Machu Picchu

On Sunday the 16th we took a taxi ride to Ollantaytambo, which is in the sacred valley between Cusco and Manchu Picchu. In 1537 Manco Inca, who after being a puppet emperor under the Spanish, finally rebelled and held off the Spanish temporarily in Ollantaytambo using the mountain terraced fortress, and the food storage up on the hill. He flooded the valley with water so the Spanish horses were ineffective.  Later when the Spanish forces were reinforced, he pulled back to the thicker jungle area of Vilcabamba. 

From Ollantaytambo we caught the train up to Aguas Calientes which is just 20 minutes from Manchu Picchu (yes, there are hot springs at the foot of Manchu Picchu.) Matt talked history with our driver, and the mountains were beautiful. I slept, so relieved to finally have our bags. 

On the train the kids played cribbage with Matt and I met a young teacher from Brazil. Her accent in Spanish was beautiful and she threw in Portuguese when she didn’t know a word which was quite the new mix for me. It’s been fun connecting with so many people who are traveling. It’s a different breed of adventurers. 

Our hotel in Aguas Calientes was at the top of the town of hotels and restaurants, right next to the hot springs entrance. The town is beautiful, with Incan rock carvings and statues, and beautiful little bridges and patios along the river. One of the bridges even had locks attached to it and it glinted gold in the sun light.

Our first day we had tickets for sunrise (7am) in Macchu Picchu. But first we had to take the 20 minute bus ride up the steep switch backs. Drivers in Peru are an interesting combination. Like much of Latin America, they aren't that interested in traffic rules, and their mountain roads are usually the size of logging roads with only room for one vehicle, so they're using pull outs and squeezing by. Luckily for us, they don't drive as fast as they did in Mexico. I pretended that we weren't on the edge of cliffs, and just tried to enjoy the view. Louis and Josie weren't afraid of anything, Sofia and Matt just didn't look.

Sofia had so much fun watching all the birds and finding all the animals and insects. From the golandrinas that flitted around, to the little lizards, fuzzy bunnies, spiders, and a huge rectangular shaped bug. Sofia found chirping in the rock walls, and we finally decided it must be little bird nests. The wasps at the end of the trail were a bit disconcerting, but luckily they behaved.

 

Our guide wasn’t the most informative. But it all worked out and Matt listened in as the other guides explained things, and Josie and Louis played ice cream and pizza shop in one of the ancient Incan ‘houses.'

My favorite spots were the altar of the condor, and the prayer rock.  The Incan story goes that the Incan priests would take their best coca leaves and blow on them to each of the 3 smaller mountains from this view point.   The offerings of coca leaves were to the Apus, or individual mountain spirits that protected the people who lived below them. 

The 3 mountains they would make these offerings to were; Huayna Picchu (the iconic peak in every photo), Putucusi (on the other side of the Urubamba river, and the next peak over that was connected to Machu Picchu Mountain. Behind these 3 peaks were the entire cordillera, or the Andean mountain range, that went on for ever. You feel so small and in awe of the large greatness and power of these majestic mountains. 

It was quite fascinating the wide range of people that crossed our paths that day. In the early morning at the beginning of our hike, we got to see the sunrise. It was so beautiful. Right beside us was a small group that prayed a call and response prayer to the sun god Inti. 

At the "perfect picture spot" there were all these beautiful women dressed up to the 9's doing pose after pose. On the second day at the picture spot, there were 2 couples that got engaged and everyone started clapping and cheering. It felt like everyone was close friends congratulating the couple, but then I realized that most of them were probably strangers. 

At the end of circuit 1, when we still had the beautiful view of all the mountains, another group read from John 1:1-5 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God..." It seemed perfect and right, and full.

That evening we had crepes for dinner, then changed into our swim suits and trekked up the river to the hot springs. A great ending to a great day. 

Cusco

Cusco - June 13 - 16 and back for one day before heading back to Lima.

Cusco was lovely. We had found a cute little hotel that was an old converted house with a beautiful inner patio with flowers and a view at night time of the Cristo Blanco and the cross up on the hills. It was just 3 blocks from the Plaza de Armas, and close to all the museums, an old Incan aqueduct and impressive Incan walls with figures of the condor, puma, and serpent. 

Matt deemed the best Pisco Sour ever at La Orgánica just down the street, and we found an amazing little local picada, with a feisty little grandma cooking who scared Matt. The restaurant had no name, and they closed for lunch when they ran out of food. they had the best lamb ribs and chicken soup. 

Louis got pretty bad altitude sickness. It took him 2 days to adjust. We were still able to make it up to the planetarium, and learned about the dark constelations of the incans. It is the dark spaces in the Milky Way, and they see llamas, a bird, a frog, and a little shepherd with a sling shot. 

