Hola amigos! I’m back again to tell you all of some of the
things that we have done in the past week or so and to reflect on the things
that the Jman has been showing me. (I
really enjoy referring to Jesus as the Jman for some reason, and all credit to this
name goes to my girl Jeano. Miss you,
chica! Tanto….)
So this week has been very good for us. We have gotten into a bit of a routine I
guess you could say….well…..as much as we can.
And we have just had some really neat time with people.
We have started language classes, which is awesome! Our classes started last Wednesday and are
going until this Friday (the 20th) and go from 9-1030. I am in a class with a very sweet Japanese
girl named Lisa and our teacher’s name is Adela. Adela is fantastic. Basically, she has perfected the art of
story-telling and is so funny. We spend
most of our class time listening to her stories about WHATEVER and EVERYTHING,
and then we chime in and tell things about our own lives. Then usually towards the end of the class
time we do a little activity or exercise together to practice a verb tense or
something. I enjoy it a lot. It’s very laid back, but I feel like I really
am learning a lot since we talk a lot, which is what I need to be able to do
with other people. The other 3 girls are
in a class by themselves with their teacher Ines. It seems to be going well, from what I hear. After Friday, Christmas vacation begins and
goes until the 7th. So our
schedule is going to change a bit I believe.
But so far, so good.
Also, as a team we have started going through Matthew. Each week day, we read a chapter and one of
us kind of leads a little discussion it.
I love it! It is something we did
as a team in Chile, and I was so pumped to do it again. I love the different perspectives and points
that come from each person as they share what really stood out to them from the
chapter. We are going to continue to do
it through all of the Gospels. I look
forward to it each morning.
Intercambios have begun!
On Wednesday nights (for the time being that is) we go to a bar (which
are everywhere and is really just a small restaurant with a bar in it), and we
pick something to drink. We all really
enjoy Mostos, which is just a white wine without the alcohol. Then, with your drink, you are able to pick a
tapa, which is like a snackish thing.
There are lots of options. This
week, all of us got Pinchitas (mini meet kabobs with bread and chips as sides). Yummy.
So we pay like 2 Euros to get a drink that comes with a snack. Why the United States hasn’t caught on to
this brilliant idea is beyond me. So
anywho, we go and do this and just sit and talk with whoever shows up for the
language exchange that night. We mix
English and Spanish and just learn about the people around us and help each
other out with language. It’s great, and
last night’s was really great for me. I
met a very sweet woman named Paloma that was SO helpful with my Spanish. I like her a lot and really hope we can
continue to get to know each other. She
is a teacher at the University here, and all I can say is that she is
definitely in the right field of work.
Also, last Friday we went to our first youth group
meeting. It was awesome to put it
plainly. The group consists of Catholic
youth and young married couples who just very evidently love Jesus. I wish you could all come to it with us. The worship was so heartfelt, and the people
are so friendly. We felt so
welcomed. I am very amped for the
friendships that we are going to form there.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers with forming relationships
and language learning.
Just so many good things have happened this week. Some random things that are not necessarily a
part of our schedule (or are just random facts) that we got to enjoy this week
were:
-
On Friday, we went to see The Hobbit in ENGLISH
with some friends of ours. So
great! (Opening weekend at a certain
theatre here, movies show in their original language and then after that, they
are ALL dubbed into Spanish). We also
ate some expensive, but yet DELICIOUS Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter ice
cream. WORTH IT.
-
Saturday night we went to a production of the
Messiah. I have never been to an
orchestra performance, and definitely never actually heard opera singing live
before, but I must say I was very impressed.
The orchestra blew me away. And
they had choirs from all over the city come together and sing as a part of
it. It was incredible really. I was blown away by the talent that God has
granted some people and the hard work that they have put in over the years that
I could enjoy. Between the second and
third parts, there was a “technical pause”, and I really had to go to the
bathroom, so I went. Turns out that
after the performance has begun, you are not allowed to reenter. That was a bit of a bummer, but I could hear
the rest of it and got to take a few minutes looking over the city at night and
thanking God for where He has brought me.
I am truly blessed. And then I
got to go back inside for the 10 minutes of clapping and the finale which was
of course the Hallelujah chorus which was my favorite anyway :]
-
Monday night we got invited over to have
merienda (tea time from like 5-8ish….sometime in there) at a couple from
church’s house. Their names are Oman and
Patry and they were so sweet, and since this was our first invitation as just a
team, it was an exceptionally special time.
I had apple cinnamon tea which is probably my all-time favorite kind,
and they had sweets for us. Then they
asked each of us to tell them about ourselves and our testimonies, and we in
turn got to hear theirs. They are just a
very cool couple who work with Campus Crusade here in Granada and have a huge
heart for what the Jman is doing in the lives of young people.
