Step Week 7
Hola from Chile! Another great week here, suddenly kicked in how little time we have left!
Monday was our rest day, so we all had a nice long lie-in and a lazy morning with pancakes for breakfast/lunch. Then we had a Freedom in Christ devotional all about the âLust of the Fleshâ which was a great opportunity again for us to share more of our stories and pray for each other. The day quickly ran away from us and it was soon the evening, when we tried to watch DĂ©jĂ Vu but unfortunately the DVD stopped 10 minutes in so we watched Bridesmaids instead, we figured the story lines were only slightly differentâŠ
On Tuesday we got back to work on the church, however not before we were rudely awoken by a rat in the girlsâ bedroom, which required all nine of us to get it out â lots of running and lots of screaming (Grace did swing for it but unfortunately it survived). During the day, six of us went around to the school again to help Heidi out with her three English lessons, while the rest of us continued work on the church till 4 pm. Then six of us left with Victor, the son of one of the members of the church, to go to his house for dinner while Nathanael, Grace and Mo stayed behind to help German continue to work for a couple of hours before leaving at 6:30. In the evening we went to the service at Victorâs church, where everyone we met was so lovely and thankful for all the work we had been doing. We were really moved by how kind and loving they were towards us without knowing much about us other than that we were missionaries from England. Also during the service, a girl from the church came up and sang a solo which was incredible! All of us were open mouthed with astonishment at how effortlessly she sang. After the service went back to Victorâs for a second dinner of spaghetti before splitting off into two groups to sleep, 5 at Germanâs house whilst the rest stayed behind at Victorâs.
  
The next day was an early start as we had to leave at 8 to get back for work at 9, except for Ellie and Eleanor who stayed behind to do the weekly shop. Unfortunately, we hadnât had much sleep that night as we had gone to bed at about 1am, or in some cases (Grace and Libby) 3am, which made getting up even harder than usual! Despite this, the day was very productive as we were putting up the outer wall of the church and clearing out the inside so that we could work in there the next day. In the evening we headed over to the school for the childrenâs service where once again Alice prepared a great session for the kids, and they all were really engaged and enthusiastic, especially while singing Our God is a great big God!
Thursday morning we were all set and ready to start work at 9, when the heavens opened and the rains came down!!! German suggested we call work off but we were determined to keep going, so we headed into the newly roofed church to do as much as we could while it was still raining. To think the rain wasnât enough, the power also kept cutting out during the morning! This meant work was a bit start-stop but with a little perseverance and a lot of prayer we kept going, and thankfully it was completely fine after lunch. Once we had eaten lunch we headed back out for work. However, German seemed to have other ideas when he started a sawdust-throwing war resulting in all of us having horrendously itchy backs and severe trust issues!
  
German then left early to buy materials and so that we could prepare for Heidi and her family coming around for dinner. Our evening with them was great, sharing our testimonies and getting to know the family better over a delicious meal of ribs and lasagne with brownie pudding for desert. To finish off a great evening we then watched âDo you Believe?â before saying goodbye and heading to bed.
The next morning seemed especially cold, which made working feel more difficult and at times more frustrating than usual, however Gladys saved the day when she turned up for lunch with a pot of home-made shepherdâs pie! Our spirits were well and truly lifted. Then it was back to work for the afternoon, for all except Ellie who unfortunately wasnât feeling very well so had the day off to sleep and recover. In the evening Nathanael made us all sopapillas while Mo, Grace and Libby played football with the local kids and everyone else had some down time. Then after dinner we watched the Incredibles.
Saturday was another day off for us, so we had a lovely lazy morning of either resting or watching Black Mirror. During the day Eleanor led us all in making pizzas with toppings of our choice which were delicious! Towards the evening Milton (Victorâs brother) and his two kids Marcello and Julia unexpectedly came around with loads of food and drinks for us which was very kind of them, and even though we couldnât eat anymore after our pizzas we spent the evening together playing games. Once they had left we all brainstormed ideas for the sermon that Morwenna would be doing in the service the next morning and coming up with ten songs we could sing that the Chileans would recognise and be able to sing along with. Then, just when we thought it was time for bed, Grace and Ellie got onto the deeply controversial topic of whether Crocs are acceptable or not, which resulted in 7/9 of us all getting involved. Despite Ellie and Nathanael being the only Croc supporters, they put up a pretty good fight! A whole hour later we came to the conclusion there was just no winning and went to bed.
Sunday â the big day!! The service was extremely successful; Hannah and Nathanael anchored really well and Morwennaâs sermon was incredible, preaching all about how we are saved by grace and not by works. Then after the service Ben and Nathanael headed into Temuco to book some more of our week off at the end of Chile and do the weekly shop, while the girls had an evening to themselves! During their stay Ben and Nathanael were also treated to a trip to the cinema to see The Avengers: Infinity War with Filipe, his girlfriend and German junior.
Once again thank you all so much for your continuous prayers for us, we can really feel Godâs protective hand and the Holy Spirit working through us wherever we go and whatever we are doing.
  
Things to give thanks to God for this past week:
- Continued good relationships within the team and also with everyone in the local community, especially with German and his family
- The wonderful opportunity we had to lead the church service on Sunday. Having spoken to people we found out that women donât often preach at their church so all the more reason to thank God!
- Good weather (mostly) and the ability to make great progress on the church
 Here are some specific things that would be great if you could pray for:
