After I finished my intensive course here in CR (Costa Rica), I began volunteering. My goal was to see if working at an orphanage is something I would like to do with my future. I didn’t have a very strict plan as to what I would do. I certainly didn’t think that God would work the wonders in my heart that He did.
Since I first arrived to CR I have been working with a group in one of the slums on Saturdays. What we do is teach a Bible lesson to a group of kids. I have been teaching the older preteens. It is something that I look forward to doing every week. The kids are all so sweet and lovable.
This was the first time that I had ever been to a slum. At first I was pretty shocked because I didn’t realize that this ministry was even in a slum. The people in this neighborhood live in houses made of scraps. The families don’t own the houses and many don’t have bathrooms. Once I became involved with the children, I completely fell in love with them.
Every time you hug one of those kids they just eat it up. With each hug that you share with a child in this neighborhood, it feels as if you are taking on a part of their burden. Teaching them the Bible is offering them hope in a God that truly loves them like no one else does. Spending time with and respecting both the children and their parents, I pray, help’s them to see how worthy and important they are. This time that I have had with these children has been priceless.
Also I have been working 2 days a week at a baby orphanage. There are about 18 children under the age of 5 in this home. During my time at the orphanage I hold babies, feed babies, and play with the babies and the little children. I LOVE IT!!! I mean, that’s an understatement….I LOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEE them! Now they all know me, and we are ALL best friends! They call me “tia” aka “aunt.” Before this I was really hesitant around little babies, but not anymore. Today I was holding a 2 month old and an 8 month old at the same time. Haha, God gives us the ability to do what He needs us to do. This week is my last week and leaving them here is going to be SO hard.
Another ministry that I have volunteered with is Christ for the City. Mainly I have been working with a medical mission’s team. Christ for the City works in a neighborhood called “La Carpio” here in San Jose. This neighborhood is home to mainly Nicaraguans living on the city’s dump. Families here live in very poor conditions, struggling daily to eat. A medical mission’s team came with doctors and dentists to offer free services. I helped translate and take care of kids. Of course I also held many babies :). It was really fun to use my Spanish in that way. It was exciting to successfully be able to translate!!!
Never in my life have I felt like what I am doing is so in line with God’s will. Hugging, playing, and loving children in each of these different places has been one of the most important things I have ever done with my life. This experience has changed my life. God has been breaking and transforming my heart and showing me truth. When I am in these neighborhoods, I feel like I am in the exact spot that I need to be in. It just feels right to love on these kids. In the future I hope to return to Central or South America in order to work in the slums long term.
Literally every day I see and feel the Holy Spirit working. He shows me what people to spend time with and shows me the people who need to feel His love. Many times the Holy Spirit moves me to spend extra time with a certain child or adult. God is working, He is present, you just have to push yourself aside and let Him do His thing; which is challenging sometimes. There have been many moments here when God has had to remind me not to be prideful, because I am His servant. The Lord is good, He is faithful, and I will serve Him with all of my life.
“You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seas…” Psalm 65:5
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Family and Friends in Costa Rica
Some of the greatest parts about living in Costa Rica have been the people! For the first 7 weeks of my time in CR I lived with a Costa Rican family. Those weeks were very blessed. I had a Tico mom, 2 sisters, a brother, and nephew. They were always willing to help me with Spanish and to spend time with me. We had a lot of fun together! On Costa Rican’s Independence Day they took me to the parades, we went to see the main Catholic Church, and we went on a day trip we went to see a Volcano.
For the last few weeks I am living with an American family. This has been such a great time. They have really blessed me. I met them at school and they offered for me to stay with them. After they are done with school they are going to move to work as missionaries in Uruguay. They have four active children who are really fun to spend time with. The husband and wife are great people of faith and have been awesome mentors for me. I really respect them and how they live their lives for Christ. Their family has treated me with love, like I am a member of their family. It has been so nice to come home from volunteering and hang out with them each night.
God has also blessed me with awesome friends my own age. Through school I have become good friends with a group of girls. We are all around the same age and are in about the same places in our lives. We each came to serve Christ here in Costa Rica. All of the girls have great hearts and I have absolutely loved my time with them. Each week we attend a Bible study every week and hang out together often. They have become my best friends in such a short time and I am really sad to leave them!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” Hebrews 12:1
For the last few weeks I am living with an American family. This has been such a great time. They have really blessed me. I met them at school and they offered for me to stay with them. After they are done with school they are going to move to work as missionaries in Uruguay. They have four active children who are really fun to spend time with. The husband and wife are great people of faith and have been awesome mentors for me. I really respect them and how they live their lives for Christ. Their family has treated me with love, like I am a member of their family. It has been so nice to come home from volunteering and hang out with them each night.
