Sports, Birthdays, and King of the day

It has been a while since I last posted.  I hate when I do this…..take so long to write a blog post.  Then I get overwhelmed and just …..I don’t know.  I don’t think it turns out a good. 

It’s crazy to think that it has already been  over a month, and at the same time, it’s crazy that it hasn’t been longer.  Let me explain….Thinking back, it doesn’t feel like a twelfth of the year has already happened here in Spain.  How could a month already be done?  We have so much more to do!  But on the other hand, life here feels so normal.  Walking down the street to Mr. P and Mrs. J’s house feels SO normal.  And now we have finally adjusted to normal Spaniard life in the way they eat and sleep I would say.  We stay up later and get up later.  And who eats lunch before 230 anyway?  So, now you understand the battle going on in my head over it being January already. 

Now, since I have quite a bit of ground to cover in what we have done here recently, I will TRY and be brief in describing it, but let’s be honest…...it’s me we are talking about….the rambler.  And some of the things that will be significant for me won’t seem as necessary to include to some of you all, but that’s ok.  You don’t have to read this :p 

So back to the past two weeks or so…..

A couple of Sundays ago was SO good for me.  You see, we attend church in the evening and the message was on Isaiah 61, which is very near to my heart.  The whole  service was just so Spirit led.  And we also talked to more people than we ever have before there, so that was just really encouraging to me, since it has been sort of a slow start to relationships there.  Also, my 8-year-old friend Favor, who has gotten a pretty tight grasp on my heart since we met a week ago, sat on my lap throughout the service until she went to her class.  Needless to say, her grasp got tighter from that.  Then, after church, we took grilled cheese materials over to Mr. P and Mrs. J’s house and had some dinner and then watched Pride and Prejudice and Becoming Jane with Mrs. J until 3 in the morning.  And Mrs. J was totally cool with it and suggested it.  I informed her that she was already cool, but that she went up like 3008 points on my cool meter for that. 

I already told you about New Year’s Eve, so I won’t go into that…

New Year’s Day was a great day filled with LOTS of food.  We went over to Mr. P and Mrs. J’s house for lunch.  We used this little grill type thing that you set on the table.  There are trays to melt cheese below, and space on the top to fry veggies and meat and things.  It was SO good!  And, since the machine itself is not super huge (made for 2 to 4 people), we ate slowly, just a few things at a time, so it was nice for conversation and for not eating too much :] Then afterwards we went with them to a friend’s house.  Her name is Cristina and she is an AMAZING cook.  She made us empanadas and 2 cakes….apple and lemon.  They were ridiculous in deliciousness.  MMMMM.  And we just had a time of singing and worship together along with another family.  It was so awesome to do that and just thank God for all He’s done and what more He is going to do in this next year. 

Thursday the 2^nd was a very special day for us as a team.  You see, Latte’s birthday is July 2^nd, which we won’t be together for.  So, the rest of us girls decided to surprise her and celebrate her half birthday!  The bummer part of the deal is that she remembered that it was her half birthday, and we had to pretend like we didn’t know it.  Lol oh well.  So, that afternoon, we headed over the Mr. P and Mrs. J’s house “on the way to lifegroup” and we surprised her by allowing her to help back her favorite kind of cookie….Peanut Butter Blossoms.  Those are the ones that normally have Hershey Kisses in them, but they don’t have those here.  So we had to upgrade to using Trufas, a delicious truffle that is dangerously cheap for how good they are.  Best decision ever.  They were SO good!  We will definitely need to make more and share them with our friends here as a thing for merienda.  But anyway, after surprising her with that, we went back home to play some games, and then at about 8 we headed back downtown to go out to eat.  Mrs. J told us about this Italian place with good pizza, and lemme tell ya….she was right.  I asked the waiter how big the pizzas were, and he showed us a picture and said that they were a little bit bigger than the picture.  Well, I knew that Latte wanted pasta and I thought, ehhhh.  We will just take some left overs if we need to.  Yeah……we ended up looking like HUGE pigs.  The pizzas that Briana and I got were big…..like 8 normal slices of pizza big.  We had a good laugh about that.  And Nicky got a HUGE calzone, which made us think of Tina and her Herman the worm story telling.  So, we did bring home leftovers, and we left very happy.  That place is definitely going to be returned to.  So Thursday was just a great, and I’m glad we could add a little pizazz to Latte’s day. 

Oh, but before I forget.  That day was also really comical.  Latte was juggling her tomato soup on top of the cracker container and somehow the crackers went all over the floor and the tomato soup on the table and my Bible.  But its ok.  The Bible was fine (note to self: tomato soup spilling is way better than water spilling when it comes to paper) and Nicky ate the crackers off the floor.  Nothing was ruined, and nothing went to waste!  :]

We had the opportunity to help with food distribution at our church one day, and that was great!  Went really smoothly too which was a huge praise.  We also like spring cleaned the house of some of our friends that were returning from the states after 6 months of being gone.  I say our friends because we have met them now since we have been back, and I know that we are going to be friends :]  But yeah it was really nice to be able to bless them like that.  Then after that, Bri and I had enough energy left in us to take Favor to see the movie Frozen.  It was in Spanish, and I realized just how good it was for me to watch a movie in Spanish!  I didn’t get every sentence, but I can tell you one thing…..I loved the movie.  Right up my alley in animated goodness.  Bri says it’s not Tangled quality, but its close (and we couldn’t understand everything perfectly, so I would recommend it :])

