Thursday, June 30, 2022
A Thankful Tribute to "Tia Eli"
Un Buen CompaƱero (A Good Classmate)
At our first (and last) parent/teacher conference, we were happy to hear from Profesora Hilda that Silas was well-loved by his classmates and she described him as having great "empathy" for them. What better quality could we ask for? Meanwhile at home, Silas often would pray for each of his teachers, his school director, the "inspectors" who stood and welcomed students at the door - all by name - before bedtime.
He loved "religion" class. In years' past at other Chilean schools our older children attended, we opted out of this in order to avoid any confusion for them. And while we had some interesting discussions and explanations with Silas this semester, overall his excitement revolved around songs and Bible stories that celebrated Jesus. He also loved PE class (or Phys Ed, as he preferred to call it!) Quite uniquely, this particular class was held from 8:00 to 10:00 AM on Wednesdays - with regular classes that evening as well. It was an early and LONG day!
A special memory from this semester was the school's 21 de mayo celebration for Chile's "Mes del Mar" (Month of the Sea.) The highlight of the month is celebrating Captain Arturo Prat Chacon, a Chilean lawyer and naval officer and national hero of the War of the Pacific. He was a gentleman soldier who valiantly led his troops and boldly sacrificed his life while boarding an enemy ship during battle in Iquique's port. Both Silas and another student wished to play the role of Prat in their class presentation, so the teacher did cachipun (rock/paper/scissors) to determine who it would be. Silas later excitedly told us, "The teacher said no one could cry about the result. I didn't think I would win, but I did!" We delivered him to school in the uniform that Tia Catalina carefully crafted, and Silas got a smile from ear to ear when the inspectora greeted him, "Bienvenido, Capitan Prat!"
Friday, June 10, 2022
My Little Boy After All
There were two, for one tiny little baby with spindly arms and legs sprawled in the heated bassinet of a Jacksonville hospital neonatal intensive care unit. Each morning after crossing the street from the Ronald McDonald House where I spent the night before, I replaced the soft, quirky donkey next to our premature newborn son. The other would return to sleep with me, theoretically absorbing my scent to gently imprint this new mother's aroma on his little brain and heart.
Seventeen years later, he still kept it next to his bed until the day he departed Chile.
That day, as we unloaded his bags in the parking lot of the Diego Aracena International Airport outside Iquique, he reached into the trunk to unzip his suitcase a final time. My eyes fell on a familiar object carefully tucked inside. One soft, quirky donkey peeked out at the tall, gangly boy in the sunshine. I didn't quite cry, but I won't deny this mother's heart jumped at the sight and the million memories with it. And then I smiled at the tenderness of knowing this big boy will always be my little boy after all.
Monday, June 06, 2022
The End of an Era
In two months we will celebrate the 15th anniversary of our family's arrival to Chile.
We crossed the threshold of the Santiago airport on August 24, 2007 with three children in tow: Eva, age 6; Isabel, age 5; Owen, age 2. (This photo was taken en route to Chile on our unplanned 48-hour layover in Canada.) Over the next decade God would graciously double our number of children, but this trio was the original gang of Garcias to set foot first in Santiago, and then in Iquique on January 6, 2009.
Despite the fact that Owen will live with us his senior year on our furlough stateside, his early departure tomorrow (for summer ministry at Miracle Mountain Ranch) while knowing he won't be returning to Chile after furlough has precipitated a lot of emotion for us as parents. Surprisingly, my often less-than-sentimental husband has been the one to initiate a number of conversations about it. I suppose this throws me a bit off-balance, as I've learned to depend on his being the sturdy one in these situations! But it also deepens my appreciation for my husband who is a father who profoundly loves and cherishes his children, even if he doesn't always express it through many words.
Most importantly, we can trust the Conductor who delivers us safely to each station and stays by our side through it all.
