We are starting to feel settled here in Santiago.  Our apartment is comfortable, safe and in a great location.  We have an around the clock person at the front door and these men know everyone who belongs in the building.  These four men do a great job and are very friendly.  One of them even greets the boys with a big wave and says, “Hello, my friend” (in English) every time we enter the building.  Thank you for your prayers that we would find an apartment and get settled in.  They have been answered in abundance!  God is good!

Why are we in Santiago?

Just to remind folks that we are in Santiago (and not in Viña del Mar where the ministry center is located) so that David can attend language school.  (Danielle is fluent.)  We are very eager to be in Viña, but speaking Spanish well is extremely important for our future ministry. 

Speaking “Chileno”

I, David, have been attending Spanish classes at Instituto Chileno de la Lengua or ICHIL, five days a week for five hours a day.  This school is in the center of Santiago and it takes about 35 minutes to travel there by metro.  They throw a lot at you and it is very important to them that, as a learner, you have a solid foundation on which to build.  The course consists of listening, writing, reading, grammar (yuck), and speaking. Of these, speaking is by far the hardest part.  I am doing pretty well so far in the other modalities, but speaking is frustrating.  I have so much information in my brain that I find it difficult to keep it in order and recall the information quickly.  The homework takes me a few hours each day to complete.  I need to study hard and keep practicing.  

This leads to my personal prayer request:  Please pray that I will not get too frustrated and that I can recall this information quickly when needed.  

I am very thankful for the owners and teachers of this school and that they care enough to keep pushing and not settling for close enough.  One of them has a saying that she repeats often: “lento pero seguro” (“slow but steady”).  I am also thankful that many Spanish words are similar to English but the parts that are different are very different.  I need to remember to give myself some grace (this is hard) and that I’ve only been at this for three weeks when I have a year to learn. 

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Our mission agency has given us the "green light" to head to Chile.  But, we are waiting for our Visas to be processed.  We're hoping to receive them in the next few weeks.  

We're calling this our "in between" time - we can go, but we just don't know when.  So we keep busy with our daily responsibilities, as well as thinning our belongings in preparation for our eventual move overseas.  But not quite packing because who wants to live among boxes for an indefinite period of time?! 

SO we wait. 

For the Lord to make a way for our family to get feet on the ground to the place He has called us to serve.

And we know He will do it.  Why?  Because He is faithful, oh so faithful.

Great is thy faithfulness! 
Great is thy faithfulness! 
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
all I have needed thy hand hath provided--
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

("Great is Thy Faithfulness" - Thomas Chisholm)

​- Danielle