This really has been an awesome semester.

Other possible titles include, but are not limited to: Honesty. Ya know, I don't know if I actually am ready to return to the USA. God is faithful. Oh how He loves.

Anyway, I was thinking about the fact that I have to / get to return how in just a few short days. There have been times this semester when that is the only thing that I've wanted to do and could just not wait for the end to be here so I could go home. I thought I was ready. I've been looking forward to the end for so long. and not just the end of the semester, also the fact that it is the end of my undergrad academic career. Wait, what?! I'm done with college. forever. tomorrow. That came fast...

There are so many things to look forward to: carpet. heating. Christmas and everything that goes along with the holiday season. Peppermint mochas. having it be normal to carry around a water bottle or a travel coffee mug. friends. family. hugs. my cellphone. reliable internet. different food.

There is also so much that I will miss terribly: Triana bridge. Spanish. the history and architecture here. Cathedral. Cheap flights to all of Europe. new friends. tons of cafes. siesta. relaxed time schedule. Acento. my church. Encuentro.

This semester has been probably the second hardest semester I have ever had, and that doesn't really mean academically. There are a lot of other factors here, like homesickness, being in a serious relationship and hardly having good communication with Aaron or people from home, culture shock and finding it incredibly hard to get to know Spaniards, not always wanting to try and make connections with people because it just means more hurt later on, not having a great homestay, being disappointed in how much English there is which leads to not as much improvement in Spanish, etc. (If you want more details, just ask... we can get coffee sometime.)

BUT - through all the hard, God has been faithful. I have been incredibly blessed here through attending a large, very diverse church with an awesome, on-fire youth leader, through Encuentro (Wednesday night worship), through new friendships, through my prayer group, and most importantly, through the hardships. Yes, the hardships. That can be difficult to admit and to really mean, that we are thankful for the hardships, but that is what God calls us to. He doesn't promise that this life is going to be easy, he actually says the opposite, that we will have trials, but these trials bring us closer to him. It's through being broken that we can grow. And no matter how much I fight it, I am broken, and I need to continue to be broken to be made whole in Him. He is my strength. He is what gets me through day to day. He is my love, my life, my all.

So yes. This has been an awesome semester. I've learned SO much, been stretched in many ways, grown-up, dealt with trials, had a few highs, and am coming home changed.

This also scares me. Coming home. Yes, I get to go home to my wonderful family and all their support, but lets face it, the transition is going to be tough - reverse culture shock always is. They didn't share this experience with me. They've changed while I've been away. Also, I don't get to go back to school, to my amazing friends there, many of whom have spent semesters or summers learning to live in another culture. I don't get to go back to the routine of classes and chapel and tests and late nights. That is going to be a weird and crazy adjustment.

So through this time of transition I ask for your prayers. Prayers that the travels go well this weekend, that I'm able to adjust back to the time zone well, for health, that I will be able to take with me what I've learned from this semester and learn to apply it to life at home, that I will cling to God through the lows and the highs, that He will be my love and my refuge, that I'll look for ways to use my Spanish and not just forget it all.

Thank-you for reading my updates, for your prayers, and for you interest in what God is doing in His world.

Que Dios les bendiga.

Ministry opportunities in Spain

God is working here in Spain. Here's a glimpse into a few of the opportunities He's given me:

Thursday's at the convent - On Thursday afternoons another girl from the program and I make the 1/2 hour walk to a convent where we "teach" english to some of the kids there. We're there for 2 hours each time and help 2-3 students. Sometimes they have exercises from their classes that they need help with, but these usually don't take up the whole time. Sometimes we'll play a little game with them or work on some random vocab or english pronunciation, depending on their level of english. Part of our goal with this is to just show the kids love, whether or not we help a lot with their english. God's given me the patience to work with these kids as a lot of them come from pretty rough backgrounds. They are all precious in their own way though.

Tuesday lunches at the University - I haven't been able to go to this one in a few weeks now, but the idea is to either bring a lunch or buy a lunch there, pair up with another student from our program, and go meet university students to build relationships which could lead to sharing the gospel.

At the school - The professors are not Christians, but we can freely talk about our faith in class, and often Christianity gets brought up during class time.