We also made it over to Ollantaytambo and did a very short hike (all the kids could handle at this altitude) with llamas.  The guides showed us how they pack the llamas, and then we herdded them up the hill. They were calm, and much like sheep in their movements. They put bells on 2 of the main males, and they didn’t wander far, never wanting to be left behind. We had a meal of potatoes and fava beans, and Andean corn, baked under rocks in a fire pit. 

Funny story, we tend to not pay too much attention to festivals and timing our trips that way. We are more practical travelers. In Mexico when Matt studied Spanish in Oaxaca for a month we went in November. Our flight back out of Mexico City was the day before the big celebration of la Virgen de Guadalupe.

Turns out in Cusco, one of their biggest celebrations is the Inti Raymi festival, or festival of the sun. The winter solstice is on June 21st here, but the Incas believed the sun stayed in the same spot for 3 days, hence the culmination of the celebration on the 24th. 

For the 3 weeks before the big celebration there is dancing competitions for all ages and parades every day in the main plaza. The costumes were so colorful, and the 8 yo dancers especially energetic. On our last day in Cusco we saw huge papier-mache pieces of art set up to go on parade. 

The interesting thing is that here in Peru you really have 3 very different cultures and regions. The coastal, the Andean mountain or Cordillera, and the Amazonian. 

The 24th was a Monday and the kids were scheduled to start school that day on the coast in Lima. While the Limeños connect to the Andean culture and the Incan roots, and while many people here have imigrated from the mountain regions in search of jobs, it was not the same. At their school on Monday they celebrated el día del campesino, and some kids dressed up with clothes from the Andes. But it was not a big celebration  

Here in Lima they are now revving up for their big celebration of Independence Day on July 28th. Starting July 1st, Peruvian flags start to go up, teachers and kids wear escarapelas (a ribbon in red and white) and there are more circuses and events in Lima this month. The kids get 2-3 weeks off from school and it is like their holiday break in the middle of the school year for them similar to our Christmas break. 

The getting there

So this was Josie’s first time on a plane and Sofia keeps reminding me this was Louis’ 2nd, but the first time I was 6 months pregnant with him, which makes for a really good story, but Louis is definitely not counting it. 

It was a crazy ride for everyone. Not an ideal experience for the first time, but I guess that’s life. Our plane got cancelled in Austin. We made the best of it, and our good family friends John and Cynthia Riddle are in Austin so we stayed the night with them. 

We made it to Miami the next day, waited for a plane that kept getting delayed due to the storm and water on the runway. We finally got on at 9pm, but then the pilots timed out and we all got off and slept in the airport that night. The kids were so exhausted and all I wanted to do was find a spot and make sure they all could sleep. Early the next morning we were on the plane, and luckily were able to smoothly change our flight from Lima to Cusco. Our baggage was not so lucky. It did eventually make it to Cusco, and just in time, the night before we headed out to Machu Picchu. 

Las Islas Ballestas

It is Sunday July 7th. In just 1 more week we will be flying back to Tacoma. We are in Paracas, Peru, a cute little beach town 3 hours south of Lima. it has been so nice to slow down this weekend and build sand castles. yesterday morning we went to the Ballesta islands and saw Humbolt pinguins, arcillos birds and piqueros del mar or Peruvian Boobie birds. It was a fun boat trip. The sea lions of South America come up to these islands in the summer to have their pups. So we spent some time watching a few sea lions. I forget that not everyone has sea lions out their back doors.

Further south there are the Nasca Lines. Huge figures of animals, a hand, etc, in the sand. to really see them you have to go up in a small airplane. They aren’t sure when the lines were made or who made them. There is one we got to see on the way out the islands, they call it the candlabra.

This Afternoon we are going for an adventure ride out into the dunes. The kids are stoked.

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 Hola y Bienvenidos!! 

Life is at a very new chapter since we last posted here. I can hardly believe that Sofia is now 11, Josie is 9 and Louis is 7. 

The other thing I can hardly believe is that this amazing adventure came to fruition. We have been wanting so badly to take the kids to South America while they were still in grade school, but could not see a path forward that would work logistically with all their different ages and other considerations here at school. Then this opportunity in Peru came up, and here we are, just a short time away from getting on that plane. 

The plan is to take lots of pictures, and for the kids to write their memories here as our family online journal. Hope you enjoy! 

Janelle and Matt - Sofia, Josie and Louis

Where are they now?

Wow!  It has been 3 years now since we came back to the States from Chile and said good-bye to the girls at Hogar Ines Riesco Llona.  Many of the girls have had big changes in their lives, with blessings and continued challenges of returning to live with their families.  Others have been adopted into a new family.  We wanted to share with you some of their stories.  

