becka lippy

So since I came back from La Serena, I have had a cough, which has turned into a head cold. Now those of you who have lived with me you know that when I get sick, I turn into the biggest baby... so here I am. I keep trying to motivate myself to do something, anything, but all I do is stay in bed with my books. It remids me of my first week here in Chile, when I got really sick and called my mom. There was not a thing in the world she could have done for me, but I just needed her to know that I was sick. Such a baby! A little head cold and suddenly I am 4 years old!

So this weekend is a long weekend here in CHile. I haven't the slightest clue as to what holiday today was, but I appreciated it. We (Ashlee, Sebastian, Allison, Birgit, and I) went to La Serena for the weekend. Although I only saw my host family for a few minutes each morning, it was nice to be "home". We went out to Elqui Valley and walked along the beach at night. We sang Kareoke and danced our hearts out. On a side note... at youth group on friday someone shared that a challenge they face in their daily Christian lives is praying for people. Not just trying to fix their problems but realizing that prayer is the first and greatest thing we can do for anyone. This is not to say that we should forget helping people materially, but that we should realize how important prayer is. I am also reading Knox's Doctrine of God and he talks a lot about how we are created in the image of God which means that we are created in the image of the Trinity and that means that we shou

So as some of you know, I have been thinking about CHile on a more long term basis, like at least for a few more years (God can always change these plans). Part of the reasoning for this is my desire to be apart of what God is doing down here. Some missionoloists are saying that the center of the Church is slowly shifting to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Whether or not that is completely true, there is something huge happening in Latin America. And CHile,I truly believe is going to play a huge part of this transformation. To quote James Palmer (a future buddy of mine), "if the Church is to mature, it needs ministers who know scripture and love the Lord." And Chile, with the storng ecomony and infrastructure is being used as a training ground for pastors from all over South America. One of the places preparing and trainign pastors down here is called CEP (Centro de Educacion Pastorales- I think). And I happen to know a few of the people involved. Tim Swan, the Aussie I baby

I have been complaining recently about not having extra time outside of work. Well, this week I do. and this morning I woke up early (7 am) and began my almost free day. But by noon, I was almost bored. I decided that after running my errands for the day, I would sit outside and read my Bible. Not that I really wanted to, but that I should aprovechar (take advantage of) the opportunity. But while I was running the errands, I was praying and I heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart about living a life in expectant waiting for Christ's return. And I realized that there is nothing more satisfying that sitting in the presence of the Lord. What started off as an "i should" has turned into "i can't wait". So here I go... Quote for the day: "Our lives shold be such that God's glory is seen and praised. We have been chosen to be blessed and to be a blessing, and that through our lives and our works we might bless others with the knowledge of Christ. The pr

It is 8am right now and I am feeding my email addiction (that is what I get for keeping all these email pen pals around the world!) Anyways, it is so cold this morning. I know we are going into winter and cold weather is to be expected, but beautiful San Luis Obispo never really got cold. Maybe a little wet every now and then, but not really cold. I have been so spoiled over the last 4 years, or really all my life. To live in such a mild climate. Some people like the cold, they like the snow, and I am all cool with driving up to the snow, but knowing that I am going to be waiting for the bus in that weather, not my cup of tea. On the bright side, autumn hasn't totally left us yet. Some trees still cling to leaves refusing to give into the cold damp weather. The sidedewalks are lines with leaves, all orange, yellow, and red. SO pretty. I have never experienced a real autumn so I often find myself just watching the trees. Yesterday on my way to the bus stop I passed by one of the cit

This week has been full of the blessing of feeling the Holy Spirit pierce my heart. Sounds odd? Well, in youth group we are reading through the Gospel of John and this week we read John 12. I try to study the chapter before the meeting, so the translating issue is easier. But this week was tough. What do we do when verses confuse us? When they seem out of place? When they convict us? So this week, I walked, worked, and talked to friends, and yet inside I felt the Holy Spirit commanding me to look at my life and see it for what it really is. Am I truly so in love with God that all else seems like rubbish? Someday when I get married (God willing of course), I will be so in love with my husband that all else will seem worthless in comparison (more or less). So if that is how I think I will be with my husband, or at least what I want to be, why am I not like that with the One who loves me more than any man could ever? I look at Him, at His touch in my life, and His pure blessing in my li

