So this week is the last week of my second term. After Friday I will have made it half way through the semester. We have 6.5 weeks of class left and 9 weeks from today I will be back in Arkansas. WHAT?!?! That's crazy. This is our last term that is truly four weeks long and it's almost done. Next term is basically 3 weeks because we have a long weekend and we are finish the 27th for spring break. We get back in April and have 3 weeks of class then are on our way back home. It's crazy how fast the time has gone. I've been away from home for 7.5 weeks. That's I think the longest it's been ever, I think the longest I made it at OBU was 7 weeks. But then I had a phone to call my parents, I had "parents" at OBU and FBCA and I had a wonderful RA (shout out to Leigha Hill) to take care of me. I'm learning independence is great, but it is nice when I don't have to cook my food everyday, when my mom will do my laundry when I come home (bless her soul for doing it for all those years in high school with my nasty sweaty running clothes, that is true love), having someone take care of me when I'm sick or I stab myself in the hand, having someone take out my trash (OBU you've spoiled us), having someone make me fresh-baked cookies and so much more. I love being independent, don't get me wrong, but I appreciate the help and being a little spoiled every once in a while. I mean it's nice to be taken care of. But I can't believe how fast it all has gone.
Beth and I were talking. For once she's feeling a little of the homesickness. It's nice not to be alone on this issue with her; even though I do empathize for her. We were talking about what it's going to be like when we go home. We both know we're going to be excited, but when we actually get home I think we're definitely going to miss somethings here. It's weird to think about. We both agreed our beds are going to heaven though. But what about waking up that first morning? How strange is it going to be at home? How strange is it going to be living at home for over a month? That will be the first time in almost 2 years that I've spent that much time at home. That is weird. It's been cool to grow an appreciation for things at home too and at OBU. I NEVER thought I'd say this, but for once in my life I am actually missing Ouachita's caf. It's soooo easy and although I get tired of my peanut butter sandwich and spinach salads, it's soooo nice to have a place I can get "free" food (well pre-paid) and as much as I want a still make sure it's healthy and it's so close and I don't have to really make it or clean my dishes. Who knew? But I am learning to make some really good foods and I'm rockin' the stir-fry veggies. I have them down to the perfect texture-yeah, Rusty, you're gonna have to learn to like them. But seriously, we are blessed at home. We have so much. It's crazy coming here and we seriously look so wealthy, honestly in comparison we are so wealthy. People here can't travel to Italy or Paris on the weekends. Heck, most Americans who study abroad here can't really do that. I'm blessed. I'm blessed with amazing friends and family who love me way too much. I'm blessed to be in a country where I understand almost everything people say. I'm blessed to be pretty financially stable. I'm blessed to have opportunities like this to study abroad. I'm blessed to have food to eat everyday. I'm blessed by quality Christian fellowship. I'm blessed to have a God who loves me no matter how much I mess up and fail. I'm blessed to be apart of the body of Christ and to be used for His glory no matter where I'm at. There's so much. Let's be real though, I don't have to be at home to be blessed by most of these things. I'm so grateful to be here.
I really do hope the students that have opportunities like this will take advantage. It's life changing. I've learned so much here that I just couldn't have learned at home. Home is great. I love my family and friends and I have so much that allows me to be comfortable. But do I really always want to be comfortable? Do I really need to be? Should I be? I mean Christ did call us to a life of struggle and persecution. He didn't say it would be easy. In fact He said it would be quite the opposite. Even Paul said,"We must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God." (Acts 14: 22) It's not meant to be easy, but in 2 Corinthians 12:10 "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." I'm understanding more and more what this means as I grow in my faith. I'm grateful for the challenges, they draw me closer to the Father. The make me realize how much I need Him.
I have met people from all around the world here: Russia, China, Japan, Belgium, France, Korea, America, Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain (of course), Italy and many other places that aren't coming to mind. It's crazy! It expands your world-view like crazy, especially when you live in a place for 4 months. I'm realizing our way of life is so different from the rest of the world. My standards and values as a Christian are not normal to most people. For once I'm really realizing I'm the minority. Ouachita and honestly the South of America is not like the rest of the world. Duh. I mean it's not even that big. Most people don't attend church. Most people don't know what it means to have a relationship with Christ. Most people find it different that I attend church and read my Bible. Most people don't know Jesus at all. Most people think of church and being good is synonymous with the word "Christian". Most people think I'm abnormally happy (I really like this haha, thanks Lord). It's different, but it's good. I've never wanted to be in the Word more. I've never wanted to be as intentional. I've never felt as small, but empowered at the same time. There's so much. I can't really explain it well, even if I could talk. I mean let's be real, even if you heard me talk you would get confused. My sentences and ideas don't always flow well. I get very distracted and can make some very strange connections. haha
I know so many of you back home are praying. I appreciate it so much. Keep praying for the friendships we've built! And pray I stop hurting myself...that may take a lifetime though, so use your discernment.
