Concepcion, the Portland of South America

I did not know what to expect when i stepped off the plane to enter Concepcion, Chile. I had only seen pictures of the buildings downtown and heard that it was a port city. Little did i know that it was going to be one of the most interesting cities i've ever been to. Concepcion is a unique city in the south of Chile. It is on the coast of Chile and is also next to a large river that feeds into the Ocean. I came to Concepcion expecting brutally cold weather(because its winter in South America) and not a whole lot of scenary. From the moment i stepped off the plane i thought i had been transported to Portland, Oregon (my favorite place in the world). There were trees everywhere and they were ginormous. The city is clean and full of bright colors. Concepcion has about 300,000 people but it is surrounded by little cities which adds that number to around a million. The best way i can describe it is that it is similar to Houston. There is not much room for growth in downtown Concepcion, but all of the towns close by are expanding rapidly. It is interesting to me was how easy it is to get around there. All of those towns are within 8 minutes from Concepcion. During the first day of surveying the city we came to a crossroads of Concepcion and two other cities. Within a mile of eachother lies the richest, poorest, and middle of the road towns. It blew my mind to see such contrast within such a short distance from each other. In Chile there are very distinct lines between the social classes. It is very easy for a person of the upper class to associate with all classes, but it is almost impossible for a person of the lower class to go up. After hearing this from Chileans and seeing the distinction in standard of living i have been challenged with whether or not the power of Christ can break down these barriers. I have begun to dream of how God can use our team to bring the kingdom of God to the city of Concepcion and join in what he is already doing there. During the second day of surveying the city we met with a real-estate agent to get an idea for the pricing of houses. We were not expecting to try and rent an apartment but our curiousity lead us into conversation with Beatrice. Beatrice is from Temuco the other place we were looking at as a possible site for a Church plant. After the first day in Concepcion we all had a good feeling about the place, but our conversation with Beatrice was another confirmation of the plans that God has for our team. Beatrice is not a Christian, but when we told her that we were looking to start a church she was very open in sharing some advice for us. She told us that we shouldn't go to Temuco because it has the most churches in Chile. She said "The people in Concepcion are searching for something, somewhere to belong". My heart couldn't help but hurt as she spoke to us. It is a couple more years before our team is going to be ready to hit the field, and it is obvious the field in Concepcion is ripe for the harvest. Although i have left the city it will continue to be in my prayers and my heart.