He is forever faithful...

Saturday was a turning point in adjusting to life in another culture and country. The day started out...well, cold. And rainy. I looked out the window as I rubbed my ice cold, pink nose. In my warm bed with layered wool blankets--the only place it seems that cold can't find me, I pulled the covers over my head so as to block the cold. Then, I realized that if it was raining, that meant my clothes, which were hanging on the clothesline outside were getting wet. So, I sprinted out of bed to save them while feeling the unwelcome cold air every step of the way.
A day when I didn't think I could handle being cold for one more second...a day where I really didn't think I could form one more sentence in Spanish to save my life...a day where I just wanted to be warm and at home with my family speaking English.

But, God had something different in store for me...

Just when I was beginning to lose faith and doubt, He proved me wrong. The truth of His Word came rushing to my mind. "If we are faithless, He will remain faithful." 2 Timothy 2:13
One way in which His faithfulness is so evident is through my wonderful host family. And, yesterday, when I went with them to Claudio's brother's house,  I knew that I was wrong to doubt Him, the second I walked through the door of Carlos' home. I remembered when I first met them last week, and I just fell in love all over again. What is it about these people? I just love them so much.

Claudio and Rosa knew I had had the homesick bug all day...I'm 21 years old, I know. And, I kept telling myself that I needed to grow up, and "zip up my mansuit" as my mom says. But, it was a bug that seemed to stick, and I couldn't seem to shake it.
Claudio told me earlier in the day, "Sophie, te amamos." (Sophie, we love you.) And, then he told me not to worry because I would feel better after getting to speak to my family...and also that there would be wine at Carlos' house. As one who loves my family and appreciates good wine, I do have say that he was very right about both.
Once again, I found myself sitting around a table with their family, this time, understanding every other sentence instead of single words as they spoke to each other. Rosa gave me the seat by the heater, and I began to feel warm and toasty as I sipped wine from the Santa Carolina vineyard in Chile. They just kept talking, and Claudio's mother would always smile at me and say, "Más viñito?" (a little more wine?) As she poured before I could answer. I was humbled as I sat around the table with them, and asked myself how I could doubt God when He'd blessed me with so much.

After a good nights sleep, I woke up and saw sunshine outside of my window. I double layered all my clothes that night, plus wool socks, so I woke up warm and rested. It's amazing how once feeling rested, you realize how tired you'd actually been.
After a late lunch with my host family, which included carne con verduras (meat cooked with vegetables), rice and carrots, potatoes, and salad with avocados, tomatoes, olives, fresh squeezed lemon and a pinch of salt, I decided to go for a walk.
I packed my backpack with the essentials, my bible and my journal, in hopes of finding a small café to sit and read. I took my time walking down the hills to La Plaza Nibal Pinto, walking in and out of little boutiques and art galleries.

Here is a visual of my little journey to the plaza...

A little café restaurante and a little boutique that I found...

The window of the little boutique en la calle Almirante Món...

Everything is very chill, relajado (relaxed), artsy. Such awesome culture.













Someone's sweet little garden...

And, I have a thing for old doors. I love wondering how they were made and what lies on the other side. I found some beautiful ones..
Some with artwork...

And, some antiques with beautiful craftsmanship...

 Outside of an art gallery with vines climbing the walls...

The artist's work....

 Then finally, I made it to el ascensor, which is an elevator that that takes you up and down the hills here in Valparaíso.









Once I reached the plaza, I ended up running into a friend, Regina, who is an exchange student from Germany, and she will be taking some of the same classes as me. So, we decided to walk around together. We found a little café called Café del Poet, so we wandered in and ordered tea. We just sat and talked for a long time about everything (like most Germans, her English is perfect). We talked about traveling, adjusting to a new culture, the difficulty of expressing oneself in another language, our classes and about different strategies to stay warm in our little casas without central heating. She recommended a guatero (a hot water bottle). And, yes, I plan to buy one today. :)
We also went to a pastelería (a bakery) to buy something sweet. We both ordered pastries with manjar (caramel-like spread). After enjoying every last crumb, we said chao and buenas noches, and returned to our casitas.
Well, that was yesterday, and now it is today. And now, I am off to buy a guatero. :)
 But, before I go, I just have to share this video of a musician that I saw the other day in the plaza. His music stopped me in my tracks, and I was captivated by this song...

Love,
Sophie... grateful for my Father who is faithful when I am not.