Eli & Eli

If you've ever taught Sunday school you know exactly what I mean when I say, "that kid", that kid that's a part of your ministry that you just wont ever forget.  I had a a few during my years over at Hicky G, but one that stood out a lot to me was Eli Bright.

And yes he's about to get his hair straightened at Camp Paradise... gotta love church camp!

When I first meet him in 6th, let me just be honest and say he was a pain in my butt.  He drove me crazy and I just wanted to knock the little squirt out (yeah yeah I know harsh words for a sunday school teacher to say) but (1) it's the truth and (2) I never did it :).  I did kick him out of my classroom numerous times and would celebrate un "poquito" when he was out of town playing baseball.

I can only say all of that because of the amazing young man that he's grown up to be in the past 6 or so years.  I respect him and had such a good relationship by the time I left Hickory Grove.  Last time I saw him he was doing pretty good and I hope and pray he continues in that trajectory.

I started teaching Sunday school down here in January and it's been a blast.  The kids are high energy.  You've got your too cool for school guys, your girls who just want to be 4 years older, the 6th graders, oh the sixth grader who are just special in their own way and I've also got Eli.

Same name, different pronunciation of course.  He's actually 11, a year below my age group 12-15ish, but  he's already made an impression.  Not as out of control as his American counterpart, but still a bit of a pain.  But I see the potential, so I resist knocking the little squirt out.

I think that's what gives me the most joy when it comes to teaching Sunday school.  Kids just have so much potential unlike us grown up farts who are dang near impossible to change.

We've started a serious, Principales Básicos, which is hitting on some fundamental principales of what it means to follow Christ.  We started out with The Fall of Humanity and God's Grace this past Sunday and it's exciting to see the kids truly read the bible, grow and watch the Holy Spirit move.

Pray for our youth.  Pray for your youth.  Better yet, if you have some time go invest in the youth at your church, find one that you want to knock out and watch him grow...hopefully in the right direction!

I loved it, so I stole it.

So one of the other missionaries, Tracie lives in Cusco Peru with her husband Ricky and their two kids.  They're doing amazing work up there.  You should check it out.  

I ran across this picture and I absolutely loved it.  I always think, "What do people think I do?"  I think this states it perfectly.

I was just informed that although I thought this was really "neato"...everyone is passing around these sort of life explanations via Face and Twitter.  Always delayed with the technology.  

I don't care, it fills a void in my explanation of life and I love it.  Plus her name's Tracie.  What a spectacular name.

:)

Keitt Update - February 2012

(También tenemos la traducción en la página "Español" arriba.)

Sharing Life

So as most of you guys know, we've got our house, pictures soon to come.  What an amazing feeling to finally be settled in knowing that there is no intention of packing up anytime soon, but then again do we ever know what God has up his sleeve?  God, please don't have another move for us anywhere up that sleeve for a good little while.

One of my favorite parts of getting our more permanent settings is how we are becoming part of a community; neighbors, almacenes (house/corner stores), grocery stores, the trash guys, the security guy at Jumbo who watches our bikes, the employees at Easy (our Lowes/Home Depot), even the dogs that I like/hate at times (depending on whether or not they chase me when I cruise by on my bike).

They're all beginning to recognize our faces, our accents, our demeanor, our daily comings and goings, the smells coming from our house which are usually good unless I've had too many vegetables or black beans :) etc.  This leads to intriguing/comical/interesting questions, statements and conversations.

 "My friend from el país más grande del mundo (Brazil)..."  "I'm not actually Brazilian although I'm the mix of Raw Umber and Tan (Crayola) and have a Brazilian accent when I speak Spanish."  "Why did you guys move all the way down here to Chile?"  "How come you've come to Easy 4 times today?"  "When are we having the cookout to welcome you guys to the neighborhood?"  Watch out don't hit your head on the... I hit my head on the low running cross beam in the Almacen.  "Whatcha cooking with these tomatoes and cilantro?"  "Oh you guys go to the church behind the meat store, we should visit with you all sometime." 

We're different and I love how it sparks so many conversations and opportunities to get to know our community.  I truly feel that God has placed us here for a reason and a crucial part of that is reaching out, serving, loving and sharing life with this community.

Feeling Purple

I’ve always kind of felt like somehow I was born with a Latina heart inside a Gringa body.  (And no, it’s not just because I can NEVER be on time :)  The first time I traveled to Latin America, I knew there was something about it that was a part of me I hadn’t met yet.  A feeling that can perhaps best be described by one of my favorite movie scenes, when the clouds break in Machu Picchu as Che Guevara sees it for the first time and says

“How can I feel such nostalgia for a world I’ve never known?”

