Take a Guided Tour to the Chilean Patagonia

WCCO-TV (Minneapolis) anchor John Reger recently took a trip to southern Chile and filed a report on its beauty

Read his report HERE.

Watch his report HERE.

Click HERE to view 351 excellent photos of Torres del Paine park taken by Ryan Greenberg.

Or click HERE to read Ryan Greenberg's excellent 6 part travel blog series on climbing in Torres del Paine park.



Southern Chile is blessed with beauty. Someday I would love to take our family to go camping in Torres del Paine park (when the kids are older of course).

Fremont, NE VBS Part 2

Our time on the road is not all work. Play and time making friends take up a good part of our week. Swimming became a daily afternoon event due to mid-90 temps.








Waterguns + a big swimming pool = laughing boys


Kaylee and Isaac played in the smaller pool.


I joined the action by playing "Swamp Monster" with the four boys. At the end of the afternoon, I think I was more tucker'd out then all four of them combined. Where do they get all that energy?


Adam and Kelly did get a babysitter one of the afternoons so that the adults could go into Omaha for supper at Olive Garden (without the kids).


Time at the park during the afternoons.


Mr. Monkey himself


Afternoons outside = dirty little feet

Come back again for our final post on our time in Fremont.

Fremont, NE VBS (Part 1)

Sunday afternoon in Fremont, NE was John C. Fremont Days and there was a big parade. If you notice in the picture above that Jordan is waving...there is a funny story that goes with that. You see, in his mind, if you wave they WILL give you candy. We are still trying to get rid of all three bags of candy our kids got at the parade.


Calvary Baptist Church had an entry in the parade promoting the VBS that started that Sunday night.


The float was decorated in an Armor of God theme since I was going to teach on Eph. 6 during the VBS week. It was a very hot afternoon for the parade, and the church handed out flyers and icy-pops.


The main room that was used for opening and closing time was decorated with camouflage and army gear. The kids were put into two teams: Girls-Foxtrot and Boys-Delta.


During the opening time the kids were challenged by Sargent Street to follow the Commander's orders and read the "Field Manual".


I was given two 30 minute time slots to teach the children.

Topics covered were the following:
-Who is God?
-What is Sin?
-Who is our Enemy?
-How to join God's Army
-Being a Good Soldier of Jesus Christ?
-How should we defend ourselves and fight our enemy?

I had one boy ask me to explain Salvation further after one of the sessions. The boy told me that he gets saved every Sunday at church when he prays. Read Pastor Adam Love's take on that situation by clicking HERE.

We are praying for effective follow-up that needs to be done with this boy (and mom) and the many others that came throughout the week.

Time in Omaha

On our way to Omaha, we stopped at Empire Mall in Sioux Falls, SD to look for some clothes for the kids. Little did we know that "Crazy Daze" was in full force and the mall was extremely crowded with bargain hunters.

Once in Omaha, the plan was to spend several hours with a family that supports us. We did just that at their church's softball game.


Kaylee and Katie watching and cheering at the game.


The team was short a couple players, so they let me play a couple innings. What a great way to work out the travel kinks by running around the ball field.


Kaylee did more than cheering at the game. She loved to play in the dirt with the rest of the kids at the game.


After the game, the kids got to try hitting the softballs.


The Williams family invited our family out for authentic Mexican after the game. We had a wonderful time getting to know them (and the other families) in a better way. It was important to us to spend time with them and report on the process of deputation and what the Lord was doing in the ministry.


Mr. Williams bought Jordan and Ben an ice cream cone. What a way to make an impression on our boys...ice cream! The hour was late but well worth the time and effort to get together. We hopped in the van and drove another 45 mins. to Fremont, NE that Sat. night to prepare for the next week of VBS.

Come back again to learn about our week at "Boot Camp" VBS.

The "Beautiful Game" turned Ugly

(Editor's note: The following is taken from an online article.)

An angry post-match confrontation between Chilean soccer players and Toronto police has escalated to become an international incident, with officials in Santiago laying the blame squarely on Canadian authorities.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet told local reporters she was dismayed with the use of "unjustified aggression" by Toronto police after a bloody brawl following a FIFA U-20 World Cup match on July 19th.

It was an ugly loss as Argentina defeated Chile 3-0 in a yellow card-filled semifinal match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but even worse was what happened off the field.