Worship experiences:

Wednesday night Encuentro - Every Wednesday night we meet together as students and other friends to worship. There's usually a speaker who shares a short message with us and we sing quite a few songs and pray. This is such a refreshing time of the week for me :) especially because it follows my Prayer Group time. My prayer group consists of 4 other girls (students from the program) and I. We meet each Wednesday at a cafe, share what's going on in our lives, read a devotional or passage from the Bible and discuss it, share prayer requests and, of course, pray. :)

Saturday Night Youth Group - My roommate found a Baptist church online this summer that we've been attending, and they have a youth group that meets on Saturday nights. This is similar to Encuentro, but it is all in Spanish whereas Encuentro is in both English and Spanish. This has helped us to form friendships with some of the young people here.

Sunday morning Sunday school and service - Sunday school meets first, and then everyone gathers together and we have the service. Both of these are great times of worship as well, although the pastor who leads the youth stuff is easier to understand than the pastor who usually preaches at the service. I have loved learning more Spanish songs though and worshipping with my brothers and sisters in Christ here in Spain.

Personal devotions - I've been reading through a few chapters of the Bible. Also, earlier this semester I read Don't Waste your Life by John Piper, and another book that I borrowed from the school. A couple days ago I began rereading God Wants to Save the Christians by Rob Bell. All have been interesting reads.

Traveling Encounters - When my parents and I were in Paris, we met a family the first mornings at the metro/RER train station. They're Americans living and working in Germany for a few years. We were on the same train, and getting off at the same stop (about 1/2 hour or 45 minutes from where we got on...) so we talked to them for a while. As my dad was talking about our family, it came up that a lot of us are interested in missions. Turns out, this family was Christian as well! We had a nice talk with them for that ride! I also met a bunch of other Americans, one of them was a student from the "other Northwestern."

We stayed at a bed and breakfast next to my mom's cousin in the Netherlands. The couple that runs it is a very nice elderly Christian couple. The guy use to do a lot of mission stuff so we heard good stories about that!

Fall Break :)

Over fall break (we had a week off of classes) I was able to travel to a few more European countries and see many many new sites.

First stop: Heidelburg, Germany to meet up with my parents and spend a couple days with my fiance. Germany is a beautiful country, I would love to go back someday! :) We visited a few ruins by the city, drove to another town and saw a waterfall and a castle, and drove down to the southern part and saw 2 castles. It was all very beautiful and really neat to see.

Second stop: Netherlands. We visited my mom's cousin and stayed at a bed and breakfast next door to his family. He was able to show us around on Wednesday. It was nice to be there and see all of the dutch things!

Third stop: Paris. Did a bunch of touristy things and saw the places that you would expect to see in 2 days in a huge city.

Favorite: probably Germany. I would not mind moving there for a couple years.

Ok. So that is a really brief update on the break...

I have about 5 1/2 weeks left here and then I will be back home and graduated. That is a crazy thought! I am very excited to be done, but it will be weird to not be a student anymore. Next spring I am hoping to work and maybe take an online class for interpreting and maybe travel the US a bit to see friends.

I'll try to write a more meaningful update soon on what I'm learning and experiencing while abroad.

Que Dios les bendiga mucho!

So it's been awhile...

I figured this would happen. I fail at updating things on a regular basis. A lot has happened since the last update so I will just give you an overview.

I've been on a couple more trips. I went to Lagos, Portugal with a couple girls. There are a bunch of beautiful caves and beaches there, and we were able to go on a boat tour of a bunch of the caves and swim in the ocean! It was interesting being in a country where we couldn't understand the main language. I also went to Huelva with the school group. This is where Columbus set off from so it was interesting to see replicas of the boats they sailed on and see the places where he stayed. Just this past weekend I was blessed with a trip to Madrid to see my grandparents! They had done a tour of Spain and ended there so my roommate and I went up to spend a couple days with them! Madrid was a lot different than Sevilla - so big! The first day we were there it rained a lot so we were pretty miserable, but it helped us to appreciate the beautiful weather we've been having!

Last week Aaron came and visited me for a couple days because he was on break! :) He flew in on Tuesday night and left again on Thursday afternoon. The most exciting part of the trip was Tuesday night when we went down by the river and got engaged!!!! :)

My other big news is that I decided not to accept my spot on the Word Made Flesh Bolivia Team. I decided it would be too busy and stressful and that I wouldn't be able to really enjoy my time here, or my time there, because I would always be longing for the next step and not able to fully live and be where I'm at at the moment.

