becka lippy

So here it is, the following few weeks: Dec. 22nd- leave for BA and meet up with Mom and Nigel at the airport to fly to Ushuaia (the very tip of South America) 23rd till 27th- leave from Ushuaia on a cruise through Argentina and Chile, looking at glaciers and hopefully seeing some penguins :) 27th- land in Punta Arenas, hopefully see my friends Alister and Julie (a chilean couple who studies at the Centro de Estudios Pastorales) 27th-30th Mom and Nigel drop me off at Puerto Natales where I am staying at a really nice hotel on the lakeside that has a full spa (ouch, life is hard!) 30th- fly up to Santiago with Mom and Nigel, head out to Viña del Mar for the night 31st- go up to La Serena and experience NEW YEARS!!!!! woo hoo! 31st till 2nd- La Serena and Valle del Elqui 3rd till 6th- drive down to Horcón, a little hippy beach town that I am sure to fall in love with 7th- I come back to Santiago, but leave for Camp with my church, I will only be able to go the one day, but it is the last

So I made plans last night to hang out with Courtney and some other friends. It turned out to be us girls, Timo, Jason, Sam, and a guy who I have been waiting to meet for the last 6 months named Rick. I have heard so much about this guy who was Sam's rebellious partner in crime when they were 12, who loves to debate theology and church ideologies, and yet holds very different views than our little group of friends, who lived in the Amazon for 6 months, who is to Sam what Rachel is to me. Good stuff. And with all the things I have heard about him for the last 6 months, I was still not dissapointed. He was a really sweet guy who stepped easily into our group, able to converse with whomever he pleases about a variety of conversations. The problem is that I told the boys that I needed to leave by 11 since I had to leave the house at 7:30 this morning and I had a full day ahead of me. So tell me why I checked my watch at 12:30 and realized that it was WAY past my bed time, and although

on my blog radio today: pure country music. I have no clue why, but sometime I find myself craving some good old school country music. Right now: Kenny with "She's got it all"

So last night Courtney came over and we ordered pizza (go Chile for having Pizza hut on every other corner) and we watched the 5 hour Pride and Prejudice over pepperoni pizza and white wine (classy, aren't we?). But yeah, afer going to bed at like 3:30 and waking up to make some of my traditional fried rice breakfast, I am tired. but that still won't stop me from going to work, buying Christmas pressents, going with Courtney to get her lip pierced, and hopefully having a little mango sour celebration tonight for Jason who is finishing his PSU (like the SAT's)! I have been hanging out with a new friend named Sebastian who I met a few weeks ago. It's funny we haven't known each other for long, but find each other really confortable and enjoy spending time together, so we do. In fact, I ahve spent more time with him in the last week than any of my other friends, combined. To make things interesting, he is a palestinian chileno. And I am the jewish gringa. These things

I came to this country alone. I lived here alone for 6 months before I even saw gringa from home. But for the last 9 months I have shared my life with Ashlee, and Rachel and Danielle, and Nathan, and Rocky, and of course Courtney (what? forget you Courtz? never! Idiot!) But this week has beenthe week of goodbyes. I just said good bye to Nathan who is heading up to Peru for a while. Courtney came over and basially had a "lets drink pisco and talk about boys" night.. good stuff. And Ashlee left on Thursday. It's weird, but because Ashlee is coming back in a few months, i am not really upset. I mean, it was definitly weird to come back to the house and have my roommate Paula telling me that NOW I am going to have to speak Spanish. Bueno. It is just a vacation. I am leaving on friday, and when I get back from traveling with my mommy and Nigel, I have about amonth before the gringas return... this time both Ashlee and Danielle... YEAH! Anyways, it was weirtd feeling to be alo

Aunt Sandy, these are for you! (Ashlee's aunt Sandy) And now some bowling fotos: Mely realizes that she is loosing the game, the bet, and therefore loosing the right to Edward Swan.. jeje! And of course, Starbucks! And finally.. the Gays, the Jews, and the Canutos (Jesus Freaks)!