Not every story has a perfect ending, several situations continue to be far from ideal.  These girls have led very difficult and emotionally chaotic lives.  While working on this post, I realized that if I only told the exciting 'successful' stories, it would not be true to myself or to the girls.  Each story is meaningful because each child is relevant and important.  This is the real fabric of their lives.  (To protect the girls' privacy, I have not used all their names.)

God encounters us in the messiness of our humanness, and it is here that we find testaments to the power of love.  If we are not willing to 'be' in the messiness, we miss the full beauty of the miracles that happen within. 

Millaray Returned home to live with her Grandmother.  While living at the Hogar she was failing all of her classes.  Now that she is back with her grandmother, she has blossomed, she isn't as angry and she is now getting a B average in all her classes.

About 10-15 of the girls have also all returned home with family.  As in Millaray’s case, many of the girls found more security and stability in returning home.  In several of the families, however, alcohol continues to have a significant negative impact on the parent’s ability to provide for their family and to be present and parent the children. 

One of our sister pairs who were able to return home with their parents lost their mother the next year. Their father struggles with addiction and was unable to take care of the girls.  The older sister is now living with her boyfriend.  The younger sister is living with a school teacher who opened up her heart and her home to her. 

Two of the youngest girls were adopted in 2011 by Chilean families.  Yocemberg returned to visit the Hogar after a few months. Her 4 hour temper trantrums were gone, she was calmer and more confident. By the simple act of someone saying ‘I will love you always,’ she was a transformed child. 

Ruth was adopted by a couple from Spain.  It is amazing that someone so far away could love Ruth so much that, before ever meeting her, they loved her completely and took her as their own.  What a beautiful reflection of God’s love for us, complete and unearned. 

Javiera and Tania were both adopted by their 'apoderados,' a family that provided weekend respite and mentorship for the girls. This is especially unique in Javiera’s case as she was older at 11, and adoption is rare at this age.  Her adoptive family applied to adopt her 3 times before the judge granted the adoption.  They never gave up on her.

A handful of the girls continue on at the Hogar, along with the new children who have come to the Hogar.  There are 17 girls in all and most of them are much younger.  There is only one teenager still living at the Hogar, which has been a lonely and challenging road forward.

Cynthia left the Hogar to live with her boyfriend and his grandmother.  She had a beautiful little girl in December of 2012.  With the continued support and encouragement of the Sisters, she started school again last March.  

The true miracles, interwoven into these girls lives, are miracles of love and love’s transformative power.  When we witness love’s power, it can inspire us to love more intentionally and more deeply.  

Thank you to everyone who has accompanied us on this journey, and especially to the girls of Hogar Ines Riesco Llona.  You have all taught us to love more deeply.

Christmas Tidings

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wishing you all a Christmas full of love, joyful expectation, and Christ's peace that passes understanding.  What a beautiful season this has turned out to be, and how blessed we have been, with so much love, family, and new beginnings.

Both Matt and I have been blessed with the gift of work, and believe me we both understand just how blessed we are in this economy.  I started on as a social worker at a nursing home in Federal Way (just North of Tacoma.)  I'm doing mental health and crisis management, and helping people on rehab return home safely.  I had no idea how much this job would keep me on my toes. There is definitely never a dull moment!  Matt is a supervisor at a small factory in Lakewood (just South of Tacoma) with a company called Greatwide where they repair pallets.  He's enjoying the smaller atmosphere, more leeway for making his own decisions and the bliss of having 1 boss instead of 6.  He's getting to use a lot of his Spanish, and learning the invaluable Mexican idioms and dialect differences.

It has been so nice to be home and share Christmas with our families again, and all the little things about Christmas in the US that are so North American, like snowdrifts, candy canes, Christmas carolers, and old Dean Martin favorites.  It has been so wonderful to share in the excitement of the season with our nephews for the first time, and to just cherish each special moment.  Being able to go to Aiden's Christmas program was precious.  He was so animated and had so much fun.  No one can replace our girls in Chile, but it's amazing what a dose of the kidos with all their wonder and excitement can do for a home sick girl.

Still, I can't help but wonder what the girls are up to, how they're doing, or think about their beautiful smiles... especially now - not only is it Christmas, but Summer vacation just started!  Many of you have been asking if we have heard how the girls are doing.  We have sent down cards, and a big Christmas package too, but haven't been able to call much, so we don't have many details.  The girls have been doing well though.  They have all been going to full day school with more time to complete their class work at school.  Last year the girls would only have about 4 hours at school, and would have to catch up the additional class work at home - in other words an OVERDOSE of homework.  More of the girls have been involved in after school activities too and really enjoying that time.  Paloma was able to return home with her mother a few months ago, and we are so happy for her.  It was a big step, and I know that it was a good one.  We'll keep you posted as we hear more!

