So before I arrived here, I wondered what fall and winter would be like as I had received so many different answers. Jorge told me that it dipped far below 0, I did not realize that he meant celsius, so I had absolutely no idea what I should expect, but this week I have definitely been given a good idea what all of the fuss is about. Growing up in Wisconsin and Michigan I have vivid memories of brutal winters that have been forever engrained in my brain, for one thing my father (whom I love very much) was a super tightwad and didn't like to turn the heat up, so I remember catching a chill so many times that ended up with me in bed piled high with what felt like a hundred blankets. On one occasion (this is not meant for minors) I remember smoking pot with one of my friends in upper Michigan and of course when you are under the influence it feels like everything lasts for hours upon hours so you don't really realize that you are walking in freezing cold because your senses are dulled so you forget normal things like mittens or hats and I clearly remember that was a chill that I could not kick, it felt like it took two days to lose. We all know that temps in the North country are actually FREEZING! So when I grew older I realized in Utah that people used heat and didn't mind turning the thermostat past 60 in the dead of winter and I became accustomed to a milder winter and way of life. Anyway on with the point that I am trying to make. The last week in Chile the temperature has dipped into the sixties but the evenings drop into the low 50s or high 40s, so in all aspects pretty mild, right? Wrong. Homes in Chile are built without central heat and are also built without insulation in the walls and carpet pads (I'm serious) In the evening you feel like you are freezing and actually catch a chill as the air feels dense, hazy, moist, and thick, you can smell many peoples wood burning stoves, but I have also heard stories of smelly kerosene heaters. In the morning you carry that chill with you and your home pretty much stays the same temp, so even when the chill has passed and the midday temps hit the 60s you are still kind of cold, and your brain exagerates what are pretty mild temperatures and you hear yourself tell your kids to bundle up or they will catch a cold (I never thought I would see the day I uttered that phrase) and you have tea about 30 times a day, ok well maybe 10 times. In fact I have actually made my kids wear socks in the house......whoa. The other thing is that our hot water heater is currently broken and we have been boiling water for baths, I actually have no complaints about this because I think it builds character for our kids, also as of yet I only have a small washing machine and hang clothing out to dry every day, you may think that Id be bickering up a storm because my American rights have been violated, but actually no.....I am embracing every experience that God is leading me into and the only thing I can think about is the people down from us who are in ramshackle houses, Do they have heat!? My heart is concocting a plan so that people in the U.S can help with that issue, maybe they will, maybe they won't. What I have seen from the church has actually been thus far, disapointing to say the least, so maybe this will lead to a secular act on Jorge and my part in ministry. My opinion about living in the states has been forever changed and I see even my pride so clearly, things that I have said in the past to certain people make me shudder (especially to immigrants) I have thought that things uttered from my mouth were either helpful or otherwise, but now I just look back and realize that it was just arrogant, lopsided, and a one sided view, it makes me very sad......with that being said embrace your local immigrant families instead of picking out things that seem different or onorthodox to you or even if you think they are wrong..and wear socks so that you don't catch a cold.
With love from the mouth of the Andes,
Sarai and the Clan.