God has also blessed me with awesome friends my own age. Through school I have become good friends with a group of girls. We are all around the same age and are in about the same places in our lives. We each came to serve Christ here in Costa Rica. All of the girls have great hearts and I have absolutely loved my time with them. Each week we attend a Bible study every week and hang out together often. They have become my best friends in such a short time and I am really sad to leave them!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” Hebrews 12:1
Why Costa Rica?
After I came home from Argentina I didn’t think that I would ever live in another country again. Let’s face it, it was hard. Things didn’t turn out the way I thought they would. It didn’t come natural for me to share the gospel or for me to live in another country.
I am SO thankful that God sent me to Costa Rica.
During this summer doors seemed to be shutting in my face…well actually it was more like there just weren’t any doors to open. Going to grad school right away didn’t seem like a good idea. Plus the deadline had already past. I didn’t qualify for most of the social work jobs. The jobs that I did qualify for, I needed my social work license which I didn’t have.
I knew that I wanted to keep up my Spanish. I also knew that I didn’t feel confident enough in my Spanish to use it in a job. Ryan Gray suggested at the beginning of summer that I go to the language school that he attended in Costa Rica. All summer I joked with my parents that I was going to Costa Rica. At some point in the summer I decided that I should apply to the language school, just for kicks. The same day that I emailed they responded. During this time I was reading a book about giving up your life and money for Christ. At that point I felt God giving me the green light to go. In fact, I knew that God was telling me to go. So I went.
The course was great! I was placed in the advanced class which surprised me. Each week each person in my class had to give a 15 minute speech…in Spanish. This of course intimidated me every single week! As the title of the course suggests, the classes moved at a very quick pace and were very difficult. I had to study every night, all night. I mean let’s be for real, I didn’t even do that in college!
The last 2 weeks of class I was the only student in the class. I got one on one attention and was able to focus on the things I needed to work on.
In those six weeks I learned a ton of Spanish. I now feel confident in taking a job where I need to use Spanish. The other day I was hanging out with a teenager. In the middle of the conversation I realized that I understood everything and I wasn’t even giving him my full attention; I was also playing with a kid while I talked to him. Now that was exciting!
I am SO thankful that God sent me to Costa Rica.
During this summer doors seemed to be shutting in my face…well actually it was more like there just weren’t any doors to open. Going to grad school right away didn’t seem like a good idea. Plus the deadline had already past. I didn’t qualify for most of the social work jobs. The jobs that I did qualify for, I needed my social work license which I didn’t have.
I knew that I wanted to keep up my Spanish. I also knew that I didn’t feel confident enough in my Spanish to use it in a job. Ryan Gray suggested at the beginning of summer that I go to the language school that he attended in Costa Rica. All summer I joked with my parents that I was going to Costa Rica. At some point in the summer I decided that I should apply to the language school, just for kicks. The same day that I emailed they responded. During this time I was reading a book about giving up your life and money for Christ. At that point I felt God giving me the green light to go. In fact, I knew that God was telling me to go. So I went.
The course was great! I was placed in the advanced class which surprised me. Each week each person in my class had to give a 15 minute speech…in Spanish. This of course intimidated me every single week! As the title of the course suggests, the classes moved at a very quick pace and were very difficult. I had to study every night, all night. I mean let’s be for real, I didn’t even do that in college!
The last 2 weeks of class I was the only student in the class. I got one on one attention and was able to focus on the things I needed to work on.
In those six weeks I learned a ton of Spanish. I now feel confident in taking a job where I need to use Spanish. The other day I was hanging out with a teenager. In the middle of the conversation I realized that I understood everything and I wasn’t even giving him my full attention; I was also playing with a kid while I talked to him. Now that was exciting!
God Loves the Little Children
When I came back from Argentina I thought I was coming back to work as a children’s minister for a church that I love. But really;
God sent me home to introduce a 6 old little boy to Christ.
Leading up to the time that I went home I was going through an interview process at a church. I had talked to several of the members, who indicated to me that there was a good chance I was going to be their minister. I was so pumped. It was so easy. I would go home, and have a great job just waiting for me.