Silvia and Fern Pastor Lago and Deedee This is what a chilean asada (bbq) looks like... pure carnage! Jason eating the chicken he just grilled... Rach, don't look! Sammy, up close and personal One big family dinner... oh yes, asada time! Antonia, Francisco, and David washing dishes Mely and Deedee Javiera, AShlee and Silvia hanging out by the BBQ (I think we were waiting for the nonexistent smores!) Allister and Julie Here is Javiera and Mely, supposedly watching the football game

Yesterday was the retiro (retreat) for the church youth group. It was a little different from the retreats that I have gone on in the past since it was in Santiago and only during the day (I seem to equate retreats to late night talks while we lie in our sleeping bags on old bunk beds) But in any case, there were about 15 of us and it was the perfect size. The retreat consisted of three "talks" each given on an aspect of holiness, and breaks in between. We had a huge asado (BBQ) and later in the afternoon a tea time. It went very well and I think what is important is that more cohesion was made in the group. Ihappen to be one of the oldest members (Ashlee and I are older than all three of the leaders) but I am looking at it as just an opportunity to be be a big sister to some of the girls (many are only 17 or 18 years old). I guess mentally I sometimes act like a 16 year old anyways (thanks mom for pointing that out the other day!)

Erin, I am praying for you and Shaun as you guys prepare to walk down the aisle! You are so special to me and you will always have a place to stay with me (that said, i am thinking maybe the honeymoon should be in Chile?? ) I love you my dear little sister!

A sweet reminder from my beloved Charlie (Charles Spurgeon): A gentleman stepping into a poor woman's house saw framed and glazed upon the wall a French note for a thousand francs. He said to the old folks, "How came you by this?" They informed him that a poor French soldier had been taken in by them and nursed until he died, and he had given them that little picture when he was dying as a memorial of him. They thought it such a pretty souvenir that they had framed it, and there it was adorning the cottage wall. They were greatly surprised when they were told that it was worth a sum which would be quite a little fortune for them if they would but turn it into money. Are we not equally unpractical with far more precious things? Have you not certain of the words of your great Lord framed and glazed in your hearts, and do you not say to yourselves, "They are so sweet and precious"? and yet you have never turned them into actual blessing—never used them in the hour

"Police arrested more than 160 demonstrators in Santiago, as parts of the capital city’s main Alameda thoroughfare were transformed into battlegrounds between police and rock-throwing protestors. And, as occurred last week, there were outcries alleging excessive police force." This is an exert from the English newspaper here in Santiago. And I being a silly gringa wasn't thinking about where the strikes were happening. I was trying to get to the metro station today and I walked straight into this whole police-student war. It rained today and the streets were slippery so I was walking carefully. Suddenly, a hundred teenagers were running past me pushing and pulling each other to get away from something ahead of me. i didn't know what was going on, but before I knew it, I inhaled air filled with some chemical that burned my throat and nose like no other. i don't think it was tear gas because it didn't hurt my eyes, but boy oh boy did it hurt my throat. Before I

So the kids here in CHile are on strike. I guess this happens almost traditionally every May. All year the students ask for help or rights from the government, and every year(or so I have been told) the government does not respond positively. So they go on strike. one of the cool things about this whole process is that the different schools support each other. Like the colegios(elementry, middle, and high schools) support the university students, and vice versa. So this year the university students asked for the government to pay for transportation. This means that with a school id, the student would be able to ride the city buses for free. They also want the entrence exams for university (like the SAT's) to be free. But before you decided where you stand on the issue. let me explain a little background... The public schools in this country are few and horrible. If you want your child to get a halfway decent education, you have to pay the big bucks. The univeristies here all cost m