Sister Rosita finally got the money for the playground toy through to the Chilean account on December 15th.  She is hoping to get everything built and in place as soon as possible.  The first step will be preparing the ground site, flattening the little hill out, getting the retaining wall in, and putting down the pea gravel.  We will keep you all posted on the progress. Every time I talk with her, or write her, she always asks me to thank EVERYONE who helped make this possible, and all the generous donors.  The girls are so excited and so thankful!!! It's hard to believe that just last Christmas the dream was just beginning to form.  Very soon it will be a reality!  It really means a lot.  So thank you all again soooo much!

We hope that this has been a beautiful Christmas for all of you as well, and that you have found the time to slow down, cherish the moments, and reflect on the beautiful miracle of His birth. May the joy and love that welcomed Him into the world all those years ago, embrace you today and always.

Blessings and much love, to you and all your loved ones.
Love,
Janelle and Matt

A word from some VERY thankful girls!

So... we sent the check down just 2 weeks ago.  Sister Rosita received the check and the great news about the playground toy, and this weekend she just told the girls!  She says;

"I will tell you, that the girls at Hogar Ines Riesco Llona are very happy about the news that we will be able to begin construction on the toy.  I have included a letter from them.  All the girls that I saw on Saturday were very happy, especially the youngest ones, the girls from your house..."

 

A quick translation:

Dear Uncle and Aunty,

Well, First of all we want to tell you that we miss you very much, and that we are very grateful for everything that you have done for us.  You were very generous with us in every way.  

Here, we miss you very very much, we hope to see you soon, and hope that you are well. 

Say hello to your parents, for they are very dear to us as well.

What else can we say.  We hope you are very happy, like you were when you were here...

Much love and kisses

PS. Thank you for building the playground toy that will be very useful to us so that we can have more fun.

With love, Romy and Cecy

I hope you remember us and if you remember, remember for ever

Good luck!

 _____________________________________________________________________________

Thank you again from all the amazing people and congregations that made this dream possible for these girls.  Thank you St. Pius X in Quincy, St. Rita's in Tacoma, and Othello Nazarine!!!  We couldn't have done it without you!

Big Toy goal Reached!!!

We have wonderful news everyone!  We have reached our Goal!!!  

The Big Toy will soon be a reality for the girls at Hogar Ines Riesco Llona!

Just this last Sunday, we traveled back to Othello to talk at the Nazarene Church (and get a wonderful dose of Othello Fair and Rodeo too :).  I truly believe that we were God's instrument, and that His love shined through us, as we talked from our hearts.  A special experience was being able to minister to the youth there.  I can remember when I was their age, and so eager to hear about different missions, and wonder excitedly where God may lead me some day.  God is truly at work in their joy and excitement, as they dreamed about the possibilities in their own future.  It was so beautiful and refreshing.

When we talked in Othello, we needed an additional $500 dollars to reach our goal.  We were blown away by the response!  Through their amazing generosity, we raised a total of $1,221. Praise the Lord!!!  The additional $721 will be sent down to Chile as well.  If there are any unforeseen costs on the Big Toy, Sister Rosita will let us know, and the money will be used for that.  When the project is completed, any additional funds will be used as the foundation money for our next exciting project - A Higher Education fund for the girls from the Hogar.  (More to come soon on that.)

Both Matt and I are so happy and content, beyond words.  We want to thank EVERYONE so much for your prayers, your support, and for opening up your communities to us.

There is much work still left to be done!

Stay connected with us on the journey!  We will be posting up dates on the Big Toy's progress!!!  

2nd presentation: St. Rita's in Tacoma

The weekend of September 12th, we were pleseantly surprised with an impromptu presentation at the Holy Names Society breakfast at St. Rita's in Tacoma.  It was wonderful to finally share with a community here in Tacoma, and we received such a warm and energetic response.  We raised a total of $170 and met wonderful and knowledgable people excited to work together with us on future fund raising projects.

A big Thank you to Holy Names, Fr. Saco, and to everyone that donated.  Every little bit counts, and helps make the ripple bigger, touching more and more people each time.

It's all very exciting.  Stay tuned for more updates!

First Presentation in Quincy

So we finally bit the bullet and did our first presentation about the Girls and the Hogar at the Quincy Church.  We thought it was fitting that Quincy was our first stop, as they had sent us off to mission almost 2 years ago when we started this journey.  It was a wonderful experience.  Wonderful to share our experience in a meaningful way with a community that means so much to us.  I had forgotten how many amazing and loving people had touched our lives in Quincy. 