The day after I returned home I went for my last interview. After my interview I chatted with a few of my good friends from the church about the job. They were asking me if I really wanted to settle down so quickly. Then I went and spent time with my brother. He talked to me about listening and following the Holy Spirit. After talking with those three people I “knew” that I wasn’t going to get this job. Sure enough, I didn’t. But that was alright; I felt peace and knew that God was leading me to something else.
For the next month I prayed about and researched different options. During the whole summer I only found 2 openings for children’s ministers. Almost all of the social work jobs that I found required a master’s degree and 2 years experience.
After 3 weeks I randomly received an email from a babysitter's website that I hadn’t signed up for. It was advertising a summer nanny position for a family with 3 children. I sent them my resume and the day after had an interview.
At the interview I learned that they weren’t Christians and that they lived 2 blocks from my church.
That weekend I was supposed to hear whether or not I had the job. I didn’t hear from them within the time frame that they gave me and so I didn’t think that I had the job. However I went to church and during the whole service God was telling me that I needed to tell them about Him. And I was saying, “But how?! I didn’t get the job!!!” Well as it turns out, they called and I got the job. So I started babysitting for them.
About 45 hours a week I hung out with the kids. There were many weeks when I only had the little 6 year old boy. We played ninjas, Monopoly, tag, and swam…you know the normal stuff. Their parents told me that I could answer any questions about God. However they never asked and so I just played with them.
In July my church was having their VBS. I was nervous to ask the parents if I could take the kids. But, finally by Thursday I worked up the nerve to ask. I asked their dad and he said that they probably couldn’t go, but that he would talk about it with his wife.
My Mom and I prayed all night that they would come. But I thought for sure the answer would be no.
The next day I asked their mom if they had decided whether or not the kids could go. She said that it was okay for them to go because it gave the kids something to do. So on Monday we went. The girls hated it but the little boy liked it.
The second day the little girls went to their friend’s house while the little boy and I went to VBS again. During VBS there is a time where the kids are invited to go up to the stage and sing and dance to the songs that they had learned. The little boy went up front and sang one of the songs. He was trying so hard and you could see it in his face that the Holy Spirit was working. My mom and I were both really excited!
Well the rest of the summer went by quickly. By the end the little boy and I were best buds! We NEVER discussed God, we just played and played.
The last week that I was with the little boy he started saying things like, “Audrey, did you know that God loves cats?” Every day he made comments about what God likes and about who He is. We were driving in my car on the last day and the little boy asked me, “Audrey, does God like the devil?” After this question he asked me a series of questions about God and what He does. In five minutes I completely explained to him the basic concepts of who God is and how we can follow Him. I explained to him things like that God takes care of us, that He saves us, loves us, and protects us. Throughout this conversation he kept saying things like, “Yeah God is good” and “God loves me.” Also my mom was sick and we were on our way to get her from the doctor’s office. He said, “Yeah and God sent the doctors to make your mom better.”
The truths that he was saying were profound. As far as I know no one had been talking to him about Christ. He has never been taught about the Bible other than the 2 days at VBS.
It was the Spirit working through me that showed this precious little boy who Christ is. I didn’t even have to do anything. That little boy now knows Christ. God is his friend. He has a hope that he didn’t have before. I believe that God will continue working in his life. I believe that God has great plans for this little boy and for his family. I am so thankful that God sent me home to introduce Christ to a 6 year old little boy.
But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?” Matthew 21:15-16
And this was just the start of things…
God sent me home to introduce a 6 old little boy to Christ.
Leading up to the time that I went home I was going through an interview process at a church. I had talked to several of the members, who indicated to me that there was a good chance I was going to be their minister. I was so pumped. It was so easy. I would go home, and have a great job just waiting for me.
The day after I returned home I went for my last interview. After my interview I chatted with a few of my good friends from the church about the job. They were asking me if I really wanted to settle down so quickly. Then I went and spent time with my brother. He talked to me about listening and following the Holy Spirit. After talking with those three people I “knew” that I wasn’t going to get this job. Sure enough, I didn’t. But that was alright; I felt peace and knew that God was leading me to something else.
For the next month I prayed about and researched different options. During the whole summer I only found 2 openings for children’s ministers. Almost all of the social work jobs that I found required a master’s degree and 2 years experience.
After 3 weeks I randomly received an email from a babysitter's website that I hadn’t signed up for. It was advertising a summer nanny position for a family with 3 children. I sent them my resume and the day after had an interview.
At the interview I learned that they weren’t Christians and that they lived 2 blocks from my church.
