Stories from the South

This past week, our family had the privilege of driving down to the town of Pucón in southern Chile (about 10-11 hours away with stops included) where we had a relaxing, refreshing vacation time with my sister and her family.

It was exactly what everyone needed after a very hectic end to the semester and just in time for Christmas.

(Going before Christmas allowed us to take advantage of low-season rates, which was an added incentive! It also meant we missed the summer crowds, which was nice.)

The house we rented was waaaay out in the country, off the paved roads, off the dirt roads, out into the grass roads! It was beautiful (made entirely of native wood), spacious (four bedrooms, two baths), relaxing (huge porch on the first floor and second floor balcony), unique (almost all furniture is handmade in wood by a local craftsman) … it was quiet, surrounded by trees and tall grass, and overlooking the river.

Wading in the river, breathing in the clean country air, fishing, climbing rocks, finding crabs, campfires, cookouts, board games, hikes, treasure hunts … there was lots to do there!

We visited two area beaches, did a little shopping in Pucón and neighboring Villarica, spent an afternoon at a thermal hot springs resort (something we could probably never afford in the States, but thankfully could here!), hiked a mountain trail, and enjoyed the time to just slow down and be together as a family without the distractions of city life.

It was because of some special Christmas gifts that we were able to make this memory as a family, and we are so grateful to the friends, family members and churches who made our trip possible … from the bottom of our hearts, ¡¡Gracias!! (Thank you!!)