10 things I have done for the first time...

1. Travelled to Chile.
2. Walked in the Pacific Ocean.
3. Eaten horse (although I did not know at the time.) 4. Graffittied cars (albeit with permission)
5. Fly-posted.
6. Walked in a desert.
7. Attempted to speak in Spanish/Chilean.
8. Danced on a moving bus.
8b. Learnt (!) A traditional Chilean dance on a moving bus packed with more people than capacity allowed.
9. Made balloon dogs (and attempted a flower).
10. Read all the books I took with me!

What new things have you done in the last 3 weeks?

It also made me think about what the next 3 weeks might bring.

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Dia cero

Thus begins the start of the rest of our lives.

This was the conclusion to the final commissioning and thanksgiving service today.

There are no photos, as I was taking part and preaching. I will try and find some on facebook when I can, but they may not appear here.

We began with a map of Chile. We were all sat surrounding the image on the floor. One by one, as the rest of the young people sang together, the districts of MC Chile placed the city in which we lived and served on the map.

Victoria.

Coronel.

Rancagua.

Ovalle.

Antofagasta.

Alto hospicio, Iquique.

Santiago.

As each place was laid on the map, so the members of that district stepped forwards to pray together.

There were many tears.

Some of the group had to leave to get their transportation home at this point, and it was my privilege to lead a tearful tribute and prayer for their safe travelling.

We had the opportunity to share a few stories about how God was at work in the lives of the young people (which could have gone on forever!).

I took Esther as a text - a woman who:
1. Was the right person in the right place at the right time (how is God changing our character to be the right sort of person, and how many in the TUR knew that they were in the right place at the right time)

2. Was prepared to bide her time, waiting for the opportune moment. (How many of the TUR have been taught patience - not least of all in the middle of a desert.)

3. Surrounded herself with a support network. (How many now have 43 other TUR members who will shout on the sidelines for us, and how do we surround ourselves with people who will support and encourage us and who will tell the truth.)

4. Willing to pay a high cost for vocation (how many have discovered there is a cost to following God's call?)

5. Put God and God's people first. (How many have discovered this as a passion?)

All were invited to respond. It is good to note that some of the people who were in attendance included those who had made a connection with the group during the day's evangelism activities, and even some of these people responded.

Each member of the bus tour were given an envelope marking 'dia cero' - day zero. The translation was a little sketchy about this, due to tears and tiredness. But it seemed important emotionally!

We then concluded by piling out into the street singing the Fejumech anthem 'we will shine'.

Matt Redman once wrote a song with the lyric 'can a nation be changed? Can a nation be saved? Can a nation be turned back to you?'

Perhaps in Chile, the glimmer of an answer to this question is that 'yes' it can. And it does not need protests to do it.

It will be significant to see how 44 TUR members change the Church and the World in the next 40 years.

Dia cero.
The countdown begins.

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UNO evangelism.

This could be a long story. Today, a TUR member and I met a guy.

Probably late 40s. Quite suspect and significant blade injuries (some impossible to have been self inflicted.) Dressed head to foot in black. Black trainers, shorts, vest-hoody, and cap.

He was incredibly lonely, but my colleague developed such rapport as to be invited into his house.

Now, I know that one of my god-lessons is about judgements - but I really expected some sort of junkie squat in an abandoned building somewhere.

I was not far wrong.

We invited him to have lunch with us back at the church (I love Chilean hospitality which not only had enough, but offered him seconds once his first plate was finished. The lunch invitation an inspired idea by my colleague.

So the question then became, how to move from a meal to a conversation about Jesus again.

We played UNO.

The Chileans are amazed that a. I know the game, and that b. It is called UNO outside of Spanish speaking countries.

The guy had said that he did not have anyone beyond his dog and cat. UNO was a great equaliser.

So, I hereby defend UNO as an evangelistic tool.

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A final meal

Our final breakfast together, anyhew.

Inevitably, we slept little last night, preferring instead to serenade each other in the school playground into the early hours. This in itself was a beautiful way to begin to end well.

This morning, drowsy and yet somehow relaxed and excited about God's achievements, we sat down to eat together.

This is nothing new nor profound. We have done this every day for the last 16 days together.

What made today special was that today, we were to prepare our breakfast 'pan' (ham sandwich). As bread was broken, laughter and banter in abundance, and hot sweet tea our morning nectar, I could not help but think of the sacramentality of this moment.