Also - I would really appreciate some prayers right now! The last couple days I have been missing home a lot - people and places and activities. I guess this is all part of culture shock, which I think I've experienced more on this trip than ever before. I'm not really sure why that it, but it might have to do with reality being different than expectations, or the fact that I'm studying here and so it is similar to being away at college where as before I've always done more mission type trips and they've been so different than life at home.

Dios les bendiga

Bolivia?!

Yes, I am still in Spain. It's pretty great, for the most part.

Went to Cordoba with the group on Friday and saw the Mezquita :) (pics on facebook)

Cultural fact that many of you may already know: Spain is a "Catholic" culture, but that means that people celebrate the festivals and maybe go to a church every once in a while. As soon as people here the word "iglesia" they just want to forget the conversation. I do have an awesome opportunity here to be part of a great church where I can fellowship with other believers; however, just as important as that, I have opportunities here to serve and to get out of my comfort zone to share God's love. Today, a group of us went to the University here to have lunch, and we're going to continue this each week. Today was more to just show us around and introduce us to what's going on there, and in the future, we'll be going up to people and asking if we can eat and talk with them. Pretty scary for someone like me, but I'm excited as well. Hopefully we'll have some good conversations through that, and bring someone closer to accepting Christ. My other opportunity to serve is through hanging out with some kids each Thursday afternoon and just loving on them. We are visiting there the first time this Thursday, so I will know more about this after that. mmm God is good!

So. Today is a special day. It's the 21st today. Which means Aaron and I have been dating for 6 months! yay!

Anyway, back to the title of this blog. Bolivia.

Some of you may know/remember that this past spring I was looking into a trip to Bolivia through Word Made Flesh for this coming spring. They didn't have any of their short term trips going out, so I inquired about an internship. After not hearing from them for a couple months I thought it just wasn't going to happen. So the other day, Thursday, when I opened my email and saw that I had an email from them I was pretty shocked, to say the least. Turns out, they've added a trip to Bolivia for this coming spring, and I could still apply if I wanted to, but I only had the weekend to get my application in. After initially saying no, and then praying about it A LOT, I felt like God was calling me to send in my application, and at least be willing to still go, even though it would mean giving up the time I thought I would have at home to work and figure out the next stage of my life. So, with that being said, my application is sent in, and the references are on their way (I hope!). A little more about the trip... I would be in El Alto, which is like the slum part of La Paz, the capital. The Word Made Flesh missionaries do a lot, including street evangelism, in a red light district and they have a Casa de Esperanza (house of hope) outreach. I am really excited about this opportunity! If God is calling me to go, I pray that He will continue to make that very clear, and if not, I pray that He will close the doors. I know either way that He has amazing things planned for my life, and that I can be used at home as well as abroad to bring glory to His name. Will you pray about this situation, and that God's will will be made clear?

Sometimes I forget I'm in Europe

Yes. It's true. It's actually quite easy to forget.

Well, except for lots of Spanish speaking people. Living in an apartment with Spanish speaking hosts. Different food. Totally different style city than I'm use to. Different styles of clothes. etc.

But in other news.

I went to a Spanish church this past weekend with my roommate. It was so nice to fellowship with other believers again in Spanish, I've missed that.

Week 2 of classes is done! Cordoba tomorrow with the group :)

I'm sitting in the computer room at the school and everyone is talking in English. It's supposed to be Spanish only.. hmm...

Culture shock is not fun :/ well. there are some good things too. I think this is the most frustrated I've ever been on a trip before though.

Bolivia is back in the picture. maybe. I need to make a decision about that asap.

I really don't have a lot to say right now, I just thought I'd give a super quick update a minute.

oh life, how interesting you are...

It's (only) been a week (already)?!

Culture/Life Abroad 101

*Be prepared for HOT weather! It's been in the 90's or warmer most days and today is in the upper 80's. With the breeze it feels great but it's going to warm up again this weekend.

*Everyone smokes. Even in the houses, so if you hate the smell learn to deal with it.

*Bluntness is the norm. If you don't like something, just say it. You don't have to pretend to really like the food or anything, they won't be that offended. They would rather make something else you'll like better, especially if it means you'll eat more.

*Be prepared to eat at different times. Breakfast is when we get up in the morning, lunch anywhere from 2-3, supper around 10 usually.