Tomorrow closes an era in our family's life in Chile. But the same God Who first brought us here will continue to lead each member of our family, each step of the way as we allow Him. My heart's desire for my children is found in a song from yesterday's church service. (It was coincidentally Owen's final time playing bass guitar as part of "Pipe y los Gringos," our affectionate name for the music team comprised of Felipe Olivares; our sons Owen, Ian and Alec; and nephew Nathaniel.)
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Throwback Thoughts on Adoption (2014)
Today I found this essay on adoption that I wrote on September
29, 2014.
Posting it today with a picture of our kids (the "Fab Five") from that time.
“You have already
earned yourself Heaven!” A
well-meaning admirer once gushed over our unusual family here in Chile. With
five children in a culture where family size seems to be dwindling, we are
already an anomaly. Add to that our adoption dynamic and the multiracial makeup
of our family, and we rarely go out in public without raising a few eyebrows.
Living in a country where “political correctness” is not a societal norm, we
have experienced our share of interesting comments and questions!
Raising a multiracial family in Chile was something we
wrestled with during our preparation to reach the mission field. How would
Chileans respond? We guessed correctly that our then two-year old son would be
greeted as a cute curiosity. This was confirmed the minute we set foot in the
country and the customs agent leaned out her window at the airport to exclaim, “I’ve never seen one so little!” We
learned to joke about the “paparazzi” who would whip out cell phones and snap
pictures without permission. When two more handsome sons joined us from Haiti, “Are they real brothers? I’ve always wanted
one like that! Was it hard to adopt? I’d love to, but ..” were frequent
conversations started by strangers in the grocery line. Sometimes questions were so intrusive that in
response, we struggled between protectiveness toward our children and being the
“nice” missionaries no matter what.
We love the family God has given us and thank Him for it. We
tell our children on the good days and on the tough days that our family is a
glimpse of Heaven. Not because of our behavior (or lack thereof!) But because
one day "every tribe and tongue and nation" will worship in perfect
unity around the throne of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are so blessed
that we don't have to imagine what that is like. As a family we get to experience
it right here on earth.
However, at times we may also get to experience pain. It
sometimes hurts that our children have to take to the front lines as they step
into Chilean schools where no one else looks anything like them. This year our
nine-year old son started alone at a school of 700 students where all eyes were
on him. As parents, we want to protect our children, yet we can only walk
beside them. We cannot walk inside their skin. How we cherish the fact that
Jesus has already done so, coming to this earth as a member of a race that
throughout history has been targeted for bigotry, oppression and destruction.
We cannot always understand, but He always can!
Perhaps the most common question we hear about our family is
“How?” But the better one would simply be, “Why?” The truth is that we pursued
adoption with no loftier purpose than to form a family and fulfill our love for
children. Yet God has allowed our adoption to be a visible expression to the
people of Chile of His love for them. Answering the question “Why?” allows us
to share that they, too, have a Father waiting with open arms. They, too, can
be adopted and given a forever family. Pray with us that many Chileans will
respond to His loving invitation today!
Friday, February 25, 2022
Heavy, Humbling & Hopeful
This season of life is heavy, humbling and hopeful.
It is a contrasting combination of spiraling sentiments that leaves me winded and wondering many days. Absorbing and observing, thinking and praying, feeling the weight of others' uncertainties as well as my own. Sharing and bearing burdens here and there, near and far - some days shuddering under the sorrows of shattered dreams and expectations.
During our ministry here in Chile, years ago there was one prior season that felt this way. In the aftermath of great tragedy, we found ourselves alone and buffeted by one unwelcome surprise upon another. "You couldn't make this stuff up," we often mused in disbelief and discouragement. It was in this season that our sending church supplied our need in an incredible way, by investing in plane tickets and the opportunity for Pedro's parents to come alongside us for three very special months. We have forever been grateful.
This time, we are not alone. Although circumstances - lockdowns, restrictions, illness, barbs of our unseen Enemy - often contrive to make us feel that way, I am thankful that we have alongside us teammates committed to the same goals and with whom we share the work of ministry.
