Reviving this blog! Aventuras de Graciela en el JMT 2014

Hi all! I'm going to revive this blog to share about my hike on the JMT!
Hola a todos! Voy a resucitar este blog para compartir de las aventuras de mochilear en el camino de John Muir! 

For starters, here's whats going down (tentatively): 

Para empezar, aquí está itinerario (por ahora): 

Day	Date	Day	Daily Miles (give or take a mile or 2)	Total Mileage (roughly)	Elevation
1	8/8/2014	1	13	13	5320' gain	Happy Isles to Sunrise Camp
2	8/9/2014	2	18	31	300' gain	Sunrise to Lyell Canyon (before Donahue Pass)
3	8/10/2014	3	14	45	3000' gain	Donahue Pass to Garnet Lake
4	8/11/2014	4	21.5	66.5	big descent + 2500' gain	Garnet Lake to Red's Meadow to Deer Creek	Resupply
5	8/12/2014	5	15.6	82.1	2500' gain	Deer Crk/Thumb to Squaw Lake
6	8/13/2014	6	17	99.1	2500' loss and 2500' gain	Squaw Lake to Upper Bear Creek Meadow
7	8/14/2014	7	10.4	109.5	Big descent	Upper Bear Creek to Muir Trail Tranch (MTR)	Resupply
8	8/15/2014	8	14.1	123.6		MTR to past McClure Meadow
9	8/16/2014	9	17	140.6	Big descent	McClure Meadow through Muir Pass to Middle Fork
10	8/17/2014	10	11	151.6		Middle Fork to Palisade Lake
11	8/18/2014	11	15	166.6	< 5000' gain	Palisade Lake to base of Pinchot Pass
12	8/19/2014	12	14.7	181.3		Pinchot Pass to Rae Lakes
13	8/20/2014	13	13.3	194.6		Rae Lakes to Forester Pass
14	8/21/2014	14	9.3	203.9	Mellow Day	Forester Pass to Kern River Junction
15	8/22/2014	15	8.8	212.7		Kern River Junction to Guitar Lake
16	8/23/2014	16	14	226.7		Guitar Lake to Whitney Portal

Elevation profile:
Perfil de elevación: 

Planning and packing has been half the battle, but the time has finally come to take off and enjoy the trail! Would love prayers for safety and a deeper wonderment of God, who has made all that we are about to enjoy!

El planear y prepara han sido una batalla, pero ahora, al fin, empieza el comienzo del viaje. ¡Ahora disfrutaré el camino! ¡Sería un gran bendición si uds. oraron para nuestro grupo, para la seguridad del viaje y un asombro más profundo que antes del Dios, quien hizo todo lo estaremos por disfrutar! 


con amor y gratitude, 

Grace 

la vida ocupada

Reanudé la vida ocupada de nuevo en San Diego. Las clases, la involucramiento con los ministerios en la iglesia, las amistades y el tiempo requerido por ellas, pensar en el futuro, mantener el español. jajaja.. de nuevo, la vida está llena con las demandas de los que me rodean. Pero lo que he aprendido en Chile sin duda es la necesidad de vivir con una perspectiva eterna, con una perspectiva relativamente simple. Las cosas que me pasan ahora se desvanecerán y desde la perspectiva eterna esas cosas no importan en la escala grande.

Dios ha sido fiel a mi. No merezco este amor tan grande, pero estoy aprendiendo como aceptar este amor, como vivir este amor, y como llevar este amor conmigo para que otros puedan experimentar el amor de Dios, de Cristo.

