A few weeks ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of taking a week-long trip to Chile to do some missions work. It was a fantastic experience, but one that is very hard to sum up. We were basically going from early morning until late at night every day. So instead of a report, please accept this series of postcards: one picture with fifty words or less about what we were doing at the time.
This whole post is going to be longer than email can handle, so you might have to click through to read it on Substack. OK? OK!
With no further ado, I present to you — in no particular order — Postcards from Santiago.
Santiago by night, taken from the tallest skyscraper in South America. It’s both a large (7.5 million people) and a very modern city. Language aside, Santiago is comparable to NYC, Chicago, Austin, or other US cities in terms of housing, infrastructure, amenities, public transportation, etc.
Don’t mistake Chile for a third world, or even a second world, country. They have thriving industry and abundant natural resources, and have managed them well. A focus on education and development makes Santiago the most modern city in South America.
So why go there on a missions trip? Because with wealth comes distance from God (Luke 12:16-21). Chile is no different. They are a culturally Catholic nation, one where many people take comfort from the ritual of religion, but never establish a personal relationship with God.
A statue of Mary, erected on a high hill in the center of the city, so that anyone can stop and pray to her. Which, to me, is just wrong. As you might guess (missions trip, after all). The veneration of Mary over Christ is prevalent throughout the city.
Abuelas are going to abuela, no matter what the cultural and language barrier might be! The people we met, both in church and out, were quite friendly. A very warm and welcoming culture.
The Plaza de Armas, effectively in the center of Santiago. I learned a lot about the meaning of that term. It’s a place where arms were stored, and a rallying point for the defense of the city.
A typical downtown scene in Santiago. Broad streets, plenty of people, little shops everywhere. Yes, there are poorer/worse sections of the city, just like (say) NYC or Chicago.
Chilean food is made up of lots of bread, beans, and a shocking amount of fresh-made mayo. It’s absolutely delicious, if a little bland forAmerican tastes. It’s also served in portions that even a Texan would consider large.
Flyers our team helped post/hand out, inviting kids to a youth activity at Grace Baptist Church. I did about a year of Duolingo to prep for the trip, and I can say that it really did make a difference in helping me read Spanish. Speak? Not so much. :)
Most Baptist churches in Santiago are the size of a house, because that’s what they are. They can still fit about 50 people for services! Land prices in the city are insane: $100,000 US for a two-floor house on an eighth on an acre.
The street art in Santiago is everywhere, and it is absolutely gorgeous. Even the graffiti is often complex and beautiful. I wish I could spend a week just walking the city and taking pictures.
A larger church, holding nearly 300 people! This was the first night of the missions conference we came to help with. We later found out the church had been able to buy two adjacent houses, so they could construct a huge (to them!) church on a quarter acre!
Yes, we went to visit a snow park the Alps. No, I did not expect to find accordion-playing pirates. Nor did I expect them to start a dance battle with a troupe of vikings. Shari said they were sining about which group was the most dangerous!
A work day! We had enough people along that we were able to help a new church completely repaint their exterior. A number of people stopped to watch, and ask what was going on. They all got invited to come to church later that week.
Doing some touristy stuff. We climbed the Cerro Santa Lucia in the center of Santiago. We went later in the day, and got some spectacular views of the city and the mountain ranges that surround it. The size of the city and the scope of missions work here is staggering.
Una ciudad de los muertos: los Cementerio General de Santiago. Walking through this cemetery was fascinating and sobering. We saw some graves defaced; political consequences from Chile’s turbulent past. The enmities born out of revolution follows some people even in death.
The Business of Writing
A mid-week update on my three major commitments: to write, to edit, and to read.
With one thing and another, I haven’t put out an update recently. So there’s more than a bit to talk about. Let’s see, there’s… um. No, can’t talk about that yet. OH! I’m going to be… wait, no. Can’t tell you about that. Err. How about— what do you mean, “wait”? I’ve been waiting for… grrrr!
Let’s just say that Things Are Happening, shall we?
I know, I know. That sounds all mysterious. Oooooooh! The reality is that I’ve got some plans that haven’t been made official yet, or things that are in the works that I don’t want to spoil until they’re finalized. So it’s just the usual sort of “don’t talk about this until it’s ready to go”, stuff.
Mostly. ;)
What I can say is that Shari & I are finishing up edits on the second Tull anthology. Tales From the Wood is made up of fantasy stories based on the music of Jethro Tull, and we’re excited to see how well it’s received. It’s the companion volume to the SF stories in Minstrels in the Galaxy. We’re getting edits back from authors now, and there might be a little bit or story shuffling, but it’s moving right along.
Also, I will be starting a new novel soon. This one isn’t really news, I don’t think. I am going to be writing this one based on “Blue as Sky, Black as Sin”, the novella I did that took second place in the Cannon 2024 High Caliber awards. It’s going to extend that story and explore the world a little bit more. Demons, magi and secrets, oh my! Lots and lots of secrets.
I’m also hoping to get a couple of stories out for some upcoming open calls. I have an idea for a story that I would like to submit to the Brave Nights: Heroic Courage anthology from Three Ravens Publishing next year. I have no doubt there will be a couple of stories I’d like to do for the upcoming 2025 anthologies from Raconteur Press as well. So we’ll see how that all shakes out.
Other Stuff
We’ve got an open house at the pregnancy support center this evening. I’ll be attending to meet some potential new board members, and also bid farewell to our current CEO, Amber. She’s moving on to bigger and better things. While I wish she could stick around, I’m delighted she’s advancing in her career. I also can’t complain because she’s left us in a fantastic place as we look to the future.
Heart-wise, I am now on a handful of medications designed to help keep me alive. Which sounds a lot worse that it actually is, really. It’s just the usual old-man type stuff: lower cholesterol, help manage the inevitable arterial plaque, blah-blah-blah. I’m not going to kick the bucket if I stop taking them, but I might trip over the bucket a lot sooner if I don’t.
What that medications does do is give me a daily reminder of my mortality, which… is actually not a bad thing, these days. When I pop those pills in the morning, I find myself thinking about the day. Especially about whether I am truly interested in doing certain things. For the large part, that answer is yes. For some things, though, I’m finding that my answer is different. Which is sometimes a surprise to me; but it does help clear up the calendar and let me focus on the things I truly enjoy.
I hope you can get out, get some sun, and spend some time doing what you enjoy, too. Have fun, and I’ll see you next week!
Glad you're going to build on “Blue as Sky, Black as Sin." That's a great story.
Fascinating. You did say $100K for a two story house on 1/8 acre? Most Americans would find that cheap, but it’s expensive for Chile? I’d like to learn more about the country.