I also wanted to give everyone an update on our goal of raising money for the Playground Toy.  We need a total of $2,000 US dollars.  We started with $600 dollars from donation gifts for last Christmas.  In Quincy we raised another $650 dollars, and another $80 dollars from talking with various people.  From all these amazing generous people, we have raised a total of ... (du, du, du!) ... $1,330 dollars! 

So, we've only got $670 left to go!  We'll be posting more news as the project progresses.  Keep watching!

The next Chapter & Big Toy!!!

What does it hold?  Where will we live?  What jobs will we find and what direction?  So many unknowns face us as we move back to the Northwest... many more than when we decided to swap continents two years ago. 

One thing we know for sure, there is still much to do for our girls.  Before we left Santiago, we worked closely with Sister Rosita and a wonderful handyman, Maestro Hugo.  The great project? (drum roll please) A Playground toy for the back patio at the hogar.           YEAH!!!! :)


I strongly believe that one of institutions biggest struggles is providing stimulating environments for their kids.  Lack of climbing toys, photographs, and access to books are common, if not the norm.  It is no different at the Hogar.  The girls do not have a safe place to play, climb and be kids. They use what ever is in their environment, and hang upside down with only bricked patio to break their fall. 


Our first inspiration for the Big Toy, came last December.  An amazing family, with big hearts, donated enough money for Christmas that helped us dream bigger than we had ever before.  We wanted to do something fun with the money, and just for the girls... after all, it was a Christmas gift!  In January, at the peak of summer vacation Matt and I started talking with Maestro Hugo.  After a lot of research into playground safety standards, and consulting of many 5, 6, 8 and 12 year olds (as well as a few staff and directors) we had a good plan. But, best laid plans... can easily be thwarted by the 5th largest earthquake in recorded history. Playground plans were put on hold. 

Well, we're back!  And we're hoping God is smiling on our dreams.  We would love you to help us make this dream a reality for these special girls.  We have $600 and are now asking for your help to raise another $1400.

Here's the break down:

* Platform 1.2 meters tall, and 1.6 x 1.2 meters wide

* Tobagan Slide
* 2 meter long hanging bridge, ending at a Fireman's sliding pole
* Wood and chain climbing 'ladder' leading to platform
* 2 bars for swinging/pull-ups
* Play steering wheel on platform
* wooden rung ladder up to platform
* Roof and hand railings for the platform

The area for the big toy is currently a slanted slope with a small patch of grass 5.8 meters by 4.7 meters. (in picture; directly behind the girls).  Maestro Hugo will even out the land  here, put up a retaining wall on the bottom side, along with a fence to protect the girls from the drop.  The final safety feature will be 9 inches of pea gravel to soften falls. 

Quite the improvement from our previous situation wouldn't you say?

Any questions, feel free to email us at janellecostanti@gmail.com

To make a donation mail a check to:
Janelle and Matthew Costanti
860 S Crestline
Othello, Wa 99344

Don't forget to write Big Toy in the for line.

Hard Decisions and Good-byes

We had a very hard decision to make just one and a half months ago.  A decision that would dictate how close we could be to our girls, where we were going to start our family, and basically the direction of the rest of our lives.  It was hard to un-plug and get perspective in Santiago, so Matt had a great idea to go skiing for our anniversary again.  This year was a working anniversary.  As we swooped down the slopes and admired the amazing view of the Andes, we worked through all the pros and cons of either decision. 

In the end, we realized that the restraunt we were looking at in Santiago was a bit too rich for our blood, and had a few too many risks with it.  In order to think about opening our own restraunt, we would have to return to the US for more experience.  Once we made our decision, a huge weight was taken off our shoulders, and we were happy to finally have a decision. 

But the funny part is, you can know a decision is the best decision for you and your family at this moment in time, but it doesn't mean that your heart will be convinced.  In the weeks to follow, we had to say some very very hard good-byes.  How do you tell Escarlette, who always asks if we're going to our country in a plane, that we are leaving for a very very long time?  Does she know that we still love her more than anything else in the world?  How do you tell Cinthia, who is 15, and see that knowing look in her eyes?  She knew this day would be coming sooner than later.  She still loves us, but it's no wonder it takes so long for them to grow close after so many people come in and out of their lives. 

I know that we're not just another non-descript volunteer that comes and goes.  I know that they will always be my Yenny, my Millaray, our Laura, our Cinthia.  I know that we will always write, that our international travels will be limited now to one country, and that the mission and the mentorship will never die, even if from far away.  I keep telling myself that God works in mysterious ways, and that we can do so much for the girls from the US, things we couldn't do as effectively from Chile.  But how do you convince a heart?  You may think you've fooled it for a bit, but it never lasts long.  I guess there are just some things that only time can touch.  Some things you just have to accept, like the fact that our hearts will always be held captive in Chile. 