En un ministerio de misericordia (de la iglesia) donde fuimos en la ciudad ciudad de San Diego donde hay muchas personas sin techos, conocí a algunos quienes habían estado allí en las calles por años. Nos hablamos, aprendimos algo de sus vidas. Algunos estaban emborrachados o influenciados por drogas. Una mujer era herida por un ataque por alguien dejándola debil, asustada, vunerable a ser robada, etc. Ella nos pedío por unas manzanas y un cepillo para cepillarse. Pero sobre todo, ella quería que nosotros la oraramos, por sanación. Cuando estabamos en ruta al supermercado con la intención de comprar las cosas para la mujer, encontramos a otras mujeres. Nos paramos y les preguntamos como estaban ellas. Despues un ratito, les pregunté si les gustaría si orara yo por ellas. Nos dejaron orar por ellas. Cuando terminé, una mujer empezó a llorar mucho diciendo que antes de venimos, ella había estado orando por un señal de Dios o una bendiccion. La vida por esta mujer, quien tenía una pega real (como una asistente medical)y perdío mucho, era muy dificil y ella no podía entender porque Dios la dejó así. Pero el hecho que ella quería mucho que nosotros le oraramos probablamente significaba que ella, aunque tal vez estaba enojada con Dios, no más podía confiar en solo Dios.
Durante este acontecimiento, me di cuenta aun más que antes, que Dios es la única solución. Por todo. Y que Dios en verdad me ha dado tanto, yo debo derramarme a ellos quienes no tienen nada. A ellos quienes no tienen la esperanza que tengo yo. La importancia de el evangelio es más evidente a mi día a día por incidentes como este. Les animo que Uds. se den cuenta de este hecho importante. No se rendan a las fuerzas del mundo sino se rendan a ser disponible por el Señor para que Él pueda usarles como instrumentos de su gloria!

Hola!

La verdad es que como tan floja soy yo, voy a actualizar primero mi vida aca y luego lo que hize en la Patagonia.

Ahora estoy en San Diego, donde queda la U. Me mudé recien en un departamento nuevo y ahora tenemos que amoblarlo. No tuviste internet hasta recien asi que estaba disconectada del mundo por una semana!!! jaja no. exaggerada, pero no he podido responder ni contestar mucho a los emails. perdónenme. Echo a menos mucho a los chilenos de ICLAM! No puedo expresar como apreciaba y todavía aprecio yo a Uds. por sus amistades, generosidades, sus consejos, por compartir sus vidas conmigo.

Cuando regresé, traté de dar a todos abrazos y besitos, pero aca nadie lo hace, aun entre amigos. Lo encontré muy frio aca en este tema. jaja. He regresado a mi iglesia aca y la experencia hasta este punto ha sido un poquito raro. Como que nada había cambiado mucho menos las personas nuevas. Pero en el mismo tiempo, todo ha cambiado. Un pedazo de tiempo para nosotros no era pasado juntos, estaba yo en un mundo diferente, y ellos para mi, también estaban en sus mundos.. "disconectados de mi"(aunque tenemos internet). Dios, no obstante, siempre es el mismo, y por lo tanto no estoy preocupada de el proceso de transición de la vida.

Pues, ya tengo mucha tarea. Pero estoy "ñoña" asi que estoy super super emocionada para este trimestre!! Que Dios les bendiga mucho!!

home.

im home. and desde este punto se convertió este blog en un blog de mi vida aca en california para que los chilenos puedan saber de mi vida aca! (pero luego voy a escribir un poquito sobre mis aventuras en el sur de chile, con fotos y todo, entonces tienen que esperar un ratito mas antes que escribo en puro español ¿ cachai?)

goodbye santiago!

i shall see you once more in 15 days, but for now, i am making my way down to the the tip of the bottom of the world. chau!!!

eyes .

Miercoles, 26 de noviembre


Today was the last day of my seguridad ciudadana clase, well actually my last day standing walking through the edificio of la escuela de gobierno y gestion publica. Sighing with relief at the completion of the nearly done semester I suddently felt my eyes, like magnets, becoming attracted to all that surrounded me. The building with bright yellow paint, old 19th century architecture. The one I once called feo. The creaking, old, dark, wooden stairs that I had always run up in my haste. The sharp sweet smell of disgusting cigarettes lazily floating in the damp air near the copiador. I had so habitually walked through this school without giving any attention to it. I probably had looked at it a few times but intentionally decided in its ugliness not to pay anymore attention to it. But today, today something hit me and my eyes were open to this strangely beautiful run-down building that was my academic home for 4 months. As I walked out of the massive wooden doors my heart secretly waved goodbye.