In 2.5 weeks Beth and I will be on a plane to Brussels (hoping to see Paris the same weekend)! Then in about 4 weeks we have spring break! Bah! Salzburg, London, Edinburg and Ireland here I come. I'm about to blow up these joints. (okay, sorry I'm really not cool enough to be saying that-I usually use 5-year old phrases-that just sounds weird coming from me).
So that's all for now. I know I write more often, but just think how long these would be if I didn't. Yeah, I know you're grateful. Thanks for reading. (You say "No pasa nada") ("Gracias")
#booya
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
A wider perspective
What a week. I got back from Italy, I got some beautiful flowers, finally got my glasses, spent way too much money on groceries, talked with my dad multiple times, wrote some letters, had cupcakes twice, had some great time with new and old friends, made some horrible pancakes with corn flour (haha the disadvantages of not knowing enough Spanish), took a midterm, got to talk with one of my besties (Brittany-miss you!!!), had some great talks with Rusty, heard he was sick, then my sister and now both of my nephews, spent great time in the Word, cleaned my apartment (felt sooo good), and bought a awesome new candle to replace the weird smell in my room. It's been a good week.
But seriously it's been a good week. Some days I definitely felt the homesickness a little more, but nothing like the beginning. But I don't really think it's being here, it's just I wish everyone else was here with me. I love it here, I'm actually really comfortable. But there are moments I wish I had the friends and family with me. FaceTiming Britt, Clay and Logan for a bit really made me realize how much I miss them and how valuable their friendships are. Beth and I have had some really good quality time this week though. It's been amazing to see our friendship deepen. Honestly, after 16 years I didn't know that was possible, but it is-that's a complete God thing. It's also been soooooo good to make new friends. I spent Tuesday afternoon with my new friend Brenna and got cupcakes and it was soo good. We had such great conversation. Then last night we had two french girls, a scottish girl and a danish girl all come over to our house to make pancakes and talk. It was amazing! How cool is it that this group of girls from all over the world can come together in Spain. It's just hard to wrap my mind around. It's so awesome! It was nice to speak english the whole night too. Except for all of us slipping at some point because the spanish word got our point across better. God is soo good. Beth and I just loved hanging out with them. We spent three hours talking and getting to know them. How cool is that. We went all over the map (literally and figuratively). I can't wait to get to know them better. We also got to go with Julie (one of the french girls) to this american style restaurant called VIPS for brunch. It was soo yummy. I love crossants here. We had so much fun with her too. On Valentine's Day we all went and got cupcakes again. We had so many new friends there. Our friend from Russia, friends from France, it's was great. It's amazing to make friends with people all over the world. It's made me realize what a missed opportunity I have a OBU. Our international club is amazing and I'm wondering why in the world I have not been involved. Now I really understand what it's like to be an international student and there is sooo much opportunity at Ouachita to get to know students from all around the world and make them feel more comfortable. To befriend them and also share the gospel. I am so excited to be involved in that next year.
Also, I now understand how my mom felt when I got sick here that first week. It stinks. Between my sister, my nephews and Rusty all being sick was not fun, especially when I can't be there to check up on all of them. Hey, I'm learning new stuff everyday. At least I know they are all in good hands. I can't believe Jase is already 3 weeks old. I love seeing all the pictures. He's such a beautiful baby. He looks like Cole a little, but his head isn't quite as big (haha Cole you're just a cute). They make me smile soo much. I can't wait to see them when I get home.
