Want to Change a Life?

We've gotten to be at Casa Esperanza for almost 6 weeks now.  The names get confusing, so just as a reminder Casa Esperanza is where the girls 18-22 years old live and go to college.  Hogar is where the girls that are 3-18 years old live, and they have all been removed from their homes due to violence, drugs, sexual abuse and other unspeakable things.  When those girls turn 18 years old, they can not live at Hogar anymore, and many of them end up on the street as prostitutes in order to earn enough money to eat.  Daniel explains the priorities of Casa Esperanza like this:

1. Casa Esperanza is a safe place for girls to live after they turn 18 years old
2. Casa Esperanza is a place where the girls receive guidance and the love of Jesus - since the girls have been removed from horrible situations, most need to learn to live life beyond focusing on basic necessities like food, shelter and clothing; to most of us, this is hard to understand, but for these girls the struggle is very real; they need guidance to reach farther and higher and pursue their dreams
3. Go to college or receive other vocational services - the girls we have met are studying to be English teachers, nurses and other great jobs

We view Casa Esperanza as a critical link for girls in La Pintana that would otherwise have very little hope for a better future.  The schools in La Pintana are poor, like the area is poor, and many cannot read or write if they are able to even finish high school at all.  Casa Esperanza helps these girls realize they are safe, loved and can have a great future if they are willing to study hard.

You can help change the lives of the girls in La Pintana in many different ways, even though you live far away:

1) Pray for the girls in La Pintana, that they would believe they have a hope and a future
2) Give a one time donation to Vision for Chile, which is the sponsor organization of Casa Esperanza (click here and follow the directions)
3) Sponsor a girl for $89/month - this funding goes to room, board and education (click here for more information: it is not very clear but click on the donate link and then the Vision for Chile logo and then make a recurring gift of $89/month to House of Hope General Donation and indicate you want to sponsor a girl in the Comment field)

We have already given to Casa Esperanza, and in case you're worried the transaction is safe and if you pay with your credit card it is also insured against fraud.  If you have any questions, let us know.  Daniel also wants you to know that you can call him and ask him any questions you like.  He has been using Rosetta Stone to learn English and has done so well!  He is a kind man and looks and acts like Jesus, as we have witnessed over the last 6 weeks.  He has a US number you can call via an Internet service, so it wouldn't require an international call.  Thanks for considering this!

Today was a rest day for us.  It was raining this morning, so we decided not to go into La Pintana.  We have rain gear and water proof shoes, but the gutters don't really work in La Pintana (and not that well in Nunoa where we live either).  There can easily be 6-12" of water in the street, which makes it hard to walk across.  Plus, cars and buses are zooming by and splashing the water all over the place.  Instead, I worked and Greg and the boys rode the subway around.  They love the subway, and all say it will be one of the biggest things they miss about Chile when we go home.

On the way home they stopped at our favorite bakery in the neighborhood and got some empanadas.  A couple of things to notice about these empanadas.  They are baked, not fried.  Also, they are enormous!  Today we got empandas that had ham, tomatoes and cheese in them.  Greg was tempted to get one with mushrooms in it, and another that had shrimp in it.  But you don't really want to get too adventurous with food while in an emerging country, especially with a little corner store type place.

Check out the oven mitts Greg has been using these past 6 weeks.  Yes, you are correct - they are garden gloves.  That's what was in the drawer, so we just went with it.  As you know, Greg and the boys prefer I do not supervise ovens or stove tops when they are in operation for fear of setting off the fire alarm.  So Greg has been a good sport and used these small gloves.

Speaking of the fire alarm, there are only two things the boys said they will not miss about Chile.  One is earthquakes.  Griff has especially struggled with fear of earthquakes, but has won the battle of his mind by reminding himself (and us) that the Bible says we get to live 70 years, and he's not 70 years old yet.  The other
thing the boys will not miss are fire alarms.  The fire alarm in our apartment building has been going off a lot, even at night.  It wakes everybody up and the boys often feel quite frightened.  Every time the alarm has gone off it's been nothing, but still, it makes them feel concerned.

One thing I will not miss in Chile is the washer.  Now, I thank God for the washing machine we have gotten to use, don't get me wrong!  But!  Check out these shirts.  I cannot get them any cleaner than this.  I would buy some bleach, but I can't figure out which bottle is bleach at the store.

When it rains here the air gets very clear.  Santiago is a valley like Denver, only a bit deeper I think.  There is usually a haze that really impacts visibility.  We saw some mountains to the northeast tonight from our bedroom that we often can't see.  Gorgeous!  We've also noticed that it's staying light at least 20 min. later at night these days.  You guys probably don't notice the days getting shorter yet in the US since it gets light so early and stays light so late.  But here, we notice it.

Love to you all!  Thanks for reading!