So I have returned! The flight was packed to the max so I couldn’t sprawl out and sleep like I usually do! I got here safely on Friday morning the 14th with a bundle of stuff. I left Sacramento layered up..even with a scarf and when I arrived to Santiago I was sweating to death trying to maneuver my luggage! Thank goodness Juan wasn’t actually picking me up! I was warmly welcomed by Tiana, who came and got me.
We travelled to her home in Los Andes which is about an hour from the airport.
Los andes is a nice place…one of the hottest in chile they say. I got to meet a few of the brothers there…and go in service. They are currently doing their campaign for the District Convention and peak time to go in service is late afternoon/evening. I was surprised to hear Tiana has a study at 9:00pm!
Saturday afternoon I left Los Andes to travel to Santiago to meet up with my future mom-in-law and travel to Donihue. I felt a little vulnerable in the Bus Station with my huge amount of luggage, but I figured if I had a limb on every piece nobody would try anything!
The weekend spent with the Ponces went well. I thought things would drastically change since they will soon be referred to as "my inlaws"…but no! Everything great and normal and fun! I was happy to see the house back in order… recovering from the Earthquake still. It was great seeing all the brothers and sisters of the congregation as well!
The flight on Monday to Coiyhaque was tortuous…even though it was only 3.5 hours..it felt like an eternity! Juan was to be waiting for me in the airport. It was a happy reunion needless to say! No tears. Only rain.
The next day we were to return to Cochrane. Juan, his partner Esteban, and Juans Aunt Ursula and Uncle Marcos. A 7 hour drive. A lot of travelling this past week! My favorite part of the return to Cochrane is when we decided to stop on the side of the road. We saw a lodge/restaurant and decided to check it out. The view was spectacular of the Lake. I forgot how beautiful the south of Chile is!! We started taking some great pictures and the rain started pouring down. Juan said that maybe we could get a cup of coffee in the lodge. We went inside with everyone and sat down for some dessert and coffee with a breathtaking view of Jehovahs creation. Super good dessert too! Banana/Icecream/Caramel cake. After finishing, Juan asked if I could put something back in his camera case and when I looked inside, there was a little box. I asked him "Whats this?", as I started to open it. There were 2 silver engraved rings inside. Juan immediately came over and said "Just in case you didn’t understand me the first time..I wanted to ask you again in my country…will you marry me?" What a surprise! Marcos was videotaping the entire thing as everyone started applauding. Then Esteban came in with Champagne for us all. I was thinking a Mariachi may come bursting thru the doors, but no! Haha. It was nice to have a 2nd engagement in Chile.
Once we returned to Cochrane, on our cooking day, Juan and I decided to have a Mexican feast. Enchiladas, Quesadillas, Spanish Rice, and Salad. We found all the necessary ingredients….it looked and tasted great…but the after effects were less than spectacular. In the afternoon, I started to see that practically everyone in the household had a sickly, pained face. I started hearing complaints about stomach pains. Yikes. Our Mexican meal made everyone sick!!! I felt so bad. No more cooking for me!!
Now its our last few days here in Cochrane. We leave Wednesday for Coihaque. Juan has been saying goodbye to his studies and the brothers here. We went to the Venice/Hawaii town called Tortel. It was actually sunny this time! It usually is raining and has a tropical feel…but it was so nice to see the sun. The studies of Juan were so appreciative of the truth. One had mentioned that she prayed to Jehovah the night before because she wanted the "brothers to come to bring her literature." She has read the reasoning book 2 times and said she has found the truth. With tears in her eyes, she told Juan, "Thanks for knocking on my door."
Some great experiences and breathtaking views of Jehovah’s creation makes for a good time! Until next time…
We travelled to her home in Los Andes which is about an hour from the airport.
Los andes is a nice place…one of the hottest in chile they say. I got to meet a few of the brothers there…and go in service. They are currently doing their campaign for the District Convention and peak time to go in service is late afternoon/evening. I was surprised to hear Tiana has a study at 9:00pm!
Saturday afternoon I left Los Andes to travel to Santiago to meet up with my future mom-in-law and travel to Donihue. I felt a little vulnerable in the Bus Station with my huge amount of luggage, but I figured if I had a limb on every piece nobody would try anything!
The weekend spent with the Ponces went well. I thought things would drastically change since they will soon be referred to as "my inlaws"…but no! Everything great and normal and fun! I was happy to see the house back in order… recovering from the Earthquake still. It was great seeing all the brothers and sisters of the congregation as well!
The flight on Monday to Coiyhaque was tortuous…even though it was only 3.5 hours..it felt like an eternity! Juan was to be waiting for me in the airport. It was a happy reunion needless to say! No tears. Only rain.
The next day we were to return to Cochrane. Juan, his partner Esteban, and Juans Aunt Ursula and Uncle Marcos. A 7 hour drive. A lot of travelling this past week! My favorite part of the return to Cochrane is when we decided to stop on the side of the road. We saw a lodge/restaurant and decided to check it out. The view was spectacular of the Lake. I forgot how beautiful the south of Chile is!! We started taking some great pictures and the rain started pouring down. Juan said that maybe we could get a cup of coffee in the lodge. We went inside with everyone and sat down for some dessert and coffee with a breathtaking view of Jehovahs creation. Super good dessert too! Banana/Icecream/Caramel cake. After finishing, Juan asked if I could put something back in his camera case and when I looked inside, there was a little box. I asked him "Whats this?", as I started to open it. There were 2 silver engraved rings inside. Juan immediately came over and said "Just in case you didn’t understand me the first time..I wanted to ask you again in my country…will you marry me?" What a surprise! Marcos was videotaping the entire thing as everyone started applauding. Then Esteban came in with Champagne for us all. I was thinking a Mariachi may come bursting thru the doors, but no! Haha. It was nice to have a 2nd engagement in Chile.
Once we returned to Cochrane, on our cooking day, Juan and I decided to have a Mexican feast. Enchiladas, Quesadillas, Spanish Rice, and Salad. We found all the necessary ingredients….it looked and tasted great…but the after effects were less than spectacular. In the afternoon, I started to see that practically everyone in the household had a sickly, pained face. I started hearing complaints about stomach pains. Yikes. Our Mexican meal made everyone sick!!! I felt so bad. No more cooking for me!!
Now its our last few days here in Cochrane. We leave Wednesday for Coihaque. Juan has been saying goodbye to his studies and the brothers here. We went to the Venice/Hawaii town called Tortel. It was actually sunny this time! It usually is raining and has a tropical feel…but it was so nice to see the sun. The studies of Juan were so appreciative of the truth. One had mentioned that she prayed to Jehovah the night before because she wanted the "brothers to come to bring her literature." She has read the reasoning book 2 times and said she has found the truth. With tears in her eyes, she told Juan, "Thanks for knocking on my door."
Some great experiences and breathtaking views of Jehovah’s creation makes for a good time! Until next time…
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