This is not going to be a short post so stick with me if you can.

On Sunday night we returned from an amazing first trip to Concepcion since we have arrived in Chile. I give praise and thanks to God that it went so smoothly. It was a sweet blessing to have such a wonderful trip under our belts that will encourage us in the months to come, that reminds us that we are not here just to study Spanish, but to share the hope of Jesus with the people of Concepcion. They need this hope.

Hanging in the bus stop, waiting for our late bus

We left on Thursday and took the bus down which took about 6 hours and was quite uneventful. It was a beautiful drive and along the way I took note of the beautiful Andes Mts., the logging industry, the farming industry and the amazing skills of our driver to drive in dense fog. I tried not to watch.

Seaside lunch with our driver Marco

Friday was our driving day. We hired a driver to take us around and he was amazing. His name was Marco and he had lived in Conce for 30+ years so he knew his city. He took us to all the areas of town we could think of, plus the ones he thought we should see. We saw some of the richest areas of town, some of the poorest areas of town and everything in between. Our objective for the day was to just see the city; to get a feel for it, how it is the same, and how it has changed. This will help us think about ministry opportunities and to begin thinking about where we want to live. There are lots of good options for both.

Poorer area called Pedro de Valdivia Bajo

Richer neighborhood with large houses

A nice middle class area in San Pedro

Marco also drove us to see some of the earthquake destruction in Conce and then took us to see the destruction of his city, Conce's twin city, Talcahuano. This one of the major cities that got hit hard by the earthquake and tsunami. There are many people still living in temporary housing a year later but a lot of recovery has happened as well. I felt sad for them and that same day Japan was rocked by the huge earthquake and tusnami as well, which, I'm sure, brought back lots of memories. Later that day Talcahuano was evacuated for fear of a tsunami hitting them. There was no damage done but I could just sense their nervousness.

The famous building pictured often in the news, still not cleared

One of the many temporary housing areas in Talcahuano

Friday night we were blessed to have dinner with a sweet family that we have connections with and met last time we were in Concepcion. They are Marco, Kathy and Valentine (their cute son) and they were so hospitable to us. We just ate pizza and talked for a long time, catching up on their lives, asking them questions about Conce and hearing their earthquake stories. When we left them they said if there was anything they could do for us, anything, to let them know. They also offered their home for us to stay in and to accompany us to find homes because they know the area better. I think they meant it. I hope they know what they are getting themselves into because we need a lot of help. :)

Eating pizza with Marco, Kathy and Valentine

Saturday was a more relaxed day that we just spent walking around the city and discovering things for ourselves. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was so fun to see Chileans out, enjoying their Saturday.

We walked through the park, soon to be one of our favorite places

We stopped at a garage/antique sale at a plaza

We visited the University of Concepcion campus

We stumbled upon a storyboard of photos of the earthquake and saw how far they have actually come, it was powerful and humbling and such a blessing to have accidentally discovered

Saturday night we had lunch with a new friend Jaime and he took us to a University of Concepcion soccer game. It was a very fun experience. The crowd was small but excited and the view from the stadium was amazing. I have no pictures but we had a great time. Jaime was a great host and had a lot of great insight and encouragement for our work in Concepcion.

Sunday we packed up and headed home. The ride home was interesting. We probably stopped at least 15 times to pick people up in the middle of no where. By the time we got to Santiago there were people standing all around us without seats. This is not what I expected the trip home to be like and we later learned this was probably not legal. I felt the culture shock rising in me as the trip went along, just wanting to get home, but I also had to laugh at how different traveling can be here.

Overall, the trip home was a huge success and a great encouragement to me and my team. Conce is different in so many ways but it is also still the same city and people that I know and love. I know that God is working among them and I am excited to join that work.