What I Miss The Most

Apart from my family, friends, and the space in our house, what I miss the most is our dryer and our dishwasher.

Luckily we have a washer for our clothes (it's in the kitchen under the sink), but we don't have a dryer. The clothes dry within about two hours hanging outside and it's not even that hot outside.

We're having serious issues with keeping up with our dishes. We have to figure out another system! Ideally we'd each have a glass and a plate and that's all we'd use, but with kids that gets difficult. Especially because the kitchen is a seperate room with a door, so it doesn't lend itself to washing dishes while you watch the kids or while you talk about the day. You have to be close din the kitchen to get the job done.

Chile Adventure 2011

Well, I have been an utter disappointment to the blogging world. I was pretty sure that I would not be very successful before I even started, and my inclination has proven to be true. Once again, I am going to give it a shot. The Cabrera family has embarked on a new adventure that I would love to document and maybe blogging is the way to go. We'll see!

Two weeks and two days ago, on September 9, 2011, we arrived to Chile for an 8 month stint. How we got to this point is another post, but here we are. We are now in a two bedroom apartment in Santiago, we're driving a 4-door Mazda 2, and we're ready to see what God has in store for our next 7.5 months.

Although I do want to document the really important stuff, I also just want a place to put the funny things that I come across on a daily basis.

What has impressed me the most so far?

ANSWER: Parking garages!

These people have parking garages down to a science!

• They are all under ground. Under the mall, under the city streets, under the hospital, under whatever (I mean, they even have a turnpike that is under a river!)
• Every parking spot has a sensor above it. When there is a car parked in the spot, a light that hangs above the end of the spot turns red. When the car pulls out, the light turns green.
• At each intersection there is a sign that indicates how many available spots you can find in that row. When all the spots on that row are full, the sign turns into an X.
• There are pedestrian walkways in the parking garage: Instersections where you cross, lanes that you walk in, etc. (This makes sense b/c people drive crazy and you could easily get side swiped if you're not standing in the right spot)
• There are car washes in the parking garage. If you need a car wash, oh...just park in the car wash corner! For an extra $4 you can get your car washed while you shop!

Not to metion other cool things like the magnetic grocery carts that you take up an down the moving sidewalk ramp. Or the grocery store/wal-mart entrance that you have via the mall. Talk about a one-stop-shop! The mall, dinner at a restaurant, the grocery store, oh...and a car wash....all in one!

I'll take pics and post!

Chile Next Week!

David is going on a mission trip to Chile! Our friend that works for American Airlines has offered David a very cheap stand-by ticket and he is going to fly out at the beginning of next week. David will be taking the funds that have been collected thus far with him, evaluating the needs, and allocating the funds over the week. He's also hoping to get his hands dirty and get some projects started in some homes while he's there. A friend has offered him a place to stay and a car to drive. Before he leaves Chile, he'll be able to evaluate what the most urgent needs are so that we know how to allocate any funds collected between now and then. The rainy season is right around the corner and we hope to help our family make the necessary repairs so that their roofs aren't leaking when the rain comes. A few weekends after David's return, we are going to host a backyard dinner at our house to show pictures of the work being done in Chile due to the generosity of our friends and family. I will be in touch about the date and time of that dinner soon.

We still need support! David leaves next week, so now is the best time! If you would like to contribute towards the stand-by ticket or towards the repairs that need to be done in Chile, you can go to the button below or you can mail a contribution to 5728 Sylvan Drive Columbia, SC 29206. Please make checks payable to Cabrera's Chile Relief Fund. If you would like to make a sizeable contribution ($500+), make checks payable to "Radius Church" and mail it to the address above. They can then issue you a tax-deductible receipt.




We will be collecting funds to help out friends and family in Chile until the backyard dinner. Any funds collected after David's departure will be wired to Chile after his return. Please pray for him as he travels and pray for me as the boys and I miss him very much!