There and Back Again

a sunny Sunday morning in Iquique

I asked the kids to pose for picture outside of church this morning, which they patiently did despite the bright Iquique sun glaring into their eyes! We arrived at church early and had the privilege of setting up the chairs for today's service. Everyone pitched in fairly enthusiastically (some more than others) and when I tried to make it a teachable moment and remind the kids that even putting chairs up was a ministry for God and He sees our work for Him, they all replied, "Yes, we know Mom!" Oh, the life of an MK. :) 

Pastor Pedro & Pastor Jon chatting before the service

With Pastor Alejandro and family gone to the USA and Pastor Hugo and family gone to Santiago, today's service was led by my dear husband Pedro with Pastor Jon preaching. I titled this post "There and Back Again" because in some ways we have just slipped right back into our ministry routines and it was a blessing to hear my husband speaking in Spanish and leading from the pulpit once more. Our teens left yesterday for camp so numbers were down, but there was still a good spirit among those who attended. We saw some faces we'd not reconnected with yet, and that was encouraging as well. 

an MK meeting of the minds

It has been a joy to have several families and individuals over to our home even in the midst of our unpacking, and this afternoon after church we welcomed Jenny and her son Sebastian for lunch and games. I am not so organized as to cook a full meal just yet, but we ordered Chinese food (which is delicious in Chile, by the way!) and bought a yummy pie de limon and caught up on each other's lives from this past year. We are so thankful for these relationships and look forward to using our home for continued hospitality in the days and weeks ahead. Chilean culture is very much about time spent together.

Guess who helped set up the chairs today?

"There and Back Again" ... supposedly it's hobbit's tale (for Tolkien fans!) but it's also our story of this past year. We are thankful for our time away and expectant for our time ahead. May God be glorified in all that we say and do!