I think as a whole this week has just really taught me about intentionality. Both with the new people I've met here and my family and friends from home. I definitely can't do it all. But I'm realizing that I need to find that handful of people and really invest in their lives. I don't want to be half-hearted, I want to love on them with the love of Christ. It's made me realize when I go back to OBU that I have to pick and choose what I want to be involved in. This last semester was great, but I was definitely trying to do too much. Some things got neglected and that's hard to look back on. Even Christ chose to really take personal time with His 12 disciples, He loved everyone and shared His love with everyone He met, but His long-lasting everyday relationships were with the twelve (and as a believe we all share in that, but I mean in person while He was on earth). I can love on everyone I come in contact with, but I may not be able to have close relationships with everyone I talk to. That's a hard concept for me to grasp at times. I get so excited to meet new people to share my joy that some times I have to realized the Lord has placed other people in their lives for deep friendships. But that doesn't mean I think it's right to be exclusive. This may not make any sense in print, but in my head it's clear haha. Well kind of, my head is really just a big mess of things too. In the same way with non-believers, I've realized I really have to take time to love on and being intentional with those God has placed in my path. To really take time for them and have real conversation. The Lord has been very faithful here in providing me with opportunities of real friendship with some girls here in Spain. I've realized He has intentionally put me where I am and allowed me to really hit it off with a handful of girls. I love it. It's so amazing and really emphasizing the importance of intentionality and purpose.
Okay enough for now. Sorry it's so long. Thanks for the prayers. :)
But seriously it's been a good week. Some days I definitely felt the homesickness a little more, but nothing like the beginning. But I don't really think it's being here, it's just I wish everyone else was here with me. I love it here, I'm actually really comfortable. But there are moments I wish I had the friends and family with me. FaceTiming Britt, Clay and Logan for a bit really made me realize how much I miss them and how valuable their friendships are. Beth and I have had some really good quality time this week though. It's been amazing to see our friendship deepen. Honestly, after 16 years I didn't know that was possible, but it is-that's a complete God thing. It's also been soooooo good to make new friends. I spent Tuesday afternoon with my new friend Brenna and got cupcakes and it was soo good. We had such great conversation. Then last night we had two french girls, a scottish girl and a danish girl all come over to our house to make pancakes and talk. It was amazing! How cool is it that this group of girls from all over the world can come together in Spain. It's just hard to wrap my mind around. It's so awesome! It was nice to speak english the whole night too. Except for all of us slipping at some point because the spanish word got our point across better. God is soo good. Beth and I just loved hanging out with them. We spent three hours talking and getting to know them. How cool is that. We went all over the map (literally and figuratively). I can't wait to get to know them better. We also got to go with Julie (one of the french girls) to this american style restaurant called VIPS for brunch. It was soo yummy. I love crossants here. We had so much fun with her too. On Valentine's Day we all went and got cupcakes again. We had so many new friends there. Our friend from Russia, friends from France, it's was great. It's amazing to make friends with people all over the world. It's made me realize what a missed opportunity I have a OBU. Our international club is amazing and I'm wondering why in the world I have not been involved. Now I really understand what it's like to be an international student and there is sooo much opportunity at Ouachita to get to know students from all around the world and make them feel more comfortable. To befriend them and also share the gospel. I am so excited to be involved in that next year.
Also, I now understand how my mom felt when I got sick here that first week. It stinks. Between my sister, my nephews and Rusty all being sick was not fun, especially when I can't be there to check up on all of them. Hey, I'm learning new stuff everyday. At least I know they are all in good hands. I can't believe Jase is already 3 weeks old. I love seeing all the pictures. He's such a beautiful baby. He looks like Cole a little, but his head isn't quite as big (haha Cole you're just a cute). They make me smile soo much. I can't wait to see them when I get home.
I think as a whole this week has just really taught me about intentionality. Both with the new people I've met here and my family and friends from home. I definitely can't do it all. But I'm realizing that I need to find that handful of people and really invest in their lives. I don't want to be half-hearted, I want to love on them with the love of Christ. It's made me realize when I go back to OBU that I have to pick and choose what I want to be involved in. This last semester was great, but I was definitely trying to do too much. Some things got neglected and that's hard to look back on. Even Christ chose to really take personal time with His 12 disciples, He loved everyone and shared His love with everyone He met, but His long-lasting everyday relationships were with the twelve (and as a believe we all share in that, but I mean in person while He was on earth). I can love on everyone I come in contact with, but I may not be able to have close relationships with everyone I talk to. That's a hard concept for me to grasp at times. I get so excited to meet new people to share my joy that some times I have to realized the Lord has placed other people in their lives for deep friendships. But that doesn't mean I think it's right to be exclusive. This may not make any sense in print, but in my head it's clear haha. Well kind of, my head is really just a big mess of things too. In the same way with non-believers, I've realized I really have to take time to love on and being intentional with those God has placed in my path. To really take time for them and have real conversation. The Lord has been very faithful here in providing me with opportunities of real friendship with some girls here in Spain. I've realized He has intentionally put me where I am and allowed me to really hit it off with a handful of girls. I love it. It's so amazing and really emphasizing the importance of intentionality and purpose.
