We have arrived in Chile

Hello Chapelwood and Friends!

The Chile Mission Team arrived safely and we are already making new friends!

As with all trips we did have our share of obstacles along the way, but nothing which prevented us from arriving safely and on time.

We left Chapelwood around 3pm Wednesday afternoon with Melissa Maher piloting one of the Turtle Tops to the airport. However when we arrived, we met our first obstacle. American Airlines was having a "mechanical" with our plane to Miami. The first thought was to put us on a Continental flight to Miami, but by the time all the staff members at the American counter decided to proceed, only 10 spots were availalble, meaning two of us would have to stay. The next thought was to fly all of us to Dallas and from there fly to Miami. But again after reviewing all the seats, there weren't enough. Finally one of the receptionists decided, "Let's see just how bad the 'mechanical' is. She asked us to wait patiently for 10 minutes and she would check back with the flight controllers.

We all sat together, and while waiting, we opened the nice mail from our prayer partners. We also prayed as a team for safe travel, and to accept whatever course of action the airline planned. Soon afterward, team leader Beth Dudley took all of our passports and went back to the counter. Within about 15 minutes Beth had a big smile on her face as she said the "mechanical" had been fixed and the plane was in the air. The group would not have to split up and we would all proceed to Miami as planned, but with a little bit of a wait. That was no problem as we had a meal at Bush Intercontinetal, and then waited patiently for our flight to be called. Sure enough we boarded around 7 p.m. and we were off to Miami.

We knew the connection to Santiago would be tight. Originially the itinerary called for 1 1/2 hour layover, but that time had pretty much been eaten up (pardon the pun) back in Houston. Sure enough we landed in Miami and had pretty good walk and then a train ride to the next gate. In this case seconds would count, because as we all reached the gate to Santiago, the plane was just beginning to board. Once again God's timing was perfect. It may have been a little too close for our comfort, but right on time nonetheless.

The flight from Miami to Santiago went well. It was certainly crowded, in fact the gentleman whom I sat next to me said the flight is always full. He was an elderly man from Massachusetts going back to see many of his family members. He was grateful to hear what our team would be doing, and was excited for us.

As with any international trip, going through immigration and customs is always a chore. It's not only the long lines, but it always seems a minor problem can cause a real headache. Before leaving, we had been warned the Chilean government was sticklers when it came to food. No snacks, no gum, no fruit, NOTHING. The tip proved beneficial, sure enough as we collected our bags the agriculutral dog was sniffing all over bags making sure no "contraband" was going to enter the country. All of our team's bags passed the "smell" test. We proceeded to customs door with all the forms filled out and taxes paid, then a customs' officer asked me, "What are you doing here?"

I told him we were visting the "Iglesia Methodista in San Fernando"

"Ah" another replied. "John Wesley, he was a good man!"

I smiled and as the bags went through the X-ray machine. We were high fiving the customs agents as Methodist Brothers as they allowed to pass with ease. You see even in the littlest details God has a plan to see us through.

We then met our bus contact and headed for our two hour trek southwards to San Fernando. We are staying a nice hotel in the center of town with "quaint" rooms. There is a window, but it looks out to the hall. We certainly our not complaing, but the details are here to give you an impression of the place. The drive here reminded me of rural Southern California. It is an agricultural area as you can see vinyards all over the place. There is also a great deal of fruit and vegatables grown all around. San Fernando is more of a "town" than a city, but we've already ridden the bus to the church where our contstruction project will take place.

We have shot some pictures, and when I figure out how to attach them to the blog I will send them. I am very happy the hotel has "Wi Fi", but as you can imagine, it isn't what we back home would call high speed.

That's all for now.

Yours in Christ:

Carleton Cole