Mapuche Trip, Day 5

Tuesday was an interesting day, mainly because at times it felt like we were spinning our wheels. The day started like normal, then we all piled into the truck to make a quick trip to the two other towns we would be visiting later in the week. We wanted to meet with the pastors to make sure everything was in order for our visit. One pastor was there, but in the other town there was no one to be found. So it felt like we drove around a lot for nothing. Then we walked around that little town for a bit. It's right off a lake and has camping and so is a bit more touristy. We walked to the lake and sat there for a little while, enjoying being together as a team.
Then we went back to where we were staying and decided we had enough time to "bathe." So we put on our swim suits and headed down to the river, our "bath." The water was REALLY cold, so it was a bit torturous...but also very entertaining! It felt wonderful to be clean though!
Then we headed over to the church and showed the Chronicles of Narnia. It's a pretty long movie, and the kids were getting restless by the end, so we decided that we would only show the other video for the rest of the week. We had a simplified version of a Jesus movie that had been dubbed in Spanish, and we stuck with that for the remainder of our time.
Our day ended about the same, cleaning up the church, eating dinner, and talking. I was pretty tired by the end of the day though!
Oh, the other thing to note about being down there is that I saw the brightest moon I've ever seen in my entire life. I mean, it was REALLY bright! I could see perfectly fine walking around at night (and for those of you who know me really well, you know how I hate to walk on uneven ground in the dark). I could see trees on the other sides of fields, and I even had a shadow! It was crazy!!
Here's a few thoughts I wrote down that day:
I can't even begin to tell you how hard this has been. And slow/long! It's only Tuesday ad I feel like it's been weeks! BUT, I also can't even begin to tell you how much I've learned. Both in Spanish and in other ways. Like in other lifestyles--both Chilean, and the poverty of this part of the country. Like in other ways of worship--remember that the church was pentecostal--not things that I always agree with or am comfortable with. But I have learned a lot, and I'm glad I came. The trip is half way over and I'm interested to see how much more I'll learn!
Ok, I think this is a good place to stop. I need a break from typing! I'll try to post a few more days tomorrow, as well as a video and some pictures.