Okay enough for now. Sorry it's so long. Thanks for the prayers. :)
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
I'm still pinching myself.
Okay if I'm going to be honest, my brain is kind of else where right now, but I figured I should blog for the sake of all the people who want to hear about Italy (okay let's be real, it's for my parents and Mrs. Butler). 6 days ago I was on my way to Italy. I've already been there and back. I can't believe it. What's even crazier is that we met up with 6 other people studying abroad in other countries and we went on the biggest weekend of the year Carneval! WHAT?! It was super crazy and super exciting. I was forced to be surrounded by masks...my dad would have been so proud.
We met with everyone in Venezia. Seriously one of the coolest places I've ever seen, not that I've seen a whole lot. But it was so unique and so colorful. Ah I still can't get over it. It was the coolest cultural experience. We ate a lot of pizza and pasta (uh I had pesto gnocchi-heaven) and TONS if gelato...seriously though, that's my kind of city. It was sooo good. The streets were literally water and we saw all kinds of gondolas. I'm still trying to figure out why they all wear stripes. It was so great to meet up with the Austrians and Jacob from Liverpool. I can't believe all of us OBU students met up in Italy. I still can't wrap my mind around it.
It was freezing. But the coolest thing happend. There was a thunder snow. (Yeah, that was funny explaining it in spanish to my teacher). It was sooo cool, it was while we were dancing in the plaza for the festival. It was awesome. Never heard thunder or seen lightening while it's snowed. I got to spend good time with the girls too and got to know Victoria so much better. It's sad it took us studying abroad to figure that out. haha She's awesome and I think we're going to take a trip to Barcelona together-Beth and I with Emily and Victoria! YES! I missed Em too, I love conversation with her, it's always good. It was super fun getting to know Greg and Margo too. It was great to put faces with the names I have heard so much about. And yes of course it was great to see Rusty. However, I think it was harder leaving them all this time than the airport in Arkansas. But there are sooo many fun adventures to come! Spring Break 2013 #Salzburg #Ithinkyes
It was a great weekend with Beth too. I'm so glad we are such close friends. She is seriously like my sister. (shout out to my real one, Davinia, miss you like crazy and we need to FaceTime soon). We are now meeting weekly to keep each other accountable and reflect on our time and pray. Today was great. I am definitely understanding the value of Christian fellowship and accountability. I miss that about OBU and definitely took my friendships for granted. Being able to have conversations about Christ that are meaningful and intentional is a great great thing and I miss having more of that, but I am so blessed to have some friends to do that with here. I feel for the other students who don't have any close friends with them. I know the Lord has to be teaching them so much. Beth and I were talking too about how much we've grown here already. It's been amazing to see God work and be so blessed by Him working in and through us. I pray He continues to do so and that we never put anything in the way to prevent that.
Beth and I FaceTimed Clay, Britt and a little bit of Logan today. I almost cried out of pure joy. I didn't realize how much I've missed them. Ah it was so great. Words cannot express how happy it made me. They are such great friends and I am sooo blessed to have them all in my lives! Shout out to all of you back at OBU: Britt, Ashley, Sam, J-Stew, Amanda, Clay, Garet, Kyle, Logan, Zach, Hunter, Coon, Jake and all of you other crazy kids. I miss you all and I hope OBU is treating you well.
I can't wait for all there is to come! :) Till next time. Booya.
"If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation of love, any fellowship with the Spirit, any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but with humility consider others as more important than yourselves." Phil. 2:1-3
We met with everyone in Venezia. Seriously one of the coolest places I've ever seen, not that I've seen a whole lot. But it was so unique and so colorful. Ah I still can't get over it. It was the coolest cultural experience. We ate a lot of pizza and pasta (uh I had pesto gnocchi-heaven) and TONS if gelato...seriously though, that's my kind of city. It was sooo good. The streets were literally water and we saw all kinds of gondolas. I'm still trying to figure out why they all wear stripes. It was so great to meet up with the Austrians and Jacob from Liverpool. I can't believe all of us OBU students met up in Italy. I still can't wrap my mind around it.