Of broken lives transformed throughout the country.

Of young people on this TUR who have heard their calling.

Of leaders who have worked so hard, and now see this chapter drawing to a close.

Of the 'bread' of the Gospel scattered across the 2600km length of this country (and back again), and of hungry people receiving good news.

As we broke bread together this morning, and celebrated a new dawn - we are celebrating a new dawn in the lives of so many people.

'El tiempo es solo una forma de ordenar los acontecimientos.'

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Santiago 1

The final leg.

Santiago.

Presently, the sun is setting over yet another busy day.

We arrived at the school we're are sleeping in at around 10, and went to the church at the centre of our mission focus on bus number 4! (This change a planned one!)

From then, we prayed, marched, fly-posted, door to door evangelised and are now hosting the penultimate 'impact' event of the TUR.

This is the first location which we have been told to ba careful when we're on the streets - and it is the first place where women have been accompanied by men at all times (although there is still a machismo culture here which makes this more common than not.)

Having said this, my next 'first' was to walk to the local store and ask for and purchase a drink!

And if you are wondering about the grapes - they are growing here in the church, and taste great.

Here's hoping that the mission continues to bear much fruit, for those reached and more significantly for the members of the TUR.

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Copiapo

'Hold me'

The final words spoken in this town.

With much rest, and with much space for God to move, today was a reminder that this national tour is distinctive because of the International complexion. Today's contribution - a Brazilian missionary called Paulo. It was good to be with another non-spanish speaker. It was a shame he could only speak Portuguese.

Two days remain (with plans(!) already in place for our continuing mission work on day 17.

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Book reading by the pool

Intermission.

We are all celebrating God's gift of creation this afternoon by relaxing by the 'piscina de olympiad' in Copiapo.

I have just read the following sentence in this latest book (took 5 with me, this is the 4th!)
'Spanish has since 1980 been the leading language of church membership in the world...in our lifetimes, the centuries-long north atlantic captivity of the church is drawing to an end.' (p9)

Once again, the significance of participating in this trip does not escape me.
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Leaving Iquique

Our experience in Inquique was a wonderful one, and it was with much sadness that the tour members mounted the bus for this last leg of the journey.

Albeit a leg of 24 hours!

We are currently travelling right alongside the pacific, having traversed the Atacama overnight.

We will be stopping in Copiapo for a meal, before another overnight journey through the mountains to Santiago.

The DVD player in the bus is fully deployed (with a summary re-enactment of events being acted out for me by the English speakers on the bus so that I know what is happening!). The next three days will be over far too quickly.

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Standing in Antofagasta

'Stand up and walk!' (Jesus).

I neglected to post this from Antofagasta. Safe to say that the pastoral issues preceeded a blog post from the other day.

So. Antofagasta. A busy port, and the second largest city in Chile. Surrounded by mountains and the Pacific, its sloping streets are a gift for the local skateboarders. The one way systems are less kind on the traffic!

As the tour has progressed, it has become increasingly important to recognise that this is not merely a tour of evangelism, but a vocational training ground for the young people.

I am a product of such programmes, and am delighted to be a part of this adventure for MC Chile.

This picture shows two girls on the trampoline - one helping the other to stand, as the older children make life very difficult for this to be achieved. For some of the older children, it is deliberate. For others it is the unintentional exuberance of being able to bounce!

We can forget sometimes that evangelism is the process of letting people stand (perhaps discipleship is about learning to bounce?).

Some people are confident quickly. Others need time and attentive attention. Antofagasta was a place for the team to learn to stand firm in their faith.

It was a place for the leadership team to help the tour members to stand and practice their vocation.

It was a place for the tour members to help others take the necessary steps of faith.

Who are you helping to stand, today?

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Missio Dei

I am about to lead a session on evangelism in the UK.

I am going to say a number of things, which I may or may not write up here. I'll see how it goes. I will be using this picture as an illustration though. It has been painted by a member of the congregation, and hangs above the worship band.

I have no idea if it is clear on this photo, but there is part of the painting that really bothers me. There is a person observing proceeding BEHIND Jesus. As Jesus heals the man, another sits ans watches. Jesus seemingly ignores this second person.

It made me wonder - is this how we understand missio dei? That God is working in some and not in others? What else might be going on in this painting?

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Iquique

Iquique is one of those places that you can only ever imagine until you have seen it.

I'm pretty sure I have seen it on Top Gear, actually.