Members of the Chilean team scrapped with police and security after the game, and one person with the Chileans was tasered by officers during the brawl. It happened as players were getting on the team bus outside Toronto's BMO Field Thursday night. A spokesperson with the soccer tourney, speaking early Friday about the incident, said that though the police temporarily detained members of the team none of them were arrested or charged.

"All (Chilean) players have been released from custody of the police to care of the Chilean delegation," FIFA spokesman John Schumacher said.

The incident began just as the game ended and Chilean players and officials rushed the field, accosting the referee, at which point police were called to the field. As the players were leaving the BMO stadium, an alleged altercation began between an Argentinian fan and a player. When police intervened players supposedly turned their aggression towards the officers.

At least one Chilean player was tasered and all players were detained by officers, some being led away bloody and handcuffed. Though they were released the team's coach was angry about what happened.

"The police, I don't know which is the problem , the police with Chile or Latino, I don't know," noted Jose Sulantay.

A Chilean player interviewed in Santiago's El Mercurio newspaper talked about what happened to him Thursday night, including being tasered, hit with batons and stung with tear gas.

"They gave me electric shocks. I fainted, and when I regained consciousness I saw that 10 police officers were hitting me and throwing acid in my face," says Isaias Perralta.

The semi-final was a tense one from the start - with seven yellow cards issued to Chile and two to Argentina, as well as two red card ejections for Chile. In all 53 fouls were called during the game, more than half of them (30) against Chile. The referees drew the ire of the Chilean players, who reportedly ran at them at the end of the game. The officiants were escorted off the pitch by police.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair defended the actions of his officers in a statement Friday.

In it, he said: "The job of my officers was to respond in a firm, but fair, manner to end that violence. They are trained to do so, and that is what they did."

International reaction, especially in Chile, has been harsh. Chilean president Michelle Bachelet was upset and reacted quickly after hearing players had been hurt by Toronto police, contacting her external affairs minister Thursday evening to ask him to send a diplomatic note.

"In our opinion, what happened is particularly serious because the Chilean delegation suffered an unjustified use of force," says Bachelet.

External Affairs Minister Alejandro Foxley later confirmed in a news conference that he had sent a letter to his Canadian counterpart Peter MacKay.

"You can't treat people, who have gone there to represent Chile in a sporting event, like this," says Foxley.

"Above all, we decided to send a diplomatic note ... to make them understand the malaise in Chile over what happened, the excessive violence, and to formally ask them to give us a detailed explanation of why this happened and who is responsible."

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To watch the new video on this story click HERE.

Picture's source HERE.
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My Thoughts:
-Good Grief
-This isn't going to help the Chile-Argentina bad blood rivalry
-This is like an 8th Grade drama (South American style)
-Here is proof why I love the PGA

Lake Benton, MN VBS (Part 2)

Traveling has it's disadvantages, and celebrating children's birthdays away from home, grandparents, and friends is one of them. Kaylee's birthday fell during our week in Lake Benton, MN. She turned two on July 12th. Pastor Fish and family helped us celebrate by buying a cake and giving her some presents.

The children enjoyed some time out on a nearby farm during the week. We were invited out for lunch by a family from the church, and enjoyed getting to know their family in a better way.

The pigs, chickens, and cows were a big hit for the boys. The flies were really bad and that didn't bode well for Ben (who is paranoid of bugs in general).


The question people ask you in these parts isn't if you are Armenian or Calvinist, but if you drive John Deere or International tractors.


Although Kaylee is "officially" to young to attend VBS she enjoys being part of every part. Here she is during craft time.

Our whole family was part of a daily reenactment of the Israelites entering into the Promise Land. No Oscars were handed out that's for sure, but the VBS kids were able to visualize what the children of Israel went through and how God provided and protected them. Jordan and Ben had very limited speaking parts and did a good job.

At the end of the week we were tired but glad to serve First Baptist Church in training the next generation in Biblical truth and explaining the Gospel. The last day was parent's night and it was a great opportunity to mingle and converse. Our prayer is that these contacts will be effectively followed up on and that these families will connect with the local church and take the next step spiritually.

From Lake Benton, we left on Saturday morning to drive down to Nebraska. Come back again to read about our week in Fremont, NE. We are thankful that many have been praying for us during this busy month of July.