That weekend I was supposed to hear whether or not I had the job. I didn’t hear from them within the time frame that they gave me and so I didn’t think that I had the job. However I went to church and during the whole service God was telling me that I needed to tell them about Him. And I was saying, “But how?! I didn’t get the job!!!” Well as it turns out, they called and I got the job. So I started babysitting for them.
About 45 hours a week I hung out with the kids. There were many weeks when I only had the little 6 year old boy. We played ninjas, Monopoly, tag, and swam…you know the normal stuff. Their parents told me that I could answer any questions about God. However they never asked and so I just played with them.
In July my church was having their VBS. I was nervous to ask the parents if I could take the kids. But, finally by Thursday I worked up the nerve to ask. I asked their dad and he said that they probably couldn’t go, but that he would talk about it with his wife.
My Mom and I prayed all night that they would come. But I thought for sure the answer would be no.
The next day I asked their mom if they had decided whether or not the kids could go. She said that it was okay for them to go because it gave the kids something to do. So on Monday we went. The girls hated it but the little boy liked it.
The second day the little girls went to their friend’s house while the little boy and I went to VBS again. During VBS there is a time where the kids are invited to go up to the stage and sing and dance to the songs that they had learned. The little boy went up front and sang one of the songs. He was trying so hard and you could see it in his face that the Holy Spirit was working. My mom and I were both really excited!
Well the rest of the summer went by quickly. By the end the little boy and I were best buds! We NEVER discussed God, we just played and played.
The last week that I was with the little boy he started saying things like, “Audrey, did you know that God loves cats?” Every day he made comments about what God likes and about who He is. We were driving in my car on the last day and the little boy asked me, “Audrey, does God like the devil?” After this question he asked me a series of questions about God and what He does. In five minutes I completely explained to him the basic concepts of who God is and how we can follow Him. I explained to him things like that God takes care of us, that He saves us, loves us, and protects us. Throughout this conversation he kept saying things like, “Yeah God is good” and “God loves me.” Also my mom was sick and we were on our way to get her from the doctor’s office. He said, “Yeah and God sent the doctors to make your mom better.”
The truths that he was saying were profound. As far as I know no one had been talking to him about Christ. He has never been taught about the Bible other than the 2 days at VBS.
It was the Spirit working through me that showed this precious little boy who Christ is. I didn’t even have to do anything. That little boy now knows Christ. God is his friend. He has a hope that he didn’t have before. I believe that God will continue working in his life. I believe that God has great plans for this little boy and for his family. I am so thankful that God sent me home to introduce Christ to a 6 year old little boy.
But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise?” Matthew 21:15-16
And this was just the start of things…
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Saying "Chau"
The last month has been very full. For various reasons I have decided to go back home to Texas on May 16th. Making the decision of when to go back home was very difficult. Thankfully, when I decided on a date and booked the tickets I felt peace. My time here has been a great learning experience and now it is time for me to go home.
A few weeks ago my parents came to visit. Seeing them for the first time in 7 months was very exciting. It was so nice to be able to give them hugs! Their visit was great for so many reasons. We met most of my close friends, ate my favorite foods, and I showed them MY grocery store.
Their visit was also very nice because it helped me start to gain perspective on my time here. All week we stuffed in visiting people, and they still didn't meet many of my GOOD friends. God has given me so many friends here that have taught me a lot about life and about Him. He also has given me lots of different types of friends. This has helped me to be able to relate and connect better with a wide range of people. I feel like now it will be easier for me to be in relationships with people who I don't have very much in common with. This will benefit me in future professional and personal relationships.
As of right now, I have two weeks left in Argentina. This weekend I am traveling to Iguazu Falls with Ashley and our new friend Bettina. After that I will be saying goodbye to friends, and getting ready to go. Monday was my birthday. I spent the day with my three best friends in Argentina. Honestly, it was kind of a hard day because it was the first day that it hit me that I am leaving. Then last night I had a birthday party with some of my friends and it hit me even harder. Although I do feel ready to go home, I wish that I didn't have to leave my friends. In just 8 months I have made friends that I love so much. It is going to be really hard to leave them. Luckily, we have Skype, email, and Facebook to stay connected.
So far I do not have exact plans of what I will do next. I have interviewed for a children's ministry job that I would like very much. At the end of May I will find out if I have that job. If this is not God's plan then I will be spending some time at home, praying and applying for jobs. I would really appreciate your prayers as I make the next step.