The city is surrounded on all side by an incredible sand dune. This is the sand dune of all Biblical Epics! The city sprawls is ramshackle way from the base of the dune to the Pacific Ocean.

As the road winds its way down to the coast, the expanse of sea, sand and city is truly breathtaking.

Thus began our time in Iquique. A morning enjoying the benefits of tax free shopping (for reasons which still evade me), and a wonderful hour on the coast, watching the surfers breakers roll.

It is not a competiton, but on the hospitality front Iquique has opened hearts and minds in the most beautiful of ways. Steak, egg and chips for lunch, for example.

It is worth noting, however, that beneath the surface of such glorious beauty, there is also a darker side to this city.

This is not meant as a reflection to scare or to set our work in a way that reflects negatively on our experience here.

As the childrens' work took place in a plaza near the church (another 40 or so kids involved) those of us surrounding the play area became increasingly aware of the drug trafficking that was happening.

The task again today was leafleting cars at the traffic lights, and to graffitti willing drivers' vehicles.

There was a very real clash of cultures. Even in the midst of this wild world, a moment of grace happened.

A car pulled up to the traffic lights.
The sort of car that says 'drug dealer'
You know the sort.
I passed the flier through the window, with the now well practised blessing.

It is worth noting that at the time, I was also holding a number of balloons.

One seeing the balloons, the car occupants (bling, blue smoke and beats) smiled. I handed them a balloon, to which there was great delight from inside the car.

The car occupants and the balloon were last seen waving their way through the traffic light system of Iquique.

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RIP

The bus is dead.

Long live the bus.

(2am, and we are still loading a smaller(!) Bus)

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When the green person shows...

The traffic lights here in Antofagasta deserve a post all of their own.

In part this is because the green person moves! It walks, and then runs, to demonstrate the length of time it takes to get across the road!!! Very fun to watch! Note to self, when watching the lights with the intention of crossing, it is worth also remembering to cross the road when the green person suggests that it is safe to do so. Note to self 2. Not all traffic will obey the signals.

These traffic lights are also worth noting because of this morning's other exploit...flyer-ing cars as they waited at the traffic lights. A deft hand and speedy feet can cover 4 cars in the space of a red light - an average of 12 people!

I wafted our fliers through open windows, thrusting them into the hands of drivers and passengers alike with the immortal words 'Dios te Bendiger' which means God Bless You. (Only once was I berated for not coming from Chile - everyone else took pity or else understood my speedy communications.)

This was incredible fun.

It must be said that I was concerned when the local police drove passed, but this was my own cultural imprinting into this beautiful context. My colleague merely shouted through the window and fly-ered them too. (I, however, clutched my passport and hoped not to be deported for attempting to speak Chilean).

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The writing on the wall

'These commandments I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.' Deut 6:6-9.

I am not so sure that moses really expected his words to be transformed by this TUR, into an excuse (!) to paint messages on lamp posts, wall, and - more adrenalin inducing - moving vehicles.

Thus was the task this morning! And not a risk assessment in sight, which is probably quite a good thing really.

We have quite literally painted Antofagasta white!!!

All this, whilst another 50 or so kids were instructed in the church, where another group of TUR members walked together and spoke of Good Things to anyone who would listen, and a few who would not.

The temperature is well into the 30 degrees. Perhaps the spiritual temperature is rising a little here too.

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Update

With the sand swirling around our feet, the midday sun making its appearance, and the bus temporarily broken, we have had a hot morning here in the Atacama Desert - the driest place on earth.

Having slept through the night on the bus, spirits are higher than in Ovalle, but the additional time frame is starting to make the leaders somewhat dispondent.

The bus finally started after a 4 hour interlude, and we are on our final 2 hours to the next city.

My solution to the developing situation - haribo and Johnson's baby wipes! Both seemed to be consumed well!

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Erm...

The bus appears to have broken down here.

40 people all alive, water low. Programme currently suspended in Antofasgasto.

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Valentine

Travelling through the Atacama Desert seemed a good opportunity to note Valentine greetings to those in their own deserts.

If that is you, I hope you find something of love and beauty today.

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Happy valentine's day!

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Ovalle

Humidity's rising, thermometer....well rocketing today! In temperatures well into the 30s the intrepid team have today battled UV rays and done an excellent job at the local national park.

