Oido update...

So I thought I´d give a quick update on my recent ear infection experience. Like I said in the other post, I was on antibiotics...however, after a few days I was not experiencing ANY improvement, quite the opposite actually. The pain was out of control...you should have seen me, I was a mess. Laying on the couch, mouth half open, crying to my roommates..."no puedo soportarlo" (i can´t handle it). Seriously, it was probably the worst pain i can ever remember having in my life. Like i said, I feel for those screaming ear infected children...even when they are on the overnight bus with me and i´m trying to sleep...scream children scream, enjoy that freedom. But yeah, it hurt...bad. So my roommates convinced me to go to the Urgencia and see a doctor. We saw a doctor, and he took me to this room where he stuck this tube in my ear and drained out all the gross-ness. No need to get detailed, but it was narly. After that I felt TONS better because there was no more pressure, ,and I could actually hear some out of that ear. The doctor told me that I ruptured my ear drum, and prescribed me some meds. So yeah, on anitbiotics, pain killers, drops and resting today. Because of the hole in my eardrum, I can´t get on an airplane until it heals. How long that will take is up in the air because it depends on a lot of things; how well I take care of my ear, have to wear earplugs in the shower, stay up on the anitbiotics, etc....he said it could take from 2 weeks to 2 months. So, we´ll see. I´m going to call the airlines today and talk to them, the doctor also said i could come back and see him before. I´m actually going back in tomorrow for some more drainage. If my ear isn´t better a week before I´m supposed to leave though, I´ve decided not to risk it...I CAN´T EVEN IMAGINE the pain of the airplane if I still have my ear issues when I fly. After what I experienced the last couple of days, I think I´d choose death...(ok, so kidding, but it really was that bad). Also, as my mom put it "rather spend more now on my ear..plane change, etc...than on hearing aides in the future" I don´t want to risk losing my hearing...i could have already lost some..i have to wait and see. But yeah, that would serously put a damper on my musical enjoyment. ;) So, I´m still PLANNING on coming back on the 12th of October, but it is un poco up in the air. I guess we´ll just have to wait and see what happens. If I postponed my departure, it would probably not be longer than two weeks...but then again, depends on my ear. I´m curious to see what the doctor says tomorrow, like if the meds are working or not. But i guess the meds aren´t for the hole, the hole has to heal itself, the antibiotics are just for the infection. I have to take them for 10 days...so yeah, anyways, like i said several times, we´ll see. Thanks so much for all your prayers and support (mom and john for the last minute funding help...seriously, that helps so so so much). That really really really really means a lot to me...I´ll keep you updated of course on the progess of my silly oido (ear). Today I´m going to venture out in the sun because the weather is finally feeling like spring...yaaaaay!!!! Ciao!!!

He regresado con vertigo :(

I have returned!!!!! Yep, back from the land of Southern Chile, and so I turned on some Tracy Chapman (thanks for the inspiration shosh) and brewed up some miel té, and sat down in front of the computer...estoy lista para to blog!!! I´m not going to go into the trip that much until I have pictures up for you to see...it´s better to hear the story with some visuals. In summary though, it was a fun trip. We went to several different towns. The South is very green and has lots of islands, trees, rain, etc....it´s beautiful. One town we went to had the feeling of some town in wyoming or lake tahoe, with a beautiful lake and huge volcano on the horizon...it was a trip being in some mountain town and then to have everyone speaking spanish..I loved it...not to mention that we stayed at a hostel with a vegetarian restaurant in it...best food I´ve had in a long time..thanks for the recs my friends. :) We visited hot springs way out in the middle of no where, underneathe the most beautiful stars I´ve seen in a long time. Allison and I had the entire thermal bath resort to ourselves because of the off season. Went to some other towns to...like i said, more later...they reminded me of Scotland, like little port towns...went to a botanical garden (yes, i was in heaven. Celebrated the Chilean Independence day, 18th de Septiembre with some chicha y vainas y muchas empanadas por supuesto!!!!! I actually came home early...yep..sick again. This time with a massive ear infection. I seriously can´t remember the last time I had one of those, but man, gotta hand it to the children who get them all the time....no wonder they scream! So, yeah, it hurt too bad for me to go on, so I hopped a 13hour overnight bus back to Santiago with Allison. Worst bus ride ever, but it was so good to be home and not on the road. Last night Seb and I went on a hunt for antibiotics for my ear (we actually got them to sell it to us without a prescription...no worries mom, no penicillan in it) Seb´s bro in law is a doctor, so we called him and asked him which medicine to get. I´ve never heard of it, it´s called Clindamicina..not sure if it has that name in English too. oh well, I don´t care, seriously my ear is horrible...I´m desperate. This morn I woke up with sangre (blood) coming out of it, so yeah, it´s not fun. Sometime this weekend Seb is going to take me to see his bro and have him look in my ear....so I´d really appreciate your prayers. Silver lining does exist though: if i don´t want to listen to someone, I can just direct them to my right ear (can´t hear a thing out of it), or on the bus, when all the babies were crying (there were like 4) all I had to do was lay with my good ear against the pillow and I could´n´t hear them, hmm...what else...my pain threshold is being built up, that´s good too. :)Oh, and I will ALWAYS appreciate the absence of an ear infection when this thing goes away...every single time I get sick I think the same thing...that I´ve totally taken for granted being well. Praise God for your health..and take care of yourself, seriously. alright, I should go because, in the words of seb, estoy un poco cranky. Thanks again for your prayers!!!! I love you al taaaaan mucho!!!!! :)

