Thus concludes a pretty awesome week with my friend Jeff. It was emboldening to spend time with him and get to know his buddies too. I feel like I have a refreshed sense of why I am here.

During the week I had the opportunity to enjoy the beach- again- although getting there was a bit more challenging. My friend Anthony was installing a new battery in his taxi when some flames shot out around his motor. I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but it was very startling. They were able to snuff it out quickly, but we had to seek alternate means of transportation- fast. We ran down to Eighth Street and hopped in the back of a truck, booting it for the bus station- we were already late. Fortunately, so was the bus. We had just enough time to buy tickets and high-tail it on board.

After that our day was tranquil. Snorkeling was really enjoyable; I could never quite reach out and touch the fish, no matter how fast I moved. But even so it was amazing to see the diversity of colors all combined in this underwater kingdom.

I also joined Jeff and his friends in helping out at Rod’s house. We reorganized all sorts of things- from desks to beds to guitars to toilet parts- more efficiently, storing them all in one room rather than having them randomly strewn throughout three or four. After this we worked on making the cement floor flat, chipping away at all the bumps with crowbars, hammers and picks- as well as moving some seriously heavy exercise equipment. The next step will be interior painting. I am excited to see how the project develops during my time here.

On Friday I was fortunate enough to make it to the water park in Santiago- after a taxi-fiasco that involved stopping at three different supermarkets and a Cathedral. Later on we enjoyed good company and some delicious Thai food at Joy’s house.

I have to say, though, the thing that I have enjoyed most this week- more than the extravagant adventures and all that- is being able to share special moments with the people in this community. Talking about life, sharing prayers of encouragement, delving into Scripture- this is what really gets my heart racing. I just have this inner passion to bless the people here and I praise the Lord for how he has worked through me. The glory is His.

Margot, Cliff and Elizabeth arrived today. I was able to catch them for a few chaotic minutes amid a clamor of hurried greetings before they were shipped off somewhere else- I guess Tracy had a plan for them. It was exciting to see people from my family though, and I look forward to this upcoming week, during which we will engage in a training program together.

Praise the Lord, O my Soul.
He is doing wonderful things in the barrio and I feel blessed to witness what is unfolding.