Hasta pronto mi chiquilla.  Siempre te amaremos, y nuestro deseo y oracion para ti es que vives tu vida con sinceridad, dignidad, y amor.  Hay un bello futuro, esperandote. No lo dudes, lucha por ello.  Con la ayuda de Dios, y su Gracia, tu puedes alcanzar tus suenos.  No es adios, sino hasta pronto.  Te amamos para siempre. Tus Tios, Mateo y Janelle

Matty's Reflections on Mission

As a married couple we face interesting and different challenges to mission life.  However, the benefits are worth every last ounce of strife.  My wife and I can definitively say that our marriage has been strengthened by this experience.  God has gifted us with more patience for each other and an interdependence that is only achieved by much conversation, action together, and sacrifice.

During our experience, Chile was struck by the 6th largest earthquake in recorded history.  The effects were devastating we worked with those affected and provided support as a gift of solidarity that we offered through the foundation of Las Rosas.  We were able to touch people that other wise would not have received that kind of loving support.  This required much sacrifice on our end, and we were exhausted by the end of this service.  However, as a couple we faced those challenges together and we grew together.

Sacrificing your time, your energy, your comfort, and your professional life, gives one the ability to see what is truly important here on earth.  Which is of course fulfilling the mission of Christ, in serving others.  This is achieved by individual works of kindness and love.  It is not the responsibility of organizations and governments.  We firmly believe Jesus' message to love one another as he loved us.  It is a message to the individual, a call to action, saying love each other, be kind, be generous, be tolerant.  It is in mission that we have chosen to try and follow this path, it is not easy or for the faint of heart as any religious will tell you { Especially sisters and priest that are Salesian or Jesuit} But this path is the most rewarding path of all others.

Therefore, the tangible gifts that God has given us are new language skills and abilities, new cooking techniques, a greater appreciation for culture, a love of God's children.  The most intangible gift is greater love and service to others.

Mi Cara de mono!!

Matty finally gave in and we took Yenny and Escarlet Chica out.  The plan: go out for lunch at our picada in Maipu, then big toys, and maybe a movie...

When we took Diana and Escarlette out they surprised us by telling us they were both vegetarians.  With Yenny and Escarlet Chica this was not a problem at all.  When we asked them if they wanted meat we got a big Yeah!!!! Si, Si, Si!

I was a little bit worried about taking Escarlette to a restaurant, and if she would be able to stay in her chair for that long.  She surprised both Matt and I and her little bottom was stuck to that chair.  She had so much fun soaking in the new sights, ordering, and figuring out how to put dressing on the salad.  We got her the special, which was a full adult serving.  The poor girl is used to having to eat ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING on her plate.  She must have asked me 7 times, Tia, can I leave a little bit of the food on my plate? 

After a fantastic meal, we were talking with the girls about what they wanted to do.  Yenny shyly asked, Tia... do we have to go to the movies? ... couldn't we ride the go-carts instead?  When my family was here in December we took Yenny out and found the go-carts.  She had so much fun that we got a special request this weekend.  Go-carts Take 2!  What fun, and much more relaxing (and kinder to the pocket book) than a movie!

Such a simple day.
Lunch, go-carts and then
a park.  but so much special 

one on one time to spend 

with two very special girls.


More pictures along with pictures of Sofia´s Baptism (so beautiful!) here.

Más fotos y también fotos del bautismo de Sofia Ignacia aquí.

Sole and Ese take 2

Ok, so I finally busted out my camera again.  It´s not the same with just words!  Here are our two latest adventures with the girls;

Esmeralda and Soledad returned to normal 12 year old status and decided they´d like to go to the mall instead of visiting the nursing home again.  Here´s Esmeralda wishing she was 4 again.





After the mall we went to get a bite to eat.  The one criteria for the girls... somewhere where you can get a toy with your meal.  Burger King it is (pronounced Boogir Keeng).

The highlight of the day: The museum at La Moneda had an exhibit on the Terracotta Army from the tomb of the first Chinese Chin (Qin I guess is how you spell Chin... and to think I´ve been spelling it wrong all this time.)  Esmeralda was blown away when we figured out that they weren´t all just replicas.

and we´re beat.

Home time!

Sundays with the Girls

Here´s a little look at what we´ve been up to with the girls on our Sundays.  It´s been so good to make our Sundays an important part of our routine.  It helps keep us connected and you can´t help but laugh and feel content after such nice days. 

