Hello again, sorry, I almost forgot
I had a blog. I’ve been so busy it feels
like I am never on the computer- ever, and so then you have not heard from me
in a very long time. So, let me catch everyone up a little.
Uruguay was wonderful! What a blessing!
We got to travel all over Uruguay and see everything from their beaches to
their cities on the beaches. I am very
thankful that I had the chance to go there. Also while we were there we got to
do a little ministry, which was really precious. We went to a church in the
middle of what I do believe we would consider the Ghetto. It was a broken down
building with three small rooms full of very content and excited believers. We
went and invited kids to come to the church and had what I think was some sort
of VBS day. We played sports and sang with them. Actually funny thing, while we
were there, they asked me to sing a few songs in Spanish. It was…. Hard. I had
never sung in Spanish for anyone before then, but they asked me and friend of
mine to sing and play the guitar for them, for me it was a little nerve-racking.
But may I say the Lord definitely humbled me as I stumbled through the lyrics
of some songs I kind of knew and tried to be courageous. Also the next day we
sang a song at their church service, but this time in English (with translated
words), and I really enjoyed being there. It felt kind of homey to sit and
listen to a sermon and listen to a body of believers with love for Jesus
worshiping him.
It’s so interesting how the Lord
always seems to pick the most unlikely of leaders to lead; He certainly has
with me. I often feel so inadequate when I am chosen for a leadership position.
For some reason they choose me to be the person over gardening this semester.
It’s interesting, remembering all the gardening vocabulary and asking others to
do things. I think my favorite part is at the end when I have the opportunity
to pray over my girls in Spanish, God knows I probably butcher the words, but
I’m thankful He understands me anyways.
Class
started a month ago. (haha wow it really has been awhile since I updated.) I really love class. We have new classes
every month and then we have an exam on what we have learned. For me it keeps
things interesting, we change teachers every month, which I enjoy because it
gives me another persons outlook on the scripture. I can’t say that I
particularly enjoyed the last teachers I had, they were so nice, but they had
really monotone voices and slurred a lot of their words which took a lot more
concentration to understand. But the material from the classes was really good,
and I feel like I am learning and growing a lot. I had my tests this past week,
and I think I did okay by God’s grace, but it was certainly hard, I think I
memorized 26 verses in Spanish more or less. Please pray the Lord would enable
me to press on and that He would give me the ability to do all that is required
of me here. This past month we had:
“Evangelism and Discipleship,” and “Christian Life I.” This Tuesday we begin: “A
study in Genesis,” and “Hermeneutics.” I am really looking forward to these
next classes.
As for my Spanish, I feel that your
prayers have helped a multitude. God is blessing me with understanding and
conversations I never dreamed I could have in Spanish. I have had countless
conversations with my roommates about what God is doing in my life, and I get
to listen to what God has done and is doing in theirs. Just an hour ago I spent
4 hours talking to Miriam, one of my room-mates from Ecuador, about God’s
goodness- we were relating to each other about Abraham and how God called him
to walk by faith, just as it is with all of His sons and daughters. We
discussed things in Hebrews and the calling to live by faith and not by sight.
She is so precious and I know the Lord has a marvelous plan for my friend, as
he does for all that are His own. Pray for Miriam if you will, and really for
all my roommates (Rocio, Damarís,
Anita, Miriam, and Tania.) that God would give them direction and peace that
surpasses all understanding, and that they would never cease to walk by faith. These
are the first roommates here that I have really understood well enough to know
them. It’s so beyond cool! I know that none of this is because of me, but in
the Lord’s strength alone. God knows I have a long way to go though, so much
more to learn, pray for me, if you will- for these next two months here, that I
would strive to finish well and glorify God in all that I do. Pray that I would
understand better every day and that I would never try and do any of it in my
own strength. (Because God knows I can’t.)
Another
blessing I got to experience here was that my mom got to come visit me. It was
so awesome! I am so happy that she got to come here. We traveled to Buenos
Aires for the weekend, and spent a week in of the dorm rooms here. I am
thankful that I got to see her, I think the homesickness is getting harder at
this point. I wish I could keep my whole family with me during this time, but I
know the Lord is teaching us all through this time of separation. Two more
months and I’ll be home once more.
If you
think of me this week please lift up a prayer for my health. Miriam and I both
have the flu, we went to the doctor and they gave us medication- so no worries.
But I hope that we are both on our feet again by classes Tuesday, so please
pray for healing. Pray that God would use us a lot during the opportunities we
have here to go out on the weekends and do evangelism, that my classmates and I
would be able to share the gospel with as many people as will listen, and that
the Lord will prepare there hearts and save them. Pray for strength for us all
during classes, that we would understand well and glorify Jesus in our grades
and attentiveness. Pray that I wouldn’t grow weary in continuing to learn, but
that the Lord would continue to give me passion for Spanish. Because by it, I
have known people I never could have known, people have touched me that I never
would have understood, and a section of the lost that I never could have shared
Jesus with God has given me the ability to share with. Thank Jesus that He is
so good to us when we don’t deserve it; and praise Him because he uses the
weakest and the most foolish to display His perfect strength and glory.
