Day Eleven, Friday, December 9, 2005
Friday morning, we took a break from our morning Bible study, and did some of the housekeeping chores, such as washing clothes and helping to clean up the house. It has to be a real chore to let five men come into your house and stay. We are grateful to Jaime and Eliana for letting us stay in their house.
Over the course of the next couple of days, Friday and Saturday, I played about fifteen games of chess with Jaime. This was the first time that I dared do so. I did not win a single game. Could it be because Jaime was a national champion in Chess in Chile? One of the things that Jaime does is teach classes in chess to children. During the weekend, he has several children in for chess class. Probably any one of them could tear me up in chess. Henry thought that this was particularly funny, because in Ecuador, two of the girls in the church in Ibarra wanted to play me in chess. They were champions in their particular age category. I was able to beat them in several games. Henry thought that Jaime beating me up in chess was a perfect revenge.
Friday afternoon, we had our last meeting in the prison. Milton taught the class. We were able to lay the groundwork for future classes that Jaime will have with these men. Milton taught on the need for these men to look to their salvation. It led to a good question and answer session. We left the prison in good spirits, since we felt that we had helped Jaime and that we had also built up a good relationship with the prisoners. Another positive factor is that our presence in Iquique also helps out Jaime. It gives him credibility in the sense that it is good for the prison guards to see that Jaime has backing from Santiago. The credibility that Pedro, Milton and I have with the prison system is excellent, since the head chaplain of all prisons in Chile said that we are the only ones that actually preach the Bible in all Chile. It makes you wonder what everybody else does. The chaplain also gave us an open door to any prison in Chile. This is limited to security considerations, of course, but we visit any inmate that asks for a visit. These requests may increase with the TV program.
Friday evening I returned to the question of sin, because the church members still had questions about it. This was especially important because of the one family that was trying to impose their view of sin on everyone else. Now, before I go any further, I have to confess that there is an element of this that has me laughing on the inside, because this family was telling everyone that several different activities, such as watching soccer games at the stadium or on the television, was sinful. What made me laugh is that this condemned all of our ministers. Pedro and Milton are some of the most addicted soccer fans that I know. What is even more humorous about this is that both support two of the most unsuccessful teams in Chile. So in their case, watching soccer probably is sinful.
On a spiritual level, the position that watching soccer games is sinful is troubling because it demonstrates a lack of understanding of the nature of sin. So on Friday evening, I worked with several characteristics of sin. I emphasized the universality of sin, because I thought this family could use a bit more humility. The truth of the matter is that religious life is susceptible to misunderstandings, extremism, and disagreements for many different reasons. One reason is that some people are not very well centered. As an example, some believe that if a little bit of something is good, then a lot of the same is better. This is not always true. I believe that the Christian life is the healthiest life that one can live. After all, if God is our creator, he certainly knows better than anyone else what is the healthiest lifestyle. Yet many take this beautiful Christian life and make it something it was never intended to be. This is why I talked about wisdom previously. Knowing how to live the Christian life is important.
The reason that I talked about the universality of sin is that some people are willing to accuse and condemn others, while forgetting that they have been sinful themselves. The proper response for the Christian is to confess his sinfulness, repent, and ask for forgiveness, which I try to live out. After all, we all do things that we wish we had not done. Remember what the apostle Paul said in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate. (RSV)” That statement should help all of us to be a bit more humble in the face of our shortcomings.
In the end, my read on the tension in the group on this theme is that it is not resolved. Undoubtedly it will re surface. The end result is that the congregation is better prepared to face these difficulties in the future.
Day Twelve, Saturday, December 10, 2005
Saturday was a bit slower than the rest of the week had been. We did not go to the prison, because we had not received permission to go. All of the Chileans had to go to the police station and sign a form explaining that they would be unable to vote on Sunday. As I mentioned, I played chess with Jaime. I have to admit that it was probably a waste of time for him, because there is no way that I am going to offer him any competition. As you can see, I was humiliated. I also helped Jaime install Windows XP on his computer.
In the evening, we held our last series of the conferences. I continued speaking about the nature of sin. I offered some strategies for resisting sin. I reminded the Christians that Jesus is our model that we follow in living the Christian life. While the theme of sin is not the most positive theme, it is a necessary one, because we accommodate sin too much. The conferences ended on a positive note. We shared an once together with the church.
Day Thirteen, Sunday, December 11, 2005
As I waited for church to start, I noticed that the voting station was around the corner from Jaime´s house. In Chile, the police always shut down the street of the voting location. In addition, cars were beginning to occupy all of the parking spots in the street. Since we were planning on leaving after church services, I suggested to Milton that he needed to get his car out on the street or we would get blocked in.
The church service was pretty good. Milton did the class on I Thess. I preached on Ephesians 1 during the worship service. Henry led the congregation in the Lord’s Supper. We had a good meeting.
