The years fly by

I had practically forgotten that I have this blog! I have now been in Chile almost eight years, and the only post on it has been the initial one, that is, the one I made the day I retired from my job in Mississippi in 2006. I must resuscitate it!

It's going to be about my life as a missionary in Santiago. Not just events, and activities that I am involved in, and things that happen to me; but also thoughts that my experiences engender, and interesting features of life in the capital city of Chile. Many are good, and a few are bad or infuriating, but most are worth talking about.

I want to talk about the Chilean people, especially those close to me in the Anglican church where I serve. I would like to share about the different aspects of life in our church community, and the ministries I am involved in, so that people outside of Chile, particularly those who pray for me and support my work here, can gain a better understanding of Christian life in Chile.

Winter has not quite arrived here yet, but today was very wet and cold nevertheless. We had "una gran lluvia" (that is, "a big rain") this morning. Gran Avenida, the major thoroughfare near where I live, has a river of rain water running down one side of it. I couldn't cross the road, but had to go down through the Metro (subway) entrance, cross underneath the road, and come up the other side.

I was in the University this morning, giving a test. During the test, one of the secretaries rushed into the room, shouting in an excited voice: "está nevando!" ("it's snowing!"). Sure enough, when I looked out of the window, large flakes of snow were falling amidst the rain drops. It didn't last long, and the snow didn't settle, but it caused a small sensation while it was here. People went outside, under the balcony, to have their photos taken against the backdrop of falling snow.

I should explain that, while it is frequently possible to see snow on the tops of the Andes mountains which border Santiago on its eastern side, it almost never snows in the city itself. On the rare occasions that snow does fall, it is really big news!

This afternoon is much brighter and dryer, although still cold. I keep myself warm indoors with the help of a little portable propane gas heater. Many people have them in Santiago, and they're very useful. During these cold months I keep mine in my small "office" in my rented apartment, which is quite a small room, and heats up quickly. I practically live in my office during the winter.

May God bless you abundantly!