And last Saturday was a fantastic day!  We went to Fe Y Vida’s (our youth group that meets Friday nights and worships Jesus with so much passion and love) sports day.  Seriously, it is such a cool group.  I can’t wait to get to know them even better now.  We played volleyball and this really fun dodgeball game, and then I attempted to play basketball with a bunch of the guys.  We played olds vs. young and us youngsters got our butts kicked BAD.  It was so much fun though.  And then we played more basketball and volleyball and a game kinda like tether ball, but with a tennis ball on the string and paddles to hit it with.  Latte and I tried playing that, and it was pretty much a complete fail.  I realized that anytime I screw up I make really dumb noises, so pretty much the whole time I was squealing and grunting, and Latte was all normal and just laughing.  We looked ridiculous, but it was fun.  And we got to know people better.  I love how they joke around with us, but then they also just really love each other.  It’s a big group that meets, and not just youth but also young married couples with kids.  And they are so friendly and just have a good time together.  I feel like we are going to have a lot of fun with them over the next 4 months, and this really excites me. 

Sunday we attended the 3 King’s Day parade.  It’s a pretty big deal here for kids.  We waited for the parade to come through at our spot for quite a long time before it did, but that was fun because we were with people from our church.  Glad we got to go with them.  When the parade did start coming through our area, I realized how intense this thing was.  You know in the states, when you go to a parade the kids toss candy out at you and you run and pick it up from the ground and things?  NO.  Not the case in Spain.  The kids on the floats enjoy CHUCKING the candy at you in the crowd.  And the candy they throw out is small, hard candy.  And then, after the candy bounces off your head and you yelp “ouch”, it hits the ground, and before you get a chance to pick up the piece that is in front of you, someone BEHIND you reaches through your legs and grabs that painful piece of artificially colored sugar.  O man.  It was a great time though.  I just wanted to give you the dramatic version of the story :] And after that, we went and got Nutella ice cream.  And they put hot caramel sauce on it for free.  WHAT?!  Catch up, America. 

3 King’s Day was Monday.  So good!  We went to Mr. P and Mrs. J’s house with our friends Sarah, Becca and Gaby.  They are super cool, and it was awesome to get to know them better.  We ate and then went on a nice stroll around the city before delving into the Roscón, the 3 King’s Day cake.  These things are sold everywhere, and EVERYONE eats them on 3 King’s Day.  Inside there is a little king figurine and also a little bean.  So the host cuts up the big donut shaped cake, and then if you get the piece with the king inside, you get to be the king for the day :]  There is a little paper crown and everything.  And then, if you get the bean, you have to buy the roscón the next year.  And who do you think got those two things this year?  Poor Nicky got the bean (HAHA), and obviously I was the king for the day :]  Really, I got it.  I said, figures.  I would win at a food game :]  Good stuff though. 

I went to a café with Judi the next day.  And I just really love that lady.  Honestly probably the highlight of my week.  She’s so great to talk to and then in turn listen to and learn from. 

Spanish classes have started again!  I am seriously so pumped for them!  Normally we will have them twice a week, but this month we are doing three times a week.  So on Mondays, I have class from 9-1040 with Adela, my previous teacher and Lisa and another lady named Samantha.  This is more of a conversational class.  Then on Wednesdays and Thursdays (for this month) from 1-2 I have a 1-on-1 class with Cristina to work on whatever I want to basically.  I had my first class with her on Wednesday, and I am really excited for them.  We are going over grammar things to start with, and right now I am trying to get my head around which past tense verb I should use in different situations.  All I can say is BRING IT ON, SPANISH.  I’m ready for ya…… Anywho.  The other girls have class Monday, Tuesday (for this month) and Wednesday from 1-2. 

We learned how to make Tortilla Espanola this week as well!  Our good friends Omar and Patry invited us over for lunch to show us how to make it.  And lemme just say….they were delicious!  Mom, you would have been so proud of me the past couple of days.  But don’t get too excited…..still not a fan of it.  Lol I am trying though. 

Churros…..so you know how we have limited ourselves to only getting churros once every other week here?  Well, we got some on Thursday because it had been exactly two weeks since the last time we had them.  SO GOOD.  But then, last night when we were out for tapas with Mr. P, Mrs. J, Becca, and Gaby, we got more churros!  EEEEK.  I only had one though, so I am deciding that it was ok.  Yeah. 

Also, fun fact: there is a Chinese restaurant here that has really big tapas!  YUM. 

On a more serious note, I found this talk by Francis Chan on Youtube the other day.  Many thanks to my aunt for helping me find it without even knowing it.  Seriously, if I could meet anyone in the world, I would choose him.  He is just so legit.  Anywho.  So I was intrigued by the title of this one video, and I watched the 51 minutes of it by myself.  I was so inspired by it, that I had to tell people about it.  And we watched it together as a team with Mrs. J.  I just love it!  The title of the video is called BIBLE STUDY: If Jesus were the pastor of your church, you probably wouldn’t go there.  Here is the link.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWSmcR4Dxdg  I highly encourage you to watch it.  It gets me SO pumped up about living life for Him, and it also pointed out a lot of things that I NEVER put together before.  Crazy.  Please watch it. 