My prayer life sucks. Basically I have commited to sitting out on my balcony for the last 15-20 minutes of every night and praying. And it has felt so uncomfortable, like talking to an old friend for the first time after years of not seeing them. I don't know what to say to God. I don't know how to praise Him. I look at the stars, and I feel awe, but not connected to this Creator I have come to admire, serve, and love. So I pray anyways and ask for forgiveness for my cold heart. I started this practice a little over a week ago, and each night, my talks with God become more natural, my praise more heart felt. And I have seen the effects of this choice in other areas. God speaks (or I listen to Him) more during the day. I have been facing some interesting questions recently about my future. And in answering my questions, I know what my answer would have been a few years ago. And although they are the first answers that come to mind, I find myself answering differently, and these

So the last week has been one of many things. Some of the things have been good, some bad, many of them are just a part of life. On friday we (Ashlee and I) went to Viña to visit some friends. We stayed with our friend Silvia who lives in a sweet house on the hill in Viña. From her house you can see downtown Viña and the beach crowded with people. And it was at her house that we had an asado (BBQ) which consisted of meat, beer, diet coke, and more meat. There were about 10 of us there. Good times. At the end of the night we found ourselves sitting around the table with the last of the meat and beer, singing songs. Any song would do: Christmas songs, Elton John, Damien Rice, Backstreet boys, and of course Disney classics. The truth is, to see a group of 4 boys singing "A whole new world" was quite entertaining. The next day Ashlee and I returned to Santiago and threw a goodbye party for Ashlee. It was an ice cream/dance party. Around 2am (which is early for Chilenos) the ad

So I bought some roses today because they made me happy. There is nothing in the world like some beautiful roses...

I am at work and listening to a good old friend of mine.. Bonnie Raitt. I am not sure how old I was when I first heard her singing, but her songs have always sung themselves straight into my heart. As much as I am a pop kinda girl, I have a part of me that will always turn to blues/folk when I need to truly feel those feelings of pain and love and anything in between. Playing right now: I can't make you love me if you don't ... ouch. Thanks mom for introducing me to Bonnie and giving me a love for that grass roots kind of music.

I was just browsing facebook and I found 3 more buddies who have been married. argghhhh... I give up! How in the world am I only 23 and I feel so behind???

About 5 blocks from my house a man named Pinochet is lying in a hospital bed. He is just a man, a sinner who has lived his life far from the Lord and who is now dying and more than ever needs to repent and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus (thanks to Timo for pointing this out to me). But this man is so much more than just a man for the people of Chile. He was their general. He bascially led the country out of communism and economical depression by killing anyone who challenged him. And he killed thousands of people. Some people hate him with such fury that to this day they demonstrate their hatred with street fires and violence. Others love him and affectionately call him " mi general " and are now planted outside the hospital where he lays on his deathbed, waving flags and cheering for him. If he dies... wow, I have no idea what to expect.

So I had a conversation with one of my dear friends last night (you know who you are!) about how difficult it is to be single, especially during the holidays. It seems like everytime I login to facebook, I find wedding pictures of another buddy from university who has tied the knot. Every Valentine's Day I swear that the next year, just one more year, and I will have a real valentine. And every year, I am left trying to find excuses for not having a real valentine. Now I am being really honest here and if you just happened to stumble upon this blog and you don't actually know me, then you can stop reading. But the name of my blog is heart of lippy, and I being the extremely emotional, "let's figure out what is going on in our hearts" type of girl, I want to really share with you guys what is going on in my heart. For the last 23 years I have wanted to get married. Seriously, my mom can vouch for me. It probably started in the womb. Now when people discover this f

I made a new friend yesterday. Although this was the 3rd or 4th time I had met him, we had never really talked before yesterday. His name is Daniel and he is from England and is married to a girl from Mexico and they are missonaries in Viña del Mar with their little baby boy. So Daniel was in Santiago yesterday and came by CEP (the seminary I work at) and we started talking. One of his first questions for me was, "Have you ever heard of a guy named Mark Driscoll?". And I laughed and nodded my head explaining listen to his sermons quite often. (some of you may remember a blog I posted about that pastor a few weeks back). It was at that point that I noticed that Daniel was carrying three books with him. They were a sure sign that Daniel and i would be friends. 1.) C onfession of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll 2.) The story we find ourselves in . by Brian McLaren (I have also dedicated a post to him in the past) and 3.) Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church . By D.

Guess who finally got her work visa and is officially legal???? Por fin!

Here he is, my beloved Eduardo... my future son-in-law. And yes, I believe in arranged marriages and I do NOT care if my daughter has found some other love. I refuse to let this one go!

