I have some prayer requests for you:

-for unity in our group- we are together 24/7 so we need grace and patience with one another to be an effective team!
-for health and physical strength - many of us are sick and worn down... please pray for headaches, sicknesses, fatigue and more rest!
-for guidance in preparation for our outreach, and our mini-outreach in San Vicente, Chile in February
-for language acquisition and absorption of information
-for strength in persverance - to keep going and learning everyone God has for us! To put fear and doubt aside and know His calling for each of us

Thank you!!!
Brooke

Mas fotos:

Working on our set list so we can take it to the road... teaching them some songs in English and joining the band

Jam sesh

We're with the band...

Hanging out after class...

Maia mi amor


lunch with the entire DTS and staff

Thanksgiving Chilean- style

Me and Ana Paola, Daniela and Terea... my partners in crime!

Meet Danielita, my long lost Chilean sister! She is as crazy as I am, and we are always getting in trouble for laughing in class or being late. This was during a particularly interesting dance party...

Andre and Teresa serenading me...

Cute chicas

power! the cutest chilean in the world

Teaching our Chilean friends some new songs... these brothers are amazing musicians (the ones who let us join their band for an afternoon). We learned a lot from them and will probably see them in San Vicente on our mini-outreach

Joel, our interpreter's adorable son. He now calls me Tia Brooke because I got him ice cream once. I am winning him over one candy at a time.

Such a fun day at the beach with friends from San Vicente, South Korea, US and Chile. Mini, in the front with me, is here practicing her English and picking up one Spanish phrase a week. Right now I think all she says is ""Muy bien! Gracias!"to any question in the highest-pitched voice possible. So cute! This is also the day of the dead penguin sighting.

Helping our old man friend make our empanadas.

more from surfing....

Andre and Beto are in the back, with me, Lindsey and Maia in the front

an intense week!

Pictures: 1) my roommates singing worship songs in three languages, so beautiful! 2/3) some of my kings kids campers :)

Wow. I don't even know where to start. So much has happened, God has done so much in the last week... so here are a few of my thoughts, memories, events, things I have learned, new revelations, funny moments, etc. of recent days in no particular order:

-King's Kids, a youth camp most YWAM bases have during the summer, ended this weekend - which made me really sad because I got super-attached to some of the kids and loved learning all the worship songs in Spanish with them... learning more Spanish from them, dancing with them, playing with them, praying for them.. it was a special week and God is always stirring more desires in my heart to work with kids (Spanish in particular?)

-this week a few of us girls stayed behind after lunch and taught the worship band Blessed Be Your Name and sang with them while they showed their amazing musical talents in an impromptu jam sesh - some of us could barely understand each other's languages, but when we are singing praises together it doesnt matter! It was such an amazing, special few hours which immediately transitioned into guitar lessons, which I have been practicing each day and can now play the chorus of that song :) I am on my way!

-things I miss: Reality and Sunday School, Home Group and Mon. Night Prayer, my house, my bed, Target, Coffee Bean, Nordy's Cafe, having free time, driving on the freeway, sleeping in, obviously friends and family

-things I dont miss AT ALL: traffic, my cell phone (NOT ONE BIT), wearing shoes (I never do here), paved roads, all the trashy music, TV shows, movies and commercials we're surrounded by, buying gas, American money, my all-white, all-English, wonderbread bubble... I am starting to see the world more and more through God's eyes, without the lines on the map and the language barriers that are only a result of man's sin and desire to glorify himself (think Tower of Babel)

-praying Korean-style is awesome! hearing prayers in Spanish, English, German, Korean, Portuguese, and South African (I forget which language exactly) all at once is so beautiful. I truly believe hearing people pray in other languages reveals a different side of God's character to you. He made that culture and that language different for a reason and it shows another side of His heart to you!

-we are learning about the Father heart of God and how sin in the world distorts the lens through which we see God. He is slowly changing our lenses so we can see Him for who He is - true, just, loving, all-knowing, forgiving, perfect, holy, mighty, righteous, etc.., not who we think He is because of how people are or how sin makes us think. What is holding you back from truly believing God is who the Bible says He is? What parts of His character are hard for you to accept? Try answering these honestly, its really hard.

