Oh I havn't written in this blog for over a week! It has been a very busy couple of weeks with preparing things before we leave for our CULTURAL EXPERIENCE! Woo, which is very exciting but SCARY! Basically we are all going to live with different Chilean families for a week, it is designed to show us how a local family lives, to bless the family by helping them out around the house, and to improve our Spanish! It will be very difficult I think, the family I am going to stay with speak no words of English. So it could be quite slow to have a conversation, but I am armed with my dictionary and my Spanish excercise book.

I actually have some really bad news, last Tuesday we visited the prostitutes like normal, had a really good night. Something was slightly different in the atmosphere, but we didn't think too much of it. Then yesterday we recieved the really awful news that one of the men were actually murdered that night a couple of hours after we had left. We didn't know the man really well, but the men we speak to more are very good friends with him. It breaks my heart because we were really making progress with these people, on that night one of them actually prayed the salvation prayer, and I'm worried that after this sort of thing happens they will put up walls again and won't want to know. As far as I know he was murdered by another prostitute, something to do with territory. It really is aweful, and I am anticipating what next week will hold. Another factor that's on my mind is that I'm sure the man who did it will end up in prison, and I cannot imagine how awful prison is for a transvestite. Also, one of the men we do speak to was badly injured and stabbed numerous times, he is stil in hospital.

On a more positive note, we have been given the go ahead to start a gardening project at the hogar. We are planning on transforming a section of their yard into a garden with vegetables, herbs, flowers and strawberries. I am really excited to do this, as it will be something that we can connect more with the older boys through. The area really is a mess, there is rubble everywhere and bricks, and ivy growing everywhere and trees that are just enormous. But then in the middle of all this mess we found a really beautiful rose plant. It kind of spoke to us about how we must find goodness in situations that look so difficult. It was at a time where some of our team are getting really frustrated with workng at the hogar. Our Monday programme really did not go very well, the boys were being so cruel, and deliberatly doing everything we said not to do. It was a difficult day. But then to find this rose, it kind of showed us God's promise to change this place.

Last night I had a couple of the girls from church over, I probably say this all the time, but I really am happy here, I really feel I am making good friends with these people, they are so accepting and it's true that once you're their friend they do not forget about you. In the next week we have to chose a 'Chilean friend', it sounds really silly, but we have to chose somebody and dedicate to meet up with them atleast once every two weeks. I think it will be a really positive thing and will make sure that I am staying involved with the local community.

Prayer points
+ please pray for my cultural experience, I am worried about it, but pray that God will calm me and will use this time to teach me things, and show me more of his character. Pray that I will be able to help out with the family and bless them even if just in a small way.
+ Please pray for the situation with the prostitutes that somehow God's name will be glorified through what has happened. Please pray that we will have wisdom in how to communicate with the men after this, and pray for the person who did it. Pray that they will be changed and will see what they have done, but that they will be protected in prison.
+ Pray for the man who is stil in hospital, that he will have a fast recovery.
+ Please pray for the work that we are doing at the Hogar, pray our Garden will be a success and that the boys will learn responsibility, teamwork and will see how God can transform things in the same way he can transform their lives.
+ Pray for chosing my Chilean friend! Pray that I will make the right choice and that it will really be someone who I can have a good time with and can share and learn with.

Speak to you all after my cultural experience!
Love you lots xxx