El Vallecito - Camping in Chile

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

 He alone is my rock and my salvation;    

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2

In November and December we took two different groups of students to a place known as "El Vallecito" or the little valley. Its a place just outside the city, on the way to the higher mountains. Its a great place because its fairly easy to get to, relatively deserted and free!

Our focus with these trips was to get away from the busyness of life in the city, enjoy nature and reconnect with God. Each time we spent various times together reading the scriptures, praying, singing and talking about spiritual topics such as God's love, things we learned in 2008 etc. 

I thank God for all of the incredibly beautiful places He has created on this earth and that we can get away, take a deep breath and find our rest in Him. 

Spring Time in Santiago

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord. Acts 9:31

We were able to do lots of fun things in the spring month of November here in Santiago. It has been beautiful outside making park services and outdoor fun activities almost weekly events. The campus ministry got together for a park service one Sunday and heard a great communion lesson by Juan Pablo, one of the great young students in our ministry. Hector, another student preached a great message about being aware of Satan's schemes that helped all of us tremendously.

We have been having some great bible discussions on campus this semester. One of them takes place at the Catholic University which has been ranked as the most prestigious university in Chile. It has been a great semester as we have really seen God move in the times we have met together. Especially encouraging is Maria Paz being baptized a few months ago and two other students now studying the bible on the campus.














We have also been able to enjoy celebrating a few birthday parties with great friends in the last few weeks. It is always such and joy to get friends together. Here are a few pics of some good times...
On a side note, check out John's other blog for some of his recent studies about trusting in God (lapalabrapoderosa.blogspot.com).