Afterward, we all ate a quick lunch together of empanadas and soft drinks. Then we spent an inordinate amount of time taking pictures of everybody. I think that digital cameras have created a nightmare. Now that it costs nothing to take photos, everybody has to get their picture taken. We took pictures of every single combination possible: Milton with Jaime and Eliana, Pedro with Jaime and Eliana, Milton with Sebastian, Pedro with Sebastian, and so on. We took group photos and everybody had to take pictures with his own camera (seven or eight cameras). I thought this whole process was endless, especially considering that I wanted to get on the road as soon as possible.
Well, we loaded up and got going fairly quickly. We always take the ocean highway between Iquique and Antofagasta, because it is more scenic than driving the desert route. We drove for hours with the desert on one side and the deep blue ocean on the other. Our original idea was to go to Antofagasta on Sunday, Vicuña on Monday and arrive in Santiago on Tuesday. When we arrived in Antofagasta, the first thing that we noticed is that the beaches were absolutely packed. On voting Sundays, the day is always a holiday. People generally try to vote as early as possible, so that they can enjoy the day. Elizabeth, the sister who cleans my house, had to serve on the voting booths in Santiago, which means she was obligated to be there for the entire day. The people in Antofagasta obviously used this day to go to the beach. We had reservations in a residencial but we cancelled because Milton wanted to continue driving. This was a strong indication that he was ready to get back to his wife. The only problem with continuing the drive was figuring out where we would stay. When you leave Antofagasta, you have to climb up to the Pan American highway and drive through the desert. There is no other road. Between Antofagasta and Chañaral, there is only one gas station. There is a handful of posadas where you can stop and eat. There is about four of them, and two are located at the place where the gas station is. We drove on through the desert. We made one stop at a giant sculpture of a hand in the middle of the desert. Who did it and why, I do not know. We took some pictures. The whole time I was there I had this mental image of an earthquake shaking the hand over and it falling down on top of us and squashing us like a flyswatter swatting a bunch of flies. That sounds like something out of the Far Side comic strip.
We stopped at the posada for supper about ten p.m. The TV was on and the election returns were coming out. This election is interesting for many reasons. One, it is interesting because the political power of the various parties is determined by their showing in the elections. Thus, the elections often demonstrate if there is a major shift in public opinion. Poll indications were that the Chilean public opinion is moving away from the left toward some more conservative stances. Second, the candidate for the leftist socialist coalition is a woman. No woman has ever been elected President of any Latin American country before. Will it happen here? Who knows? I predict that this woman will have a difficult time overcoming the traditional machismo of Latin America. The other factor that makes this more difficult is that she is not too personable. She really struggles to make herself likable, and she comes across sometimes as trying too hard. Third, as it turns out, the results of the election demonstrated that no one won a clear majority, so the elections move to a runoff on Jan. 15. The candidate on the left won less support than was thought likely. The Communists did not do as well as they thought they would do, although they won the vote in Antartica, which is a military vote. Could it be that some military personnel have decided that they have been there long enough? The runoff will be between the lady on the left and the owner of one of the TV stations in Santiago. They are neck and neck. Internationally speaking, this election is important for Latin America, because Latin America is splitting into two camps between those on the hard left such as Chavez, FARC, the president in Brazil, the recently elected president to be in Bolivia, and perhaps others and those who are centrists or slightly oriented towards the left, such as Fox and the current president of Chile, Lagos. The best thing that could happen for the region is if Chile elected a moderate President.
Continuing with the trip, we arrived in Chañaral about midnight. We asked around and found a moderate residencial where we spent the night. It actually worked out better because it was cheaper than the residencial in Antofagasta. Also, we were closer to home.
Day Twelve, Monday, December 12, 2005
We got on the road early Monday morning. We drove directly from Chañaral to Rolando’s house in Vicuña, where his wife served us a delicious lunch. After resting for a little bit, we climbed back into the car and started for Santiago.
As we got into Santiago, we were all ready to get into our homes. After we dropped Pedro and Henry off at their homes, Milton dropped me by my house. I arrived home at 1:30 a.m. It was great to be back home after a 3000 mile/5000 kilometer trip.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Friday, December 09, 2005
More News From The Trip
Day Four, Friday, Dec. 2, 2005
I have to confess that it is more difficult to find time on our trip to do this than I thought. Also, since I am away from my computer in my house, I do not have the program to put pictures on this page.
On day four in the morning, we shared in a Bible study with all the participants of the trip: Henry, Rolando, Pedro, Milton, and myself. David Cisternas and his wife also joined us. David is the preacher for the congregation in Arica. All five of us are staying in his house. In this Bible study, we finished reading Nehemiah and began talking about what we learned from it.
Afterwards, we ate lunch together. Then I prepared for the evening study with the church while everyone else went to the beach.
That evening, we met with the church in the building on Gonzalo Cerda street. I preached from Philippians 2:1-11. It was enjoyable to once again be with Augusto Fuentes and his wife Berta. When I was in Arica in April, Augusto was recovering from a heart attack. He seems in better health, although his age seems to be catching up with him. He is eight-one years old, and Berta is eighty. Both are such sweet people that it is always a pleasure to pass time with them.
