Make sure you know the metric system

Sorry its been so long since our last post. These last two weeks have been busy/amazing/tiring/awesome. Its really hard to describe everything that has been happening but I'll do my best. Ok so I guess I'll start with the independence day celebration. The whole country spent two days celebrating their independence. People ate, sang, and danced for two days straight. We celebrated by leaving the city and going to the country to stay with a friend's family. The family was amazing. They took us in like we were part of the family. We went to the "campo" which is pretty much the middle of nowhere and we ate more food than any person should ever eat in two days. The entire time there was always food on the grill (open fire with a metal grate). It was awesome. It was a great time to relax and talk and make new friends. At night we were able to look at the stars and actually see them. It is impossible to see them in the big city, but in the country it seems like you can reach out and touch each star. We learned all of the constellations that are only in the southern hemisphere like la cruz del sur y las tres marias (southern cross and the three marys for all of you non-spanish speakers haha). It was incredible to experience a national holiday with a loving family. It is something that we will remember for a long time.
After we got back to Santiago after the holiday we managed to stay pretty busy. We have begun meeting with several new groups and are still working with the soccer team. Also Ashley started volunteering in a school this week. She goes two times a week to help the students practice their English. She is really excited about being able to work with them. I also might have the opportunity to get involved with some of the schools as well helping with English or possibly with some of the PE classes. They are always looking for new volunteers. Hopefully we can get to know some of the students and be a positive influence in their lives.
Ok so this is just a funny random story about cultural differences. I have grown up only learning the English system of measurements and I am not very familiar with the Metric system. I went to the supermarket the other day to get groceries and while I was there I bought some cheese from behind the counter. The price for the cheese was per kilogram so when the lady behind the counter asked me how much cheese I wanted I figured that since the price was per kilogram that 1 kilo was probably sufficient. I should have asked someone beforehand how much a kilo was because the look on the lady's face was hilarious. She looked at me like I was crazy and then proceeded to cut the biggest chunk of cheese I've ever seen. It turns out that 1 kilo is 2.2 lbs. Luckily she didn't make me buy it when I managed to tell her that I didn't know what a kilo was, but I just know that she is probably sharing this same story about a confused gringo with all of her family and friends haha.
Well thats about all for know. We appreciate all the people that have been praying for us. Your prayers mean more than you know and bring us great comfort. God is alive and working in Chile and we have seen Him do some great things. Please pray that He will continue to move and work in the lives of the people here.
Until next time,
Zach

Greeting with a kiss is not Zach's forte lol...

Hello everyone! We had a great weekend that we wanted to say a little about. We went to a Baptist church on Sunday that was so inviting and kind. It is the church that our supervisor goes to most of the time. They sang all of the same baptist hymns, but in spanish. Sunday school starts at ten, church starts at 11:30 and is over about 1:30 so it's a full morning and the pastor is really fun. He is so animated and talks about 30 miles an hour lol. Then once a month they have another service on sunday nights at 6. After church we met a bunch of people our age that were really friendly. They made us feel really welcome and we look forward to developing some friendships. We also might be able to be involved with a group of young people that meets regularly. After the service last night we all ate dinner which was great and there were a few girls that helped me work on my spanish.

Coming up next weekend there is a really big holiday. On Dieciocho and Diecinueve (18th and 19th) they celebrate their independence day. Everyone celebrates all day and there are parades and lots of festivities. It is a mix between the fourth of july and thanksgiving. People have big parades and eat tons of food. The traditional meal is called an asadao which is like a barbecue and we are very excited about going to our first asadao :). We are excited about being here for this month in particular because it's a really big deal in their country. It should be really fun.

Everyone can pray for my ability to learn this language:) Thanks
Ashley

Ok so I just have two things...
1. The traditional Chilean way to greet someone is with a kiss on the cheek. Guys greet girls with a kiss, girls greet girls with a kiss, but guys greet guys with a handshake. My sister Sarah Jo would love it here. She is always trying to greet everyone with a kiss on the cheek and she always gets mad at me when I won't let her. I'm not exactly a real touchy feely person, but its rude if you don't greet people this way so I'm having to get used to greeting people in a Chilean manner haha.
2. At every stoplight in Santiago there is either someone selling something or performing for money. There are some jugglers who are really good. At one stoplight there are two guys who juggle with one guy standing on the other guy's shoulders and they pass balls back and forth while juggling. At another stoplight there is a guy who juggles fire sticks. He bounces them off his feet and head without missing a beat. Its almost worth getting a long red light so you can see some of the cool tricks. It has also made me realize my life calling. I think I might spend the rest of my life juggling for money at stoplights haha. I don't know about the rest of my life but if I need to make some spending money while we are here I'm thinking about taking some apples or something to go juggle at a stoplight to make some money, or I might get my dad and brother to come down here so that we can put together some kind of juggling routine. They are both really good at it and I think we could make some good money :)

A kiss on the cheek to everyone,
Zach