As storekeepers fried empanadas, children swam in the lake and teens jumped off the rockface into the black water, TURevolucion entertained another 60 or so children, and then continued to lead an open air concert.

As you can see, the setting is stunning.

Yes, we are all tired. Yes, today we were all far too hot. But the sunblock was shared and (corny line alert) the Son shone ;)

We start again at 10 tomorrow - as soon as we arrive into the next city, so plenty of sleep on the bus is an oncoming necessity. And to add to my list of first's (and these will be compiled as part of my final reflections), I have tried a traditional Chilean dessert - barley floating in peach juice surround by dried/soaked peach submersibles. Really does taste better than it sounds!

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Ovalle (no idea of the day.....)

Today's lesson - balloon modelling! It is safe to say that the evidenced debris is mainly my fault, as most of my early attempts exploded during construction.

Balloon modelling is quite a useful metaphor for Ovalle, and the teams' experience.

Last night, the image gave quite a good impression - some members were entirely deflated, exhausted and empty. Others were a little out of shape, but trying hard to be something!

It is now day 9 of 16, and the lack of sleep coupled with rising temperatures and harder contextual conditions have all hit the team hard in Ovalle.

We are celebrating small achievments, but holding out for something more. Something bigger.

So as the church service begins, as the children's work takes place in the plaza, as the siren sounds for the midday sun, and as the bus goes through its final check before our 13hour overnight trip to Antofagasta, we continue to press onwards.

'Unless the lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.' Ps127

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Ovalle 1

'44 people alive and well. On highway.' Said the Tweet paralleling that of the miners last year. There followed numerous calls from concerned Chileans concerning our welfare.

Be assured that all is well.

Yesterday was quite surreal for a number of reasons.

Perhaps the arrival of a different (smaller) bus, and the subsequent necessity of sharing seats due to lack of compartmental spaces under the bus, was a hint that the day would be a little more chaotic than a rest/travel day was intended to be.

A 2 hour drive through the vineyards of Chile was a beautiful context to the start of our time at Vina Del Mar.

Vina is set on the Pacific Coast, and is renowned for its specacular beachside premium hotel and celebrity spotting.

Surreal moment 1 - playing Uno on the beach with 10 other players!

We arrived back at the bus at 430, only to discover that our original, bigger, bus was on its way from Santiago.

We were 12 people missing.

At 550 the 12 people arrived, their absence due in part to the scorching temperatures and in part due to the news of a coastal evacuation in Concepcion (1hr from Coronel).

Surreal moment 2. Being on the coast and hearing of a Tsunami warning.

At 556 the second bus arrived.

Surreal moment 3. Unpacking a crammed bus in the middle of a car park!

Thus we set off on the 5 hour journey to Ovalle.

Surreal moment 4. Letting a wayside tradesperson onboard the bus to sell us traditional Chilean confectionary - think 2 biscuits squished with caramel and enveloped in clouds of meringue.

And so the journey continued. Very quickly the mountains rose on either side, and what once had been vineyards suddenly became sprouts of cacti and swathes of sand. As the sunset over the Pacific, the landscape turned an incredible mix of orange and purple.

Finally the burning sky gave way to a heavenly panoply of stars.

Surreal moment 5. Still no news from earthquake hit Concepcion - the phonelines were down and there was no news from family and friends of those on the trip.

The clock in the bus clicked over to 2210. (We should have arrived in Ovalle).

The bus stopped in the middle of the wilderness. The drivers got out. With a tool kit and a torch.

The tweet was sent.

A tube had broken and the bus overheated. We were 2 hours from Ovalle.

Surreal moment (lost count). Standing in the middle of a cactus filled landscape watching the stars and talking about how many English football players I know (my six-degree of separation to the world cup well and truly discharged as a credible source!)

Eventually, with a fixed bus and 44 tired tour members, we arrived in subdued fashion into Ovalle at 1am.

We have a packed itinerary today, and the temperature is now soaring. We leave on our 12hour journey to Antofagasta tomorrow night.

Viva Ovalle!

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On the sixth day they rested

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Leaving Rancagua

'These drops of water from the sky - that is rain.'

And with the rain came this rainbow.

Rancagua is a place brimming with the energy and delight of children. We have seen hundreds of kids over these past 48 hours, and it has been an absolute pleasure to be here and share this part of the journey.

This may not be a city with pots of gold at the ends of rainbows, but it is a place of big hearts, open homes and family spirit.