We are completing our third term and fifteenth year of ministry in Chile, with thirteen of those years in Iquique. As of last year, not a single teammate with whom we began our ministry in Iquique remains here with us. (They continue serving in new locations where God has placed them.) Yet God has faithfully called new members - from Canada, the US, Chile, Venezuela and Ecuador - to work together in planting and strengthening the "Iglesia Bautista de Fe" church. I love how our church planting team reflects the diversity not only of our local church, but of the universal church - believers of every tribe and tongue and nation who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ!
There is much work to do, and we are learning together. A variety of cultures can sometimes mean a variety of opinions, though I am grateful that more often than not our goals and decisions are unanimous. A variety of individuals means a variety of personalities and that, too, can require maturity and patience and being willing to put on another's lenses to see through his or her perspective.
For instance, North American culture values productivity; while South American culture values time invested in relationship. Generally speaking, as North Americans we are accustomed to having financial resources readily available and prioritize a professional job well done despite the cost. Specific to our situation, many of our South American colleagues have learned to live on less and weigh the spending of each dollar (or peso, in our case.)
Uniquely, on our IBF church planting team made up of five North American and four South American adults, only one member is actually Chilean! And with the ongoing tidal wave of immigration to our city, Chileans currently make up a minority of our church family as well. Some days it feels confusing - weren't we called to Chile for Chileans? But our commission from Christ is actually far broader. We are to go into ALL the world and preach to the WHOLE creation! Praise God, He is placing this ministry right in front of us.
There is truly not a single day where we feel that we've got things figured out. Even after fifteen years, we are still learning, still making mistakes, still grateful for God's grace in light of our own inadequacies. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." (2 Corinthians 4:7) Thank you for praying that the power of God will shine brightly through every one of our cracks and that in His strength we will remain faithful and accomplish much for His kingdom and glory!
Monday, February 07, 2022
Celebrating 21 Years with Eva Grace
How is it possible that more than two decades have passed and that your 21st birthday is already here? How can our "squishy" baby (to borrow your brother Silas' favorite term!) ... affectionate toddler ... enthusiastic preschooler ... artistic grade schooler ... horse riding teenager ... now be a grown woman spreading her wings far from home?!
There are such tender memories in these photographs. I love looking at them and remembering the sweet and precious moments of your childhood years! I miss them. Yet Daddy and I are so proud of the person you are becoming through God's sustaining grace in your life. We have watched in awe and sometimes through tears as you have persevered in adversity, overcome fears, tackled new challenges and discovered the passions and gifts God has given you.
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Sayings from Silas
He went through a season of talking to his brain. "Brain, did you see that? There's our house. Let's wash our hands, Brain. Brain, let's play a different game?"
He's grown up hearing Mommy and Daddy exchange the nickname "Sweets." When Pedro was gone from home for several weeks, one night at bedtime he assured me, "It's okay if you call me Pedro. Or Sweets!"
Once upon a time I explained to Silas about the Precious Moments figurine entitled "Safe in the Arms of Jesus" that's on my dresser. It pictures a baby on a cloud and reminds me of our baby Eden in Heaven (miscarried July 2006.) He found it again one evening and started lining up pretty objects on a shelf, including the rose he made in pre-school. He said it was a "buryment" for Eden. He even included books that he thought she'd like to read since he, too, is learning to read.Awhile back, Silas asked Pedro if we had prayed for him to be born. Pedro explained that we had prayed for a child but that Silas was actually a big surprise because we thought our prayers were already all answered with his five older siblings! Silas listened and responded with great animation, "And then I "spawned" from nowhere!"
One morning in church, both the "Kid Spot" and sermon were on the topic of angelic beings as described in the Bible. Later Owen, Silas and I were in the kitchen and I was explaining to Silas that God allowed certain men such as Ezekiel, Daniel and John to have visions of Heaven and write about what they saw. He promptly responded, "And there was one more! Stephen!" Owen caught my eye in surprise but Silas really loves his Bible stories and often startles us with the knowledge he has absorbed. Indeed, Stephen did see Heaven and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. May Silas' heart always stay tenderly in tune with Bible truths!