Me voy

Hola!!! Man I´m a blog slacker!!!!! Sorry, but I do have an excuse this week. I was super busy...I worked in Renca everyday, so was gone all day and exhausted when I returned. I would eat dinner, then read (finished The Fountainhead....good/interesting book...more on that later, really got me thinking. Have any of you read it? I have now moved onto a long long time recommended book According to the Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy...thanks becka...thanks sam), then go to sleep. So I didn´t get around to a whole lot of blog posting. Even now I´m in a hurry because I´m leaving tonight to go to Southern Chile. We´ll be gone until the next sunday (in like a week). I wanted to post real quick though and let you know that I´ll be travelng this next week. I´ll be going with Becka, Ashlee, and a new friend named Allison. Allison and I leave tonight and Becka and Ashlee are meeting us on Saturday in Pucon. I´m exicted because the response that I get whenever I mention where I´m going is always the same "OOH, QUE LINDO...VERDE VERDE!!" Ah yes, verde (green) sweet music to my ears. I think I´m even going to climb an active volcano (if weather permits), so yeah, things are already looking up for this trip...we´ll see, I´ll try and keep this updated whenever I can. So, off I go to finish packing...I love you all!!!!! Chao!!!

Hound of Heaven

I fled Him Down the nights and down the days
I fled Him down the arches of the years,
I feld Him down the labryinthe ways
of my own mind: And in the midst of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter
up vistaed hopes I sped;
Down titanic glooms of Chasmed fears
From those strong feet that followed, that followed after
For though I knew His love that followed
Yet I was sore adread
Lest having Him I have naught else beside
All that I took from thee I did but take
Not for thy harms
But just that thou might´st seek it in my arms.
All which thy child´s mistake fancies are lost
I have stored for thee at home:
"Rise, clasp my hand and come."
Halts by me thy footfalls:
Is my gloom afterall,
shade of His hand oustretched caressingly
Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am he whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, that dravest me.
-Francis Thompson

So, I thought I´d post a little something for your Sunday morning. Often times I´ve been given a hard time because I´ll post something like this, a poem, quote, etc...and I won´t share my opinion. Well, sorry again my friend, but I´m not going to do that today. I think some things are just better off explaining themselves. I will say though that this poem helped aide in reaching down and pulling me up from a deep hole in which I had/have been dwelling, and although I´m not TOTALLY out and walking around on the surface, I´m at least hanging onto the edge, and can see the grass (yes, very green..hehe) above me. The words of Francis give honest light to my experience (especially about my years before I was a Christian) and I thought maybe, just maybe, you´d find them as some of your own as well. Alright, so maybe I shared a little of my opinion, but, if I could offer one suggestion, one of the most important things that I think this poem is saying, is: stop running.

Murió el cazador de cocodrilos

This is a very sad day. The Crocodile Hunter died after he was stung by a stingrey. One of my favorite animal show hosts....the saddest thing is that he leaves behind his family. *sigh* Part of life is death, but I´m still really sad. Goodbye Steve...you are missed already.

