The Traveling Tome enjoys Sunday ministry

We have visited ABWE Chile only twice, but one of our favorite ministry visits is the Iglesia de los Sordos--the Deaf Church in San Bernardo, led by the ministry team Mauricio, Christian, Catalina, and Lori. We are encouraged by the dedication these brothers and sisters have to come long distances to be together. We enjoy hearing them sing--sounds unintelligible to us streaming along with the fluid motions that express sincere and sacrificial praise to the Lord. Along with the service, the ministry involves an hour of prayer--you have to pray with your eyes open so you can see what the person praying is saying. After prayer time comes a sign language lessons for the people. Most of them are of the oldest generations, and in their days of education, that which was provided for the deaf was not quality nor consistent, and still to this day, five different versions of the sign language exist in Chile. Many cannot read much either, so the lessons deal with both reading Spanish words and learning the signs. Lori Brock, who teaches, focuses on words that will be incremented in the Bible message for that morning. Today we learned derramar, confiar, creer, esperar, y sacerdote among others.

I especially enjoy the opportunities Pastor Mauricio gives me to share a greeting/testimony and to translate for the other ladies. He is easy to interpret for because he is being deliberate and distinct as he signs along with his preaching.

Afterwards, we went out to a nice restaurant, Bávaro, which served parilla-style meats. Delicious and tender with a side salad that included palm hearts (palmitos), mushrooms (champiñones) and avocado (aguacate).

On the way to and from to the various places today, we passed many schools that had their school desks thrown up against the gates and bars surrounding the institutions. The students are on strike for reform.

Tonight we worked three hours in the library. I'm still working through troubleshooting details, but the ladies are booking along (pun intended).

The Traveling Tome ...touching down and getting to work

Hace dos días llegamos en Chile y es invierno, y hace frio, pero no es tan miserable como pensaba sería.  (Rusty but happy Spanish. :) )

We arrived in Santiago on Thursday morning, and were greeted by Jennifer and Kendra Rubin, who brought us to the apartment at Santiago Christian Academy (SCA).  We stay in the same apartment as we did last year which makes this feel more at home.

We started work that very day... Working on the glitches--mostly technology-based) took a while, but we're past that now. (Thanks to the Lord, some ingenuity, and Bob, Becky, Kathy, Duane, Leslie, Jennifer, and others.)

We have now started to roll down that busy library highway of organization and circulation.  Our project focuses on the elementary/early sections and the biographies and a variety of miscellaneous. Pray that all the bugs are behind us and that the momentum will continue.

As far as Chile goes, snow capped mountains greeted us and decorate the edge of our vista here at school.

The people are warm and welcoming and remember us. That warmth balances out the chilly early winter weather--as do the tiny gas heaters and electric sheet warmers (thank you, Leslie!).

The ABWE team here radiates hospitality. They provide a great apartment, sprinkled with sandwich fixins' in the fridge, a bowl of fruit on the table and a tray of tea and cookies on the counter. They quickly offer to help out with errands, and Bev enjoyed getting reacquainted with an old friend John Barram, an 81-year-old volunteer teacher. I enjoyed seeing friends from Texas (language school), ConoSur days (ABWE South America), and Costa Rica (kids and parents who studied Spanish at ILE/Sojourn Academy).  Sweet, sweet reunions and hugs. What memories and ministry!

After work on Saturday, Jennifer Rubin drove us to Los Dominicos, a restored convent that now houses more than 170 artisan craft stores.  Yes, we went shopping in an intriguing and artistic setting.

Afterwards, the Rubins hosted us for a grill-out at their home.... with their kids--Matt, Micah, Julianna, and Kendra--all a little older than last year.  Matt and Julianna even invited me up to their high-rise clubhouse.  I went, but no, no pictures exist of that adventure.

Tomorrow we are excited to venture out to church with Lori Brock. She works with the deaf in a church where we visited last year. Vibrant people. Pray that in spite of the language barriers--Spanish and Sign Language--we will be sharing God's love and joy.

We have arrived...

... to snow-capped mountains (the ANDES!)
... to drug-sniffing dogs who found a banana in someone´s carry-on (and that did raise a small dilemma for the girl)
... to driving through the very-organized, advanced roadways of Santiago
... to seeing old friends made last year (Lori, Sharon, Kathy, Clara, etc.), made a few years ago (the Swierenga kids, Leslie and Stephanie Schneider), and made even many years ago (the Pattens and Rubins).

What fun and what hugs.

Already we´re getting to work and working out the bugs. Every library project has a few glitches in the beginning, but the library is so well prepared for us, and the hospitality here just overflows.

11:31am


Only a few hours until I travel to Dayton, Atlanta, and Santiago.  Travel in itself can be a real adventure and pleasure, but this particular trip also brings the joy of ministry and work--and I am excited to get to it.  


In my last few hours  here at home, I plan to finish some laundry, brush the cat, and get a coffee with hubby.  But for today as I travel, and for the next three weeks of work at Santiago Christian Academy, I pray the blessing of Colossians 1:9-12 on this venture...

"We haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. 

"We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. 

"We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. 


"It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us." 
(The Message)

The Traveling Tome Update

Life is quite busy these days with graduation preparation.  Our third child, Colleen, will graduate in just a few days from high school, so we are involved with ceremonies, practices for ceremonies, open-houses, planning for open-houses, visitors, and preparing for visitors.  Oh, and then of course, it's the end of the academic year, so work at school ascends to its peak, and then we'll arrive at summer break.


Which brings me to only 18 days till travel time!  On June 22, I will meet with Deb Haas at the Dayton airport, and we will fly down to Atlanta where we will catch up with Dr. Bev Monroe (Deb's mother, btw) and fly southward to Santiago, Chile.


Our communications with the Chile team have encouraged us toward our travels and ministry.  The ABWE team in Santiago generously takes care of their workers, and we already enjoy and are committed to the work involved and the students it serves.



Thank you to those who are already praying and thank you to those who have provided financially.  Both the spiritual and material are necessary and so very encouraging.  Since so many more are able to pray, please join that prayer team (and I will be glad to keep you posted via emails), and if you are able to give financially, I lack only $560 of the original $1900.  (Gifts can be sent to my home church--with the notation of Open Treasury for Tia Reilly--at Grace Baptist Church, PO Box 12, Cedarville, OH 45314. )


Thank you all, and with faith in Him,


Tia L Reilly