NTI

The last several days I've had one thing I keep thinking about, I honestly don't go very many hours without stopping to think about it again. It's a trip. I love traveling but this isn't just any trip ~ it's a trip to Chile, my favorite place! Matthew has been home for almost a week and he has spent most of it here at home, catching up on paperwork for the mission, organizing his office, and trying to get the plans for the next trip well underway. Thanks to Dan and Liz Thompson we've been able to do just that! This next fall, Oct./Nov. time frame, Matthew is planning on leading another trip, this time down to Lican Ray in southern Chile. There would be, again, another campground to work on. This camp belongs to Union de Centros Biblicos (Bible Center) and has been in use for many years. It is on a lake, with volcanoes in the background, surrounded by trees - amazingly beautiful property. Sadly, the years have taken their toll on the campground itself as well as the cabins and other buildings. I grew up going to this camp on a yearly basis and it was the absolute highlight of my year. Ask almost any other MK that was there and they would agree. The missionaries from Chile would get together for their annual conference the first week of January and thus the camping season would begin. The week that followed was a pastors conference and so on and so forth through out the summer.

Now that I've introduced the camp let me introduce the trip/project. The ideal plan is as follows: NTI, specifically Matthew, has been asked to take on this project by the missionaries that have just arrived to help get the camp back on its feet. They recently got approval to build a new cabin and do some other projects as well. Since this is a bigger project than we have tackled in the past it is going to require more time on the field - ballpark one or two months. Matthew would like to coordinate several teams to come down in succession specifically geared to tackle a certain part of the building process. Ok so far, but here's the problem. Our family cannot do the couple months apart thing. We do not believe that is good for our marriage or for our children. So, we desire to pack up the whole crew and go down to live at the camp, providing a continuity of leadership for each group that comes and goes throughout the building process.

Now, I've blabbered on a whole bunch but I wanted to be clear about the specifics and about what this would mean for our family. We want to go, we desire to be able to do this as a family unit. This camp means the world to me, NTI means the world to my husband and therefore to me also - but our family comes first and we need to find a way to make all this work out together. Please start praying now for this possibility!

I'll write more about the project specifics in another post but now for some pictures...selected specifically to tempt you to join our team and come with us!

This stream empties into the lake which borders Camp Lican Ray.

Two pictures of Volcan Villarica, smoking in the daytime, and then - as the Chileans say - in her evening dress.An ox cart, quite a typical sight in southern Chile where things are a bit more remote.
A picture taken from a hill behind the camp, looking down on the Lago Calafquen - taken the last time we were down there 2 1/2 years ago.

Some local flowers, the red one is the copihue, Chile's national flower.

Now, don't you wanna come?