Another person that is faithful at church is Emilia Raby. She has never stopped coming to church since the day several years ago when Augusto and I went to visit her. She has also been instrumental in bringing several members of her family to church.
Several members of David’s family also were present. His brother, Luis, felt the need to share his insight with me. He told me, Harry, you are getting old. Thanks for the reminder.
After the lesson, we shared a typical Chilean once together. An once is a sandwich and a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Day Five, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005
We continued our study in the morning after breakfast. During this study, we discussed the central idea of Nehemiah which is that God gives success to his people when they seek to do the will of God. Also, we looked at how to study the Bible.
After lunch, we visited with some of David’s neighbors whom we invited to the Bible studies at the church.
That night, Pedro preached from 2 Chron. 15. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. He did a good job, as always. Afterwards, Milton and I accused Pedro of stealing our sermons. We were joking of course.
Day Six, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005
We all met together for worship Sunday morning. Milton taught the Bible class. He spoke on 2 Thessalonians. Milton is an excellent Bible teacher. In the worship service, Henry preached. He spoke on Philippians 2:1-11 again, and he did an excellent job.
After church, Milton, Henry, and Pedro went to the prison to visit several inmates who are members of the church there. Rolando and I went to the hospital with David and Felipe, David’s son. We visited a member of the church who was there for an operation.
That evening, Milton and Henry went over to Tacna, Peru. They met with members of the church there. The rest of us returned to the church building in the evening for our last meeting with the church in Arica. I preached from Ephesians 4:17-24. The theme was the darkened understanding of pagans versus the new life in Christ. After the meeting, we shared once one last time and said our goodbyes to the Christians we would not see again for awhile.
Day Seven, Monday, Dec. 5, 2005
We started the day with breakfast and then a Bible study. We talked more about how to study the Bible. Then we went over to Augusto’s and Berta’s for lunch. For a couple of people in their eighties, they are a pretty lively couple. Augusto was talking about the need to have cataract surgery on his eyes, when Berta mentioned that her grandmother died from cataracts. Of course, then someone had to ask her how that was possible, and Berta replied, She was pushed. That is funny, even in English. (cataract >noun 1 a large waterfall. 2 a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision.)
In the evening, we went to Marta’s house (David’s sister) for once. Several members of David’s family were there. We had a good time together on our last night before leaving Arica.
I should point out that Luis, one of the men who was baptized in the prison in Arica has been faithful in his attendance since he has been released from prison. We also heard word from the brothers in the prison that Milton Flores, one of the prisoners recently released, had returned to Peru, where he has started a church in his hometown outside of Puno. Other prisoners have returned to Bolivia.
Day Eight, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005
We planned on leaving at nine a.m. from Arica, but after Milton got through puttering around it was more like ten a.m. We were going to Iquique, and since we had to be there in the evening, and it was only four hours away, we took our time in getting there. Several times along the way, we got out and took pictures of the road. Several places along the way, the road clings to the side of the mountain. As I mentioned before, you feel like you could quite easily drive off into the great beyond. When we stopped, we looked into the abyss, and tried to guess how many times a car would bounce before it came to a fiery stop. You fall asleep on this road, and you are a goner. On the trip from Arica to Iquique, we did find one truck whose brakes had gone out. At several places along the way, the road has emergency lanes for trucks to use when their brakes go out. We saw one truck that had been carrying cars stuck on one of the lanes, with several cars scattered about. The truck driver was sitting on the side of the road waiting for the crane to arrive. Undoubtedly, he was thinking about his next job, which probably was not going to be driving trucks to Arica.
We arrived in Iquique about three p.m. We were planning on staying in Jaime and Eliana’s house. Since they are both teachers, we did not expect them to be home until later. When we arrived at their home, we were surprised to find Eliana at home. She had taken the week off to be with us.
We had a Bible study that evening. I had the opportunity to meet several new Christians that I had not met before, as well as renew some old friendships along the way. One of the prisoners, Luis, had been released from the prison and was meeting regularly with the church, as was another ex-prisoner that I had not met, Victor. Both of them demonstrate signs of low self-esteem. I understand that this is common among prisoners. However, if there is a place where they can feel the love, it is in the church. We also had the privilege of visiting with Carlos Segura, and his wife, who both were baptized in the prison in Arica. Both have been instrumental in starting the church in Coihaique.
An old friend that we had the chance to visit with is Marilyn. She was a student of Eliana’s that was converted several years ago. Since then, her boyfriend, Sebastian, was also converted. He is an industrial engineering student. I also met Maritza, a student of Eliana’s who is studying the Bible to become a Christian.
In the Bible study, I spoke on the theme of sin. One of the problems that has surfaced in this congregation is that one of the members has spoken out against things that he considers sinful. Unfortunately for him, he is wrong, and instead of keeping his opinions to himself he has insisted that the other Christians practice his opinions. This has provided for some conflict, so we arrived at an opportune time to deal with this conflict. To give an example, this person has insisted that football (soccer in the USA) is sinful and members of the church are sinful for watching it. While soccer is dreadfully boring, it is not a sin. I taught about some of the characteristics of sin, such as it is destructive, and it entices people while at the same time deceiving people. Hopefully, people will be able to understand more about what sin actually is.