So I know I said I was going to talk about the book Speaking of Jesus in my next post.  And I also wanted to recount the story of my Angel happenings with you all in this post.  But it is already so long, and I feel that it would be best if my heart was into it more.  This is what I get for trying to plan something.  Story of my life…..Kirsten says she is going to do something and then it doesn’t end up happening.  Sorry.  But, I will indeed talk about these things.  I want to read Speaking Of Jesus again before I write about it, so in the next month or two that will happen.  And as I talk about my Faith and Angel encounter, I think that will be a post all to its own, having nothing to do with Spain really.  And I want to do that soon.  No promises of when though.  So, its coming, just not this post yet again.  Sorry! 

I hope you enjoyed this account of the last little bit of our lives though.  Kinda detail-oriented and not as much thought as I normally like.  That’s what happens when I get overwhelmed.  Next time I am going to write more throughout the week so I don’t have this really long post to whip up in one sitting.  That will help.  But thank you all for your support.  Please keep us in your prayers.  We love Jesus and just really want to share Him with our friends around here.  When He returns and separates the sheep from the goats, I want to be a sheep!  We just went over Matthew 25 in our devotions together and it brought back Kevin’s session where he read a paraphrase off of the last part of that passage by Richard Sterns.  It goes like this: “For I was hungry, while you had all you need.  I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water.  I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported.  I needed clothes, but you wanted more clothes.  I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness.  I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved.”  …..think about that.  Really think about that.  Is that Love?  Not at all.  But is that what your life speaks to those around you?  Hard question?  I don’t want Jesus to ever look at me and say that.  I want to give it all for Him.  This life isn’t about me.  Read over that again.  Pray about it.  Watch that video I was talking about.  And then answer honestly……am I really giving all I can to His kingdom causes?  That’s what we want to be about as a team.  So please keep us in your prayers.  Pray that He strips us of ourselves more and more each day.  And that we keep building each other up in love, but also challenging each other to go deeper. 

Love you guys.  Thanks for reading!  Challenge yourself this week.  And be blessed! 

Oh, one more thing.  Kind of a PS.  It has been over a month since my parents sent me us a Christmas box.  And it has almost been a month since it has been in Spain.  Honestly, probably the most frustrating thing that has happened here so far is this package ordeal.  I appreciate the kindness and thought so much, and I am very excited for the box to get here, but I beg you.  If you really love us, please just send us your prayers.  And if you want to do more, then hit me up with an email or letter or something.  I beg you, please don’t send any more packages.  It is quite a headache here.  And, it is costing me almost as much to get it out of customs in Madrid as it did to send the box here.  So, really.  We appreciate the thought, and I am seriously so excited to get the box and eat the stale goodies inside of it, but it’s a huge ordeal to receive a package from the States here.  Ok.  I’m done ranting.  Have a great week, everyone! 

 

 

2013.

Wow.  What a year.  It’s hard to believe that it is already 2014.  It sounds super cliché, but it really did fly by for me, especially the last half of the year.  The beginning seemed to take longer, but it was also a more frustrating time of life.  I am just sitting here, starting this post on the 1^st of January 2014 and reflecting over what God has done in the last year of my life.  With the things He has taught me and the blessings He has bestowed on me, I can say that last year was a very, VERY good year for me. 

As I think back over the months of January-April of last year, the word “frustrating” and “discouraging” come to mind.  Now, I realize that that sounds pretty dramatic, and it is.  But I am just going to be honest with you all.  They were hard months for me.  I feel a bit like a pansy admitting it though because nothing seriously bad happened to me.  It was just a rough time of life.  I was not happy in school, and my grades were terrible.  First off, this isn’t normal for me.  School was always something I really enjoyed and it came naturally for me.  I was going with the end goal of a physical therapy degree in mind (which is 7 years of school) and I barely made it through my first year!  Sometimes I really think that God, in all His wisdom, took away my brain power and made me dumb so that my eyes would be ripped from my plans and onto His heart.  And then other times, I realize that I was just probably spoiled in high school and when it comes down to it, I really didn’t learn as much as I thought I had.  Haha.  Either way, school was really hard, and with some other things that happened during that time, I realized just how much my self-worth was placed in what other people think of me and in my abilities.  I thought I had grown in seeing my identity as in Christ alone, but I realized that I had never actually applied what I learned in REACH the first time.  So, that was a very growing and hard time of my life.  On top of this stuff, a bunch of my close friends were gone or, if they were close by in distance, they felt far away in their stage of life and mine.  And so it is at this time that I will give a shout out to my sisters, Kaley, Kloe, Skylar, Malarie, and Jeano for their friendship to me.  I can always count on them, and I really do view them as my sisters.  Love you guys so much.  Thanks for always being there for me and for spoiling the crap out of me.  You love me SO well.  (and you better believe I’m rocking my Beats all over this city :D)

It was also during these months that God started showing me that He had more for me to do than what I was pursuing on my own.  I am truly amazed by His direction in my life.  I started trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my summer (because I knew I had to leave the country again….I was getting claustrophobic in the US…).  The opportunity to go to Costa Rica looked like it was closing, so then I decided that since going to Africa has been a dream of mine since I was like 11, I was going to find a way to do that.  And through His divine leading, I found a way to get there almost as soon as I started looking for one.  It was seriously all Him; He was so clear in His leading.  I think that this is the most that I have experienced the hand of God directing my life.  All the details that fell into place (that I will stop going in to…..don’t worry….) were just incredible and led me back to REACH actually.  When I was sure that I was going to spend 3 weeks in Uganda, the opportunity for me to become a team leader came.  And since my time in school was so crummy, the decision was made easier for me to make.  And once I had agreed to be a leader, I had a great sense of peace. 

