Getting To Know Families From Church

I have enjoyed meeting many families from the two Methodist churches in Huequen, the town between El Vergel and Angol.  Frequently on the weekends families have invited me to stay with them in order to get to know each other, experience Chilean home life and help me feel part of the community.  I have enjoyed their warm hospitality, delicious home cooked meals, and getting to know each family member.  Like most of the people in Huequen and Angol, the families have a connection to El Vergel, which I enjoyed learning about.

                                                               Villa Emaus church, Huequen

                                                                Church in Huequen

One church family that I visited lives in the city of Angol in a large, old home surrounded by local businesses.  Vicki and her husband, Alfredo, are owners of several clothing stores in town and are very current on business markets.  They carry a variety of both Chilean and American brands in their stores.  Their oldest son, Cristian, is studying engineering in college and their younger children, Vicente and Josefina, are in high school.  Vicki spent her summers as a child at El Vergel visiting her grandfather who lived and worked on the farm and met her best friend there.

                                                     Plaza de Armas in downtown Angol
                                               

                                                 Typical neighborhood street in Huequen
                                                     All houses have fences for security

A family that I visited in Huequen consists of Nelly, her two daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter named Jaky.  Jaky is studying to be a nurse and enjoys dancing the Chilean national dance called La Queca.  Nelly made a Chilean dish called Polmai which is sausage, chicken and oysters in a broth.  It was delicious.

                                            Polmai - sausage, chicken and oysters in broth

Lunch with Nelly's family

Traditional dress warn to dance 

La Queca (Chile's National Dance) 

made by Nelly for her granddaughter

I met Glady from the Villa Emaus church who is a great cook and invited me over one Sunday afternoon for lunch.  She has a local Mapuche Indian heritage and speaks conversational Mapudugun, the native Mapuche language.  When Glady was a young girl an American missionary brought bibles to all of the children in her school, and she diligently read the entire bible in one year.  As an adult Glady worked at El Vergel for several years in the cafeteria.

                                                   Glady, Camila, me, Nelly and Kristina

One of the families I visited lives on the property of El Vergel.  Nelson is the pastor of all three Methodist churches in Huequen and Angol, and Veronica is a stay at home mom who provides a fast food style hang out in her kitchen for the students at the school.  Their youngest daughter, Valentina sings in the church band and helps her mother with their fast food nights.  Veronica makes Chilean hot dogs called "completos", french fries, Chilean hamburgers called "chorascos", and personal sized pizzas for the students to purchase at a nominal price.  Her desserts include: Queen's Arm called "brazo de la reina" which is a pound cake with manjar (caramelized condensed milk), manjar balls, and sweet fried dough with powedered sugar that looks like a bow.

Typical Chilean hotdog, "completo"

with french fries…mmm….

Manjar ball - one of my favorites

Their fast-food business is also a ministry to the students at El Vergel because it provides them with another activity in the evening.  In addition to eating they also hang out and play cards.  The students have curfews in the evenings but can walk around El Vergel park, do homework in the dorms, hang out with each other and watch TV.

                                         Veronica, Nelson, their daughters, me, and students