It was freezing. But the coolest thing happend. There was a thunder snow. (Yeah, that was funny explaining it in spanish to my teacher). It was sooo cool, it was while we were dancing in the plaza for the festival. It was awesome. Never heard thunder or seen lightening while it's snowed. I got to spend good time with the girls too and got to know Victoria so much better. It's sad it took us studying abroad to figure that out. haha She's awesome and I think we're going to take a trip to Barcelona together-Beth and I with Emily and Victoria! YES! I missed Em too, I love conversation with her, it's always good. It was super fun getting to know Greg and Margo too. It was great to put faces with the names I have heard so much about. And yes of course it was great to see Rusty. However, I think it was harder leaving them all this time than the airport in Arkansas. But there are sooo many fun adventures to come! Spring Break 2013 #Salzburg #Ithinkyes
It was a great weekend with Beth too. I'm so glad we are such close friends. She is seriously like my sister. (shout out to my real one, Davinia, miss you like crazy and we need to FaceTime soon). We are now meeting weekly to keep each other accountable and reflect on our time and pray. Today was great. I am definitely understanding the value of Christian fellowship and accountability. I miss that about OBU and definitely took my friendships for granted. Being able to have conversations about Christ that are meaningful and intentional is a great great thing and I miss having more of that, but I am so blessed to have some friends to do that with here. I feel for the other students who don't have any close friends with them. I know the Lord has to be teaching them so much. Beth and I were talking too about how much we've grown here already. It's been amazing to see God work and be so blessed by Him working in and through us. I pray He continues to do so and that we never put anything in the way to prevent that.
Beth and I FaceTimed Clay, Britt and a little bit of Logan today. I almost cried out of pure joy. I didn't realize how much I've missed them. Ah it was so great. Words cannot express how happy it made me. They are such great friends and I am sooo blessed to have them all in my lives! Shout out to all of you back at OBU: Britt, Ashley, Sam, J-Stew, Amanda, Clay, Garet, Kyle, Logan, Zach, Hunter, Coon, Jake and all of you other crazy kids. I miss you all and I hope OBU is treating you well.
I can't wait for all there is to come! :) Till next time. Booya.
"If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation of love, any fellowship with the Spirit, any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but with humility consider others as more important than yourselves." Phil. 2:1-3
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| What sweet friends. I was so happy to see them! |
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| Yeah, I know you're jealous. |
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| I'm not going to even bother with words... |
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| My beautiful friend. O and this church's ceiling was literally all small mosaic tiles. CRAZY! |
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| This is for Heidi. Sorry Em I never gave you a good face. haha |
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| So beautiful. And yes this is a famous bridge that's been in tons of movies. Booya. |
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Already 1/4 Down. The Time is Flying.
What a week. It was so fun! Within the last week, I went to Madrid, got 2 pictures with scary mascots, welcomed a new baby nephew who now shares a birthday with Rusty, turned 21, had a surprise party, got serenaded then it got cut off by my tired old lady neighbor above us, took my first two finals, finished my first term, rearranged somethings for my trip to Italy, enjoyed my coffees at "il duomo caffe", ran multiple times, saw a woman walking a ferret, had great one on one time with my best friend and sister (Beth), facetimed my family with new baby Jase, bought lots of groceries, got to hang out with my new friends, Brenna and Lindsay, looked at tickets for traveling, wrote some post-cards, got my first ones from family and friends, facetimed my roomies, had some good Pakistani food, finally figured out what passage in the Bible I am going to memorize, did lots of laundry, spoke a full conversation is spanish with Beth and Hayley and just smiled a lot. God is soo good.
Well enough of my run-on sentence. I can't believe we are already a quarter of the way through our time here. It has literally flown by. I'm stinkin' going to Italy in 5 DAYS!! BAHHH!! I'm soooooooo pumped. Literally words cannot express my excitement. I took my first finals this week. Crazy. We're already done with one set of classes. It was cool, when I went to the market today and then to get coffee (of course) I actually felt confident enough to ask what I wanted and carryon a small conversation. I'm slowly, but surely picking up on the language. That has probably been one of the hardest parts being here. A lot of it is just learning vocabulary and there's a LOT of it. My classes were easy though. They were just review and the tests were a breeze, praise the Lord. My friends are great at helping too, they let me ask questions and are very slow with me, but hey I like it when they push me-it helps me learn. But they are also very patient and give me a little slack since I'm a little behind them haha.
It was soooo good to talk with my family this week. I got to talk to all of them, but Cole :( I saw Jase for the first time. As hard as it was and is not to be there with him and my sister, it's so amazing that I am in Spain, half way across the world, and I get to see him after he's born. I may not get to hold him, but I still get to experience his birth and new life with my family. It's great. They are all wonderful too. My sister is definitely trying to stay in contact and let me see her and him. Ugh she has no idea how much I love and miss her. She literally made me cry when I read her post for me on my birthday. God is sooo good to have blessed me with her as my sister. I think what makes it even better is the fact that when we were younger we fought so much, I was such a punk, but as we have grown the Lord has brought us so close. She is one of my best friends-I love going home to see her and talk with her. I think it was just a hard to not be there for her when Jase was born as it was to actually miss being there to see him, if not harder. I've realized what a blessing she is in my life and I would do anything for her.
