From Chris, Alison, and Luke No5, April 2006
Email: eyes_chile@yahoo.co.uk Postal address: Colegio Ingles, Patricio Lynch 1580, Iquique, I Region, Chile
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19
Big news!
We are delighted to be able to tell you that Alison is pregnant, expecting a baby in August. All being well, this will take place here in Chile.
Chile and Bolivia
We are excited by two local political developments, which many will see as revolutionary.
Chile’s new President, Michelle Bachelet, who was inaugurated on 11 March, has appointed a cabinet that is comprised of 50% women and 50% men.
Evo Morales, the former llama herder and coca leaf farmer who is now Bolivia's first indigenous president, has voluntarily cut his salary in half (to a little over £1000 per month). This in turn has had the effect of reducing the salaries of some other public servants (including cabinet ministers), who, under Bolivian law, are not allowed to earn more than the president.
Church elections
Elections in the Chilean Methodist Church have confirmed a new Bishop, Rev Neftali Aravena (who was previously the first non-Catholic to be Chaplain to the official residence of the president of Chile), and Rev Maximo Calderon as the District Superintendent (and therefore effectively our boss). Other changes have led to the appointment of a new minister, Rev Jorge Merino, at our church in Alto Hospicio, who also acts as Director of the project where Chris works.
Luke
I am now 2 years 8 months old. I can understand most of what people say to me in English and in Spanish. I have quite a lot of words in both languages. I like playing the piano and the guitar, and singing (see picture). I also like building things with my Lego. I have lots of friends from nursery, from church, and from the flats where we live. I like to run around the garden in the middle of the flats, and I try to get daddy to run after me. There is often a cat in the garden, and I say ‘Hola, gatito’ (‘Hello, little cat’), and wave to it.
Last newsletter
We had a number of interesting responses from you to the ‘education’ feature in our last newsletter.
I know what you mean about children being very tactile. They were like that in Tibet as well. For the first month or two, I kept getting child abuse alerts when I would see adults being very physical with children, and then I remembered that it was always like that [in UK] until the tabloids convinced us that every second adult is a paedophile. So here our children never get a cuddle from anyone except their parents, and not too much of that. At least your children will be getting a good cuddling start in life. (SB, Birmingham)
How wonderful the children and teenagers also have such a free spirit when it comes to showing their true feelings towards their teachers. Here in the UK everyone and everything is totally repressed and for some years now [my husband] has felt nervous around children if they come up to him. It is so sad. (JM, London)
Your comments on our newsletters are warmly welcomed, and we will try to include some of the responses in future editions. Let us know if there are particular aspects of life and faith here that you would like us to cover in these newsletters.
Other news Since our last newsletter…
►we have enjoyed a two week visit from Alison’s parents and sister
►we have had a week’s holiday in Arica, 5 hours north of Iquique, staying in a fertile valley called Valle Azapa.
►we have explored a bit more of the altiplano, the high plateau which lies between here and the peaks of the Andes – stunning
►Chris has bought a charango – a small guitar-type instrument used in traditional music of the altiplano – and is now teaching himself to play it!
►as we write this, we are preparing to travel to the UK for a short visit, principally to spend some time with family while Alison is still allowed to fly. Apologies that we will not be able to visit more widely.
Thoughts, prayers…
We hope there is plenty of information in this newsletter to help you focus on some of our concerns about Chile, and our work here. Your continued support by prayer, email, and letter is much appreciated!