They 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
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
Our Missionary Kids
How 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
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Beach
It 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
Shopping for Food
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
Old Traditions, New Traditions and the Worship of God Incarnate
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
A Day in Our Life
“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
Our First Few Days in Uruguay
One week ago we had just returned to Florida from the Dominican Republic, a
nd we were working hard at packing and cleaning to get ready to fly to Uruguay. Not surprisingly, our youngest had come down with a respiratory illness, and all of us suffered from an upset tummy from the food/water. But nonetheless, on Thursday, some friends drove 3 vans to the airport with us and all of our luggage (19 check-in, 8 carry-on, 9 personal bags, a stroller and a carseat) to see us off. With all the help, it didn’t seem like too much stuff. So we got in line and our friends said goodbye. We expected just a routine, if slow, check in. Continue reading Our First Few Days in Uruguay
God’s Self-Existence and Flying to Uruguay
Can you remember that time in your childhood where you really started to ponder the great questions of existence? Was there ever a time when you thought something like, “What if I were never born?” or the unsettling thought, “What if there were nothing instead of something?” It was about the fourth grade when I suddenly came to grips with my finiteness. The questions for me were, “What if I never existed?” and “What if God never existed?” Continue reading God’s Self-Existence and Flying to Uruguay
Simple Christian Hospitality
Breaking down in a strange city and being cared for by a local church. Being invited on Sunday morning to come share a meal with a family we have just met. Being hosted by a couple for a long weekend, complete with meals and beds for our large family. Being allowed to stay at an apartment or unoccupied house for a matter of weeks or months by friends or even strangers. Hospitality. This is something as missionaries that we are honored to both give and receive. And as we are on the brink of leaving for the field and I look back on our 8 months on the road visiting churches in the US, I can say that the one of the biggest (maybe the biggest?) spiritual blessing is the blessing of seeing God’s people practice hospitality towards us. Continue reading Simple Christian Hospitality