The hospitality we have been offered has been humbling. From homemade pizzas the size of table tennis tables, to hot showers and a bed (!), Rancagua has opened hearts and homes to this band of evangelists.

I have been challenged about the inheritance that we leave behind.

Life as hospitable as this is often as fragile as tissue paper.

As thin as the hands of the elderly people of whom I held on our visit to the old people's shelter here. (The similarities with the UK stark, except that these people are so often the forgotten ones of society, as family plays such an important part of society.)

It is as changeable as the dust which has been kicked up be the oncoming storm.

And yet there is great beauty to be found in the people here.

It is also the place where the people on the TURevolucion are finding their feet and their gifting and are growing in confidence (not least of all shown in the number of people who now speak to me in English).

With the wind erasing our footprints in the local sand, we leave behind a legacy for the Rancaguan Methodist Church to continue to develop.

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Concluding the lesson

Today's lesson was based on the 'colours of salvation'. At the end, each child made a wool bracelet out of the colours, and then coloured in worksheets to take home.

There were approximately 90 children here today!

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Children' work in Rancagua

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Rancagua 1

The sleepy troops awoke this morning to the sounding horns of the car escort through Rancagua's highway!

Balloons and banners were waved out of car windows as we were taken to the church.

Today's task. Children's work.

Rancagua is at first glance a sleepy city. Surrounded by mountains, it boasts a thriving vineyard (I'm not sure if the sleepiness of the city is linked). As I'm on a methodist tour, the local industry, however, remains a mystery.

The silence of the dusty streets is shattered by the tour members - another 'happiness parade' has begun! The snare drum ricochets its was through the housing block, calling all 'ninio's' (children) to the plaza opposite the church.

I realised then what the pied piper of hamlyn must have felt like!

Children appeared from behind every window, door, gate and alleyway!

We finally ended up with about 50 children on the park, with what seemed like a swarm of several hundred (well, maybe) more having chased after us, or snuck a cautious peek at us from the safety of their homes.

There is a similar plan for tomorrow - a holiday club style event during the day - followed by the now catchphrase-like sentence of mine: hoy, es las sieta en la plaza.

Tomorrow night will then take us to Santiago overnight before a rest day by the beach.
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Leaving Coronel

'Mountains bow down, and the seas will roar...'

'Did you feel the mountains tremble, did you hear the seas roar?'

We sing these words so easily sometimes. Perhaps for me these words now have greater poignancy.

Not a bad description of Coronel really. Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, Coronel is a place surrounded by great beauty - mountains and seas - and yet also bears the physical scars of the earthquake which flattened it almost a year ago.

In the centre of the city is a plaza in which an evangelistic style concert was produced for each of the two days that we were there. One, hillsong (if you ask any of the young people about London, the first conversation you will get is about hillsong london!) The second a hip hop crew.

Many people turned up for both events - and many stayed for the whole thing, albeit at the edges.

God worked in the lives of the people at the concerts - but perhaps more so in the young people themselves - as the 3hour after-event service indicates!

Coronel is still rebuildng, but there is no doubt that the church is alive and well!

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Sleepy Coronel.

Worship last night finished at 1am this morning.

The alarm sounded at 4am for breakfast.

The bus left Coronel at 5am.

'Nuff said.

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Hip hop evangelism

Today, in the plaza at 530 (!) We hosted this rap crew. Awesome!

Soundtrack to follow on my return to the uk.

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'If you need an operation it is not enough, but it should be ok...'

The adventure of Chilean cash points.

It turns out that getting money out of ATMs is quite complex. Lesson one. Don't guess the spanish. It does not let you get cash, and it beeps a lot.

A group of us went on a road trip to help the Brit find the ATM. As I stood punching buttons into the machine, one member of our group came to my rescue. First press the option that says 'foreign entity.'

With that in place (and the beeping finally stopped), the next decision was how much to withdraw.

The advice.

'If you need an operation, it is not enough, but it should be OK'

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Painting the town...

Graffiti gospel.

Make you think about they spray/sharing of good news :) !

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Chile's answer to Banksy...

...Is a Methodist!

Hector came to Coronel's street party yesterday and spent most of the early hours of this morning spray painting items of clothing.

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Coronel 2

Coronel's answer to hillsong - and yes, hoy, a las siete, en la plaza!