God has shown me that He is faithful and loving. He takes care of us even when we don't remember that He is there. He forgives us, loves us, and teaches us constantly. He is a perfect God.
Los quiero mucho!
Amigas from home church
Eating ice cream on my birthday!
Some of the kids from my birthday party, I made everyone tacos :)
A few weeks ago my parents came to visit. Seeing them for the first time in 7 months was very exciting. It was so nice to be able to give them hugs! Their visit was great for so many reasons. We met most of my close friends, ate my favorite foods, and I showed them MY grocery store.
Their visit was also very nice because it helped me start to gain perspective on my time here. All week we stuffed in visiting people, and they still didn't meet many of my GOOD friends. God has given me so many friends here that have taught me a lot about life and about Him. He also has given me lots of different types of friends. This has helped me to be able to relate and connect better with a wide range of people. I feel like now it will be easier for me to be in relationships with people who I don't have very much in common with. This will benefit me in future professional and personal relationships.
As of right now, I have two weeks left in Argentina. This weekend I am traveling to Iguazu Falls with Ashley and our new friend Bettina. After that I will be saying goodbye to friends, and getting ready to go. Monday was my birthday. I spent the day with my three best friends in Argentina. Honestly, it was kind of a hard day because it was the first day that it hit me that I am leaving. Then last night I had a birthday party with some of my friends and it hit me even harder. Although I do feel ready to go home, I wish that I didn't have to leave my friends. In just 8 months I have made friends that I love so much. It is going to be really hard to leave them. Luckily, we have Skype, email, and Facebook to stay connected.
So far I do not have exact plans of what I will do next. I have interviewed for a children's ministry job that I would like very much. At the end of May I will find out if I have that job. If this is not God's plan then I will be spending some time at home, praying and applying for jobs. I would really appreciate your prayers as I make the next step.
God has shown me that He is faithful and loving. He takes care of us even when we don't remember that He is there. He forgives us, loves us, and teaches us constantly. He is a perfect God.
Los quiero mucho!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Lately
Wow! It has been almost two months since I last blogged. I am sorry!
A lot of really good things are happening right now. I am teaching my second round of Let's Start Talking. The study that we read from comes from the book of Luke. Each lesson has one part of a chapter. First my students read the chapter, then answer questions, and we discuss the reading. Some of my students know some history of the Bible and so understand the dialogue of the stories. Others are not familiar with the stories in Luke, nor are they familiar with the Old Testament references. Many times my students ask very challenging questions about the text and so I have to be well prepared for each class. I like this because it has given me the opportunity to study and understand the book of Luke in more detail than I have before. Most of my students are very open to discussing the text in the lessons which is really great.
One of my favorite recent blessings that God has given me is my roommate. Her name is Luciana and she is from Peru. Luciana and my other friend Ashley are looking for their own apartment. Finding an apartment to rent in Buenos Aires is very challenging and so Lu is staying with me until they find one. It has been really nice sharing life with Lu. She is a very fun and spunky girl and we laugh a lot together.
I have also been doing some babysitting. Some friends of J&K are in need of some extra help with their kids because the wife was pregnant and on bed rest. The family has 2 children (now 3 children), all under the age of 2 years. I go to their house and watch the kids with their grandmother. This has been a very interesting and good experience.
God has blessed me with some really great friends here. I am really enjoying spending time with the youth groups at two of the local churches, as well as with other friends that I have met throughout my time here. Living in such a big city means that there is always something exciting going on. For example, a couple of weeks ago I "tried" to go with some of my friends to see one of the world's most famous tenor singers, Placido Domingo. I say "tried" because I went late, and the crowd was so crazy that I couldn't find my friends and so after a few minutes I decided to go home :). With the rest of my time here I really hope to continue getting to know, understand, and enjoy friends.
Well, there is a lot more that I could blog about but I think that I will stop here for tonight. Hopefully later this week I will write more. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support!
A lot of really good things are happening right now. I am teaching my second round of Let's Start Talking. The study that we read from comes from the book of Luke. Each lesson has one part of a chapter. First my students read the chapter, then answer questions, and we discuss the reading. Some of my students know some history of the Bible and so understand the dialogue of the stories. Others are not familiar with the stories in Luke, nor are they familiar with the Old Testament references. Many times my students ask very challenging questions about the text and so I have to be well prepared for each class. I like this because it has given me the opportunity to study and understand the book of Luke in more detail than I have before. Most of my students are very open to discussing the text in the lessons which is really great.