So.  January-April= frustrating.  Then, I look back to May and June and I think….I don’t really know what to think, actually.  Relief is one thing I guess.  Yeah.  I think relief is the best way I can describe it.  School ended April 26^th (a very memorable day in my life :]), so May just felt very free.  Our family vacation happened, and that was just very good and relaxing.  It was also the first time I actually started to distress from the year.  If I could go back and change some things, I would have been more adventurous on that cruise.  Sorry Sky and Mal.  I’ll try and make up for it in our next adventure.  But yes.  Vacation was good.  Then came getting ready for my sister’s graduation party.  It was at this point in life that I wished I could be a boy for my dad’s sake.  He worked SO hard in getting the yard and house fixed up.  I just remember mulching with him for a lot of hours, and just thinking, “If only I were a guy, Daddio wouldn’t have to do so much of this physical labor stuff.” But it all worked out.  And I realized just how much I prefer working outdoors to working in the kitchen. Sorry, Mom.  It’s just the way I am wired though. 

After Kaley’s graduation came a month of working and preparing to go to Uganda.  That is basically all I did…..work and get things together to take there.  And then, at the end of June, Kaley and I took a road trip to Virginia where we met up with Leroy and Kristyn, my very great friend from REACH and her uncle, and we ventured to Uganda on my sister’s 18^th birthday.  I feel a little bad though, because I think that going to Uganda with her was much more of a gift to me than it was to her.  So thankful for that experience with her though.  Ready for more adventures together, Kaley?  Because they are coming.  WOOHOO. 

July is a blur of phenomenality.  Uganda was everything and more.  It’s a place that has stolen my heart.  I’ve blogged about that though, so you guys know it.  I’m praying that God leads me back there very seriously.  I feel like He has placed that desire in me for a reason, but I also don’t wanna get too caught up in the whole thing and lose sight of actually following His voice.  Trying to be patient with it, but I am VERY amped to see what God has in store for me, especially with that place. 

Anywho.  I got back from there and then pretty much jumped straight in to working a lot of hours at the fair.  I love working fair, and it makes me sad that my stupidity has probably got me permanently removed from it.  Lol As some of you know, I hydroplaned in a work car and totaled it.  Yup.  Totaled a car that was not even my own.  Horrifying feeling.  But also a time that I felt God’s protection so strongly.  No one was hurt, not even me.  I didn’t hit another car, just a guardrail and almost a wall.  But seriously.  He was looking out for me.  And it makes me realize that He obviously has more for me to do here, so he spared me.  I’m so thankful.  Also, my awesome mother went in and worked my shift that night serving because she knew that emotionally I would be a wreck.  That is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.  Sounds weird, but its true.  If I am ever a mother (which I honestly am not convinced about) I hope that I can be half as sacrificial as my mother has been for me.  And my dad for that matter.  He was the first person I called after my boss, and he just told me it would be alright.  No one was hurt, so things are just temporary and it would all be ok.  And that he loved me, even though at the time I felt like the biggest idiot in the world.  Basically, my parents rock.  Love you guys. 

August came very quickly, and with it, lots of things to be done.  Just trying to see everyone before REACH started again and packing up things……it was a whole lot of preparing.  But it was so worth it.  On August 18^th I started Team Leader training, and my life hasn’t been the same since.  As I wrote before, I wouldn’t trade this experience, the lessons learned and friendships made, for anything.  Really.  I may have friends that are in their Junior year of school now, and that’s awesome for them.  I’m happy.  But I know that this is where I am supposed to be right now.  Sometimes the world makes me think that I am behind and losing when I think about the future.  But recently, I have realized that I have gotten to experience things that many only dream of.  So I am “behind” in college right now.  That’s ok!  I may not even go back…..we’ll see.  But one thing is for sure.  The people I have gotten to meet and then know and then become friends with and then learn from have blessed my life immensely.  Ya’ll know who you are!  And the way God has grown me in confidence and self-worth is awesome.  I still have lots more to learn and apply, but He’s working, and that is encouraging. 

Now I am in Spain and experiencing life here.  We rang in the New Year downtown in a plaza with about 2309923847329847 other people.  It was so much fun!  They handed out party bags with red noses, hats, streamers, masks and necklace thingys, and also a can of 12 skinned, and deseeded grapes.  For some reason, it is a tradition in Spain to eat 1 grape each second during the last 12 seconds of the year.  I want to try it next year with actual grapes, not the prepackaged kind.  Actually, we are probably going to try it sometime this week just for fun.  But anyway, it was a lot of fun.  Lots of pop songs and dancing and loudness all around.  And so many people!  For the short ones (*cough* Nicky *cough*) it wasn’t as enjoyable because people kept hitting them in the head as they danced, but I love crowds.  Just really glad we got to experience it together.  And afterward, we came back home and made some oatmeal and watched a movie together.  I just really love my team a whole lot.  And as I look back on this time over these past 4 months with them, I smile.  Cheesy?  Most definitely.  True?  Very. 

Some highlights of the past year.  I’m sure I’ll forget some important things, but that is ok.  Just wanna jot down a few so I can refer back to them at different times. 