I walked to the right, as I always did, towards the San Martin Metro station. The construction that was there when I first came, the construction site that forced people to detour onto the street, yes that same one that nearly made me get run over by a bus, was still there. The same sounds of jack hammers, the same paint and dust covered construction workers with eyes that wandered. As I crossed the street, I saw the same sight I had always seen. The long line of unhappy looking Santiaguinos waiting to get home in the hora of suckiness and tacos, aka. 5pm-8pm. Oh Transantiago. I made my way towards the open mouth that would led me "under the skin of Santiago" into the metro station, but as I did, I heard something that I had never heard before--or possibly had, but never had noticed it. It was the loud deep clanging of the church bells of the bright orange Catedral San Martin. I stopped abruptly and just stood there staring a the massive church, listening and listening to the bells that roared while a pack of pigeons flew chaotically over my head. Time seriously seemed like it stopped and people seemed to stop. I noticed a few suit-cladded Chileans looking at the Catedral too. I looked back at the Catedral, ella que nunca yo había visto por tanto tiempo. It was old and significant in the Santiaguino urban landscape. It had massive and smooth pillars that soared high up and meet with the edge-filled features. Huge wooden doors welcomed its visitors. Above the door was a metal star with rays shooting out from its sides. The steeple sat high above and on top of that was a metal, near black, cross with rays emitting out from the circle that was in the middle of the cross. It was simple, but beautiful.

The first time I passed through this part of Santiago central I only fixed my eyes on the dinky sprinkler they called a fountain in front of the Catedral. I often laughed to myself at how sad that fountain was. But behind me loomed this massive structure. The thoughts of how I had critized Santiago for its lack of Latin American flavor rushed back into my mind and a voice in my mind poked me and said, well here you go, Latin flavor.

Somehow all of these things reminded me of God. How it takes a massive ringing bell to make us notice the grandeza and belleza of God, or merely His presence. How we walk by everyday, knowing vaugely that God is with us . But we forget to just stop and look at Him, beholding Him for who He is. We often, like I did many times with the dinky fountain, look at our surrounds and critize the lack of this or that, critize the dinkiness of things. God forgive me. Help me pause more to behold Your majesty and beauty.

I walked towards the metro station, more slowly than normal, pesnando en estas cosas. I pulled out my 100 pesos and gave it to the Chinese woman who laways stood in front of Santa Ana at this time. And she gave me in return a friend MSG packed spring roll that was her source of material bienestar. As she handed it to me, for the first time I looked at her face, at her eyes as I said "Gracias". I walked down the stairs wondering how my days would have been if I payed this much attention to everything around me. But no regrets. God give me eyes.

please disculpar my lack of writing juice

I realize I haven't written in a while. Partially because I've been busy, but that word doesn't necessarily mean the same as having a lot of work. When I say busy, I could mean busy sleeping, busy chatting, busy cooking, busy doing homework, and maybe busy studying. It's understandable though. I have less than a month here in Chile and I'm trying to savor as much of the remaining time left. It's been a bit hard to do so though because in the back of my mind I know I should be focusing on finishing strong at school. But I want to say that I've learned/ am still learning, that school isn't everything, and relationships with people, and God is way more important. Of course I should study, and I am still studying (Mom I promise!), but it's not my biggest priority really. God somehow blesses me with the strength to memorize things, cram study, and even retain all that in my mind. So thank God!

Um. So I love my church here. And I feel so loved by them even if they do do crazy things to express their love. Such as drench the gringos. And chuck the Korean boy up and down. But in all honesty, like Andrew said in his farewell letter-speech-thing, this church, ICLAM, truly esforzarse to become a church the way God intended it to be, and it shows! Love, generosity, humility, family-likeness, and all that jazz is so evident in that church. And of course the people in there aren't the most perfect people in the world, pues nadies es, but they are certianly a group that is willing to stand up for Christ, live for Him, and find His heart. Small, but happy family. =)

I'm really mixed though in how I feel about wrapping up this experience. I want to come back and visit them. Really. I know that if I came back, I'd have open arms waiting for me. But at the same time I'm so darn excited about going home and sharing all of these stories about God moving to all my friends, family, and .. dogs? And yes, I do miss home (finally right?), and San Diego and people there. It's strange to have a life in 2 worlds.

I'm sort of brain dead from sleepiness, and I just took a prueba today, so I shall give a more intelligent-sounding.. jk. more profound. update soon. with pictures and all.. but for now. Good day to you, 24 de noviembre. Que te vaya bien!