So around 11 years ago, I made a friend named Annalisa Schappert who has remained such a HUGE part of my life (even though our friendship consists of two Starbucks runs a year) since then. She is one of the most amazing people I know. She has been the one that I have giggling fits with, and yet she has also seen me in my darkest hours. I could not ask for a more amazing sister in Christ! It is amazing to me that God teaches her and I similar lessons in life even though we live such seperate and distinct lives. And while alot of my friends from Jr. High have left my life forever, I am so confident that no matter how far away in the world we are, Chubs and I will be friends forever. So Annalisa has left for Thailand and she has joined the dark world of blogging. Take a minute and check out her blog... annalisa.schappert.blogspot.com

So Ashlee's parents have come out to Chile for the week and I have to admit that I feel so blessed to have them here (and not just because they brought some peanut buttercups with my name on them!). But really, I ahve known them for over 4 years and although I haven't spent huge amounts of time with them, I have seen enough to know that they are such a godly couple that I admire. They arrived on Saturday. Sunday we went to church and then out to lunch. Monday they went to school with Ashlee. Tuesday was Thanksgiving in our house (I know, it's supposed to be Thursday, but we like to do things differently down here). I will write a seperate blog about that dinner that includes photos. Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon with them. Mark, Mary Jo and I spent the day walking around Bellas Artes (including a tour of the museum) and then did some gift shopping. It was really nice to spend this time with a couple that I have admired for so long, and yet barely know from persona

So this blog is coming a bit late, but I just wanted to say goodbye to a sweet heart that has been a huge part of my life here in Chile. I met Alison in March and for the last 9 months she has been like an adopted roommate. She is the New Yorker who says words like "lush" and the Jew who emlightened us with ehr perspective on the world. And now she has gone to return to New York.. :( Ali, I will miss you horribly and I expect some really long and descriptive emails, like the kind that help me get over my phobia... jeje For the last few months she has lived in a house with a bunch of interesting characters including: the "Italian", the "Maricons" (that is a very vulgar way of saying a gay guy, ,but it was always said with affection), and more recently "Frenchie". Anyways, i have had the chance to hangout with these guys recently, particularly the gay guys and we have really hit it off. That area of town that I described earlier (Bellas Artes) is t

This entry won't be as deep as the title implies. I just mean to say that life is what life is. It goes and goes and in all honesty, is fairly quick and short. Fridays always come and I am shocked that a whole week has gone by. This week was filled with stuff just like any other week. Work, classes, some babysitting, Bible study, etc etc. I have become used to the rhythm of the city. I was walking to work on Tuesday and I noticed it. I was a part of this huge thing called the city. Suddenly (how dramatic I am!) I could see my life being filmed as if it were the story of a young girl making it in the city. Last friday i was at a girl's house for her birthday party and from her garden there was a beautiful view of Santiago. Since it was at night the whole skyline was full of lights, different colors and brightness, together giving a picture of Santiago at night. And I was talking to a friend (you know who you are!) about how much I love the city. And yet recently I have been sayi

So I took advantage of the beautiful sunny day on saturday adn did some Bible study while I laid out on my terraza and drank a cold beer. Then, I met up with Sam and Jason to go to a goodbye party for the Swans who will be returning to Aussie land for 6 months. On the way there, Sam asked me when we were going to go study at Moore College. I dodged the question. Then after arriving at the Swans home, Sally Swan shoved a book on Sydney and asked when I was going to give in and move there to study. Bueno, I guess my friends have decided my future. No, don't worry Grandma, I am not moving out to Aussieland anytime soon. Chile is far enough. Here are the little Swans looking like angels (well, the one in the middle Edward really is an angel) Goodbye Swans! You guys have been such a blessing in my life and I will miss you horribly the next 6 months!

So friday night we (meaning the normal group of us from youth group) went to a birthday party of a girl named Peggy who happened to be the first Anglicana I ever met, and one of the first Christians I met in Chile. I seriously felt like it was the VIP of the young Anglican community (and Sam, you can stop laughing). Anyways it was actually really fun and I got to see some people I hadn't seen since Congreso and i I got to meet some really sweet people. I met some girls who are gringa and here becuase their parents are with Navigators here (Navigators is one of my favorite campus ministries). Anyways, it was really nice to hang out with people my age who love God. And I learned that although alcohol used to help me speak Spanish, no mas. Now, after a few drinks I loose my ability to speak teh langauge. Good, I say, motivation not to over drink. :)