After the Bible study, we shared an once together.
Day Nine, Wednesday, December 7, 2005
We studied the Bible in the morning. We are working on understanding more about how to study the Bible, using Nehemiah as an example.
Eliana fixed us lunch. After lunch, we went to the prison, where we held a class with five prisoners. I spoke on Ephesians 4:17-24 again. This is a sermon of mine that Pedro always asks me to bring out when we talk to new people.
In the evening, I had a Bible study with Maritza, where I talked with her about some scriptures and also about who God is.
We met again with the church. I addressed the theme of sin again, explaining how sin separates one from God. Afterwards, we shared an once together again.
Day Ten, Thursday, December 8, 2005
Thursday was about like Wednesday. We had a Bible study in the morning. Then we ate lunch. Afterwards, we went to the prison again. This time, we had seven men present. Henry gave the presentation. He spoke on the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. Since it is common in our present time that not many people read the Bible, many do not know what role the Bible should have in their life. I am going to say that the larger role the Bible has in a person’s life, the better off he will be. Henry did a good job.
Later on, I waited for Maritza to show up, but she did not.
That evening, we met again with the church. I chose to no longer speak on the theme of sin, preferring to speak on wisdom and the importance of being wise. I spoke on Proverbs 1:1-7, ending with the thought that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. The turnout was larger, and we had the added blessing of Milton teaching the congregation how to sing various hymns. Remember that each of these congregations are fairly young, and still need to learn how to be a church. Afterwards, we shared once together.
I have to confess that it is more difficult to find time on our trip to do this than I thought. Also, since I am away from my computer in my house, I do not have the program to put pictures on this page.
On day four in the morning, we shared in a Bible study with all the participants of the trip: Henry, Rolando, Pedro, Milton, and myself. David Cisternas and his wife also joined us. David is the preacher for the congregation in Arica. All five of us are staying in his house. In this Bible study, we finished reading Nehemiah and began talking about what we learned from it.
Afterwards, we ate lunch together. Then I prepared for the evening study with the church while everyone else went to the beach.
That evening, we met with the church in the building on Gonzalo Cerda street. I preached from Philippians 2:1-11. It was enjoyable to once again be with Augusto Fuentes and his wife Berta. When I was in Arica in April, Augusto was recovering from a heart attack. He seems in better health, although his age seems to be catching up with him. He is eight-one years old, and Berta is eighty. Both are such sweet people that it is always a pleasure to pass time with them.
Another person that is faithful at church is Emilia Raby. She has never stopped coming to church since the day several years ago when Augusto and I went to visit her. She has also been instrumental in bringing several members of her family to church.
Several members of David’s family also were present. His brother, Luis, felt the need to share his insight with me. He told me, Harry, you are getting old. Thanks for the reminder.
After the lesson, we shared a typical Chilean once together. An once is a sandwich and a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Day Five, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005
We continued our study in the morning after breakfast. During this study, we discussed the central idea of Nehemiah which is that God gives success to his people when they seek to do the will of God. Also, we looked at how to study the Bible.
After lunch, we visited with some of David’s neighbors whom we invited to the Bible studies at the church.
That night, Pedro preached from 2 Chron. 15. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. He did a good job, as always. Afterwards, Milton and I accused Pedro of stealing our sermons. We were joking of course.
Day Six, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005
We all met together for worship Sunday morning. Milton taught the Bible class. He spoke on 2 Thessalonians. Milton is an excellent Bible teacher. In the worship service, Henry preached. He spoke on Philippians 2:1-11 again, and he did an excellent job.
After church, Milton, Henry, and Pedro went to the prison to visit several inmates who are members of the church there. Rolando and I went to the hospital with David and Felipe, David’s son. We visited a member of the church who was there for an operation.
That evening, Milton and Henry went over to Tacna, Peru. They met with members of the church there. The rest of us returned to the church building in the evening for our last meeting with the church in Arica. I preached from Ephesians 4:17-24. The theme was the darkened understanding of pagans versus the new life in Christ. After the meeting, we shared once one last time and said our goodbyes to the Christians we would not see again for awhile.
Day Seven, Monday, Dec. 5, 2005
We started the day with breakfast and then a Bible study. We talked more about how to study the Bible. Then we went over to Augusto’s and Berta’s for lunch. For a couple of people in their eighties, they are a pretty lively couple. Augusto was talking about the need to have cataract surgery on his eyes, when Berta mentioned that her grandmother died from cataracts. Of course, then someone had to ask her how that was possible, and Berta replied, She was pushed. That is funny, even in English. (cataract >noun 1 a large waterfall. 2 a medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision.)
In the evening, we went to Marta’s house (David’s sister) for once. Several members of David’s family were there. We had a good time together on our last night before leaving Arica.