That was meeting Latin America for me.  Which explains why I went back every opportunity I could to teach, travel, work, and now live. 

And now we live here. 

In Latin America. 

But we’re still Gringos. 

Or are we?

When we’re around a bunch of Chileans, we feel pretty Gringo.

But when we’re around a bunch of Gringos, we feel VERY Chilean. 

There are many things we love about each culture.

There are many things we just don’t understand about each culture.   Some days it’s the States.  Some days it’s here. 

I don’t understand why you need to see 3 people and have 2 receipts for a purchase of something valued less than $2.  I don’t understand why you wouldn’t greet every single person when you walk in a room.  I don’t understand how schools can just be on strike and kids not get to go for 6 months.  I don’t understand (now) every individual in a family owning their own car. 

It’s not that we’re miserable, don’t get me wrong.  But when it comes to “fitting in” anywhere, we’re learning more everyday that it’s just not gonna happen.  Ever again.  To steal a friend’s simple analogy:  “If the U.S. is red and Chile is blue, you won’t ever be either.  You will always be purple.” 

And that’s not a bad thing.

Because when you’re purple, you live out the reality every day that you’re not really home yet.  You don’t “fit in” here, in any country, because you weren’t created to.  This world is not our home, we are just passing through.   

And in the midst of God reaffirming this truth to me, He gave me this little gift this morning.  It’s when the author of Hebrews is trying to describe and define what faith is in Chapter 11:   

 ¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Thank you, Father, for promising us a HOME that we were created for. 

Overwhelmed and under prepared

Exhausted.  Christine and I are mentally and physically exhausted.  Long story short, you know that house we got, well this past Tues our church was looking for a home to host a family of short term (10 day) workers.  For some reason they looked to us.  So we've spent the 4 or 5 or how many days it's been busting our butts that had already been working in overdrive to get all of the house done before the school year kicked off.  The family has arrived and so has a sharp pain in my back.  It feels like a small size bolder or something... too much crown molding and painting along with other lovely house activities.

And to the part about being overwhelmed and under prepared, not the house but joining Facebook.  Oh the dreaded evil that it is.  I've resisted for however long it's been and absolutely loved it, but after a conversation with Eccles (a friend here that heads up most of the middle school youth group stuff) I decided to take a turn for the dark side :).

It wasn't even one of those profound conversations.  I simply realized that state side I don't need to communicate with people through the Face, but here, especially with the youth it's a necessary evil.  Can I say that; "the Face", oh well it sounds good to me.

So now after all that time, I stepped into the new, modern, communicative world of the Face and realized that this machine will endless throw names of people that I supposedly know, which I do, and so now I have to say no... no more friend seeking for tonight.  It's 1 o'clock and I'm tired, overwhelmed and under prepared.

Maybe I should go back where the grass was greener.

We got a HOUSE!!

After months of bike-ride-house-hunting, waiting on paperwork,  meeting a million times with realtors, we finally have a house!!


Is it the one you saw in our video update?  Well, not exactly.


And by not exactly, I mean not at all.


Due to the delay in paperwork, we actually lost the contract and deposit on the house we thought would be ours.  Which is quite the bummer, monetarily speaking.  But, there doesn't always have to be a known reason for things; God is good because God is good, not because He answers prayers the way we want Him to.


The good news is, He still answered a DEAR need and prayer of ours to have our own home and own space to live in!  We have been living with some pretty amazing and very generous people since the middle of last June, (for which we are extremely grateful for,) but it was just time to be on our own again.


SO, after a quick and tranquil trip to the Andes early last week (I love that we live in Chile), we got home and within hours signed a contract to buy this house as soon as we get the bank paperwork situated.  In the meantime, we are renting.  Which meant we got the keys.  In our hands.  That night.


It also means that since that first morning of having those keys, Tracey and I have been working 12-16 hour days trying to make it livable/clean/our own.  It wasn't in horrible shape (as you will soon see) but enough repairs to take about 2 full weeks of work.  Thank goodness for summer here and that we have time out of school!


So we've been and will continue to be a little MIA when it comes to Internet, but hopefully by next weekend we'll be sleeping in our OWN room, complete with Internet!

But until then, it's back to camping out in the living room :)