-
The lights that the city puts up for Christmas
are so beautiful! We walked around a
couple of nights this week, and it was just so pretty. That is really the only time it has actually
felt like Christmas since we have been here.
Without the snow and cold, it just hasn’t really felt much like
Christmastime.
-
We have also got to hang out with our landlord’s
19-year-old daughter a couple of times, and it has been really good. She wants to learn English better, and she
also helps us with Spanish. Her name is
Cristina as well, and she is so nice.
Her friendship is such a blessing, and we are all so thankful for
it.
-
Also, something random that I noticed this week
was that pretty much all the kids here have rolley backpacks. None of them actually wear the
backpack…..they roll it like a suitcase.
Seriously, in the mornings it is so comical to see a mob of kids with
their parents running to catch the bus with their wheely bags in tow. I giggle to myself.
-
Today is also the first day that it has rained
since we have been here. The sky has
been SO blue pretty much every other day, but today is a sheet of white and a
drizzle has been consistently falling all day.
-
Embarrassing but slightly funny story. So Briana and I have decided to do the
workout Insanity while we are here. We
have been very serious about it, and as much as it sucks, I have been looking
forward to doing it and feeling accomplished.
So Monday we started and did the fit test. Then Tuesday was the beginning of the
workouts. If you don’t know what
Insanity is, then just trust me when I say that it is insane. I hate it and love it at the same time. So anywho, the first workout is the
Plyometric one, and it is TERRIBLE. My
least favorite. It involves a ton of
jumping and dumb stuff like that. But we
are doing it, and I am very determined to just crush this exercise. We were sweating up a storm and yelling at
Shawn T (the sort of host of the video) and it was great. Suddenly, our doorbell rang, and immediately
Briana said, “Oh boy. I bet we are being
too loud.” And all of the sudden, my heart dropped. I hadn’t thought about it that we are on the
3rd floor and how obnoxious we must be to the people below us. Sure enough, it was our downstairs neighbor
asking us to stop making so much noise.
He was very nice about it, but it was obvious that he was annoyed. OOPS.
I am going to apologize to him again, and then see if there isn’t a time
when they are both at work and we can do the workouts. Sometimes I just can’t believe how idiotic I
can be though. lol
So yeah. Just some
random information for you all. Looking
ahead, we plan to make cookies for some of our friends here on Saturday with
Mrs. J. Monday the 23rd we
are going to go caroling with our British friend Tonia who is in charge of the
intercambio we go to on Wednesday night.
Christmas Eve will be our team Christmas day doing fun festive
things. And then Christmas is going to
be spent with Mr. P and Mrs. J for a nice dinner. I am very excited.
One thing that the Father has been showing me just in the short
time that we have been here is that this time in Spain is not for ME. It’s not about me experiencing all sorts of
things and having a great time here.
What this is about is Love. Love
came. Love died. Love rose.
And Love is coming back again. And
right now, Love needs to be spread to the people on this earth. I am a tool that can make that happen. I need to just stay connected to that Love,
receive It, let It permeate throughout everything in me, and then erupt It from
myself onto others. It’s not about me
being comfortable; it’s about me putting myself out there in relationships with
people here, learning patience, seeking His leading, and pr-ying for Love to
enter into each person’s life. That is
my mission. That is why I am here. And that is why you are here too. Be Love.
Now, I didn’t say all that to act like it is going to be
easy. Yes, it’s simple, but it is a very
hard thing to actually do. He is growing
it in me slowly, but I have barely passed the starting line.
Also, I am reading through the whole Bible while we are
here, and it has been SO interesting to read through Genesis and some of Exodus
in just a couple of days. Before, when I
have read through these books, it has taken me a lot longer than just 3 days, and
I feel like I did not pick up on as much that went on back in those days. It’s really neat because Latte and Nicky are
doing the same thing basically, and while we are reading, we all share what
interesting or weird things went on back in the day. Our God is so creative. Just think about a plague of flies for a
minute. What is there was a million
flies swarming around you right now. It
would be torture! Up your nose…..in your
ears. Gross. It just hit me how horrible all those plagues
would be. How did God even come up with
that? He is just so huge. Blows me away.
I’m very sorry. This
is getting very long, and I feel like I still have so much more that I want to
write. Blogging is a way to help me
process stuff, if you haven’t been able to tell. It’s also a way for me to look back and
remember the good, hard, and funny things that have happened here. So bear with me as this is very jumbled and
rambley. I will continue with more stuff
next week, and hopefully I will have less explanations of things that we are
doing and be able to focus more on what God has been laying on my heart. Until then, prayers for relationships with
newfound friends here would be great. And
just a continued heart of servanthood and love.
Thank you all so much for your support.
Have a great Christmas and remember to thank Him for all the blessings
in your life! Hasta luego!
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