2012 Volunteers in Mission Trip to Chile March 16-25, 2012

Sunday - March 18, 2012
 
It’s a long flight from Birmingham, AL to Santiago, Chile. It takes nine hours overnight on a cramped airplane. Sleep is impossible. Legs don’t fit, backs ache, you toss and squirm, toss and squirm. We arrived in Santiago Saturday morning; excited, pleased to be here ... but cramped and bone tired. We all needed to be horizontal for awhile.
 
However, on Saturday night we were facing a seven hour bus ride from Santiago to Angol. In the U.S.A. this would be a daunting task. Nine hours on a plane on Friday night then another seven hours on an overnight bus the following night. It’s a prescription for agony complicated by misery resulting in anguish. But in Chile you have to forget everything you’ve ever known about a bus ride. Forget Greyhound. Forget Trailways. Forget Thrasher Brothers. Let me introduce you to the Tru Bus Premium Cama (bed).
 
This bus allows the passengers to recline to the fully horizontal position and sleep. Yes, I said sleep, real sleep on a bus. Simply put this is the best bus ride you could ever have. The porter reclines your bed, places the sleeping mat on it, invites you to lie down and covers you up with your blanket. He does everything but say your prayers for you! Sleep isn’t far behind and instead of another miserable overnight ride we got a much-needed night of peaceful sleep. I’ve already had the best bus ride in my life. I can’t wait to see what the rest of our time in Chile brings us.
 
Tomorrow we start our work. It involves the dismantling of a terra-cotta roof. Can life get any better than that? It won’t beat that bus ride but I’m sure it will be great. Stay tuned.

Monday - March 19, 2012 - #2

For eleven years the terra-cotta roof at Urban Ministry dealt me fits. The tiles cracked, they broke and always they leaked! The harder the rain the more significant the leak. I always wanted to get rid of that roof but was never able to do so. So, when John Elmore took us to a building here at El Vergel and said we need to take off that terra-cotta roof I was a very happy volunteer. Finally, a terra-cotta roof that I could remove and destroy.

Some of us spent a significant portion of our morning removing and dropping the terra-cotta roof into a cart. It did my heart good to watch them drop and crumble. But it did my heart even better to know that all of us are here doing work that is helpful and will advance the mission of the El Vergel Methodist Agricultural High School.

We also had a part of our team painting in the Juan Wesley building. The building was originally built as the residence for the administrator of the El Vergel school. It has recently been used as a boys dorm but its use is now in transition. It is being prepared as a residence again. This time it will be used as the residence for the Chaplain of the school and her family. The paint was amarillo (yellow, very yellow).

This afternoon we moved sand into what will soon be bathrooms to service the new dining hall. This involved shovels, wheelbarrows, rakes and tamps. Some of the tools were purchased. Some were homemade. But they all served the function for which they were designed.

What a great day of work. The people are as friendly as friendly can be. The countryside is beautiful and the work is worthwhile. In addition to that we are making a difference in people’s lives by sharing the love of Christ in tangible ways. What could be better? The only thing that could make it better would be if all of you were here with us. It is a great honor to represent you in this place to these people who have so quickly become our friends.

Tuesday - March 20, 2012 - #3

What’s the food like in Chile? That’s usually a question I hear when I return from an international trip. We are always curious about the food in other countries. What do they serve? How do they prepare it? Does it taste good? The short answer is that the food is great in Chile. It is a bit different from what we eat but pretty similar as well.

We just finished dinner. For dinner we had a salad (fresh tomatoes and lettuce). The lettuce here is much crisper and sweeter than we are accustomed to in the states. We then had spaghetti with ground beef. It was not made with tomato sauce so the ground beef stood on its own. Included with the ground beef was a slice of roast beef. Not exactly the way we do it but pretty close. We had jello for dessert. That’s right, orange jello.  It was a great meal. All of our meals have been great so far. Tomorrow night we are heading to The Crazy Cow a local place for supper. Meat is a real staple in Chile. I hear they have a great cheeseburger at The Crazy Cow. I think I already know what I’m having.

Work today was a mixed bag. Some of us continued painting. Some of us mixed and hauled concrete for the bathrooms. Some of us put up quarter round and caulked. A few of us finished off the day by unloading (by hand) the terra-cotta we removed from the roof yesterday. Removing it from the cart wasn’t nearly as much fun as pulling it off the roof and smashing it into the cart but it had to be done. They will use it to fill in some low places in the gravel road. Another good day of purposeful work.