*Siestas are wonderful... even if you don't like to take naps :) Siesta time lasts from after lunch til 5 or 6. Almost all the stores are closed during this time, and it is great to get out of the heat of the day and relax inside.

*Cold showers. If you want to take a hot shower make sure its quick, the hot water tanks are small. Angeline and I have been taking mostly cold showers, and then we can take longer ones. If our host is there when we shower we ask her to turn on the hot water though so that we don't freeze. With as hot as it is the cold water feels pretty nice though.

*Night Life. Yes, people stay out VERY late here. More so on the weekends, but even during the week I hear a lot of people outside our window. It's too hot to be out during the daytime hours, so that makes sense.

*The people are really nice. We did a photo scavenger hunt around the city on Saturday and had to ask people where different things are. The people were really helpful, and even if they didn't know exactly, they were still nice about it. This is not the same in stores and restaurants, however. Don't expect to be treated very well until you're a regular and they can tell you're not passing through for a one time things. The people in Sevilla grew up here there whole lives, it's not like in the states where people move around a lot.

Ok, that's enough random cultural things for now.

In other news, my chacos broke already :( :( This is very sad because I wear them all time and besides them I just have a pair of sandals here, flats, and tennis shoes. and the sandals make my feet hurt. I guess it's time to replace them, but I haven't found anywhere to buy something like that.

I think the siesta makes it seem like we've been here for longer than a week.

A bunch of us from the program went to a Corrida de Torros (bull fight) the other night. It was interesting. I'll get around to posting pics on facebook at somepoint.

Classes started yesterday. They're pretty good so far. :)

mmk that's all for now, I'll update again in a week or two!

Dios les bendiga!

Espana!

Hola todos,

I'm in Spain :) It's great. It's really warm here, but we're inside for the hottest part of the day, so it works. Classes start Monday, and this weekend is pretty free to do whatever.

The trip over went well. Some people's bags were lost, I'm not sure if they're all here yet or not. I didn't have any problems so I was thankful for that.

Anyway, I'll update more later.

Dios les bendiga,

Katie

Preparation.

So.

I leave for a semester in Spain in a week from Tuesday.

Am I ready?

Of course not.

I tried making a list of things I still need today, that's a start anyway, right? Actually getting these things and packing will come later.

Casi no he practicado mi espanol este verano, que triste! No se que esta pasando en Espana tampoco porque no he leido las noticias...

In other news, summer has been quite interesting.

Mostly, I worked and lived at home.

But a few fun things:

*Worked at Pine Trail Camp as a counselor and small group leader for the high school week.

*Went to Orlando, FL for Edge debrief 2 and got to see many wonderful people :)

*Spent a week tent camping in Colorado with Aaron's family and friends. Becky (sister) got to visit too!

*Went to a wedding in northwest IA and got to see some friends from NWC!

*Spent 3 weeks total with Aaron before we both leave the country for studying abroad :)

*There were probably some highlights from earlier in the summer as well, but this is a good summary of the last 5ish weeks...

Well. That's about all for now.

I'll try to update once more before I leave.... maybe. I'll for sure update a few times throughout the semester; however, I'm not making any promises of weekly updates or anything like that. But who knows, maybe I'll surprise myself and actually update that frequently. We shall see...

Facebook fasting, truth, and other lessons

I don't really have a lot to say, nothing too exciting is happening at the moment, I just feel like writing. For the month of February one of my roommates and I decided to fast from facebook. This has been absolutely wonderful! The first week I felt like I had so much more time in my day and like I got much more (needed) sleep than I had been getting. Since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed not being addicted to facebook, although I do look forward to replying to a few messages that I know are on there from before I got off. Fasting can be a great discipline! I've considered continuing the fast for the rest of lent, but I feel like giving up something for lent should be something that I wasn't giving up already. but maybe I will for most of it anyway. we'll see. I also think that fasting from something, whether its facebook, a meal, tv, or anything else can be even more beneficial by adding something else such as prayer, meditation, memorization, etc.