My first three months in Santiago I went to a PCA church (I came from a PCA- Presbyterian Church of America church in California). It was gringo, bascially everyone who goes there is an ex-pat from middle class white America. I only spent three months there and then realized that I didn't really belong there. If I was going to truly live in Chile, why would I spend all my time with other Gringos. So I left and started going to my Anglican church. But in that short time I saw learned something that no other church experiencee has shown me. Community. I have never seen a church that so well lived out the call to be a community, a family. After church every sunday, about 30 of the church members go out to lunch together. It is awesome. The church, the family, goes to teh food court of a local mall and everyone sits around a bunch of tables eating and talking and sharing their lives with each other. I was so impressed with this and that feeling of community will stick with me forever.

This last week has been one of thoughts and misunderstandngs and hopes and failures... between me and God. I don't know why or why it started, but by the time wednesday night came I was mildly upset and pretty confused. I have been listening to the sermons of Francis Chan (those of you who know him are all excited now!) and I really like what he says. He always seems to remind me that my first love is Christ and that anything I give up for Christ is nothing compared to the riches I gain in Him. Bueno... but then I was thinking about it and how much I love the systematic and reformed hardcore "dead in your sins" preaching. And I had a problem mixing the two in my mind. So what do I do? I call Jason and basically force him to let me talk it out with him (he has been waiting for a good theological convo for some time now!) and our talk really helped. I realized a lot about my relationship with God. And I began to ask some questions about what my relationship should look like

Here is a pic of our little group of friends. This was taken on our way home after going out one last time for drinks before Rachie left.

so a lot of people complain that they hate Mondays since it means the begining of another work week... but as I explained in last weeks blog, I actually like Mondays because I have a few hours of freedom. So once again I decided to spend my freedom on food. I went to the pick up truck across the street from my apartment that sells fresh fruit and veggies and I bought chirimoya and oranges for some yummy chirimoya alegre . And then i picked up some wine (Misiones dee Rengo- check it if Trader Joes carries it because it is awesome!). And as I made myself chirimoya alegre and a sandwich for lunch, i listened to Las Orishas (a cuban hiphop type of band), and I thought about how much I love this country. I really just enjoy my life here. It is gringo enough that I can live without any HUGE culture shocks or even really changing much of my life (see my last blog for the other side of the same coin) but it still has that latino flavor to it. Now the only question in what to do next year. by

I was thinking in the mirco (bus) on my way home from work tonight as I watched the sunset over the pollutioned hills... and I thought, I have learned so much from living here. I almost think it is like a culture shock. They say that there are two common times to get a culture shock when living in a new country: the first month and about 9 months into your stay. Well I have now completed 14 months here in Chile. I don't like to describe what I am feeling as shock, since that implies a negative experience. And in all honesty, nothing that I am experiencing is new information to me. But I am just now seeing how these cultural differences effect my life personally. And that is where I think the shocking part comes in. I will give two examples: 1) The fact that many people my age date not because they are really commited to that person (and please, chilenos, don't try to argue with me, I am just comparing the system of thought to that in the US). Basically in the US, you might go

(I realize that my updating has been fairly lacking the last few weeks and I apologize for those of you who find some entertainment in my blogs, even if that entertainment is just the fun of looking for spelling mistakes!) I love Mondays. I have work in the morning and then a 3 hour break where I can just relax and enjoy the day before going to my other job. So yesterday I went grocery shopping and went home and made the most delicous lunch: veggie omelette and guacamole on whole wheat toast. And to make the lunch even more scrumptous I poured myself a nice Kunstmann HoneyAle beer. For those of you who have not tried this delicious treat, you have not lived. It is like iced tea. So I sat outside on my teraza and enjoyed the sunshine (we are finally moving out of winter and into spring weather!) and the Buena Vista Social Club playing the background... and I was blessed.