Elizabeth Davis started our day today with an excellent devotional. She reminded us that to be a Christian is to serve Christ and the way that we serve Christ is by serving others. We do this wherever we are and we do this whoever they are.

Being a team member on an international mission trip is fulfilling in many ways. There is the adventure of a new country where things aren’t done the way we do them. There is the opportunity to learn about a different culture with some of its expectations and patterns of life. There is the food that is sometimes much different and sometimes different but similar. There is the music, the language, the art and much more. All of these aspects of an international mission trip add up to a very fulfilling experience.

Perhaps the most fulfilling aspect of an international mission trip is the opportunity to meet and get to know the people. El Vergel is both an agricultural high school with 180 students and a working farm with 40+ employees. That means that there are many people around so the opportunity to see and be with folks is a daily occurrence.

First, there are the kids who are curious and pleased that we are here. Many North Americans work teams come here so this is not a new experience for them. But even though it is not a new experience it is clear that having North Americans among them has not lost its charm. On Monday we were introduced at the student assembly. There were giggles and smiles all around as we stood before the students. They clapped when they learned that Leonette Slay (our team leader) will be staying on to teach English as a second language. Native English speakers are in short supply here so they are very happy the she will be helping them with their English.

On Tuesday evening Lawton Higgs and Brian Westbrook plus one of the students who is a drummer put on an impromptu concert which was very well received. Unfortunately, the concert came to an abrupt end when the electronic equipment overwhelmed the electricity sending sparks out of a light fixture and blowing the electricity.

The kids walk along and through our work sites. We greet them in Spanish. They greet us in English. They ask our name. We ask theirs. But the best communication between us is the smiles we all have on our faces. We are all clearly pleased.

In addition to the kids there is Victor whom we are assisting with construction. We have helped him with pouring the concrete for the bathroom floors. Now we are helping him put on a new roof. He is patient and cheerful with us. There is Julio the baker whose bakery is in the building where we are working. He greets us each morning with a smile and sometimes a song. He offers us bread from his bakery during the day and each afternoon he produces an apple for each of us. The apples are grown on the farm. They are sweet and delicious.

There are others as well: Julio the maintenance foreman, Juan Louis the jack of all trades, Elsa the hostel manager and the farm worker (name unknown to me) who drives the tractor with great abandon. To a person they have all welcomed us, tried to communicate with us (and us with them) and done everything they can to provide hospitality for us as we live and work among them.

It’s enough to make me think that if we can meet one another and spend time with one another we just might have a chance to truly love one another as Jesus loved us. God asks no less of us. We should ask no less of ourselves.

Last night we took our much anticipated trip to the Crazy Cow for supper. The rumor here is that a picture of the Crazy Cow hamburger is floating around on Facebook. I hope you’ve seen it.

Our trip started when we all piled into a small Mazda mini-van. It was supposed to hold twelve. Eight would have been much more comfortable. There were thirteen of us altogether. There are some big guys in our group so we were packed in there pretty tight.

The suspension system of the car was not equipped to handle the bulk that was packing the seats. On every corner we swung wide and swayed as we got back into our lane. When we hit bumps and humps we went up and then down and then up and down until things settled back into position. The hills were a special challenge. Coming down the hill all was well. As we headed up the hill the speed that we had gained going down was quickly lost and the engine started to groan noticeably. It was an adventure that ended with a u-turn into the parking lot in front of the Crazy Cow where we all piled out. It may have been my first ride in a clown car.

When we entered the restaurant we were greeted with the customary Chilean warmth. The TV was on in the background playing 1970’s era Disco music. What a treat. We were reacquainted with Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summers and others. Lawton Higgs found this to be a special treat. Yes, the clothes are just as hideous now as they were then. It was great.

The food portions were both massive and delicious. We chose a variety of dishes but most of us settled on the hamburger or cheeseburger. We left very full. Being that full meant that the swaying and bouncing car on the way home was a bit more of a challenge than it was on the way to the restaurant but we all survived.

When we got back to the hostel we looked up at the night sky. It was clear as a bell with all those stars beautifully on display. It is always amazing to me to look out at the universe and realize that all of what I can see (as well as what I can’t see) was once a tiny bundle of energy that exploded into the amazing gift of the universe we inhabit. It was especially nice for me because we saw the Southern Cross which I have wanted to see for a long time. The song by Stephen Stills has long been one of my favorites.

The work we are doing here is progressing nicely. Roofs are being installed. Painting is being done.

But that is not the most important work we are here to do. The results of the most important work we are here to do continue to be written in our spirits. We are learning that we don’t have to be afraid of one another just because we are different. We are learning that there are methods other than ours that produce the same outcome and that we can respect those methods even though they aren’t ours. 