-our teacher for the week, Claude Bonjour (such a cute French name!), has asked God to send him to a different country each year for speaking and missions and teaching. What a cool request, and God is answering it ten-fold.

-I discovered that none of the dogs I has been training are named "Pulgas". I kept hearing people say that when I played with the dogs, and when I woke up covered in small red itchy bumps I found out pulgas is Spanish for fleas. I am 99.9% sure my bed has fleas now, but I bought Raid so hopefully that will terminate the pulgas. Now I know. Puppy training is over.

-we had an interesting discussion about why God wants us to intercede, if He is all-knowing and all-powerful. the best analogy for me is thinking of Him as a father making cookies with His child - it takes a lot longer, it's a lot messier and He may have to re-do it, He could do it better and much more easily without us, but it's the time learning and spent laughing together in the kitchen that He really delights in and longs for

-learning a new language IS spiritual warfare because we are learning Spanish (or English for some) to serve the Lord's plan, so of course the enemy will attack. But I am asking God for Spanish and He is faithful!

-Chile has never heard of Splenda. It's a difficult cultural barrier to overcome, but I have discovered Dur-Sul, which is basically liquid splenda. So I'm okay now.

-we are learning some interesting dramas to do on the streets for outreaches and Brazilian dances. I am also learning to play futbol Brazilian-style, which is like a dance itself

-sitting in class staring at a world map behind the speaker all day has an effect on my heart and mind all its own. Just seeing it in the background is powerful. So many people who God loves and wants them to know Him.

-I am in love with the name of God Almighty in Spanish - Todopoderoso. Literally translated it says: "all" (todo) "can do" (poder) "one who" (oso)... one who can do all things! Me gusta mucho.

-praise God for who He is, not just for what He's done for you. His character alone is enough to praise forever. all He's done for us is an undeserved bonus reason to praise Him. dont make your praise selfish.

-the other day a dead penguin floated up from the south of Chile (which is really cold and has glaciers, who knew?) and landed on our beach, where the native children proceeded to pick it up, carry it around and play with it to make it waddle. while their mothers watched and laughed. seriously?

-Our church has literally 20 people, 8 being from my DTS. It's run by a family in their home and the worship leader is straight out of Napolean Dynamite, with his glasses and short pants and fist held up in the air very awkwardly as he sings to very old school organ music that grandma plays from the living room. classic. gotta see it to believe it.

I will add pics soon! and I have many prayer requests on the way.

three surfers and a llama

Although I had heard the stories, I didn't quite believe them. But yes, it has been confirmed: llama-sightings on the beaches of Pichilemu. Maia, Lindsey, Carlos (from Chile), Andre (from Brazil) and I went with our Brazilian friend Beto, who is covered in Hawaiian and Brazilian tattoos, has super long dreadlocks and never ever wears shoes, to go surfing... and we finally saw one! My llama was all dolled up for pictures because it's tourist season here, the beaches are packed, and nothing is free during tourist season (you have to pay to take a picture with him!). The water was cold, but Maia, Beto and I braved it and even caught a few waves. Sort of.

estoy aqui!

Pictures: Summer missions camp on the base, our multi-lingual leader ship team, my room and the girls common room

Here's the basic rundown: I am here safe, after a long plane ride next to a chatty Christian lady from Oklahoma and a four hour car ride with a Canadian and two Chileans. Everything with customs and luggage fell into place very easily. The only way to describe the base is to imagine you're at camp. And you're here! There are cabanas (cabins), staff houses, a comedor (cafeteria), a chapel, etc.. The class is very multicutural and we begin tomorrow, today we are just getting to know everyone. Everyone is way too nice and I already feel like my Spanish has doubled! There are four Americans, two Brazilians, six Chileans, one Canadian, one Dutch, two Swiss, two Argentinians and one kid who grew up in France but has lived in Burkina Faso for the last ten years! So shoutout to Chase. The couple who is running the DTS are Chilenos, and another German family is staff with the DTS but are both fluent in Spanish and their kids speak English,German and Spanish too- they are pretty awesome little kids!

