would find him in Chile. He wanted to lose them in Canada. Both teeth finally came out. Here he is four dollars richer.

Koyamentu

2009-02-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

Koyamentu means place of the oaks in the local Mapuche language. Koyamentu is a beautiful Christian training and retreat center just outside of Temuco. We will be staying here for our time in Chile.

Where we're going

2009-02-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

We have been invited to join SIM's work in Temuco, a city in the southern central part of Chile.