-          Passion 2013

-          Friend Bible study

-          Family cruise

-          Concerts: Twentyonepilots, Tenth Avenue North, ANDY MINEO, Walk the Moon, Hillsong, Austin Mahone

-          PLL nights

-          Uganda

-     “Spicy Gringos” ;]

-      Cirque du Soleil

-          The Hope Center

-      The Resistance :]

-          Birthday Balooza surprise

-          Spain

I know I ended the last post saying some things I was going to talk about in the next, but those will come the next post.  Sorry.  That was confusing, but I hadn’t planned on writing this post.  It just came to me, and I wanted to remember all this stuff.  I will leave you all with one more thought though. 

As I look back over the last year, I realize that I am not nor have I become the best at anything in this life.  I’m not the best student, daughter, worker, team leader, friend……nothing.  Well, with the exception being that I AM the best at being the worst at yellow lights.  Lol Nicky reassured me that I do have that title as I was discussing this topic with her.  (I have a tendency to do the opposite of what I should when it comes to yellow lights.  Lots of screeching tires or gunning engines when you drive with me……OOPS.) Anywho.  I am not the best at anything, and I never will be.  There will always be someone better and more talented.  But that doesn’t mean you stop trying.  It doesn’t mean I sit back and just go through life half-hearted.  My dad is someone who has always taught me that if I am going to do something, I better do it well.  Another way I heard it from one of my favorite coaches is “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well”.  And it’s so true!  Just a really great reminder that when the going gets tough, be tougher.  Push through, even if it doesn’t come naturally for you.  Seek growth and improvement in your life.  Be encouraged by the fact that no matter how pathetic your most valiant effort may be, the Creator of the universe is happy with your best attempt.  He sees the depths of your heart and loves you the same.  INCREDIBLE. 

May this year be one of newness, challenges, and growth.  And may you experience Love like you never have before.  Be blessed. 

 

Blessings, Compassion, and Justice....and a little update too

I just feel really blessed, folks.  That is what I have been overwhelmed with for quite some time now…..blessing.  I am just surrounded by so many good people in my life…..it’s truly incredible.  I find it hard to keep up with everyone because I just have so much support.  So let me first start off by apologizing if you are reading this and I have either not gotten back to your email or have not reached out to you to email in the first place.  I am truly sorry.  Please be patient with me.  It is not because I am ignoring you….it is simply because I have very little time to sit down and type.  You are in my thoughts and prayers though.  So thanks for your patience and your love.  You have no idea what an impact it has made in my life and this journey. 

Speaking of good people in my life, have you all met the people I get to share this experience with?  I hope so.  They are awesome.  These girls are really some of the best out there.  I love them so much, and I don’t know what I would do without them.   They bless me so often with little things and just love me so well.  They have become so much more than teammates.  I count them as friends and sisters.  So thank you Bri, Nicky, and Latte.  I love you so much. 

Random things that I love about my team:

-          They all admit to saying “yo” and “also” and “dangit” because of me.  I am especially proud of the “yo” that I have incorporated into their language :] The dangit….not so much. 

-          I am also making them fat……:D (I eat chocolate a lot and then they follow in my wise footsteps.)

-          The truth is…….we are a bunch of goofs.  Some of us have taken longer to show the goofiness inside of us, but its there.  And I love it. 

-          Nicky is the master of terrible puns.  Actually, to be honest, she makes up some really good ones at times, but mostly, they are terrible. 

-          Briana is a crocheting wizard.  And she is going to teach me to become one as well…..I hope.  But seriously.  The girl is amazing with a hook and yarn.  And she reads while her hands are flying all around!  I don’t know how she does it.  Also, she randomly falls off the bed.  Haha too funny. 

-          Latte is always surprising me with her random bursts of spontaneity.  Yeah….random bursts of spontaneity.  Lol go figure.  But seriously.  She will random do the weirdest things…..like eat a whole clove of garlic because someone dared her to.  Lol Cracks me up. 

-          They push me to think and challenge me more than they realize.  Their hearts are so strong for the Lord.  I love hearing their different perspectives and what God is doing in their lives.  It is a good growing experience for myself. 

And there is another woman that I have just been blown away by with all the love I receive from her.  Although our taste in things doesn’t always agree, she knows me SO well.  Anytime I wear anything cute that gets me a compliment, my team knows that I am going to tell them that she has picked it out for me and bought it.  She is the woman that knows how I am going to react in practically every situation.  And she loves me even though we argue about little things.  She sacrifices so much time for me.  She really is just the best.  So Mom, I’m sorry that I say stupid things at times that hurt you.  You really do mean the world to me.  I don’t know what I would do without you.  Thanks for putting up with me and all my ridiculousness.  Your patience with me is incredible.  And just so the whole world knows, it is not my mother’s fault that I cooked my first egg at the age of 21.  That would be my stubborn hate of the kitchen that got me in that predicament.  I love you, Mom.  So much. 