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Coronel 1

3 hours through the mountains, and we now arrive in Coronel. You already know Coronel - it is where the earthquake hit a year ago. Fabien, one of the young people from Coronel said 'this is Coronel. You can tell by the smell.' He is not wrong! Coronel is known for its fish in these parts. It's probably not the new scent from Chanel!

Another 'happiness party' begins at 3.

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Leaving Victoria.

The alarm call was at 5am today.
:/ this was not popular with fejumech (the federation of young people in the Methodist Church of Chile.)!
It was odd to begin the day by saying goodbye, but I think that this will become an important feature of this trip. We will be saying 'Ola' and 'chow' every other day.
We were joined for this first finale by the president of Chile's Brothers and Sisters. He sends his greetings to the Church in the UK.
Onward to Coronel and some more 'hello's'!

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Abrazo gratis!

Free hugs!

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Victoria 3

An African proverb states that 'When you don't know the words, I see Jesus written on your face.'

If you were to imagine words that would unite nations, what would those words be?

Peace?
Restroom?
Tom Cruise or David Beckham?

In this instance, the immortal and powerful moment of unity came in the form of James Blunt's 'you're beautiful' sung in the girls dorm late last night at very high volume!

I had not expected James Blunt lyrics to have transposed themselves across nations, but alas it is true.

As we all saw her face on a crowded place, and indeed wondered what to do... Beauty became the topic of conversation.

If it is true that people see Jesus on our face (worth remembering next time someone cuts me up at a junction or doesn't let me off the tube), do they see something beautiful?

I suspect that the answer may sometimes be 'no'!

As we begin this evening's proceedings - think town hall square and bandstand - our hope and prayer is for people to see something of Jesus' beauty.

Hoy, a las siete en la plaza!

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Victoria 2

This afternoon we launched our work here in Victoria with a 'happiness parade.'

I think we should do more of these! It was great fun!

We handed out balloons to children (hence the picture), we sang songs, we danced and we chanted (think football style not Taize style!) Around the streets of the city.

Having been part of evangelism training this morning - it was time to put it all into practice.

Best illustration of the tour so far, in a role play, I was asked to talk to one of the group in English. The point was that sometimes even as Christians we can seem as if we are speaking a totally different language. HT Francisco for this. Great point, well made!

With all of the teaching put into practice, and with the miles walked -"manana, esta siviento, a la plaza" (my phonetic spelling of our invitation for you to join us tomorrow at 7 in the plaza.

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Victoria 1

A 10hr overnight bus journey led to the forests, fields and connurbation of Victoria, in the south of Chile.

My birthday began with an alarm call of a bus full of teens singing 'happy birthday' in Spanish and in English! It was the perfect gift. Gracias Fejumech.

42 young people were commissioned for the trip by the local pastor, and were anointed with oil. (As the photo shows) We sang together - and yes, I was invited to speak!

It was a wonderful start to the trip. We talked about the importance of first encounters, first experiences of meeting Jesus.

At this point, I have been asked to write that I am writing this with the help of "my new best friend Xavier." So, from all the new amigos helping with this post, haste luego (see you later).
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The journey

You know that experience when there is a lot of conversation around you, but you don't have the foggiest idea what it is that people are saying? The transfer in Brazil was a little like that. In these instances, I like doing two things.

One is to imagine the conversations that are going on, often in the most ludicrous way possible.

The other is to tune into the accents, to see if there is a conversation to overhear.

I was not disappointed on the latter strategy. One conversation and the reason for this person's being in Chile is worth retelling.

He quit his job on wednesday, turned up at the airport on thursday and boarded the first plane with available seats. He is then going to travel using the well known travelling guide - the flip of a coin.

His plan - every time he needs to make a choice about the direction he should take, he will flip a coin.

No credit cards.
No plan.

Just a the freedom to choose the direction he is to take with the flip of a coin.

I wonder what we would leave to the flip of a coin.

It made me ponder the freedom and liberty we have, and the ways in which we can sometimes constrain our freedoms by our own expectations and conventions.
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Untitled

Arrived in santiago.

30 degrees.
Beautiful!

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Surprised by God

Sometimes, you know its going to be an interesting day. Sometimes good-interesting. Sometimes not.

Today, whilst packing and sorting out life, I discovered this crumpled note at the bottom of my camera case. A camera last used in 2008!

It reminded me of the need to notice God's blessings whilst on this trip.

It reminded me that life is full of God's surprises.

It has continued to teach me to be thankful.

Now. To find my passport.
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