Culture, Food

Asado

Asado cookingAsado is grilled beef. It is very common for people to eat asado (with a variety of cuts of meat), chorizo and grilled chicken (though not as popular) in Uruguay. We were recently invited to a friend’s home to eat with them after church. It was a delightful time with good company and delicious food. They also served hamburgers, which we appreciated.

Beef is one of the most important industries in Uruguay. It is all organic and grass fed. If you have purchased organic beef in the U.S., then there is a chance it was from Uruguay!

Beach, Travel

Pocitos Shoreline

Pocitos ShorelineSummer is over in Montevideo. This is a picture of one of the beaches we enjoyed going to this summer. It is called Pocitos. The beach is across the water near the building skyline in the background. There are many people from Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil on the beaches of Uruguay each summer.

Holiness, Sanctification, Trials

Serving Christ

“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.’ ” (Luke 9:23-25)

Our Lord graciously laid down his life for his people. Oh, the wonder of what Jesus did to save lost sinners, fulfilling the law on their behalf and taking their punishment upon himself – the very wrath of God against unrighteousness and rebellion! Continue reading Serving Christ →

Evangelism

Taxi Driver Evangelism

TaxiThey have taken over the streets of Montevideo. You can’t hide from them. They are everywhere. What are they? Taxis. In any given day there is a sea of taxis buzzing up and down the roads of Uruguay’s capital. Yellow and white with reflective tape, a sign that says “Taxi” and unique license plates, members of this army of vehicles are hard to miss – except when you need one. The other day I went to run several errands and ended up several blocks off of my bus route and rather too far to walk home. Continue reading Taxi Driver Evangelism →

Settling In

Settling In

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After 4.5 months in Uruguay, we were blessed this week to receive our belongings from the US. It was a happy, if somewhat chaotic reunion! To give a little history, when we left San Diego in January 2014 we chose to send a small quantity of our things (a container that is 7 feet by 7 feet by 4 feet, and another about half that size) by boat to Uruguay. We researched and considered either shipping all of our things, shipping nothing, or compromising with a small amount, which is what we chose. We heard horror stories of missionaries having a terrible time getting their things out of customs, but, knowing that manufactured goods are very expensive in Uruguay, we decided to go ahead and take the risk. Continue reading Settling In →

Children, Language Learning

Our Missionary Kids

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IMG_20150127_114558741How are your children adjusting to their new life in Uruguay?

This is probably the most common question I hear from our friends and support team back home. And for good reason. We have children of pretty much every age category under our roof, and anyone who has ever moved with children knows that moving is every bit as momentous and stressful for a child as it is for an adult. Continue reading Our Missionary Kids →

Sanctification

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Beach

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10933969_10205506524998171_767937728248792510_nIt was our last day borrowing our teammate’s car. They were about to return from their vacation, and then it would be back to taking the bus. So, we decided that we needed to have an afternoon at the beach while there was still an easy way to get there. It came at the perfect time. Our family was feeling pretty tired…but not because we had been accomplishing so much. But more because we had been learning so much. Much of living in a new culture is about the inefficiency of life and how much language and culture we learn while trying to get things done—the things don’t get done very quickly but we tell ourselves that is okay because we are learning a lot anyway. But learning is tiring. And inefficiency is tiring. Continue reading A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Beach →

Culture, Food, large family

Shopping for Food

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In the middle of shopping.One thing that has been very different in our South American home is shopping for food. It has been different, and honestly, fun. First of all, we don’t have a vehicle. That has made a big impact in what shopping for a family of nine looks like. I never before in my life gave a thought to how heavy food is, until I had to carry it all home. Now, thinking about the weight of my purchases is part of the daily routine. Another daily feature of life is whether we have small cash on hand. Our bank gives us money only in bills of 1000 pesos (about $45 US dollars). This is too much for all but the largest stores to accept, making it a constant battle to keep small enough bills on hand, for shopping or taking buses and taxis. Continue reading Shopping for Food →

Christmas, Missions, Worship

Old Traditions, New Traditions and the Worship of God Incarnate

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Christmas Tree
Our Little Christmas Tree

Though the Christmas season in the U.S. has come to an end, here in Uruguay we have at least one more day until it passes. Tomorrow is the Day of the Kings, a holiday where the gift giving surpasses even that of Christmas in much of Latin America. It refers to the Magi who visited Jesus and gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As the season comes to an end and we look back over the past couple of weeks, we thank God for the blessing of having celebrated our first Christmas here in Uruguay. We had been in our new house a little over a week when the special day arrived. Continue reading Old Traditions, New Traditions and the Worship of God Incarnate →

Culture, large family, Travel

A Day in Our Life

Montevideo
Montevideo

“I’m sorry, you can only register one of your documents today,” the woman behind the counter told Ray. He stood there with all 10 of the documents (9 birth certificates and a marriage certificate) that need to be registered before we can begin the process of getting our visa to live in Uruguay. Although he wasn’t clear why only one document, he dutifully filled out the form and paid the fee and then returned home. Continue reading A Day in Our Life →