Now, there are plenty more people that love me well, but these are the ones that just stick out to me right now.  And I just felt like these declarations of love needed to be shared :]

So this week was Christmas.  And you know…..it really didn’t feel much like it.  And you know what else?  I am glad that it didn’t.  For one, having it not really seem like Christmas made it easier to not be as homesick.  Christmas is a time spent with family.  It is a time of tradition, and if you know me, you know I am a big fan of traditions.  I love the fact that you can count on traditions and that they are loaded with memories.  So by not having this Christmasy feel all around, it was easier to not take part in those traditions and be around family.  Another reason that I am glad that it didn’t feel like Christmas is because it gave me an opportunity to step back and evaluate what I have made of Christmas in my life.  Actually, it was Tasha that brought this thought into my head.  She asked, “Does Christmas only feel like Christmas if we are surrounded by our traditions and family?  Have we made Christmas more about being together and having a good time than remembering that this is the day we celebrate the Savior of the world’s birth as a human?”  And it really made me think.  Do we really take in the significance of what Jesus did for us?  I don’t know.  It was just really good this Christmas to take a step back and really let that thought sink deep into me.  The humility of our Savior is beyond compare.  And His compassion for and us is ridiculous.  If we could all just embrace a sliver of His compassion, the world would be a completely different place.  In Matthew 14, it talks about how Jesus had just found out about his cousin John’s death.  I imagine from their relationship that Him and John were pretty good friends as well.  So He finds out that his good friend just got his head chopped off in a very unjust way, and He tries to go be by Himself, which makes perfect sense.  If I found out that my cousin’s head just got chopped off by a hateful woman, I would want to be alone for a very long time.  But then this crowd follows Him and gives Him no privacy.  And what does He do?  He has COMPASSION on them and starts healing their sick.  WHAT?!  I mean just put yourself in that situation for a second and ask yourself if that is how you would have reacted to a mob of people disturbing your mourning and alone time.  It just struck me very hard.  The Jman is ridiculously compassionate.   I want that for my own life. 

Also, another challenging thought that has been buzzing around in my head for the last couple of days.  Does my life lead justice to victory?  Is that what I am about?  In Matthew 12:20, it talks about Jesus leading justice to victory.  I love that!  That’s what I want to be about!  So does my life display that?  What are things that I can do to improve this?  Do I have compassion on the less fortunate?  Do I take time out of my day to listen to others and be there for the hurting?  Or do I spend my time thinking about things that I can do to be more comfortable?  What are the things that I spend money on?  Are they things for pleasure, or are they things to help better the lives of those around me?  Do I help break the chains of injustice for the poor and powerless?  Am I living as Isaiah 58 and 61 talk about, or do I live for the comforts of Kirsten?  Whew.  I feel like I could get up and preach a sermon right now.  I feel God tugging on my heart in this area especially, and it is making me very passionate about it.  I wanna live like He did.  I want to give of myself.  I don’t need as much as I think I do.  And I want to walk by faith on the path that leads justice to victory.  That has become my prayer….that I can lean on Him for my guidance as I seek to bring Hope and Justice in this world.  And I want to do it with uncontainable JOY!  Ok…..I’m stepping off of the soapbox for now. 

Wow.  I don’t really know how I got from the topic of Christmas to this rant on justice.  But I suppose that it is alright.  I will tell you guys a little bit about what our week looked like though.  It has been a pretty slow one since pretty much everything we have been doing up to this point has stopped due to the holidays.  But that is ok.  It has given us all time to get some things done and just enjoy each other’s company :]

On Monday the 23^rd, we went to our friends Becca and Gaby’s house for breakfast.  They live in a little town outside of the city….very quaint.  It was delicious!  We had French toast and eggs and coffee.  YUM.  And, they had this cream cheese icing that I put on each of my pieces of French toast….oh my word.  Way too good.  And it was just really nice to talk to them and get to know them more.  Becca is from the states and Gaby is from Venezuela, and this was really the first time that we got to really interact with them.  Just very good.  Then later that night, we headed back up to the same area and helped our British friend Tonia play some games with her 3 students and then we went Christmas caroling to each of their families.  And we just had a really great night.  Because I am so good at winning at games, I ate a TON of chocolate (this was part of the game).  My team is a little bitter that I always seem to win at everything we play together, but they will get over it eventually.  (Just kidding.  But I really did win at this one.) And it was just a whole lot of fun.  I don’t know if I have talked about Tonia before, but she is the lady that puts on the intercambios that we go to.  So it was just a great day of seeing where she lives and hanging out with her for awhile. 

Christmas eve was a team day.  And it was wonderful.  Seriously, I love these girls so much, and together we had a fantastically chill day.  We slept in and then started the 2.5 hour process of making cinnamon rolls.  It took a little longer than we were anticipating.  Turns out that its really hard to make dough rise when it isn’t warm.  But it was all good.  They tasted really, really good with the icing especially.  They just weren’t as fluffy as normal.  And then we watched Elf, because it is the perfect movie to get you into the Christmas spirit :] and we made some homemade pizza for dinner.  Definitely my favorite thing that we have made so far.  We have decided that it will happen at least once a month.  MMMMMM.. And then we also watched The Rundown for some laughs and ended the night with exchanging gifts.  I got Oreos and milk, just like I did in Chile.  Pretty much the best gift ever.  And some more tokens of love from Nicky….she had my name.  It was just a lot of fun.  So thankful for them. 