One of my favorite recent blessings that God has given me is my roommate. Her name is Luciana and she is from Peru. Luciana and my other friend Ashley are looking for their own apartment. Finding an apartment to rent in Buenos Aires is very challenging and so Lu is staying with me until they find one. It has been really nice sharing life with Lu. She is a very fun and spunky girl and we laugh a lot together.
I have also been doing some babysitting. Some friends of J&K are in need of some extra help with their kids because the wife was pregnant and on bed rest. The family has 2 children (now 3 children), all under the age of 2 years. I go to their house and watch the kids with their grandmother. This has been a very interesting and good experience.
God has blessed me with some really great friends here. I am really enjoying spending time with the youth groups at two of the local churches, as well as with other friends that I have met throughout my time here. Living in such a big city means that there is always something exciting going on. For example, a couple of weeks ago I "tried" to go with some of my friends to see one of the world's most famous tenor singers, Placido Domingo. I say "tried" because I went late, and the crowd was so crazy that I couldn't find my friends and so after a few minutes I decided to go home :). With the rest of my time here I really hope to continue getting to know, understand, and enjoy friends.
Well, there is a lot more that I could blog about but I think that I will stop here for tonight. Hopefully later this week I will write more. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Summer in Winter
In case you didn't know, right now it is summer in South America. While everyone in the United States is in school and experiencing cold weather; everyone in Argentina is on summer vacation and enjoying very hot temperatures. It feels really strange to read Facebook and see all of the posts about snow and ice. Personally, I think that I like summer more than winter. Not particularly because of the weather, but because summer means summer camps, vacations, and more time with friends.
A few weeks ago I went to a summer camp with one of the local churches. It was for "Jovenes" which includes kids from 13 years of age- adults who are in their late 20's. This is a very wide range of Youth! There were kids in attendance from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brasil, Columbia, and the United States. We were a very diverse group! The camp was located 2 hours away from Buenos Aires, in the country. At the camp we worshipped and had classes, played sports and games, and just spent a lot of time with one another. I absolutely loved it!!! To me camp is one of the most important activities for a youth group to participate in. Camp is a place where people can refresh and reunite with brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a great place to be still and to be reminded of who God is. At this camp, I met a lot of new friends and got to know my old friends even better. Through that week at camp God opened my heart to love my friends in this church in a more real way. He helped me to relax and to be my Really Goofy self. These two things are difficult for me to a lot of times because of the language barrier. Obviously if you can’t understand and communicate, it is much more difficult to have deeper and more meaningful relationships. Not knowing the language can put walls between you and people. But during this week, God began tearing down those walls. I now feel so much more open and close to the youth. The kids in this group are really neat. I really admire the ways in which they are inviting and inclusive. It was an honor to witness some of the amazing ways in which they ministered to each other. God is definitely at work in their hearts.
A week after camp, Rhea and Sam Hill from my hometown came to see me! I cannot even begin to explain to you how meaningful this was to me. I loved being able to show and share with them my life in Buenos Aires. They went with me to one of the local churches, met some of my friends, saw some of my favorite spots, and ate some awesome Argentine food. We talked and laughed together, I got them lost, and they helped me move into my new apartment. It was such a FANTASTIC time!!! Gracias a Dios! The Lord certainly knows what we need and when we need it.
Last week I helped at a camp for children. The camp was in Buenos Aires and was great! In the States I am usually either volunteering or working with children. Here in Buenos Aires I haven't been spending time with very many children. I miss working with children SOOOOOO much! I really do believe that that God has called me to work with children. The kids at camp were fun, it was neat to sing, "kid songs" in Spanish and to play with them all week. Speaking Spanish to little kids is like taking a test. They tell you bluntly when you say something wrong, and ask why you are so bad! Ha ☺! Every day we went to a pool and swam. At the beginning of the week a bunch of the kids didn’t know how to swim. By the end of the week most of them were paddling and doing well. Kids are so brave and can learn things really quickly! The only frustrating part of the week was when they pretended not to understand me. I would talk to the kids a lot and they understood me. But, when I had to discipline them or stop them for doing something, they magically couldn't understand my Spanish! Isn't that funny how that works?!
Thanks be to God for all of these wonderful experiences He is providing for me in Argentina! Everyday He is present and faithful. He is teaching me things that I am sure I will be processing for the next few years.
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:18
Girls from Freed-Hardeman University came to camp!
One of my new friends!
