goin´south

hello to all,
writing from san fernando, a town south of Rancagua. i am hitch hiking south with my friend Tom, another wwoofer i met at the farm. we´re headed towards the same farm south of Concepcion, hoping to make it there by this Friday or Saturday. so far we have had great luck hitching, three rides this morning, and my spanish is better than i thought it would be.

this past week and a half at the farm were the hardest.
i found myself very ready to go, to leave, to change, to move on. i have realized that there are more important things to a place than just the place itself. i found myself in a beautiful atmosphere, excellent food, people who seem to value the same type of life that i do,... but something was lacking. the sense of community that i am used to was not there, not permanently. i don´t know why, but it seems that once you stay in a place long enough to start to know the people and their motivations, how they function and what they value in life, this is when i start to realize my differences.
to truly have something special it takes more than good food and a beautiful place, similar ideas, or the pursuit of adventure. the love that i know from the Lord, and that i feel from other people cannot be replaced or mimmicked, cannot be faked or substituted. i feel like this realization is only on the tip of my tongue, and i am starting to taste its bitterness and sweet flavor.

i am well, and blessed to have a companion on this southward journey. Tom is from England, studies in Canada, and has a dry sense of humor that keeps things rolling.
i left about 25 lbs of stuff at the farm, and feels good to be traveling lighter now. i know more of what i need, what i don´t, and what i want to haul around on my back.

thanks for your thoughts and prayers, the Lord continues to pour his grace on me
-joshua