Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong-doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ~ 1 Cor 13:4-7
God is love. ~ 1 John 4:16
How thankful I am that God loves me like this! I can’t do anything that would end His love for me. There is no situation that He doesn’t love and care for me through it all. When everything around me changes – people, countries, cultures, etc. – He remains constant and faithful. I have had a lot of changes this year, and these past few weeks have not been an exception! Here is a recap:
Storytellers Abroad
Thanks for praying for the team! Nine students and five leaders came to Santiago and stayed at the seminary. I enjoyed being on the hosting end of a missions’ trip as well as reconnecting with several members of the team that I hadn’t seen in a while. Their week in Santiago started with a trip to the busy feria – the outdoor market. Tents line the street, and almost anything you can imagine is sold there. The people there were very friendly and receptive to being filmed and photographed. That made it a fun and slightly crazy experience for the team!
Overall, the trip went smoothly. I helped with logistics all week – keeping track of who was going where, when they were going, and what transportation and translation needs they had. I also helped backup everyone’s media and update the Storytellers Abroad social media pages. You can check out their Facebook and Instagram and look back on some of the posts to see what the week looked like!
They got to see a few sites in Santiago including Santa Lucía (a park with remnants of a fort) and the market Los Dominicos. We sat down for lunch outside at Los Dominicos and were entertained by an orchestra playing songs like “76 Trombones” and “Y.M.C.A.” It was a fun way to end their time in Chile.
All their videos turned out well, too. You can watch all eight of them at https://vimeo.com/storytellersabroad.
Last Days in Santiago
After the team left, I spent the last few days in Santiago packing, saying goodbyes, and squeezing in a few more sites. I got to go to the top of the Costañera Center for sunset. It is the tallest building in South America. We took an elevator up 62 floors in under a minute to a beautiful view of Santiago and the Andes! We had a delicious dinner of shrimp and steak at a rotating restaurant on the 18th floor of a nearby building. The next day, we took a day trip to the coast and stopped by three towns: Algarrobo for the pretty beach view and yummy treats, Valparaíso for the views and the street art, and finally Viña del Mar for the night view of the bay. It was a good way to spend my last few days there. It was hard to say goodbye as Chile had really become my home during my four months there.
In Colombia
For the fifth time this year, overnight I found myself in another country. The climate here in Colombia was a welcome change! I went from waking up to 40-some degrees in my room to pleasantly warm during the day with a refreshing breeze at night. The view from the apartment where I’m staying looks out over the valley that holds the city and the surrounding mountains.
It has been nice to not jump straight into new video projects and work on catching up some. The slower pace of life in Medellín thankfully allows that. I was able to wrap up some photo editing as well as complete two new videos for Santiago Christian Academy. One is this promo video which tells you a little more about the school. The second is this video for teacher recruitment. The school is always in need of teachers, and they could really use a principal as their current one is about to retire. Feel free to share these videos with anyone who might be interested!
I’ll be going to Bogotá at the end of the month to work on a video for the seminary there. Please pray for safety for those going and the gear as well as wisdom for how to put the video together. I will be partnering with another media missionary on this project, which will be fun! As always, thanks for your continued prayers!
Gloria Images 