Anyone Need to Cool Off?

July has been a very hot month for us in the Mid-West and I thought it would be a perfect time to introduce you all the famous and oldest Chilean ski lodge called Portillo, meaning "little pass".


Come to Portillo once and you run a serious danger of returning.

Why? Well...

-It is famous for it's one-on-one service ratio. The resort can only hold 450 guest at a time and it has a 450 staff. Now that is good service!

-There is no neighboring town, meaning Portillo is totally self-contained, much like a cruise ship nestled in the magnificent Andean peaks.

-Altitude of Hotel: 9,350 feet
-Altitude at highest ski point : 10,859 feet
-Vertical drop: 2,664 feet

-Longest run: 2 miles

-Average annual snowfall :24,7 feet

-Chance for beautiful weather : 80% sunny days

-Distance from Santiago: 102 miles (2 hours)

-Portillo operates on a weeklong, Saturday to Saturday basis. You cannot come for one or two days of skiing. Your rate covers seven nights lodging, four meals a day, lift tickets, and access to all fitness and entertainment facilities.



-Portillo is one of the preferred ski resorts for summer training by the United States and many European national ski teams (Austrian, Italian teams). The ski runs, snow, and service bring coaches and racers back to Portillo year after year. National ski teams typically stay for the entire month of August.

Desire to learn more?
Click HERE to read about Portillo in the press.
Click HERE to read of the history of Portillo.
Click HERE for rates.
Click HERE to watch the 3:15 minute promo video. (Dial-up users beware of the wait for download).

While our family will probably never go to Portillo to ski, there are many other great and less expensive places to ski in Chile. For those of you that are from MN or WI, skiing anywhere in the Andes Mts. would be better than Mount Kato, Buck Hill, or Rib Mountain.

Family Activity: Can find Portillo on Google Earth? (GPS 32, 50, 01.18 S & 70, 07, 59.61 W)

Lake Benton, MN VBS (Part 1)

During the week of July 8th - 14th, our family was serving in VBS in Lake Benton, MN.


Kaylee during snack time (her favorite part of VBS).


The theme for VBS that week was "Entering into the Promise Land". I taught the Bible lessons and the mission's time. In the picture above, I am teaching the kids about Chilean cowboys and other cultural facts.
During the Bible lessons, I focused on the following questions:
-Who is God?
-What is Sin?
-What is Salvation?
-What is Heaven?



J, B, & K had a great week making new friends, learning new Bible stories, and making crafts.
This week was the first of four weeks of VBS in a row for the family. We are thankful for God giving us strength during these long hot weeks.

Come back again to hear about how we celebrated Kaylee's birthday and our trip to the farm!

Camp Chetek Part 3

On the last day of camp, we switched our mission's time with the other missionary in order to drive home and arrive back home earlier in the evening than previous thought. When you are on the road as much as we are, a couple extra hours at home mean an awful lot.

After packing all of our stuff in the van, we let the kids experience "the Carnival" right before heading home. It was a very hot afternoon and we stayed for 40 minutes or so.


Jordan went from game to game playing and getting even more candy (if that is possible).




The face-painting booth was a hit for Ben.


Here was the group shot of all the kids we taught. It was a joy to get to know them and teach them Biblical truth, missions and the country of Chile.

Thank you for praying for our family during these summer weeks! Come back again to read about our week in Lake Benton, MN serving in VBS.

Camp Chetek Part 2

During our week at Camp Chetek, our family celebrated two events: the 4th of July and Jordan's 6th birthday.

We attended the parade in Chetek, WI on the very warm 4th.


Camp Chetek had a entry (float) in the local parade for promotion of the ministry.


The boys got a real kick out of the 4 airplanes that flew over the city for 10 minutes during the parade.


The biggest joy to to the kids was the adventure of running after the thrown candy from the floats. That brown bag that Jordan is holding was full after the parade, much to the chagrin of Kristi and I.

As for Jordan's birthday, all the families sang to him at suppertime. He had a good birthday, playing outside in the many camp activities.





Closer to the end of the week, the kids (and Kristi & I) were in need of daily naps to recharge our batteries. After this week of camp, we still have 4 more weeks left to go on the road, serving in VBS ministry.