Peeping Anna

It's almost 2am here and I'm exhausted as usual.  In case you were wondering, Joshua is still not sleeping through the night. He usually wakes about once an hour... but I digress. The reason I'm up so late this time is that I've been randomly surfing blogs.  It's really fun to hit that "next blog" button at the top of the screen and to land on some random person's life. I've read all about the Putney family and their little son Ryan, seen the most beautiful pastries from Singapore and even checked in on an Argentinean choreographer/dancer/comedic musician.  He has the highest kick I've ever seen... he actually touches his nose with that leg! The fun must end for tonight though and I'm finally off to bed. Tonight is my turn to sleep, as David is taking care of Joshua.  If you have some time, go check out a random blog!

I Scream for Ice Cream

This is Joshua's new favorite food. We're beginning to see his angry side, as he never has his fill and always wants more. Is it possible to spoil a baby at 8 months old?

Around Town

We think that we live in a pretty cool place. So, we figured we would put a photo on here every once in awhile of all the neat stuff around us.

"Cerro del Dragon"

This big winding sand dune connects coastal Iquique to Alto Hospicio, up in the hills. The locals say that it's a sleeping dragon who will awake some day and swallow up the city.

Lost

Many may be wondering where we've gone. We've been enjoying summer and with it, not having time to blog.  We got back from our two and a half weeks in Santiago a little worn out. We visited lots of friends and had a great time reconnecting with loved ones.  Everyone loved meeting Joshua, doting on him and loading us up with toys to bring home to Alto Hospicio. Once we got home, we began preparations for a big visit - David's parents!  They arrived about a week ago and have just loved spending time with their first grandson.  Their visit has also given us some time to ourselves. We had our first night out in three months while the grandparents babysat and have been catching up on movies.

Other than having family with us, we're also thanking God for answered prayers.  The young boy who was shot has made a complete and surprising recovery.  He is now home, walking around without a visible scratch.  He came to church last Sunday with his father in order to thank the community for all their prayers.  We told him that he had international prayers coming in as well, and he also thanked all of you for remembering him.  The quickness of his recovery has really been a miracle and he has definitely been touched by the community's support to him and his family.  We're hoping to get him to give a talk at our next youth retreat so that other kids can hear a new perspective on just how precious each gift of life actually is.

Summer Getaway

We're a week into our vacation in Santiago and it has been very refreshing.  Generally, we're not too fond of this big city where smog and crowds abound.  However, it has been great to get back to so many friends and loved ones.  Joshua had his first plane ride, during which he behaved very well and enjoyed his first taste of bread sticks.  We went straight from the airport to the Columban Center House, where all of the missionaries (priests and lay) gather each Monday for lunch.  We were greeted by a mob of happy cooers and gigglers.  The housekeeper quickly stole Josh away to show him off to the kitchen staff.  It was about half an hour before we could pry him back from her and introduce him to Tata (great grandfather) Hugo, the oldest priest member of the region.  Joshua liked him a lot, especially his finger, which he immediately shoved in his mouth.  He also met Matilda, his almost two year old peer, who is the daughter of another lay missionary couple.  Matilda pointed and smiled while practicing his name and Joshua laughed and tried to pull her hair every time she passed close by.  It was a nice way to start our week and we've continued the good fortune with Joshua sleeping through the night every night this week. We think it's probably sheer exhaustion from meeting so many new people, but we'll take it!  We haven't heard any news about our neighbor's son in the hospital, but are continuing to pray. Thanks to all of those who are praying with us.

Tragedy (Anna)

It's almost 2 in the morning and I should be in bed.  We leave for Santiago tomorrow morning and have spent the last two days preparing for Joshua's first trip in a plane and our first vacation as a family.  Our preparations were interrupted with some pretty sad news though.  Our neighbors across the street own a "Salchipapa," which is northern Chile's version of McDonalds.  They sell hot dogs, fries and other varieties of greasy yet delicious foods that we shouldn't be eating.  Needless to say, we spend a lot of time over there.  We learned that their youngest son, 19 years old and just a year out of high school, was shot two days ago and is now in critical condition in the ICU.  It was a big shock, especially because this particular son was such a great kid.  We got to know him at a retreat that we gave for the youth in the parish early in the year.  Even though he didn't participate in the youth group and didn't really know any one there, he quickly became known as an outgoing, enthusiastic believer.  He loved God and had a way that attracted the other kids to him and made them feel at ease.  He also knew lots of fun "dinámicas" (silly songs and games for groups), which are imperative in any Chilean youth work.  I went over to their house tonight, hoping that the information I had heard was wrong, and that it wasn't really their son who had been shot.  But, when I passed through the door and saw his mother's face, I knew that it was unfortunately true.  We sat and talked for awhile as she explained to me how he was and what exactly had happened. He was at a friend's birthday party and on the way home, was mistaken for a drug addict who owed some dealers money.  A car drove by and opened fire on the group he was walking with. Three boys were shot, but he was the most critical and also the youngest.  The doctors tell his mother that he's lucky to be alive but it's what they're not telling her that has her most worried - namely, whether he'll make it or not.  I've learned that the most important thing we can do at times when things aren't in our control is to pray.  So, we prayed together, asking God to heal her son and to bring the family strength and hope.  

It's hard to decide which stories get shared with our friends and family back home and which stay with us here in Chile.  It's not that we want to scare people, but sometimes we think it's important for them to know the reality.  It's easy to tell people that we work in an area where drugs are a problem, but gets harder when that reality hits home and we tell them our neighbor was shot by drug traffickers.  I think it's important for us to hear these personal stories though in order to really understand what others are going through. It's important for us to feel empathy, to share in others' suffering and help with some of that burden when possible, even through simple prayer.  The nature of our work and where we live lends itself to tragedy, but that doesn't make it easier to handle when it hits.  We're praying for a happy ending to this one and appreciating life a little more than we did this morning.

Here Today, Gone Tomorow

We can't believe how fast it has gone. Anna's mom boarded a plane out of Chile two days ago and we're still getting used to the empty space left in the house.  We had a great time with her, although it seems like she spent more time as a nanny than as a tourist.  The baby's health didn't allow for us to make many excursions. We missed the beautiful salt flats high up in the Andes mountains, the oasis town with natural hot water springs and the quaint coastal fishing village with lots of historical interest. She's going to have to come back again next year, when Joshua's older and we're better at this parenting thing.  We appreciated the help though and we were able catch up on some much needed sleep.  We already miss her, but are glad that she made it home safely and is there to take care of Anna's dad, who has had some medical problems lately. Here are some photos of her visit and the places we did manage to show her:

Joshua shows Grandma how a big boy eats... or refuses to eat.

We made it to an old salt mining town called Humberstone, which we're sure has real ghosts (future posts with orb photos to come).

Grandma brought us a load of cloth diapers from the U.S.  We're hoping to do our part for the environment.

Santa showed up a day late for Daddy.  Here he is with his new Wii Fit, teaching Joshua all about rhythm.

The family took a hike up into the sand dunes to watch the sunset. We were also acompanied by two neighbor kids who agreed to take the photo.

A neighbor family who invited us over for lunch on New Year's Day.  They're just one of the many families that we've befriended while here in Alto Hospicio, and were very excited to meet Anna's mom and practice their English.

The coast of Iquique.

Joshua's reaction when we got in the car on the way home from the airport and Grandma wasn't at his side.  He'll miss you Grandma!