And Christmas day was spent at Mr. P and Mrs. J’s house.  We were there for 13 hours, and it was just great.  Basically, we ate delicious food all day long……seriously.  We had little meat and cheese slices with olives and pomegranates for tapas.  Then Mrs. J had ham, cheesy scalloped potatoes, sweet potato casserole, salad, peas, and bread for us to dive into.  Then throughout the night there were cookies that we had made earlier to eat and chocolates.  Then at night we had grilled cheese and soup!  WAY too much food, but o so scrumptious.  We also had a time of worship……singing and prayer.  It was so good.  And we just talked and had a good time with them.  They got us each a scarf, and we gave them their gifts as well.  I just love them a whole lot.  Great people who have so much to teach each of us. 

That is the most interesting stuff.  As you can see, its been very laid back this last week.  On Thursday, we had nothing going on and I was in my zebra onesy (yup, you guessed it.  Its ONEderful :] (Nicky actually came up with that pun…)) until 3 in the afternoon, just reading Leviticus.  I can let you all know how to perform a burnt offering correctly.  And if you want to know if your weird skin rash is making you unclean, I can check that out too :]  Riveting stuff I tell you.  But actually a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.  And it showed me that I will NEVER be able to understand our God completely.  He is SO big and SO creative.  Blows my mind. 

Also, as some of you know, in Chile we had a stove named Ben.  Seriously, we never referred to him as a stove; He was Ben, and he was terrible but we loved him.  Well now, the Spain team has Ralph.  They have these handy dandy heaters that they put under their tables with a long, thick table cloth hanging down to the floor.  You then lift up the said table cloth and drape it over your legs.  Then, you just let Ralph the Roaster do his thang.  He is wonderful.  We love when we have the opportunity to turn him on…….teehee.  And we have this magnificent little toaster oven thing.  Its just a small little guy, but he can make quite the fire inside.  His name is Melvin the Machine, and he has blessed us with some delicious treats recently, such as the previously mentioned cinnamon rolls and homemade pizza.  Just a note though: Do NOT place a laptop with the recipe you are trying to make on top of a working Melvin.  This is a terrible idea….

Ok.  This is again getting long.  But I have more thoughts.  I will post them next week, and take more time to write them out, versus furiously flying through my brain, trying to spit out all the thoughts in my head.  I would encourage you all to read the book Speaking Of Jesus by Carl Medearis though.  I am going to be talking about it in my next post.  It is SUCH a challenging book and filled with so much truth.  Points out a lot of things that Christians need to hear and take to heart.  I just thoroughly enjoyed it.  And I’d also like to share about where I feel that God is leading my heart, and what He has spoken to me throughout DTS.  I realized I never told you all about the really cool Angel story that I have from DTS, and it has been pretty significant in my life.  So I will start on that for next week, and leave you all with one last challenge.  Take this week and intentionally focus on walking in His compassion.  Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities and really pray about it.  And see what He does.  And when He comes through and you follow, you can tell me all about it via email :]

Thanks for reading and caring about my life.  Means a lot.  And thanks for all the emails and prayers.  We appreciate it so much.  Actually, I would really love if you would take some time to pray for Nicky’s dad, Nathan.  He has been in the hospital for the past two weeks, and it has been very serious and scary.  He had an infection in his bloodstream and brain and now he has fluid in his chest that is making it hard to breathe.  And the doctors can’t do a whole lot for him because his liver is basically failing.  So it’s just been really hard on all of us, but especially Nicky.  Pray for her and her family and for wisdom on our part in what to do and how to love and comfort best.  And you can continue to pray for our small acquaintances to grow into stronger friendships.  Thanks again and God bless!

Language, Insanity, and Wheely Bags

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 20^th) 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 7^th.  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 3^rd 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 23^rd 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!

And the adventure rolls on...

Hola a todos!  Hemos llegado!  Y estoy muy emocionada por que Dios va a hacer aqui con nosotros :]

If you are confused about why I am writing in Spanish, then you probably haven’t heard much about my life recently, which is actually probably my fault.  I have done a horrific job of keeping up this blog like I said I would, and now I am off on a new adventure and haven’t posted a single thing about it so far.  So now I will fill you in.  I’M IN SPAIN!! 

Yup.  Spain.  Turns out that God is a very creative guy and He worked out my life to bring me back to the REACH program to lead the Spain team.  Through many twists and turns, He has brought me here with three amazing young women alongside me.  These ladies go by the names of Briana, Latasha, and Nicole, who I like to affectionately call Bri, Latte, and Nicky, respectively. 

Obviously since we are in Spain already, we have completed DTS.  I really regret not blogging at all during that time because it was truly incredible.  If you are reading this, then you probably know about my previous round with REACH.  It was great, and I am SO glad I did it, and it’s crazy to see the ways that God has used that to bring me to where I am today, but I am amazed by just how different this time through has been for me.  I can’t say that either DTS was better; they were both so good for different reasons.  This time through has been such a blessing for me.  To look back and see where I have come from the last time I was living at the RIC is so encouraging…..and motivating.  I am just so thankful to have been able to go through this program again.  It really is such a blessing, and I highly recommend it.  The things learned and the relationships formed are invaluable; I wouldn’t trade them for anything. 