These boys were so much fun! They spoke "English" my adding "sh" to Spanish words :)
Sam and Rhea took me to Colonia, Uruguay. I needed to leave the country for my Visa and the town was really cute and fun to visit!
I love you guys!
Ashley teaching at "Campamento para ninos." She did a great job!
Some of the cute girls at camp!
Santiago wants to learn English. So far he knows Ham and cheese!
A few weeks ago I went to a summer camp with one of the local churches. It was for "Jovenes" which includes kids from 13 years of age- adults who are in their late 20's. This is a very wide range of Youth! There were kids in attendance from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brasil, Columbia, and the United States. We were a very diverse group! The camp was located 2 hours away from Buenos Aires, in the country. At the camp we worshipped and had classes, played sports and games, and just spent a lot of time with one another. I absolutely loved it!!! To me camp is one of the most important activities for a youth group to participate in. Camp is a place where people can refresh and reunite with brothers and sisters in Christ. It is a great place to be still and to be reminded of who God is. At this camp, I met a lot of new friends and got to know my old friends even better. Through that week at camp God opened my heart to love my friends in this church in a more real way. He helped me to relax and to be my Really Goofy self. These two things are difficult for me to a lot of times because of the language barrier. Obviously if you can’t understand and communicate, it is much more difficult to have deeper and more meaningful relationships. Not knowing the language can put walls between you and people. But during this week, God began tearing down those walls. I now feel so much more open and close to the youth. The kids in this group are really neat. I really admire the ways in which they are inviting and inclusive. It was an honor to witness some of the amazing ways in which they ministered to each other. God is definitely at work in their hearts.
A week after camp, Rhea and Sam Hill from my hometown came to see me! I cannot even begin to explain to you how meaningful this was to me. I loved being able to show and share with them my life in Buenos Aires. They went with me to one of the local churches, met some of my friends, saw some of my favorite spots, and ate some awesome Argentine food. We talked and laughed together, I got them lost, and they helped me move into my new apartment. It was such a FANTASTIC time!!! Gracias a Dios! The Lord certainly knows what we need and when we need it.
Last week I helped at a camp for children. The camp was in Buenos Aires and was great! In the States I am usually either volunteering or working with children. Here in Buenos Aires I haven't been spending time with very many children. I miss working with children SOOOOOO much! I really do believe that that God has called me to work with children. The kids at camp were fun, it was neat to sing, "kid songs" in Spanish and to play with them all week. Speaking Spanish to little kids is like taking a test. They tell you bluntly when you say something wrong, and ask why you are so bad! Ha ☺! Every day we went to a pool and swam. At the beginning of the week a bunch of the kids didn’t know how to swim. By the end of the week most of them were paddling and doing well. Kids are so brave and can learn things really quickly! The only frustrating part of the week was when they pretended not to understand me. I would talk to the kids a lot and they understood me. But, when I had to discipline them or stop them for doing something, they magically couldn't understand my Spanish! Isn't that funny how that works?!
Thanks be to God for all of these wonderful experiences He is providing for me in Argentina! Everyday He is present and faithful. He is teaching me things that I am sure I will be processing for the next few years.
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 1 John 3:18
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A Very Argentine Christmas
When planning my trip to Argentina in August, I thought about coming home for Christmas. But then I decided that it would be best for me to stay here for the entire 10 months. My reasons were:
1. I’m only going to be here for 10 months, so I want to use all of the time I have here and experience as many new things as possible.
2. December was my third month to be in Argentina and supposedly you deal with a lot of culture shock in the third month. So if you go home during that time it would be very hard to come back. (Thankfully I didn’t go through more CS in December ☺)
3. Not speaking any Spanish for 2 or 3 weeks would not only have stopped my learning, but might have also caused me to forget a lot.
4. It costs A LOT of money.
So because of these reasons, I decided to stay in Argentina for the holiday season. I think this was an excellent decision. Many of my friends offered for me to stay with them for the holidays. Friends asked me to go to Peru, the north of Argentina, Neuquen, and several invited me to stay in Buenos Aires and spend the holidays with their families here.
It was a tough decision but I decided to go to Neuquen, Argentina with my friend Belen and her brother Emi. They go to J and K’s house church. Belen has been very busy with school and work and we haven’t been able to spend very much time together. I thought this would be a really great opportunity to get to know her better. I also wanted to go with her because I wanted to leave the big city for a little while!
