So here I am, back after a Chilean Christmas and New year! We had time off over Christmas to recouperate before the busy next few months. For Christmas day we celebrated as the IT team, just the 10 of us. We decorated the garden, put "snowflakes" in the trees, fairy lights around and had a barbeque together. Later that night we used the OM projector and sat on the skate ramp and projected faulty towers on to the wall :) Good times. Then the day after Christmas day us girls went to Vina del Mar for a beach holiday, it was a really good bonding time and it really made me appreciate how important these girls are to me. We relaxed on the beach, burnt and swam. The water was ICE cold! Colder than Cornwall I can tell you! Then after a few days on our own the boys and the leaders came and joined us in Vina and we did some more organised things, such as we went surfing and we went on a tour around Valparaiso (another older city right next to Vina, Yerko took us around this area because it was actually where he was born). Then on new years eve we spent the evening on the beach and at midnight there was a huge fireworks display! There was about 6 different platforms in the sea, and each had fireworks coming off them. it lasted about 20 minutes, and I loved every second. It really was a time to remember.. my New Years in Chile :)

Now we have the weekend off and start work again on Monday, back in head first. The next month is going to be very fast because we are going to a youth camp of one of the local churches on Thursday I think, and thats for about 4 days.. then after being back for only a few days we are off to Argentina again for a huge youth conference called Cima (http://www.cima2010.com/es.html). Then it's my birttthdaaayyyyy after this month! Crazy how fast time flies.

I have been looking at applying for university accommodation, and student finances, and it just feels really weird. It's weird to think that I'm not going to be in Chile one day. I really will miss it here, but I am happy because I know God has a big plan for me in London aswell and he has pleanty of things for me to do there! My adventure is not going to be over :)

I am currently reading the book 'the shack'. God is really teaching me things at the moment about his character and about how close he is. How much he knows about me. I think I often think of the quote about God knowing how many hairs I have on my head, but don't so often think about God knowing the inner desires of my heart, or the things that really trouble me, or my insecurities. He knows them better than I do, I often try to pretend things aren't there when I'm spending time with God which is so rediculous, because he already knows exactly what's going on. But he stil loves who I am, he stil loves me with all my problems and things, and he wants to pour his blessings on me. I am also doing a devotional book at the moment about the prayer of Jabez, and it's really challenging me to look at God as a God who wishes to bless, and a God who wants us to walk in his path, not because we can help him, or not because it fulfills him, he is already completly fulfilled, it is simply because we will be blessed, and WE will be fulfilled whilst bringing him glory. It is something that I thought I understood, but each time I am learning a little more and glimpsing a little bit more of his love. His insain incomprehensable love!

Please pray
*For the Children in the Hogar, alot of them went home over Christmas, and alot of them would have had bad experiences with their families, please pray that we will be sensitive to that whilst visiting them this week and that we will be able to comfort them in a way that theyw ill be able to accept. Pray that in their hurt they will open up to us and not push us away.

*For the youth camp this weekend, we are performing an old drama, so pray that goes well, but mostly just pray it can be a time where we can really bless and serve this church and that people will hear God and will be touched by his word.

*Please pray for all the people doing final arrangements for Cima, pray that all will go smoothly in the run up. Pray that God will prepare our hearts already before we leave and that he will begin teaching us things that he wants us to learn there.

Thank-you all,
Take care, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! xxxx