But now, we are in Spain.  As I type this I am sitting in our lovely flat.  Seriously, we have been so blessed with God’s provisions in just the short time we’ve been here.  Our first full day here, which would have been on the 5^th, we had so many God encounters in meeting our coordinator’s friends randomly.  (Also, I will be referring to our coordinators as P and J.)  Not only that, but the story of how P and J got this flat for us also screams of God’s cool plan.  I am just in awe of His perfect timing and provision.  We have it very nice here.  Our flat is extremely well furnished and in a good spot in the city.  We’ve actually begun to get around fairly easy already, which is so good.  When we got here, we just drew names to see who would be in which room.  Nicky is in a cute little room to herself, just down the hall (5 steps) from the rest of us.  Bri and I share a room, which we quickly made our own by moving the furniture, and then Latte’s room connects to ours.  We have two bathrooms, a laundryish type room, a big living room which doubles as a dining room, and a well-stocked kitchen.  Heating homes is a bit different here in Spain (as in it doesn’t really happen :]), but God has blessed us with beautiful warm weather these first few days of being here.  So good! 

I love how everyone walks here.  It’s really hard to find a person who is overweight.  It’s such a healthy culture.  People go hiking and exercising together for fun.  And everyone walks everywhere; I LOVE IT.  Sure, I realize I am in the honeymoon stage of being here, and someday I will hate the fact that I need to walk to the grocery store in the cold rain, but right now I love it, so I am going to soak up the gushiness.  There are little shops and restaurants and bars all around.  Our flat is a 10 minute walk from P and J’s, and I just really enjoy our neighborhood so far.  It’s a nice place to go grocery shopping and isn’t very far from the church we will be attending while we are here. 

The first full day we were here, P and J showed us around the city to see the sights and told us a lot about Granada’s history.  We also got to eat our first churros con chocolate and shwarmas.  I decided then and there that I would be just fine living here for 6 months.  DELICIOUS.  The next day P took us on a 5 hour hike to a little quaint town and then to a little mountain which we climbed to view some of Granada.  I realized just how out of shape I really am from that experience.  It was ridiculously hard to breathe as I struggled to trudge up this mountain.  Talk about motivation to get in shape.  But we made it, and it was beautiful.  We will definitely be going back there.  And just today, P and J took us on another hike up behind the Ahlambra.  From there, we could see some familiar buildings as the whole city was spread out before our eyes.  It was truly awesome.  We took bocadillos (sandwiches) and some fruit up with us to eat and then had a time of prayer for the city and what we will be doing there.  Just a really great experience. 

One cool experience that I want to make sure to put in here is our first grocery buying experience.  Now, I hate grocery shopping anyways and being in a different country with a different language on a budget and not really knowing what a good price for things is just adds to all the stress of it, so I really wasn’t looking forward to it.  So we walk inside the one store that we had been told to shop at for probably the cheapest stuff, and there were people EVERYWHERE.  You see, it was a holiday weekend, as Friday and Monday are special days for something…..I kinda forget what.  But going shopping on this Saturday was a crazy idea on my part.  Just so many people and we had no idea what we were doing.  It started off that we left our house and when we got outside I remembered that I forgot the list upstairs.  Then when we made it to the store, which is really just 2 minutes down the street, we realized we had forgotten our big plastic bags to carry all the groceries back home in.  And we didn’t know where anything was in the store so we got in SO many people’s way as we tried to find what we had come for.  But FINALLY, we got most of what we needed there…..that is all but the fruits and vegetables.  Here, you take a number to be helped to get your produce from behind the counter.  It is that way for things like bread and meat too.  I was ABSOLUTELY DREADING this process of asking for what we needed and trying to figure out just how much we wanted of each thing, especially since the mass of people waiting was so long.  But it had to be done.  So Nicky and I walked up to the machine and took a number…..71.  They were serving number 51 at the moment.  I was like…..O great.  We stood there for maybe 15 seconds when an older gentleman out of the blue just came up and handed me his ticket.  He said he didn’t need it anymore.  It was number 53!! Talk about a radical God that we serve!  So about 15 more seconds went by after I thanked the man and our number was called.  I started off by apologizing for my bad Spanish, and the girl quickly realized that I didn’t really know how this all worked.  I figured she would be annoyed since there were so many people around me waiting and everyone else was yelling there orders very quickly to whoever was helping them, but she was so helpful!  She was very patient with me as I tried to figure out what I wanted and then how much, and she helped finish my sentences while I asked for something.  I was seriously just blown away by her kindness.  And pretty soon everything we needed was accounted for and we were out of there.  I made sure to thank her again right before we left and she just smiled.  I know that God placed her there to help me out, and I am so grateful.  When we got home, I looked at the receipt and I realized that her name was on the bottom as the attendant who had helped me.  It was Cristina, and that is the name that I am going by here, as my real name is too hard to pronounce for most Spanish speaking people.  Just another cool fact to add to all the others.  I really hope that Cristina works there often so that I can go back and maybe build a small relationship with her as I buy fruit and veggies for us :]

Yup. God is so good.  And I can’t wait to see what all He has in store for us here.  We will be starting language classes on Wednesday (2 days).  We are working out the details of what it is gonna look like and how long classes will be tomorrow, so I can fill you all in on that more later.  That is going to be a lot of what we do in December.  Most of the activities that we would like to try and get involved with will reconvene after the holidays (the second week in January).  As we begin getting involved with more things, I will explain them so that you guys kind of get a feel for what we are going to be doing. 

That is a big oversight of our week so far.  It has been so cool to see the ways that God is already orchestrating everything over here.  Continued prayers for wisdom would be greatly appreciated.  We desire to follow where the Spirit is leading.  Pray for open doors and a heart of love on our part.  And thank you so much for reading this and following along with my journey here.  It means a lot, and I hope you all have a blessed day.  Love Jesus.