I should point out that Luis, one of the men who was baptized in the prison in Arica has been faithful in his attendance since he has been released from prison. We also heard word from the brothers in the prison that Milton Flores, one of the prisoners recently released, had returned to Peru, where he has started a church in his hometown outside of Puno. Other prisoners have returned to Bolivia.
Day Eight, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005
We planned on leaving at nine a.m. from Arica, but after Milton got through puttering around it was more like ten a.m. We were going to Iquique, and since we had to be there in the evening, and it was only four hours away, we took our time in getting there. Several times along the way, we got out and took pictures of the road. Several places along the way, the road clings to the side of the mountain. As I mentioned before, you feel like you could quite easily drive off into the great beyond. When we stopped, we looked into the abyss, and tried to guess how many times a car would bounce before it came to a fiery stop. You fall asleep on this road, and you are a goner. On the trip from Arica to Iquique, we did find one truck whose brakes had gone out. At several places along the way, the road has emergency lanes for trucks to use when their brakes go out. We saw one truck that had been carrying cars stuck on one of the lanes, with several cars scattered about. The truck driver was sitting on the side of the road waiting for the crane to arrive. Undoubtedly, he was thinking about his next job, which probably was not going to be driving trucks to Arica.
We arrived in Iquique about three p.m. We were planning on staying in Jaime and Eliana’s house. Since they are both teachers, we did not expect them to be home until later. When we arrived at their home, we were surprised to find Eliana at home. She had taken the week off to be with us.
We had a Bible study that evening. I had the opportunity to meet several new Christians that I had not met before, as well as renew some old friendships along the way. One of the prisoners, Luis, had been released from the prison and was meeting regularly with the church, as was another ex-prisoner that I had not met, Victor. Both of them demonstrate signs of low self-esteem. I understand that this is common among prisoners. However, if there is a place where they can feel the love, it is in the church. We also had the privilege of visiting with Carlos Segura, and his wife, who both were baptized in the prison in Arica. Both have been instrumental in starting the church in Coihaique.
An old friend that we had the chance to visit with is Marilyn. She was a student of Eliana’s that was converted several years ago. Since then, her boyfriend, Sebastian, was also converted. He is an industrial engineering student. I also met Maritza, a student of Eliana’s who is studying the Bible to become a Christian.
In the Bible study, I spoke on the theme of sin. One of the problems that has surfaced in this congregation is that one of the members has spoken out against things that he considers sinful. Unfortunately for him, he is wrong, and instead of keeping his opinions to himself he has insisted that the other Christians practice his opinions. This has provided for some conflict, so we arrived at an opportune time to deal with this conflict. To give an example, this person has insisted that football (soccer in the USA) is sinful and members of the church are sinful for watching it. While soccer is dreadfully boring, it is not a sin. I taught about some of the characteristics of sin, such as it is destructive, and it entices people while at the same time deceiving people. Hopefully, people will be able to understand more about what sin actually is.
After the Bible study, we shared an once together.
Day Nine, Wednesday, December 7, 2005
We studied the Bible in the morning. We are working on understanding more about how to study the Bible, using Nehemiah as an example.
Eliana fixed us lunch. After lunch, we went to the prison, where we held a class with five prisoners. I spoke on Ephesians 4:17-24 again. This is a sermon of mine that Pedro always asks me to bring out when we talk to new people.
In the evening, I had a Bible study with Maritza, where I talked with her about some scriptures and also about who God is.
We met again with the church. I addressed the theme of sin again, explaining how sin separates one from God. Afterwards, we shared an once together again.
Day Ten, Thursday, December 8, 2005
Thursday was about like Wednesday. We had a Bible study in the morning. Then we ate lunch. Afterwards, we went to the prison again. This time, we had seven men present. Henry gave the presentation. He spoke on the Bible as the authoritative Word of God. Since it is common in our present time that not many people read the Bible, many do not know what role the Bible should have in their life. I am going to say that the larger role the Bible has in a person’s life, the better off he will be. Henry did a good job.
Later on, I waited for Maritza to show up, but she did not.
That evening, we met again with the church. I chose to no longer speak on the theme of sin, preferring to speak on wisdom and the importance of being wise. I spoke on Proverbs 1:1-7, ending with the thought that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. The turnout was larger, and we had the added blessing of Milton teaching the congregation how to sing various hymns. Remember that each of these congregations are fairly young, and still need to learn how to be a church. Afterwards, we shared once together.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Starting the trip to Arica
Notes from Day One
The road from Santiago to Arica is simple to navigate. All you have to do is get on the Pan American Highway and head north. No other road goes north for the entire length of Chile. It would probably be foolish to have another road go the length of Chile, since the country is only 120 miles wide at the widest.
Generally speaking, I hardly notice the countryside outside of Santiago, when we begin the trip, until we get to the ocean. One time, a visitor to Santiago made the comment that Santiago was in the desert. I never considered it that way until he said it. It helped me understand how North Americans see Chile. It is hard for me to consider Santiago as being in the desert, because I know what the north of Chile is like. That is desert.