Several months' ago we received the good news that Silas' best friend Emilia would be visiting Iquique with her family for a few days. On the way to school, Silas was very happy. He exclaimed to Pedro, "My wife was lost! But now she's found!" (Ever since a preschool fashion show in which they starred as bride and groom, he is convinced she is truly his!)
One morning, Silas asked Pedro if he was related to David. It seemed very important to him. Pedro explained that as Christians we are related spiritually, but alas! we have no biological connection to Israel's famous king."God could have stopped the baby killing." This was Silas' out-of-the-blue, matter-of-fact statement the Sunday after Christmas. Each year we watch "The Nativity" as a family, and apparently he had been mulling it over. "In the beginning of the movie [King Herod's slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem] ... God could have stopped them." Nothing like a deep theological discussion about God's omnipotence and sovereignty, man's choice, and the certainty of judgment in eternity with a six-year old!
I wish I had an automatic recorder for so many curious, humorous, holy and outrageous statements from Silas. But for now I will share these and say how much we love and enjoy him.
Thursday, December 09, 2021
Ian is 14!
Dear Ian,
On your birthday, I posted this to Facebook:
What do we love about Ian? As we circled the table and each answered this question, we heard:
- because he is sensitive and compassionate
- because he is patient
- because he plays with me
- because of his positivity
- because he is creative
- because he works hard with a good attitude
Today we celebrate Ian's 14th birthday and we are so thankful for him! ❤️
What a joy it is to be your mom and see your growth day by day, year by year. I still remember the 9-month old baby Ian we first met in Haiti and spent a week getting to know. I picture the 16-month old Ian who was learning to walk the next time I came. I smile at the 22-month old Ian on my final visit to Haiti who I described as being gentle and easygoing and a comforter to younger babies. In fact, those qualities still remain evident in the young man you are becoming and we love you for them!
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Silas Turns Six
Birthday party #1 |
Birthday party #2 |
Silas' 5th Birthday Post
Silas' 4th Birthday Post
Silas' 3rd Birthday Post
Silas' 2nd Birthday Post
Silas' 1st Birthday Post
Thursday, September 02, 2021
This {Odd} Beautiful Life
Sometime this past year, our five-year-old Silas and I first watched The Odd Life of Timothy Green. The movie is almost ten years old, but I can never clearly recall if I saw it before this time. There is a vague memory that perhaps I chose not to watch it originally because the theme felt too tender. Perhaps then it was still too close to wounds that time had not fully healed. Or perhaps we had yet to come full circle in parenthood, having gained the perspective to acknowledge our fumbles and failures with some laughter and grace.
Whatever the case may be, watching it with Silas was sweet because of his innocent awe and delight in this story which weaves realistic emotion with fanciful imagination. Having personally faced the heartbreak with which the plot opens, I can attest to the actors' believable portrayal of the raw emotions of infertility and the grief of missed parenthood.
Tonight we watched this movie again for the now umpteenth time. I found myself admiring the relationship of the husband and wife whose marriage withstands the harsh winds of loss. It feels like they are two against the world, alone in their mutual sorrow but united by hope in the face of the impossible and improbable. I can relate to this as well, looking back on our own winding journey of joyful peaks and bitter valleys along the way to welcoming our children. There are losses that only Pedro and I know, as well as moments of heart-bursting exhilaration that only we two share.
"Look, Mommy, it's me!" Silas exclaimed excitedly the first time he saw the film. It was an honest mistake: indeed slender Timothy with his brown hair and eyes and sudden appearance mirrors our own surprise child! Whereas the interviews behind cold desks; the sense of having to earn an approval that others achieve naturally; the nervous uncertainty of being deemed "worthy" of parenthood were all too real reminders of the adoption process we went through time and time again. At least seven times that I can recall, Pedro and I and our home were "studied" to determine our aptitude to become and/or remain parents (pre- and post- placement.) Yet I would do it all again for each and every one of our precious children.