Our group is very diverse (15 girls, 9 guys) and everyone is always learning each other´s language and trying to speak Spanish or Swiss or Portuguese - which makes some veryinteresting conversations! The weather is warm here during the day,but until lunchtime it is actually really really cold because we´re so close to the water and the marine layer is very cloudy. I am wearing the same jeans and my Uggs every single day until lunch so hopefully I can find some other pants or socks to buy here because it will only get colder when we enter fall. But the base is nice, its all dusty and dirt roads and it feels like Kids Kingdom in Mexico meets Hume Lake, but without all the lake activities at a camp. We are really close to the town area, and there are horse-drawn taxis, little carnivals (we went on a spinny ride at a carnival last night - very shady), the beach and a boardwalk with lots of tourists and surfers because its summer here. It´s a cute, colorful little town and everyone is really friendly.

They definitely put us to work here! We have a very rigid schedule of classes where international speakers or past YWAMers or pastors come and talk about our topic (right now, how to hear God´s voice), or anall-base chapel service where we sing worship songs in Spanish and each verse again in English so we can learn all the words, work time for two hours a day (trash duty, cleaning, kitchen duty, etc), "study time" where we do our assignments or read, then we have ten minutes each to shower and then lights out at eleven. But we do have two hours of free time each day, and an internet cafe, a pool, soccer field, volleyball courts, and there are like fifteen dogs here that my friend Lindsay and I are teaching to fetch. Lindsay and Maia are from Oregon and Sacramento respectively and I am so glad theyre here - we all get so tired of thinking so hard to say one simple thing in Spanish and its so nice to relax with them and speak English without thinking and talk about music or Starbucks or things no one else here understands! The work is hard, and we are expected to do anything they need help with, but it´s cool to know we´re a part of something that a lot of amazing people have given their life to build up. There are sooo many families here that have been here for years and their passion is building up youth to know God and take His message all over the world. Everyone here has like ten jobs and they work so hard expanding the base and reaching out to the community, but they are so happy to be here and so excited about everything going on here that its encouraging and amazing to be a part of it.

The best message I have been learning to far was from a lesson about God´s voice - the speaker reminded us of all the ways we can hear God´s voice (the Bible, Holy Spirit, conscience, thoughts, dreams,other people, circumstances, history, memories...), and she said that whenever you think God hasn´t been speaking to you, look back at the last time you heard His voice and see if you obeyed it. If not, why would He be telling you something new to obey? If you havent been obedient in the small things, why would He entrust you with bigger dreams or ministries? It´s a good message, and I am applying it to little things here I am trying to be thankful for, like when there is sugar for the coffee in the morning, or if the water is hot for my shower (it usually is, thank God!), and by working hard in the little things like trash duty, if I want God to use me in bigger things or teach me deeper truths here.

The Spanish thing is very interesting here, I am happy to report that I am not the worst Spanish speaker by FAR. I am actually able to keepup here because they know we´re slow and stupid gringos, but I speak so much better than they other Americans and Canadians. There are two Swiss girls who speak Spanish about as well as I do, and we´re the top three gringas. Yay! Thanks Los Arroyos! It´s been amazing to see how much I can soak up and improve in just a week here. I think a huge factor is that the entire DTS is bilingual, so everything we do (class, worship, chapel), has a Spanish speaker and a translator who repeats each section again in English. Hearing it and seeing it side-by-side does wonders for my language acquisition!
Alright time to go eat the empanadas I helped make for lunch. They are very creative here with the little food they have, but they actually make decent meals here. Breakfast is usually bread, jam, real dulce de leche, coffee and tea; lunch is soup, rice and chicken, or a sandwichand fruit; dinner is actually American-style a lot, like hamburgers,hot dogs, etc. I will update more soon!

Love you all! Miss you too

A Motion Begins...

Time to go! I am finishing some last minute emailing and packing, but I am ready... really ready. I have my passport, airline tickets, Spanish books, bilingual Bibles, sunscreen and bug repellent loaded into a tiny roller suitcase which is bursting with everything I will possess for 6 months.

Here is how this crazy trip came about:

When I first decided to go to Chile, it really was a whim. I wanted to travel, go somewhere new (originally to more comfort-zone-friendly Australia), meet new people (who spoke English)... then I asked God what He wanted me to do. He always has a better answer! He put me in a job where I could learn more Spanish in one week than I ever learned in high school, and I became friends with so many incredible people working there. So I asked God for some opportunities to tell them who He is, and He opened more doors than I could follow through with (keep praying for my friends there and visit them at Los Arroyos if you're in SB!) It has been so amazing to see God working there in the personal relationships I formed there - He has His eye on some hearts there He wants for His own!