So the last week and a half has been probably some of the most stressful and hurtful times in my stay here so far in Chile. A lot of things happened and I can't go too much into the details but I can tell you what I have learned. I have seen first hand just how much our relationships (and not just romantic ones) affect our lives. When things happen in the lives of my friends, the closer they are to me, ,the more their situations affect my life. Now I know I am sounding egotistical and self centered, focusing on MY life and not theirs, but it is true. I am very much affected by the pain of those around me. Some of my friends have been experiencing really hard times, and all I can do is watch and listen to them and pray. I cannot change their situation. And I have felt in these last weeks more helplessness, confusion, anger, frustration, all of those emotions that are dealable in small doses, but difficult all at once. Anyways, just pray for me and my friends during this time... we

Timo Sam and Jason Rach and Titi Jason and Nate Jason and Michael Charles We were so singing Damien Rice

Here are some fotos from Sam and Fern's birthday party. The birthday siblings! Dani and I Mely is such a hot pool player girls, girls, girls Sam behind the bar

Here we are... oh gash! So as stated in my last blog, I particiapted in a country wide youth retreat called Congreso this past weekend. And I ahve to admit that it went really well. I wasn't expecting to meet very many people but I was really hoping that the 15 of us from my church would grow closer. And God was so faithful to surpass any expectations. I not only got to really spend some quality time with my youth group, but I also met so many amazingly sweet christians from all over the country. Before I go on I ahve to say that I LOVE the kids in our youth group. We have got to be the biggest nerds possible.In fact, the guy who taught the Bible class that I took during the retreat (on 2 Tim) said this exact thing. He was comment on how fome (boring) his youth group is because they just stand around while all the other churches jump around during worship... and then he commented that the only more fome church than his, was Providencia (thats mine) because we don't even just st

So all my life (well, starting at the age of 9) I have been so blessed to be a part of the Christian camping experience. First as a little camper and then a part of the teen camping, and finally I was actually able to work at a camp for a few years. Winter camp, summer camp, weekend retreats, and adventure camp. And this weekend I will experience my first Chileno Camp. My church is a part of the Anglican community here in Chile and for one weekend a year all the youth groups from Anglican churches go to a Congreso . Basically the weekend will be filled with temas (talks) and tons of fellowship with young Christians from all over the country. I am so excited to see how this works. I have just been thinking about how God is good. Someone was asking me about how I ended up down here and as I was telling her my story (and placing all the blame of you Kallie!) I realized what a random story it is. And tuesday night as our Gringa girls bible study was sitting in Burger KIng reading and tal

So I have become quite addicted to podcast sermons by Mark Driscoll. For those of you who need a little more explaination ( i didn't know what a podcast was a week ago)... I basically can listen to a bunch of sermons from an amazing pastor named Mark Driscoll, and all I have to do it attach my ipod (its like a walkman) to the computer. So for my three hours in the bus, I have moved away from reading since at night there isn't enough light and I found it hard to concentrate during the day. So each day I am downloading a different sermon. I have taken advantage of Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, and Tony Campolo. Soon to come... Pastor Terry (thanks dad for the links!) and John Piper. Good Stuff!!!! So yeah, Mark Driscoll... this guy is hard core. I mean, don't listen to his sermons if you don't like hard theology. He basically says what he believes to be true and steps on any toes in the way. In one sermon of his he says (and I quote), "We ALL suck" of course in re

Here are some fotos from vacation times in the south of Chile (Ariel, these are for you!) Keep in mind when you look at them that they are put in backwards order from the real timeline... hope you enjoy! Bariloche is probably one of my favorite spots down here... just look at it! Ashlee and I are ready for our horseback ride through the snow covered mountains Here is Nick the Aussie, check out that hair! It was super cold, but we managed alright Rachie sporting our ghetto umbrellas as we hike up the mud hill in the rain.. at least the yellow flowers were gorgeous! In Chiloe.. continuing my morbid obsession with cemeteries The houses in Chiloe Yuummmyyyy At teh kunstmann factory, I was greeted and kissed on the head by Mr. Kunstmann himself Are we at a beer factory, or Disneyland? Notice the little kids clothing marketed by this place.. incredible! This place was too much fun! ahhh... good ol' Kunstmann beer... Sam, just so you know, you were a big part of us going there!

Alison and Rachel trying to explain to the very confused and alone (but pretty) Chilean woman that they just want to buy a vegetarian plate, NO CARNE! Que, huhh? Por que? no entiendo! My beautiful Rachie! Rachie and I in the town called Niebla "cloudy" I love this country! Beautiful Valdivia! In Valdivia the sealions just chill on the sidewalk with the people.. this is so NOT seaworld! The girls in Valdivia, how cute! Pucon, our version of Lake Tahoe Silvia and I in the "Rincon de Renca" Susie and I at the Preschool in Renca! SHe is the best cook! And it is all made off a shoestring and from fresh food!