Since Christmas break I have been working on memorizing passages from the Sermon on the Mount. This has been great! Scripture memorization is a lost art that is essential to the spiritual life. Knowing scripture and being able to recall it during tough times can really lift a person up. Speaking of Christmas break, I went to Urbana 09 in St. Louis and loved most of it! The music and energy was great, being with other who are passionate about missions was great, connecting with friends and meeting new friends was great. The morning Bible studies, large group sessions, and seminars all taught me so much, and took quite a bit to process afterwards. If you want to know more, feel free to ask :)

Truth. Love. Freedom. so many great lessons from these topics recently and over the past year or two... The truth of God's love sets us free, free from emotional pain, free from the bondage of sin, free from the lies of the world.

I guess I don't have much else to say except that I am going back to Bolivia =) (hopefully) nothing is final yet, it is just a dream that I have that sounds like it will be coming true! I am super excited for this opportunity and I will post more when I know more!

Dios es fiel.

Es un concepto que he aprendido todo mi vida, pero un concepto buenismo! Pienso, Dios es fiel. Puedo confiar en el todo el tiempo. Esta fin de semana pasada yo tuve la oportunidad de ver y charlar con uno de mis companeras de mi tiempo en Bolivia. Fue muy bien, y todavia Dios esta ensenandome de mi tiempo alla, y esta mostrandome que sus planes no son mios mucho del tiempo. Necesito confiar en el mas porque el tiene planes grandes para mi vida! Yo pensaba que este vez saber que Dios ha tratado de ensenarme, pero el me sorprenda otra vez.

y ahora... algo que yo escribi haces algunas semanas....

Mediocracy.

That's what being an American Christian is all about.

Isn't it?

If we try to take Jesus at his word, that would be too radical.

Or would it?

Why can't we step our of our comfort zones?

Why can't we cling to the power of the spirit?

Why can't we let go of our mediocracy to be who God wants us to be?

Who he created us to be?

Abba Father I need you so much.

Lord, this life I live, is it pleasing to you?

Jesus wrap your arms around me.

Help me to feel the love of your embrace.

Spirit fill me up and send me out.

I desire to be filled with your power and the courage to stand up in faith finding my authority in you.

This is the generation of Benjamin.

Let us take hold of the grace he has bestowed upon us.

Let us be lavished with the love of the trinity.

I love you Lord.

Tears threaten in the corner of my eye.

Emotional reverse culture shock. Still? Why?

Haven't I been back long enough, long enough to not be so emotional?

*sigh*

And to top that off, more and more options and demands are being placed on me.

But Lord... if that's your will....

or do I stick with my plan?

There is always another opportunity.

Pero no como esto, no ve?

no entiendo senor.

Guiame.

Are you planting or harvesting?

"The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, `One person plants and someone else harvests.' And it's true. I sent you to harvest where you didn't plant; others had already done the work, and you will gather the harvest."John 4:36-38

For "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:13-15

God calls us to plant his word among those who haven't heard. We are called to evangelize. Sometimes this just involves planting the seed, and sometimes this involves harvesting. Sometimes we are just there to remove an object in a person's life which is keeping them from accepting the gospel message. What does God have in store for you right now?

This summer I spent building relationships with people. Although I intentionally did this in Bolivia, it can be done anywhere. You do not need to leave your home to be involved in missions. Not all are called to go internationally. Some are called to give, to support those who go. Some are called to pray. Everyone can reach out to those around them where they are at.

Hallelujah

"Hallelujah, my highest praise to the highest name of Jesus, the king of my heart who deserves every part of me..." "Hallelujah, our God reigns!" 

For the last week and two days I've been back out at N-dub. Why am I here so early when classes don't start until Tuesday? Well, this year I have the wonderful opportunity to be one of the two Summer of Service (SOS) Coordinators here on campus. This position is part of the Campus Ministry Team (CMT). Last weekend we were able to bond as a team at a retreat center near Sioux Falls. It was a great opportunity for learning what it looks like to be a leader on campus and to get to know the people that I will be working with. We enjoyed praising God together, eating international foods, doing a service project, and having many lectures/chats about being a spiritual leader. 

As I am back on campus I can't help but be a little bit emotional as this is my last year here. Yup. Last year. (I'll be studying abroad next year.. place to be determined yet.) Where has the time gone?! This weekend is orientation weekend, and as I see the freshmen wonder around I keep thinking how young they look, and it's hard to believe that was me just a couple of years ago. 