"It's okay to be different. A little weird, even." In the story, Timothy is not like other kids in many ways but he is better in all the ways that count: honesty, kindness, sacrifice, gentle humor, friendship and faithfulness. As I was writing this post, I came across the picture and quotes included above. I appreciated and wanted to remember them. Sometimes a movie can be more than just entertainment. It can remind us of some important things in life. Personally, it reminded me of all God has done to answer our prayers and dreams not just for one child but six - "exceeding abundantly above all that we [could] ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20.) And it reminded me of the treasure I've been given in the man who has patiently hoped and jumped hoops and held babies and toddlers and now big kids and college students with faithful commitment and love. Finally, it reminded me just how precious is this {odd} beautiful life God has given.
Saturday, August 07, 2021
50 Years Together - Pedro & Kathy (Our Dad & Mom)
Friday, July 30, 2021
Sundays with Silas
He arrived to our modest 70-person Iglesia Bautista Misionera in Iquique as a newborn, spending Sunday services first in arms and then in a bedroom-turned-sala cuna with two or three other children through his entry into toddlerhood. At 19 months old, he transitioned to the United States and visited multiple churches on furlough before spending most of his time in the 2's and 3's class at Grace Baptist Church in Lancaster, PA where he fully enjoyed the spacious room with its toddler-sized chairs and tables and lots of little friends each week.
At 2 1/2 years old, he returned to Chile and the Iglesia Bautista de Fe church plant where he soon found himself dividing his Sunday mornings between Bible lessons and crafts at a folding table in the front patio of a community center, and the playground just across the street with a handful of MKs and few Spanish-speaking peers. It was here that the trio of "Sergio, Santiago and Silas" was born as he met two Venezuelan boys that continue to be his great buddies.
It became clear that something needed to change for the health of this fledgling body of believers. So Zoom church began on Sunday mornings, and now 5-year old Silas was adrift while his parents and siblings were busy with music and ministry online. Hence the picture of him on an exercise ball taken last Sunday! He literally bounces between the living room, schoolroom (our Zoom filming location) and back patio while the rest of us try to focus on our responsibilities.
Eventually, a "Spot Infantil" was added to the Zoom service so that each week the children received a short Biblical object lesson geared towards their level of development. But the longer sermon time was still lost on Silas, until recently when we discovered an English children's church online that he can watch simultaneously on the television while the rest of us focus on cell phones and laptops. Not ideal, but at least it's something.
Sunday, July 04, 2021
A Day in the Life (of a Missionary Wife)
Let's start with true confessions from a flawed human being who sometimes (read: often) fails to smoothly coordinate all the balls I should be juggling in the air. The night before the events of this post, after a strenuous day of walking long city blocks on multiple errands followed by impromptu dune and rock climbing at the beach with our boys in the evening, all I wanted to do was "veg." Of course, my sons were all too happy to join me in this activity. On a whim after Silas went to bed, Ian and Alec and I decided to watch a suspenseful children's series made up of 25-minute episodes. We were hooked until 1 AM when a text from Pedro announced, "You need to send those boys to bed" and I dutifully replied, "Must. Solve. Mystery." Needless to say, we were up awhile longer!
Which would have been all fine and dandy if the next day wasn't one of my days to work at FLORECE. Hence the true confessions from a tired human being who started the day running late and skipping devotions rather than fresh and fully charged for a day of ministry. I am just keeping it real because it's way too easy for pictures and posts to present a perfect panorama that really isn't. (Or maybe it is, and I'm the only messed up missionary wife out here!)
