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Well, I must say that I am honored to be chosen as the author of this article, as well as the knowledge that my reflections of my time in Chile so far will be read by our most distinguished (and undoubtedly good-looking) City Challenge and REACH veterans. The Head Honchos back at the RIC have asked me to share a little about living the Chilean life, as well as where I've seen the Lord's light shine in the far southern reaches of South America. So, grab your favorite snack, curl up in a comfy armchair, and don't touch that dial... mouse... thing! You're about to experience second hand what it means to be a Chilean REACHer! Are you exited yet? Good...

It seems that in the sporting world as of late, Christianity has hit the mainstream with the likes of Tim Tebow and Jeremy Lin openly praying before games and honoring the Lord for their sporting accomplishments. The world has been taken aback by these talented men who are not pastors, but yet talk about God as if he is a present reality in their lives. Some people would say "Keep your faith out of it and just play the game." Others applaud them for being the rebels that they are, expressing their individuality.

The weeks of sharing space in the Rosedale International Center are crammed with new experiences for REACH initiates. The 2011 teams have finished packing up their own vivid memories from DTS and are now on outreach gathering some more. A few of them were kind enough to share stories from their time in Columbus, from the serious to the lighthearted.

It is incredible to me that another year of REACH training has already come to a close. The teams are all out and actively seeking and sharing the Lord in uncomfortable and sometimes difficult places. It is not the normal thing to walk away from comfort and into a place of challenges, but right now there are 21 young people who have willingly, and even excitedly, chosen to step forward to do just that.

The day you've anticipated in your dreams (or nightmares) has finally arrived. Perhaps today the company finally contacted you offering you the job... or maybe you just got word that your job no longer exists. It might be that you're graduating and still don't have a job or a clear plan for what's next in your life.  Or perhaps you're the one who just found out you're pregnant... or that you miscarried. It could be that you've just started or ended a relationship; maybe you're in the middle of changing churches, buying a house, or going back to school in order to make a major career change.

Back in the fall of 2010, Wendy and I were deep in the throes of making the gut-wrenching decision on whether to continue living in Spain or move back to the United States. At that point, we had been living for almost three years in Spain. While the transition into the Spanish culture was extremely difficult, especially early on, we had grown to love our Spanish and North African/Middle Eastern friends and had even adapted enough to the culture that we were also beginning to feel rather Spanish ourselves. And so when both Wendy and I began to sense God calling us to move back to the States, we had a hard time understanding why, especially in light of the fact that we had no jobs lined up, no five-year plan for the future, and no idea where or how we were to plug in once we returned--only that we were to come back to the States. It felt on many fronts like the return was as much of a step of faith for our family as it was to actually go to Spain several years before.

We are now head long into the swings of Reach. We are in our fifth week of DTS. God has been so good and I have already seen Him working here.

The first couple weeks was a lot of getting to know each other and getting comfortable with each other. We have all really grown close and are like a big family. When I think about all the different individual's God brought to Reach this year, I am excited. He has so much in store for them. We have an awesome group of people here who love the Lord and have chosen to pursue Him with their lives. Just seeing their hearts to surrender things over to the Lord has been crazy good.