Feliz Cumpleaños!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, that´s right...today is my dad´s birthday!!!! Hmm...how many years is it now? 45? hmmm...something like that...hehe. I just wanted to take the time to dedicate this important blog to my wonderful dad, who is such a blessing to me. I wish I could be there celebrating with you today dad, but know that I looooove you and that we´ll celebrate when I get back...whattaya say? Mexican food? Perhaps will splurge and go eat some of that wonderful cheese sauce ignoring the objections of our stomaches? Sounds like a plan to me (sorry stomach). Then maybe we can head back to the house and I´ll even watch the Sci-Fi channel without ANY complaints (now that´s love...hehe...kidding). I can´t wait to see you for your second birthday celebration. I miss you, and like I said, I wish I could be there today. I love you so much and I´ve been praying double time for you today and praising God for blessing me with such a wonderful father, and not to mention, an awesome roommate. Chao mi padre maravilloso!!!!

TGI-S

Ah, the joys of Saturdays. I really do love these days. We had a going away party for our friend Birgit last night...she´s going back to Germany today and we needed to send her on her way with good food, fun peeps, and a nice big auf wiedersehen. I must say that I think the party was a success. So, this morning we´ve been passing the time by cleaning the apartment, and now I find myself here...sitting in front of my good friend the computer. Who, I must mention, is the cause of my recent decrease in communication. This computer is a bit "sketchy" and even though it had a quick trip to the doctor this week, it seems to be on it´s last leg. This morning though, it seems that we are getting along so I will try my best to finish this post with no problems.

Hmm..update...update...Well, this week was a pretty good one...busy, but not bad busy...good busy. I spent a couple of mornings at the Theological Library with Becka helping to catalog books (I´m such a master at data entry...it´s a good exercise in letting the mind wander.) I actually really love my time at the library. I love being surrounded by tons and tons of books...makes me feel like me,and even though I can´t read the majority of them because of the spanish (with the exception of a few children´s books), I can still just sit back and enjoy the strong felling of familiarity. Books, what would I do without them, without Lewis, Spurgeon, Don Miller, McLaren, etc...I´d have to come up with my own thoughts on subjects like theology..hehe...kidding. I must say though, I´d feel lost without them....before I came to Chile (and this might seem a bit borderline weird/overboard, but...eh...such is me) I actually took a picture of my book shelf and brought it with me(yes...absolute revelation of my nerdiness). Hey, what can I say...my bookshelf rocks.

Ok, love for books: established...moving on. My time at the school in Renca was great. I really love the kids, so cute. One little girl told me, "eres mi mejor amiga!" (you are my best friend!)...That made my day, seriously. All the kids have also started calling me Tia BonBon (tia literally means aunt, but that´s what they call their teachers...and bonbons, well they´re just candies, random, I know, but kids tend to exist in the world of randomness moreso than us "adults"...makes me feel like we should be taking lessons from them)So, yes, Tia BonBon...good name. Oh, and another thing that´s been happening at the school, and this MAY not seem like a big deal but to me...it is. There is a lady at the school, Tia Susie, and she cooks all the meals (from scratch...it´s pretty sweet). At the end of the day she also feeds all the Tias. It´s pretty great food too...I love homecooked meals. The only thing is that they don´t really fall into the vegetarian category. So this has been a good lesson for me. Ok, so I haven´t eaten like beig chunks of meat, like a fat steak (she doesn´t make things like that). It´s mainly stuff like soup that has been made in chicken broth and might have a few chunks of meat in them, but not much. So the first day, I was like "oh man...how am I going to do this?" But honestly it hasn´t been that bad. So yes, I´ve had some meat, and yes, I´m still alive. If you´re a vegatarian, you might be thinking "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT??? Just eat the salad!" I considered that, but the thing is that she cooked this meal for me, and she worked hard on it. Even though I´m a volunteer, I´m still a visitor. She told me the other day when we were eating breakfast together (if your there for breakfast she feeds you that too), she said "Esto es tu casa" (this is your house). I was so blessed simply by that attitude, because I was feeling a little like an outsider (language barriers can prove frustrating a veces)and kinda feeling bad because they had to literally speak to me in sign language at times. But she basically said that I was loved there and that I was with family...no necesitamos palabras..I´m learning that more and more each day. So, if I´m with family all day serving together, and they spend the whole day cooking a meal to bless me and others, I´m definitely going to sit down at the end of the day and break bread with them...together, like a family and not stressing about the food I´m consuming. It´s more than the food, and like I said, I´m still alive. No...I´m NOT going to leave my vegetarian lifestyle, well as far as I can see it (don´t get your hopes up), but I am really enjoying this lesson in chilling out about the meat. chill out and let someone love you...and in doing that you´re loving them back. Anyways, I feel a tangent coming on, so I´ll stop it now before I start losing my readers. Long story short: I ate meat..it was a good experience...and I´m going to try and eat just about whatever Tia Susie decides to put in front of me. And thank you once again for all your prayers for this school, it really is a wonderful thing for these kids and prayer is key in keeping it going. Thanks for the safety prayers too...all is well in that regard. No worries. :)