Each year that I've been here has looked so different. Freshmen year I was so eager to come and meet new people. I lived on 3NF and got to know a few great people there, some of whom share my loves of Spanish and/or missions. Sophomore year I was so excited to come back to re-connect with the friends that I had made the year before, and excited/nervous about living in a different part of the dorm with all new people (1SF). This year I got to be a d-group leader with a girl who became a great friend and prayer partner through-out the year. My roommate also became one of my best friends, unlike the year before. I was so thankful to have all these great people in my life. After hearing stories of friends SOS experiences, I decided to apply for on myself. I was accepted into the program and apprehensive about finding an organization to go through and a country to go to. Over Christmas I was able to attend Pioneers Story '08 and fell in love with missions even more, and in love with Pioneers. I ended up going to Bolivia through Pioneers and absolutely LOVED my time there! God taught me so much (read old blog updates for more details...) and blessed me with great relationships. 

One thing of significance is that missions is a lifestyle. God calls us to love the world where we're at. Whether that involves loving the international students on campus, helping at a homeless mission, traveling abroad, or building relationships with the lost, God will and desires to use it all for HIS GLORY. We were made to worship him and to bring glory to his name. This life we live isn't about us. 

As I head into my third and final year en la universidad, I'm excited to see what God has in store for me. This year I am living in an apartment with 5 other girls. Although this year is not looking at all like I had originally planned, God is already showing me that this is part of HIS plan for my life. As excited as I am for living in the apartments, it is so very different from the dorms, and there is a totally different 'stereotype' of dorm people verse apartment people. I need to keep reminding myself that my identity is found in Jesus Christ, not in the things of this world. 

All that to say that God is so good and so faithful. I feel so blessed to be part of such a great community out here, and I am so excited to see and meet the SOS 2010 team that God has picked out =) 

Back at home...

I've been back in the states for almost 2 weeks now, and at home for about 10 days. The travels all went relatively smoothly, praise God. :) It's just 4 days now until I head back out to school for Campus Ministry Team training. I'm caught in that place again of being ready to go but yet not wanting to leave. I'm excited to see God working in this upcoming school year, but I feel like I just got home, unpacked, and settled back in and now I'm packing and saying good-byes again. 

For all of you who want a short answer of how my summer in Bolivia was, my answer to you is: "A blessing from God." This summer truly was a blessing. I'm so blessed to have formed relationships with my host family, host missionaries, teammates, youth group, and camp Kewina staff and campers. Every day I find myself thinking about something that happened this summer, or just about the people I met and the places I saw. God continued to teach me about his love and grace this summer, and about evangelism. Through many instances He showed me the importance of living out my faith so that others can see a difference in me. We should be so totally in love with God that our actions change because of Him. 

Saying goodbye was hard, harder than I was anticipating at the beginning of the summer, and I miss Bolivia so much, but I know that God has a plan for this coming year. He has a reason for bringing me to Bolivia this summer, and for bringing me back to school this year.  

Today I had to wonderful opportunity to witness the professions of faith of my sister, Kristina, and one of my best friends, Laura. What a blessing it is that they are willing to stand up and publicly profess their faith and be fully welcomed into the body of Christ! =)

I will continue to use this blog to process my thoughts and to let you all know about any more traveling adventures that come my way (as in study abroad... and hopefully other missions opportunities). 

Love!

Prayer Requests:

continued adjustment back to American culture

safe travels to school this week

Fellow SOSers

update.

well.. I haven´t updated in a while so I thought I would do a short one anyway.

Today is my last day in Bolivia. We are in Santa Cruz, we got here yesterday and are staying at a nice hotel. Tomorrow we fly to Florida for debrief, and Thursday I fly home!

I don´t really have much more to say right now.. I´ll do a more thorough update when I get home and have lots of time.

Prayer requests:
safe travel
fellow SOSers
that God continues to do great things here in Bolivia


love!

time is flying by...

only 2.5 weeks until I´m home... how crazy is that?!

This past week I spent at a camp about 1.5 hrs outside of the city. It was quite chilly there, it felt like about 30-ish, until the sun came out, and then I would want to be in shorts and a t-shirt, and that´s not an exaggeration. My job was to stay with a caben of girls of 16-17 years old and hang out with them. I also helped to serve the meals. One night we took a hike up the mountain about an hour and spent some time worshipping up there.. it was really cool!

This week I am spending here in cochabamba with my host family. It is just a typical week of doing various activities in the morning, spanish class for an hour in the afternoon, and then spending the rest of the afternoon/evening with my host family.