The drive from Santiago to Ovalle, our first stop, is a drive of about five hours. In Ovalle, we are going to meet with Angel, a Bible Correspondence student. We are going to meet him for the first time. I have talked to him several times on the telephone. After we visit with him, we will continue on to Vicuña. There we will stay with Rolando Suazo. Tomorrow, Rolando will accompany us to the north.
UPDATE. We went to Angel’s house, but we were later than we expected. He was not there. We will have to call him later, and meet him on the return trip, or at another time.
In the trip, we decided to look at the book of Nehemiah. One of my favorite questions for our ministers is What is the central concept of the book (or passage)? This usually keeps them tied up for hours. We have been reading the book as we go along. Then I ask them to tell me all that they observe from the chapter that we read. The book of Nehemiah has a good message for us on our trip. God will give us success (2:20). It also describes several ways that people impede us as we work to achieve success.
When we arrived at Rolando’s house, he was waiting for us with a nice little supper. The church that eats together, stays together. After we visited for a bit, we all headed for the bed.
The road from Santiago to Arica is simple to navigate. All you have to do is get on the Pan American Highway and head north. No other road goes north for the entire length of Chile. It would probably be foolish to have another road go the length of Chile, since the country is only 120 miles wide at the widest.
Generally speaking, I hardly notice the countryside outside of Santiago, when we begin the trip, until we get to the ocean. One time, a visitor to Santiago made the comment that Santiago was in the desert. I never considered it that way until he said it. It helped me understand how North Americans see Chile. It is hard for me to consider Santiago as being in the desert, because I know what the north of Chile is like. That is desert.
The drive from Santiago to Ovalle, our first stop, is a drive of about five hours. In Ovalle, we are going to meet with Angel, a Bible Correspondence student. We are going to meet him for the first time. I have talked to him several times on the telephone. After we visit with him, we will continue on to Vicuña. There we will stay with Rolando Suazo. Tomorrow, Rolando will accompany us to the north.
UPDATE. We went to Angel’s house, but we were later than we expected. He was not there. We will have to call him later, and meet him on the return trip, or at another time.
In the trip, we decided to look at the book of Nehemiah. One of my favorite questions for our ministers is What is the central concept of the book (or passage)? This usually keeps them tied up for hours. We have been reading the book as we go along. Then I ask them to tell me all that they observe from the chapter that we read. The book of Nehemiah has a good message for us on our trip. God will give us success (2:20). It also describes several ways that people impede us as we work to achieve success.
When we arrived at Rolando’s house, he was waiting for us with a nice little supper. The church that eats together, stays together. After we visited for a bit, we all headed for the bed.
Day Two
Notes From Day Two
At Rolando’s house Wednesday morning, we all started to move about six a.m. By eight a.m., we were ready to move out. After we stopped for gas, we were on the road by 8:30 a.m.
On the road, we had to drive back to La Serena before we could continue on to Antofagasta. I decided that we would continue with our study of Nehemiah with the emphasis on how to study the Bible. One conversation that occurred in the course of our journey addressed the Great Commission. Somebody mentioned that the phrase “preach the gospel to the ends of the earth” was a direct reference to Chile. Chile of course is the end of the earth, which is true, especially if you consider Punta Arenas in the south of Chile. I used the opportunity to point out to the men that we were obeying the command to the gospel to the ends of the earth, as well as the command to preach the gospel to all creatures.
We ate lunch at a roadhouse that was on the road on the way into Copiapo. We always look for the restaurants where the truck drivers stop. Most of the restaurants on the road give you a good meal for an inexpensive price. The meal usually consists of a soup, which is usually a cazuela, which is either a beef stew or a chicken stew, and a main course, which is usually fried fish, rice and a salad. All of this for a reasonable price. Most of the time, it is better than eating in a fancy restaurant. Since the road follows the coast a lot of the time, the restaurants serve a lot of fish.
In Copiapo, we visited a person that we had studied with at various times during the last few years. One of the things that is true of Milton, Pedro and me is that we know people all over the place in the North, because we have been all over the North at various opportunities. We visited with this family and shared a few things from the Word of God with them. We then promised to visit in the future.
As we continued on our journey to Antofagasta, we drove for hours. By the time we arrived in Chañaral, we were in the desert. This was apparent when we went to the bathroom in the gas station there. They charged us almost a dollar each for the use of the facilities. I assume that this was for the cost of water in the desert.
Another thing that I find outrageous is that there are toll booths everywhere on the road. Each one costs from seven to ten dollars a piece. On a long trip, we can wind up paying as much for tolls as we pay for gasoline. It makes the trips expensive.
We continued with our reading of Nehemiah on the road. I have the men make all the observations that they can about the chapters we read. We still have a lot of work to do.
We arrived in Antofagasta at midnight. We had called ahead and made arrangements with the hotel to let us stay. As soon as we checked in, we found out that the bathroom in one of the rooms was messed up. We went downstairs to tell the clerk, and she had already left and went home. We had to go to the owner’s house and get him out of bed to come take care of us, if you can believe that. Fortunately, he was able to fix us up, because I was ready to go look for another place. After a long trip, and a bit of discomfort at not being able to go to sleep right away, we finally hit the sack.
