Mendoza noche
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Cristian, Lindsey, and me hanging out in a plaza in Mendoza, Argentina. I love the summer nights!

Asado
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Jeff Hatcher was kind enough to host a barbeque at his house for all the high schoolers and college-age students. Sausage dogs and Hamburgers! It was a blast! The two girls on the left are Daniela and Brenda, contacts from English class.

Dinner
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

For Valentine's Day a few of us got together and made a Mexican feast of Nachos, Guacamole, Refried Beans, and Brownies for dessert! Yum! Pictured from left to right... Me, Camilo, Lindsey, and Rodrigo (Cristian was taking the picture).

Brownie fight
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Things got a little out of hand while preparing brownies for Valentine's Day... but obviously we didn't mind too much! :)

New Church Home

Well, we finally made the move to our new building! We moved on January 28th and it was a great day! Over 50 church members came to help, young and old! Everyone is so excited to be in our new beautiful building! Our first church service was very special. We had well over 100 people present! After services, we had a ceremony and watched as several men from our church placed a cross in the tower, and then we had worship time together, praising and thanking God for all He has done for this congregation.

Being in the new building is so exciting! When I see this building, I see hope. I see a future for this church in Santiago. We are here to stay. I get chills when I think of all the things that will happen in this building... baptisms, weddings, celebrations, lock-ins, and so much more! I hope you will take the time to celebrate with me and thank God for what he has done in Santiago, Chile!

Below are some pictures of our move day and the new building, and there will be much more to come (how cool is that?!?). Enjoy!

Moving Day
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Loading up the truck for the move!

Moving Day2
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Helping carry some boxes! :)

Moving Day 3
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Everything ready to be loaded on to the moving truck!

Street Sign
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Chau Carlos Antunez con Los Leones! (The corner where our old church building was located.)

New Church
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

The new building all ready for the first service!

New Church
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

After our first church service, we all stepped outside and watched as several men of the church put the cross in place in the tower.

Meet My Storgin!

I would like for you all to meet Konner Glen Grant. He is the newest member of the Kelley and Julie Grant family, and the newest member of the mission team here in Santiago! What makes him even more special is that he was born on December 28th... my birthday!

Ok, so you might be wondering about the title of this post. What's a storgin you might be asking? Well, you know how when you share a birthday with someone it just seems really special? I mean, twins have the title of twins, so there should be a title for anybody who shares a birthday, right? I was sharing these exact sentaments with Kelly and Sara Davidson and they told me that in their family they did have a word for it... Storgin! My life has been changed ever since! :) So, hopefully you were looking for a title to put on 2 people that had the same birthday. And now you have an answer!

With all that being said, let's all welcome, Konner Grant, my storgin, to the world!

Meet the Newest Member of Our Family!

I have some exciting news! Gabriel (pictured on the right), a boy who has been coming to our church for about 2 months was baptized into Christ on Dec. 21, 2005! Gabriel is originally from Venezuela and came to our church on his own. He just decided to stop in one day and see what we were all about! It's always amazing to me how God leads people to Him! Not long after Gabriel stopped by, he began to study the bible with Rodrigo, a member of the University Ministry, and John Mann, a University Intern. After the lesson on baptism, Gabriel knew right away what he wanted to do. So, we called his family so that they could come, and filled up the baptistry! Gabriel has been a great asset to our group here. He's already planning a bible study with another friend! Amen! Please be praying for Gabriel!

Christmas with Luz de Cristo

Luz de Cristo is a home for abused children. The Iglesia de Cristo en Los Leones has been involved with this home for the past several years. This year, I was asked to help plan a Christmas even with the kids from Luz de Cristo. We invited the kids to come to church services and then afterwards we had a feast of pizza, empanadas, and cake! At the end of the day the church gathered around to watch the kids from Luz de Cristo open Christmas presents! We had received a "wish list" from each child and, with the donations of the church, were able to get each child something that they really wanted. It was a great day together with the kids from Luz de Cristo. We're hoping to be involved in their lives even more in the future. Another great aspect of our Christmas party was that it gave many people the opportunity to serve. The pizza and cake that we ate for lunch were homeade by Roberto and Carito, a couple who have been attending our church, but are not yet Christians. This was a great event, allowing the church to work together, and showing us the REAL spirit of Christmas!


The Christmas tree with presents for the children!


Some of the church members who stayed to celebrate Christmas with the kids from Luz de Cristo.


Some of the kiddos showing off their gifts!

The Reason Why I Have NO Thanksgiving Pictures...

One of our University Students, Rodrigo Rebolledo, officially graduated from his University! Being that it was a special occasion, I let him borrow my camara to take pictures of his graduation, and therefore didn't have it on Thanksgiving. In this picture he's wearing an aggie ring, as every graduate should! Congratulations Rodrigo!

Thanksgiving was a great time here in Santiago. The Grant family (of the mission team) opened their home to any "gringo" that wanted to come. So, we had a huge crowd! About 25 adults and 12 children! But it was a great time full of the usual Thanksgiving foods! We all had lunch together and then spent the rest of the day watching football and playing games. It was like a normal Thanksgiving in the United States. I am so thankful to this mission team. They have become my support system here in Chile. Although I couldn't be with my family in the states, it was great to spend a holiday with my gringo family in Santiago!

Quotable Quotes

I thought I might share with you all a few quotes from 3 of us interns at the Iglesia de Cristo. It might give you a little insight to my life here in South America. Enjoy!!

Lauren: "I just head-butted the Argentinian a little bit." After saying good-bye to some of our friends.

Lindsey: "Aw, man! Did they get robbed AGAIN?" Lindsey, as we were walking up to a convenience store that we frequent.

While in Lima, Peru:
Jenni: I'm feeling itchy all over.
Lindsey: Well, did you eat or drink anything out of the ordinary?
Jenni: The water?

Lima, Peru

The week of Nov. 6th - 11th was the annual Pan Am Lectureships. This year the lectureships were in Lima, Peru. Kelley Grant, Lindsey, and I went and represented the Santiago mission team. It was a great time to get to know missions supporters from the states, as well as other missionaries that are in South America. Another highlight was getting to spend time with old friends from A&M who plan on doing mission work in Lima beginning in 2008. On our time off from the conference we got to tour the city of Lima... which has so much history! It was interesting for me to note the differences between Santiago and Lima. I didn't know there would be so many! But it was a great time! I definitely wouldn't mind visiting again. Check out the "My Pictures" link to see more photos of my trip to Lima. Enjoy!

Our Hotel in Lima

Our Hotel in Lima
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Our hotel in Lima, where the conference took place. It was located in Plaza San Martin. The architecture was beautiful in this area!

Alan, me, and Mark

Alan, me, and Mark
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

A highlight of the trip was getting to know a new friend! Alan is from Lima and has been going to one of the churches there for over a year. We were lucky enough on Sunday to see him baptized into Christ!

Alan's Baptism

Alan's Baptism
Originally uploaded by JWorley28.

Alan being baptized on November 6, 2005!