In other words we are learning that we are all human and that we are all God’s children. That learning is the basis for God’s hope that we can all live together united in our love for one another rather than divided by our fear of one another. May it be so.

Saturday - March 24, 2012 - #6

We have been able to complete several tasks while we’ve been here at El Vergel. That always feels good when you come on one of these trips. Part of our group has been painting at the girl’s dorm. Some of us removed an old roof (the terra-cotta one) and installed a new tin roof. Some of us have been putting up quarter round, caulking and painting in the dining hall that is being remodeled. And, some of us took out an old wall that was damaged by the earthquake in February 2010. That crew then built a new wall. All of these tasks were completed yesterday.

Also, the school held a party for us to thank us for coming to El Vergel yesterday. During the question and answer time we learned a great deal about the school. There are 180 students total (30% female 70% male). They are in grades 9-12 but starting next year they will add grades 7 & 8. The work that we’ve been doing has been a part of the plan to absorb the additional students in grades 7 & 8. Most of the students are preparing for a career in Chile’s agricultural industry in one way or another. Some study agricultural management, some soil management, some study fruit production with specialties in berries and tree fruits and some forest management. Between 20% and 30% of the students will go on to college.

El Vergel is what we would call a private school. Admission standards are pretty rigorous. In order to be accepted a student must have a B average in his or her previous school work. They must sit for an interview with the staff and make a good impression there. Their parents must give the prospective student their blessing to be here. Perhaps the most important thing is that the student has to want to be here. In the interview the prospective student must convince the staff that he or she sincerely wants to be here. Of the 180 students currently enrolled 60 are local students who come from Angol which is just a few miles away. The rest are boarding students who live in this region of Chile known as Bio-Bio.

Bio-Bio is a heavily agricultural region of Chile so when the students graduate they will be needed in the industry. Much of the agriculture in this region is fruit production. Everywhere there are fruit trees (apples, peaches, pears) and berry bushes (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry). This is a fruit lover’s paradise. There is also a large logging industry which needs workers skilled in forest management. As you can see the need for an agricultural high school is great in a region such as this. We have been blessed to be a part of their work and to come to understand in a small way why that work is helpful and necessary.

Sunday, March 25, 2012 - #7

We got back on that great bus last night to begin our trip home. Once again we got a full night’s sleep which made all the difference in the world because we had a long day and a long plane flight before us.

We arrived back in Santiago at 6 AM. We then went to the Methodist Seminary in Santiago where we were received graciously, fed breakfast and given a place to rest for a few hours. The hospitality has been warm and friendly wherever we go and the seminary was no exception. After getting rested up we hit the streets to spend our last few hours getting to know Santiago better. Chile has a population of seventeen million. Five million (30%) of those live in Santiago.

We visited Los Dominicos a mall-like facility made up completely of small shops operated by Chilean craftsmen and craftswomen. There was a wide variety of crafts and goods available including jewelry, clothing, art, leather goods, wood carvings and more. We had a great lunch at a restaurant located there. Los Dominicos is a popular attraction in Santiago plus it was a beautiful day so there were a great many people out and about.

From there we went to a large outdoor plaza. The plaza is a gathering place for all sorts of people. We heard and saw street preachers, street singers (one that was really good), street musicians and a street comedian. I’ve seen most of the above before. However, I have never seen a street comedian. I couldn’t understand what he was saying but he must have been pretty good. He had a large crowd and they were laughing. Located off the plaza is the National Cathedral a beautiful place of worship and prayer in the heart of this bustling city.

After a good day in Santiago it was time to head for the airport and our flight home. Little did we know what awaited us there. We were situated at our gate waiting to board the plane. It was about thirty minutes before we were to board. Suddenly, out of nowhere the building began to tremble. It was light at first just barely noticeable. Then it got more and more noticeable until the whole building was swaying and shaking. The light fixtures were swinging overhead; cups were flying off shelves in the gift shops and some people were running for the doors. It lasted less than a minute then everything returned to normal.

The only problem it caused us was a forty-five minute delay in taking off. That happened because the computers went down and the paperwork for the flight had to be done by hand. Once we were in the air it was a smooth flight to Atlanta where we made a good connection and actually arrived in Birmingham five minutes ahead of schedule. We were home safe and sound. We were very happy to see Fred McDonald circling in the Bluff Park van. We really appreciated him picking us up and bringing us home. It is always good to go. It is even better to return home.