Neuquen, Argentina is a 12-14 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires. In many ways, the city reminded me of Lubbock. It was a quiet, dry, friendly little town. Belen’s family is really wonderful. They made me feel very welcomed and at home, and treated me as family. Even their dog acted like my dog Rosa and wanted to sleep in my bed with me. God really blessed me. Their backyard had a pool and a very nice garden. It was really fun spending time with this family, swimming, playing cards, and drinking mate. We also had 4 barbeques while I was there!
On Christmas Eve the family cooked food all day. I really did not know what to expect or what was going to go on that evening but I was just going with the flow. I thought the food was for the next day since the next day was Christmas. But then at around 10:30 PM, everybody started getting dressed up. So I just followed their example and put on the nicest clothes I brought. And Belene did my hair and makeup. We ate dinner at around 11:30 PM and at 12:00 AM we went outside. And so did all of their neighbors. And we kissed everyone and wished each other Feliz Navidad. And people were in the middle of the streets were lighting fireworks, right next to cars. Luckily, no fires started. After all of this all of the young people left to spend time with their friends. It was a very interesting and fun night! New Years Eve was almost the same as Christmas. It was also a really good night!
For the last few days of my trip, Belen and I visited the 7 Lakes of Argentina. We started in San Martin de los Andes, then went to Villa la Angostura, and ended in Bariloche. I don’t think I’ve ever been to more beautiful places. God is a really great artist. The lakes were beautiful and my time with Belen was priceless. I am very thankful for her friendship and look forward to spending more time with Belen in Buenos Aires.
Tomorrow I am leaving for church camp with one of the local churches. I can’t wait!
I took lots of pictures but my USB cord is not working and I can’t upload any from my camera. But here are some from someone else’s Facebook:
1. I’m only going to be here for 10 months, so I want to use all of the time I have here and experience as many new things as possible.
2. December was my third month to be in Argentina and supposedly you deal with a lot of culture shock in the third month. So if you go home during that time it would be very hard to come back. (Thankfully I didn’t go through more CS in December ☺)
3. Not speaking any Spanish for 2 or 3 weeks would not only have stopped my learning, but might have also caused me to forget a lot.
4. It costs A LOT of money.
So because of these reasons, I decided to stay in Argentina for the holiday season. I think this was an excellent decision. Many of my friends offered for me to stay with them for the holidays. Friends asked me to go to Peru, the north of Argentina, Neuquen, and several invited me to stay in Buenos Aires and spend the holidays with their families here.
It was a tough decision but I decided to go to Neuquen, Argentina with my friend Belen and her brother Emi. They go to J and K’s house church. Belen has been very busy with school and work and we haven’t been able to spend very much time together. I thought this would be a really great opportunity to get to know her better. I also wanted to go with her because I wanted to leave the big city for a little while!
Neuquen, Argentina is a 12-14 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires. In many ways, the city reminded me of Lubbock. It was a quiet, dry, friendly little town. Belen’s family is really wonderful. They made me feel very welcomed and at home, and treated me as family. Even their dog acted like my dog Rosa and wanted to sleep in my bed with me. God really blessed me. Their backyard had a pool and a very nice garden. It was really fun spending time with this family, swimming, playing cards, and drinking mate. We also had 4 barbeques while I was there!
On Christmas Eve the family cooked food all day. I really did not know what to expect or what was going to go on that evening but I was just going with the flow. I thought the food was for the next day since the next day was Christmas. But then at around 10:30 PM, everybody started getting dressed up. So I just followed their example and put on the nicest clothes I brought. And Belene did my hair and makeup. We ate dinner at around 11:30 PM and at 12:00 AM we went outside. And so did all of their neighbors. And we kissed everyone and wished each other Feliz Navidad. And people were in the middle of the streets were lighting fireworks, right next to cars. Luckily, no fires started. After all of this all of the young people left to spend time with their friends. It was a very interesting and fun night! New Years Eve was almost the same as Christmas. It was also a really good night!
For the last few days of my trip, Belen and I visited the 7 Lakes of Argentina. We started in San Martin de los Andes, then went to Villa la Angostura, and ended in Bariloche. I don’t think I’ve ever been to more beautiful places. God is a really great artist. The lakes were beautiful and my time with Belen was priceless. I am very thankful for her friendship and look forward to spending more time with Belen in Buenos Aires.
Tomorrow I am leaving for church camp with one of the local churches. I can’t wait!
I took lots of pictures but my USB cord is not working and I can’t upload any from my camera. But here are some from someone else’s Facebook:
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