After Easter, the next girls we took out were Esmerelda and Soledad.  We went to Polo´s Pollo to try the best brosated chicken in all of Santiago.  They loved seeing Uncle Matt in action on the grill and Erick introduced them to some wonderful people whose daughter just happens to be a famous Chilean singer.  They were real down to earth people and talked to the girls about the importance of education and faith.  So often the girls idolize Hollywood stars with... shall we say, less than perfect track records.  It was so wonderful to show them a healthier face of fame.  After lunch we decieded to walkto a little park, but on the way we got distracted by a nursing home of all things.  The girls practically begged us to go visit the ´abuelitos.´  We went on in, introduced ourselkves and explained that we had volunteered at a sister branch in southern Chile after the earthquake.  The girls made friends really fast with a couple of lively old grandmas.  When it was time to go, the girls were still full of questions, ´Where do you sleep?, Do you share a bedroom?  Whats the food like?´ In so many ways their experiences of living at a home are similar, and the girls felt connected.  It was yet another beautiful encounter to top off a beautiful day. 

The next weekend we took Diana and Escarlette to go window shopping at the mall and wander around a bit.  Diana had a better plan however, and she took us to  the largest dollar store in the world.  It´s called Mae, and  it absolutely blew my mind how much you can buy there for 4 bucks.  It´s so good for the girls to get out, to get a change of scenery, and to forget about the stresses of living at the hogar.  They came back feeling refreshed.  And it´s not like it takes much.  The most important ingredient is time.

Week four was mother´s day and we had an inkling we´d like to help Laura and Cinthia do something to celebrate.  It turns out that it was Cinthia´s friend Diana´s birthday that day.  We decided to bake a cake for her.  A chocolate cake with more chocolate on top (my kind of girl!).  Cinthia was sooo excited picking out the whip cream and sprinkles.  Unfortunately, the cake had a bit of trouble... it´s quite the challenge trying to bake in a gas oven, with no temperature gauge, that doesn´t self regulate.  Instead it continues to get hotter and hotter...  Needless to say the bottom burnt and the middle was barely done.  We patched her up pretty good, but then the hour bouncing around on the bus back to the hogar did her in.   Reports back from the battlefield are that Diana loved the cake.  Mission accomplished! :)

A leap of faith

Wow, it´s been a busy last couple of months.  When both sets of parents ask you where you´ve been hiding out, and you have to catch them up on... well... everything, you know it´s been crazy.  But although stressful, even the stressful parts are wonderful, which is quite the new experience for me.

Matt and I have both really enjoyed working at the chicken restraunt in Ñuñoa.  Especially Matt.  It´s so nice to see him in his element, enjoying the little moments, deep in conversation with customers or running around during a lunch rush hooting yee-ha!  Erick gives him free reign to try new ideas, and implement things he´d only studied in business college. So far, he´s supersized the vegetarian sandwich from Avacado/Tomato, to falafel with the works, and he´s been tracking sales on pop and trying new strategies of loading the cooler to increase sales.  So basically, the hippies and the coke adicts all love him!  Not bad for the first 3 months of work!

I´ve started teaching private English classes and have really enjoyed it.  My yoga instructor sent out a mass email for me, and who woulda guessed it, yogis are really into expanding their horizons and continuing education.  Most Chileans have had English classes since kindergarten, so they often just want the opportunity to talk with someone who will help correct their mistakes and... well, just talk.  I haven´t had any trouble doing that one!

I also found a wonderful prayer group.  Did you know that there are 2 words for prayer in Spanish?  One is basic praying of any kind (rezar) and the other (orar) is intentionally searching for that deeper encounter with God and meeting him in prayer.  In our ´encounter with prayer´ we learn and practice new strategies in prayer to help strengthen that encounter.  I have also been so blessed in having Sister Rosita in my life.  She encourages Matt and I and supports us in such a complete way.  In our crazy schemes and dreams of continuing to work with the Girls and the Hogar, she´s our biggest chearleader.  She also hooked me up with her spiritual director, Father Mario.  What a blessed gift from God!  We meet once a week and he accompanies me on my spiritual journey.  It is the first time I have felt this supported spiritually.  Yes, through the years I have had a lot of support, but it has always been in little bursts.  Life happens each day.  We grow each day.  It´s a process. Spiritual life is no different, in order to be real, it must be real each day.

When Matt and I decided that our time here in Chile was not finished last February, we didn´t exactly know why.  It was more of a feeling, and we figured what the heck, we could both do with a little more intensive Spanish. We have been so blessed these last 4 months.  Being able to help and support in the aftermath of the earthquake, each special weekend we spend with the girls out on the town, Matt being able to dabble in his dream of running his own restraunt, and me taking a fresh step in my spiritual journey, and trying my hand at being an entrepreneur.  It´s amazing how God can help you along in so many aspects of your journey if you listen to his wispers and then take a leap of faith.