Next week we´ll be in a countryside town.. I´m not positive where or what we´ll be doing, but I´m pretty sure not internet access, so I might now update again until I´m back in Florida for debrief or at home.

Prayer requests:
a good last week with my host family, and for the good-byes that will come at the end of the week.
a safe time next week in the smaller town
safe travel back to Florida (the 27th)
my sos teammates around the world.
praise that camp went well!
health

quick update

Wow, the time here is truly flying by for me! We´ve reached the half-way point and these next few weeks are going to fly by as well.
Quick review of what´s gone on:
- Helped with construction of a house and with the move
- Day-care
- clean/helped paint a room of a school
- VBS this week
- tore down a play house
- random odd jobs
- been to youth group, and am actually heading there soon
- been sick from the food... just once though, and nothing serious. Also caught the cold that is going around... fun stuff.
- weekly meeting with the host missionaries
..... and more to come later.

This coming week we´re heading to a camp Monday-Friday, so don´t expect any updates or anything until next weekend! :)

I am definetely enjoying my time here! I love getting to know the people and culture, and I feel very at home in the city, which is pretty good for me because I generally like the countryside better.

Thanks to everyone who is praying for me and wrote something in my sos journal, I don´t even know how many times I´ve looked at that and been encouraged!!

love!

You´re the God of this city

First of all, on the ride from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba, we got to see that road blocks are a common ordeal here. We also got to drink some delicious juice, see a parade of many different traditional dances, have the car stop in the mountains and have to wait a little while for it too work again, and eat some delicious things from a panaderia!

The second night at my host families house I got sick.. but luckily it only lasted about 24 hours, and I´ve slowly been getting better and been able to eat more since then. And being healthy makes it a lot easier to eat the food they put in front of me, especially when I´m not sure what it is!

Last week, Cori, Stephen, and I helped at a guarderia, a day care place, for the week. In the morning we would go down to the jail to help pick up some of the kids. When their mom is in jail, they have to go as well. We stayed there until midday when we would go back to our host families for lunch and a time to relax. In the afternoons we have spanish class and spend the night with our families. On friday, we got to use public transportation for the first time on the way home from the guarderia. Stephen and I got a bit lost as we were confused as to where we were suppossed to go, but we ended up finding it alright, just a longer ride and walk that necessary. We walk to class sometimes which is great because its about a 45 minute walk, and I definitely enjoy the exercise!

The weather is great! In the mornings and evenings its a bit cool, sometimes around freezing, but during the day in the sun it is absolutely gorgeous!

Yesterday I went to church with my host mom. It was a tiny baptist church with about 20 members. After the sermon I had to go up front and introduce myself and then everyone came up and welcomed me. I guess this is what happens in small churches when a visiter comes...

God is trying to teach me some lessons while I´m here. Lately I´ve been a bit frustrated by my lack of spanish skills. Before coming I thought I was descent at speaking and understanding spanish, but being around it all the time is hard. I don´t know if its the accent here or what, but I have a hard time understanding and replying to questions. I think my host family thinks that I don´t know much spanish, but I can understand most of their conversations! I´m learning to trust in God when I get frustrated, to ask for patience, and to realize that its OK if I don´t know everything I want to say.

Prayer requests:
- Spanish speaking/understanding ability
- patience
- that I will be able to have a conversations with my host family about what is important in life
- the guarderia that I´ve been helping at is shut down for a few weeks because the fleu has arrived here... pray for health and healing for those who are sick already

love!

Be joyful in everything!

So now that I´ve been here for a week I thought I would update you all a bit, but I don´t have much time.
My host family is great. I have a mom, dad, 3 brothers but only 1 lives at home, and 2 nieces who are over often and 1 nephew. One of my nieces adores me already, and the other one is only 5 months old.
This week we´ve been helping at a daycare and that has been fun. I worked with the babies, and 1 day with 3-4 yr olds. Today we took the truffee taxi home and got a bit lost but it turned out ok.
Well.. I´ve gotta go. I´ll update more when I get a chance!
Love!

Estamos aqui!

We made it here safely! Thursday we sat in the airport and flew here, stayed overnight in another city, and then drove all day Friday. We've had some great cultural experience so far, I'd love to tell you about them sometime :)
Love!