July 20, 2015 Shana Heslin

In the first week, we have been kept busy, between working at our base in Santiago and travelling south to Temuco.

In Santiago, Linda and I have been hosted by the Gallardos, in a lovely house with three cats and two dogs. From Sunday to Wednesday, we spent time getting to know the young people in Santiago. We engaged them in a range of fun activities including instruction in CPR, designing and painting t-shirts, and a few competitive challenges.

Following this, we travelled down to Temuco, to help complete the construction of a house in nearby Victoria. It was an eight hour road trip, which flew by as we listened to music and talked (Well actually, I only travelled for four hours before stopping halfway to visit a friend’s family and stay for the night before continuing by bus the next day). The house in Victoria, owned by the Señor and Señora Neira, needed insulation and a ceiling in a large section. After a couple of days hard work, boosted by the presence of an actual builder in our midst (Steven), we covered the ceiling, put a few doors in their frames and had some really great lunches. Well, I spent more time babysitting than hammering nails, but I still felt involved. It rained a lot there, and was very cold.

We’ve now returned to Santiago to commence activities including youth outside the church. Everything is going really well and we’re getting to know each other better all the time.