See, this is what happens when I don´t keep my posts up to date...I end up authoring a novel every time! I do it to myself, I know...but, at least I can pass some of the blame to the computer..and possibly the demon that lives inside of it (see blog:Something Clever?)...Yes, so, I saw Brian McLaren the other night..oh wait...not just saw, but HAD A CONVERSATION with Brian Mclaren the other night. Well, I guess you could call it a conversation, we talked more than five minutes, and not all of it consisted of, ¨"I...um...wow...I...um...really like your books. Your thoughts have been so refreshing to me and my relationshp with Jesus..your great...yada yada yada" no, it wasn´t all that. It was so great to meet him really, and not because I like his books, but simply because it´s wonderful to see just how normal and real these people are. It´s such a strange thing to know the thoughts of a person and to have never actually seen them or spoken to them, and when you actually meet them, it´s like "ok, cool. You are just a normal person, just like me,trying to love Jesus and others the best that you can" (yes, I should know that already, but honestly, I forget sometimes...we all do that with people we admire) It´s encouraging. He was a normal person, and I like that. The talk he gave was ok...it wasn´t blow you out of the water amazing, he just gave a short talk on economics and kinda tied it in with how to live in this world and deal with economics from a Christian point of view. IT was interesting....they had a translator so every few sentences Brian would stop and then the other guy would say it in Spanish, so it was a little hard to follow, ,but a good way to learn some more Spanish...always a good thing these days. After he spoke there were two other economists that spoke and they spoke in Spanish, so I couldn´t really follow. I got the gist, but that´s about it, and I definitely didn´t pick up on any of the humor, I only knew when it occurred because people laughed...oh well...it was still great anyways. The night wasn´t like AMAZING WOW LIFE CHANGING...etc...but it was good. Perhaps my favorite thing that he said was when he answered a question about what he thinks we as Christians should do when it comes to poverty...what steps can we take. He said just to go out and make friends with someone less fortunate than you. Don´t just give them something, or write them a check, but really make friends with them. Eat with them, in their homes or on the street with them if they don´t have homes, and then invite them to eat with you in your home. Having real relationships, loving them...that is real...that is important, that is truly loving your neighbor. I liked that...and I agree. Interacting with those in need is a valuable and much needed experience. SMALL example: There is this homeless guy that becka has told me about...he sits in front of this church and becka stops to talk to him once and while, and give him some food (i love her heart...she´s so wonderful). Well, Yesterday I was able to meet him. Becka and I just sat down on the sidewalk next to him while he held our hands. It´s very obvious that he´s not used to human touch (he´s not exactly the cleanest guy...probably hasn´t showered in a REALLY REALLY long time) and he just clung to our hands...he was asking for a bible the next time we came. It was so sweet, and even though I couldn´t understand him completely, it didn´t matter...he loved us in that moment and he was grateful to be noticed and loved back. When we left he gave me a big kiss on both my cheeks. I seriously almost cried. And yes the thoughts did come into my head, "oh my, this guy is really dirty, especially his teeth and face and I´m letting him kiss me?" But then I realized those thoughts were absolutely SILLY and STUPID and if he wants to hold my hand, or kiss my cheek, I want nothing more than that. I know it was only a moment, but it was so important and I learned so much...Jesus so often simply meets us in the moments. So, I ask you...go interact with someone in need...you will see Jesus in that person, and that person will experience Jesus through you, and who could want more than that? I pray that the Lord will help us all to notice, and to love (especially me) and love more openly with those around us neglected (whether it be physically OR emotionally).

Alright, time to actually leave the house today. Not sure exaclty what we´re doing today but I think it might involve some cosmic bowling...yes!!! flashbacks of highschool PE class!! Thank you for your prayers, and I pray that you´ll be blessed by mine. I love you!!!!!! Chao!

oh, and Dad...happy one more day until your birthday!!!! I wish so badly that I was there to celebrate. I love you and have been blessed to have you as my dad (and roommate..hehe)