I wanted to close with a picture that Esmerelda took 2 Sundays ago when we got to pamper her and Soledad.  She was having so much fun with the camera, and my nervous Nellie side of me said, ok, maybe that´s enough... but I didn´t say a word, I just enjoyed watching her joy.  This was the last picture that she took.

Easter eggs and Pascua bunnies

We got back to Santiago right in time for Easter.  To tell you the truth, I wasn´t so psyched about celebrating Easter at first.  It seemed like another day in the life, and it was so strange being away from family for Easter.  Last Holy Week we were able to share with Matt´s folkswhen they came to visit, then my folks and Emily came right before Christmas and so we celebrated with them and again with the girls.  New Years we had a blast with Tía Veronica´s family... but this Easter?  Erick and Gloria were working at the Restraunt, Celia and Alberto were down in Chillán...

Well, Saturday I finally got to thinking about all the things I love the most about Easter... and started to get excited.  We scurried on over to the Hogar early Sunday to pick up Laura and Cynthia and so the fun began!  Every little moment of the day was something new and exciting for them.  We hiked up to mass at the top of San Cristobal Hill in the morning.  At the very top there is a large statue of the Virgin Mary and an outdoor church with rows of potted flowers in front of each bench.  The view is breathtaking and looks out on the whole Santiago valley.  After mass, we rode the tram down the hill, and headed for home.

Right away we got to cooking, and Laura helped me make cinamon rolls, while Cynthia and Matt headed out for some forgotten groceries.  Neither of the girls had ever dyed eggs before, but the real party started with the egg cracking contest.  Those girls were good!  Matt and I now officially have never won an egg cracking contest on 2 continents!  In the end Cynthia beat Laura by a hair.


It was so nice to be able to spend the day with them. I had forgotten how much fun we had had, and how much we would laugh.  It was so nice to spend time with them on our own terms, in our own space, and just enjoy.  Cynthia told us at the end of our day what a nice environment, and how relaxing it was at our new house.  The sisters at the Hogar were so greatful, and it was so wonderful to get the girls one on one.  We´ve got it all planned out now, and we´re going to take 6 girls out for a day each month, in sets of 2 (or 3 different weekends).  I can´t wait for next Sunday!


Here are more pictures to check out.  Cynthia made me promise I´d upload them ALL! :)  Enjoy.

Vacation time! (it finally arrived!)

Ok, so I felt really guilty about taking some time for ourselves right after the earthquake.  We needed to be with Chile, with the people, but after 2 intense weeks at the Nursing Home, a relaxing week in the mountains, with a peaceful lake, a smoking volcano and hundreds of beautiful waterfalls sounded like just what the doctor ordered.  We picked good!  Pucón was amazing.  The first picture is the view of the lake from our little cabin we rented.









The scenary was amazing.  There are wild fuchsias, a wild cousin of the rhubarb plant with enormous leaves called Nalka, and the same great sour flavor.  We saw our first wild Copihue flowers in full bloom (the Chilean national flower).  We even happened upon a large grove of blackberries, and took a big bag home to make blackberry pie!  Around every corner was a new beautiful surprise.

The highlight of our trip was.. well, actually sleeping in til noon... but beyond that... the highlight was definately hiking up an old lava flow from 1974.  It was amazing being in the middle of the flow, and imaging the power, how alive it had been, and how it had changed the whole landscape of the hill and valleys around it.  To physically be present in that space and feeling so small, you appreciate in a new way (once again) the awesomeness of God´s creation.  I wish I had a better picture, but hope this gives you an idea. You can ski this whole area here in the winter, about half way up the mountain.  I would love to go back and ski this same flow.  It´d be like returning to a new mountain, and experiencing it in a whole new way.


Our last big adventure was to the 80 meter waterfall. There was this deep revene, and standing just 20 meters away from it you´d never know it was there.  The cliffs were so lush and green, it was like out of Jurasic Park, or a mini Niagra.  We put on our swim suits and walked over to the rocks on the far side of the waterfall.  The water, even though it was really the size of a stream, had enormous force.  The wind the water created when it hit the pool must have been near 80 mph.  we were soaked through in 2 seconds. The intensity of being in the water´s domain was amazing.  You could only be in the present moment, all other thoughts were imposible.  It was like a crash course in intense nature meditation, leaving you energized and refreshed.

Definately worth the trip.  You all should come next February... Eric and Gloria have promised to go with us and they´re bringing the tent!!!

More Pictures Here!  Más fotos aquí!