At Rolando’s house Wednesday morning, we all started to move about six a.m. By eight a.m., we were ready to move out. After we stopped for gas, we were on the road by 8:30 a.m.
On the road, we had to drive back to La Serena before we could continue on to Antofagasta. I decided that we would continue with our study of Nehemiah with the emphasis on how to study the Bible. One conversation that occurred in the course of our journey addressed the Great Commission. Somebody mentioned that the phrase “preach the gospel to the ends of the earth” was a direct reference to Chile. Chile of course is the end of the earth, which is true, especially if you consider Punta Arenas in the south of Chile. I used the opportunity to point out to the men that we were obeying the command to the gospel to the ends of the earth, as well as the command to preach the gospel to all creatures.
We ate lunch at a roadhouse that was on the road on the way into Copiapo. We always look for the restaurants where the truck drivers stop. Most of the restaurants on the road give you a good meal for an inexpensive price. The meal usually consists of a soup, which is usually a cazuela, which is either a beef stew or a chicken stew, and a main course, which is usually fried fish, rice and a salad. All of this for a reasonable price. Most of the time, it is better than eating in a fancy restaurant. Since the road follows the coast a lot of the time, the restaurants serve a lot of fish.
In Copiapo, we visited a person that we had studied with at various times during the last few years. One of the things that is true of Milton, Pedro and me is that we know people all over the place in the North, because we have been all over the North at various opportunities. We visited with this family and shared a few things from the Word of God with them. We then promised to visit in the future.
As we continued on our journey to Antofagasta, we drove for hours. By the time we arrived in Chañaral, we were in the desert. This was apparent when we went to the bathroom in the gas station there. They charged us almost a dollar each for the use of the facilities. I assume that this was for the cost of water in the desert.
Another thing that I find outrageous is that there are toll booths everywhere on the road. Each one costs from seven to ten dollars a piece. On a long trip, we can wind up paying as much for tolls as we pay for gasoline. It makes the trips expensive.
We continued with our reading of Nehemiah on the road. I have the men make all the observations that they can about the chapters we read. We still have a lot of work to do.
We arrived in Antofagasta at midnight. We had called ahead and made arrangements with the hotel to let us stay. As soon as we checked in, we found out that the bathroom in one of the rooms was messed up. We went downstairs to tell the clerk, and she had already left and went home. We had to go to the owner’s house and get him out of bed to come take care of us, if you can believe that. Fortunately, he was able to fix us up, because I was ready to go look for another place. After a long trip, and a bit of discomfort at not being able to go to sleep right away, we finally hit the sack.
Starting the trip to Arica
Day Three
If you are ever in Antofagasta, do not stay at the hotel that we stayed in. When we got ready to leave, we could not find a clerk anywhere. I finally left the keys in the room and we left. They had asked for payment in advance when we arrived, and I can see why. They had no intention of being around.
As we were leaving Antofagasta, Milton started complaining about not having any breakfast. Chileans usually drink a breakfast of coffee and bread. Milton explained that he had to have his café con leche (milk and coffee) or he begins to feel weak. So we drove over to the town of Mejillones, where we searched for a restaurant that would serve us breakfast. I should point out that in Spanish, you do not eat breakfast, you drink it. We finally found a restaurant that would serve us breakfast. The cooks were all nice ladies, and they decided to serve us. They were even nice enough to go and buy some milk, so Milton could have his milk. We wound up joking a lot with them. I promised them that we would come back some time and eat lunch with them, so we would really know how they cook.
As it turns out, Rolando had a daughter in the town (pop. 8200 people) who was the principal of the grade school. We went over to her school and visited with her for a little bit. She was a very nice person.
In Antofagasta, we had left the main road, and we were taking the coastal road to Iquique. This road follows the coast. It is much prettier, but it has a lot more curves and hills than the main road. I took some pictures along the way. At one point, I noticed that the road which was located on the side of a mountain was split. Most likely, a earthquake had caused some of the foundation to begin to fall away. As a result, the road was beginning to break up. This is not an entirely comfortable thought, considering that the road itself is several hundred feet above the ocean. When we return that way, I will let you know if the road is still there. If it is not, I will take a picture, before we start the long journey back around the mountains.
We stopped briefly in Iquique to say hello to the brothers before we continued on to Arica. One brother fixed us some sandwiches in his shop, which is evidently doing pretty well. I will tell you more about the church in Iquique when we return.
We drove on to Arica, passing several memorable places in the desert. One place was where I hit a rock some years ago and knocked a hole in my gas tank. This had the wonderful effect of making me wonder if we were going to be stranded in the desert. Fortunately, at the time, we were not, because I had enough gas to make it in to town. Another place was where my car broke down, and I had to wait a day there for Pedro to go into town and buy a part.