The harder I tried to apply for YWAM bases in Australia, the more rejection emails I got (those seem to be much more popular for American and European YWAMers and fill up faster), so some friends named Tricia and Kevin asked me why I wasn't going on a DTS to a Spanish-speaking country since God had obviously been laying it on my heart to learn Spanish for some reason and giving me witnessing opportunities with my Mexican friends. I didn't have a good answer to give them, so I applied. The first base to get back to me was Pichilemu, so I confirmed. And in the following month and a half, I quit my job, said bye to Reality and my Sunday School class I have taught on and off for four years, moved out of my cozy Santa Barbara apartment I have shared with the best roommates ever, said bye to my friends and family in San Diego who made me who I am today, and I am heading off to a small surf town in Chile where I know absolutely no one, have no idea what it will be like there, what the food is like, where I will be living... but I wouldn't have it any other way. I do know I will have internet there, so I will try to keep you updated. 

I feel like the journey has already begun though: God has also been preparing my heart in so many ways through my women's prayer with Reality (thanks girls! keep praying for me please!) and my insanely awesome Reality HomeGroup (don't forget to adopt me!). He has given people around me some really powerful visions and words of encouragement that keep my eyes focused on Him, but they also reveal to me that this is something bigger than just a simple 6-month foreign exchange vacation. He has begun a motion in my heart towards missions and the Latino countries I am headed and I don't know if it will look more like the classrooms full of Spanish-speaking students I have been teaching back in SB or something entirely new and different in a new and different place, but it's all part of the journey towards finding where He wants to use me. And the surprises and twists along the way are so much more fun!! I keep saying this is like a romantic getaway the Lord is taking me on, away from all the distractions of day-to-day life where I can really fall in love... with Him, with His Word, with prayer, with the culture and language and people there, with life!

So to answer the questions I have been asked over and over: :)

-I don't know yet where I am going on my outreach. I will tell you when I know... It will be with a DTS team of ten or so others from my base in Pichilemu.

-I speak only conversational Spanish... but I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself and ask a million questions so I hope to learn quickly!

-I am coming back to San Diego July 1st, then back to Santa Barbara for the fall. Absolutely no job plans yet.

-I will be traveling around Chile and neighboring countries on some free weekends and the tail-end of my trip in June.. any destination suggestions or travel companionship offers?

-Yes, I can surf. I am not very good. At all. But I can!

-And yes, there are llamas that hang out on the black-sand beaches there. No, I don't think I am allowed to ride llama-back. But that doesn't mean I won't try.

Love you all!

My Prayer Newsletter

    

Friends and Family,

Pray! I am leaving January 4th, 2009 for Pichilemu, a small surfing town in the middle of Chile, where I will be living from Jan-March. I will be part of a DTS (Discipleship Training School) with Youth with a Mission, an international Christian youth- and missions-oriented ministry, and taking classes with students from all over the world in missions training, Biblical studies and ministry. Then the real work begins! Each DTS team is sent to a different country in South America or Africa to minister to a school, orphanage, church or community that needs practical aid but mostly just needs love and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God has already begun a great work in me in Santa Barbara by giving me an obsession with learning Spanish, which He has already used to tell people I work with who He is - it’s so cool how God uses every little random experience and opportunity to His glory if we let Him! Now I am so excited to go somewhere new, learn more about His heart for the nations, do His work, surf and learn more Spanish. 

Breathe a sigh of relief: this is not a support letter, God already provided everything I need to go to Pichilemu... but I NEED your prayers.

Please ask the Lord:

-for safety, smooth travels, health

-language acquisition :) por favor!

-my time in Pichilemu: friendships, classes, drawing near to the Lord

-my DTS team: unity, guidance to the right project/country, effectiveness

-my outreach: (either in S.America or Africa) : for soft hearts in all the people we will work with

-for everything to be done for God’s glory and bring people back to Him

Thank you so much for your prayers and love!

|  Brooke  |