Normally on a Thursday I pick up two of our volunteers, but one was out with a sprained ankle and another caught a ride downtown with her husband. So I felt a bit more relaxed with time, which in general isn't a good thing for me when I actually need to get stuff done. Thankfully only one volunteer beat me to FLORECE and miraculously (which sounds like an exaggeration but only barely!) found an actual parking spot right in front of our building to comfortably wait. Soon two, then three, then four of us were present and able to begin the day with prayer. No matter the craziness that may precede gathering in our reception area and bowing our heads together, this is always such a sweet time of joining our hearts in surrender and purpose before the Lord!
Our first client who rescheduled from her normal Tuesday appointment was punctual as usual, and the day's calendar was comfortably full. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we currently accept two clients per hour between 10 AM and 4 PM so as to fulfill spacing and cleaning requirements. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, one by one cancellations began to reveal themselves either by way of WhatsApp messages or simply no-shows. In the end, only three of seven scheduled clients came. We've learned to accept those who arrive as divine appointments and trust the rest to God in prayer. Nonetheless it can be disappointing for the volunteer counselor who has come prepared and hopeful to serve her clients and spends the long day seeing none.
Because it was the first day of the new month, we all pitched in on paperwork, counting numbers and printing forms and catching up on general odds and ends. I always appreciate the camaraderie and company of these dear women of all ages and walks of life, united in a common cause to share the gospel and serve women and their children, born and unborn. Often in the down time significant conversations take place about family and ministry and God's work in our lives. I smiled today overhearing a Titus 2 moment as a decades-married, mother-of-five volunteer shared her testimony with another volunteer who is a newlywed professional seeking God's will concerning the timing of future motherhood. Some days the ministry is as much about the women who come to serve as those we expect to serve!
It is special to currently spend the Thursday shift at FLORECE with my sister, and occasionally to stop at our favorite fresh fruit juice stand for a pick-me-up on the drive home from downtown. This time it was refreshing cold strawberry lemonade which hit the spot. Arriving home around 5 PM to our neighboring houses was not the end of the day, however! Both of our homes welcome small groups for prayer meeting at 7:30 PM on Thursday nights, and we each had "full houses" (so to speak, as the size restrictions due to COVID-19 are still quite rigid) scheduled. Because at least one of our guests comes straight from work, Pedro had planned ahead with a satisfying one-bowl meal we could easily share around the living room.
As we gathered prayer requests in each home, we sent them to the church group's WhatsApp chat so that the groups could pray for one another. In this way we are unified even while we have been unable to meet in person as an entire congregation for so many months. The past two weeks have seemed to deepen the confidence of those who attend to open their hearts to one another, and the times of prayer have been tender. We hope and trust that God has been honored during this long season of striving to find the "right" ways of ministering in the midst of quarantines, rules and uncertainty!
For the first time this Thursday, Pedro had asked Ian and Alec to prepare songs on their guitars as they do each Sunday. Casting from his cell phone to the TV screen, he led our small band of brothers and sisters in a short time of singing before and after prayer. It wasn't until several days later that I learned the government recommends only four people maximum - separated from others - sing at a religious service due to COVID-19 concerns. Somehow, I cannot see how this honors the Sustainer of our health and lives who is worthy of all our praise.
I recount this as a memory of a day in the life of a missionary wife (me.) How thankful I am for God's mercy and grace in light of my many shortcomings; His strength in response to my weakness; the meaning and purpose He provides to my efforts and existence. Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness!
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Happy 19th Birthday, Isabel!
Dear Isabel,
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fun times with cousins |
Birthday Posts by Year:
18th Birthday - Isabel
17th Birthday - Isabel
16th Birthday - Isabel
15th Birthday - Isabel
14th Birthday- Isabel
13th Birthday - Isabel
12th Birthday - Isabel
11th Birthday - Isabel
10th Birthday - Isabel
9th Birthday - Isabel
8th Birthday - Isabel
7th Birthday - Isabel
6th Birthday - Isabel
5th Birthday - Isabel