Another memorable aspect of the trip from Iquique to Arica is that there are four cuestas. Cuestas are where the road climbs up through the mountains and then descends again. For the life of me, I can not remember what they are called in English. One cuesta descends for seventeen kilometers, and another climbs for eleven kilometers. The whole time we are climbing and descending, the side of the road falls away for several thousand feet into an abyss, the bottom of which you can not see. For the entire time, the shoulder of the road is only a yard or so wide before it begins to fall away into the abyss. There is no protection placed along a good portion of the road, which means that there is no protection against driving off into eternity. Every now and then, some poor soul falls asleep at the wheel and drives a kilometer or two without the benefit of traction nor wings, only to be awakened in the next life. As you can imagine, I watched Milton who was driving like a hawk. I did not want him to fall asleep or anything. This part of the trip is always tense.
We made it into Arica safe and sound around eleven thirty p.m. We visited with David Cisternas and his wife until about two a.m. before finally making it to bed.
If you are ever in Antofagasta, do not stay at the hotel that we stayed in. When we got ready to leave, we could not find a clerk anywhere. I finally left the keys in the room and we left. They had asked for payment in advance when we arrived, and I can see why. They had no intention of being around.
As we were leaving Antofagasta, Milton started complaining about not having any breakfast. Chileans usually drink a breakfast of coffee and bread. Milton explained that he had to have his café con leche (milk and coffee) or he begins to feel weak. So we drove over to the town of Mejillones, where we searched for a restaurant that would serve us breakfast. I should point out that in Spanish, you do not eat breakfast, you drink it. We finally found a restaurant that would serve us breakfast. The cooks were all nice ladies, and they decided to serve us. They were even nice enough to go and buy some milk, so Milton could have his milk. We wound up joking a lot with them. I promised them that we would come back some time and eat lunch with them, so we would really know how they cook.
As it turns out, Rolando had a daughter in the town (pop. 8200 people) who was the principal of the grade school. We went over to her school and visited with her for a little bit. She was a very nice person.
In Antofagasta, we had left the main road, and we were taking the coastal road to Iquique. This road follows the coast. It is much prettier, but it has a lot more curves and hills than the main road. I took some pictures along the way. At one point, I noticed that the road which was located on the side of a mountain was split. Most likely, a earthquake had caused some of the foundation to begin to fall away. As a result, the road was beginning to break up. This is not an entirely comfortable thought, considering that the road itself is several hundred feet above the ocean. When we return that way, I will let you know if the road is still there. If it is not, I will take a picture, before we start the long journey back around the mountains.
We stopped briefly in Iquique to say hello to the brothers before we continued on to Arica. One brother fixed us some sandwiches in his shop, which is evidently doing pretty well. I will tell you more about the church in Iquique when we return.
We drove on to Arica, passing several memorable places in the desert. One place was where I hit a rock some years ago and knocked a hole in my gas tank. This had the wonderful effect of making me wonder if we were going to be stranded in the desert. Fortunately, at the time, we were not, because I had enough gas to make it in to town. Another place was where my car broke down, and I had to wait a day there for Pedro to go into town and buy a part.
Another memorable aspect of the trip from Iquique to Arica is that there are four cuestas. Cuestas are where the road climbs up through the mountains and then descends again. For the life of me, I can not remember what they are called in English. One cuesta descends for seventeen kilometers, and another climbs for eleven kilometers. The whole time we are climbing and descending, the side of the road falls away for several thousand feet into an abyss, the bottom of which you can not see. For the entire time, the shoulder of the road is only a yard or so wide before it begins to fall away into the abyss. There is no protection placed along a good portion of the road, which means that there is no protection against driving off into eternity. Every now and then, some poor soul falls asleep at the wheel and drives a kilometer or two without the benefit of traction nor wings, only to be awakened in the next life. As you can imagine, I watched Milton who was driving like a hawk. I did not want him to fall asleep or anything. This part of the trip is always tense.
We made it into Arica safe and sound around eleven thirty p.m. We visited with David Cisternas and his wife until about two a.m. before finally making it to bed.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
I am on the trip
If you are expecting to read about the trip, do not give up yet. I have been traveling for the last three days. I will sit down and write about some of our stories as soon as I get some time. We are currently in Iquique, and we are here for a break only. We will finish driving to Arica tonight.
On the first day, Tuesday, we left my house at noon. We drove to Ovalle, and then to Vicuña, arriving at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, we left Vicuña at 8:30 a.m. and arrived in Antofagasta at midnight. This morning we left Antofagasta at 9:00 a.m. and we are in Iquique at 6:00 p.m. We intend to continue on to Arica, arriving around 10:30 p.m. or eleven.
I will share more about our trip tomorrow.
On the first day, Tuesday, we left my house at noon. We drove to Ovalle, and then to Vicuña, arriving at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, we left Vicuña at 8:30 a.m. and arrived in Antofagasta at midnight. This morning we left Antofagasta at 9:00 a.m. and we are in Iquique at 6:00 p.m. We intend to continue on to Arica, arriving around 10:30 p.m. or eleven.
I will share more about our trip tomorrow.
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