The Lord is good. He is so faithful and ever-present. I have learned so much from this experience already. I'm understanding my purpose more everyday. I don't think I've ever understood how important it is to think of my every word and deed. Every time I speak or every time I act the Lord constantly reminds me if what I'm about to do is going to bring Him glory or not. Now, that doesn't mean I have not slipped and fallen, I fail a lot. But I am so much more aware of what I'm doing and it's the desire of my heart that I'm glorifying Him through all that I do. It makes me especially sensitive when I'm around non-believers. I understand more that everything I say and do can either help my witness or hurt it and I do NOT want it to hurt it. I'm also understanding that I have to be flexible and be willing to let go of my expectations. I came here thinking that everything would happen a certain way and it did not. The Lord put me in places I wasn't expecting, but they turned out so well. It was better than I ever could have expected, but definitely different and that's okay!
It's been a great week. Exhausting. The whole Spanish stay-up late and my issues with getting up early don't mix well, but I just can't express how good the Lord has been to me. I love Ouachita and I miss so many of my friends, but I am so happy to be here. To be honest, I feel this opportunity would have been crazy to pass up. I may some people, but I don't really miss being in the normal routine. I have a whole year left at OBU and I don't feel like I'm really missing out being here. I can still talk to the people I love and they'll all be there when I come back, but THIS opportunity is once in a lifetime and I'm so glad the Lord did not let me pass it up. It's going to be life changing. Heck, it's already life-changing.
Thank you all for your love. I love all the people messaging me and keeping up with everything! :) I miss you all. Keep praying the Lord will work in and through us and that He is our number one focus and our lives are centered around Him. Pray for opportunities to share our faith. And pray that people see Him in us. Pray they see the difference of Him, they don't see me, but Christ living in me. Pray for my family, especially my sister, Jeremie, Cole and new baby Jase. Pray for patience-sometimes I like my breathers. Pray for strength, courage, discipline, love, grace and more.
"Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ..." Philippians 1:27a
Well enough of my run-on sentence. I can't believe we are already a quarter of the way through our time here. It has literally flown by. I'm stinkin' going to Italy in 5 DAYS!! BAHHH!! I'm soooooooo pumped. Literally words cannot express my excitement. I took my first finals this week. Crazy. We're already done with one set of classes. It was cool, when I went to the market today and then to get coffee (of course) I actually felt confident enough to ask what I wanted and carryon a small conversation. I'm slowly, but surely picking up on the language. That has probably been one of the hardest parts being here. A lot of it is just learning vocabulary and there's a LOT of it. My classes were easy though. They were just review and the tests were a breeze, praise the Lord. My friends are great at helping too, they let me ask questions and are very slow with me, but hey I like it when they push me-it helps me learn. But they are also very patient and give me a little slack since I'm a little behind them haha.
It was soooo good to talk with my family this week. I got to talk to all of them, but Cole :( I saw Jase for the first time. As hard as it was and is not to be there with him and my sister, it's so amazing that I am in Spain, half way across the world, and I get to see him after he's born. I may not get to hold him, but I still get to experience his birth and new life with my family. It's great. They are all wonderful too. My sister is definitely trying to stay in contact and let me see her and him. Ugh she has no idea how much I love and miss her. She literally made me cry when I read her post for me on my birthday. God is sooo good to have blessed me with her as my sister. I think what makes it even better is the fact that when we were younger we fought so much, I was such a punk, but as we have grown the Lord has brought us so close. She is one of my best friends-I love going home to see her and talk with her. I think it was just a hard to not be there for her when Jase was born as it was to actually miss being there to see him, if not harder. I've realized what a blessing she is in my life and I would do anything for her.
The Lord is good. He is so faithful and ever-present. I have learned so much from this experience already. I'm understanding my purpose more everyday. I don't think I've ever understood how important it is to think of my every word and deed. Every time I speak or every time I act the Lord constantly reminds me if what I'm about to do is going to bring Him glory or not. Now, that doesn't mean I have not slipped and fallen, I fail a lot. But I am so much more aware of what I'm doing and it's the desire of my heart that I'm glorifying Him through all that I do. It makes me especially sensitive when I'm around non-believers. I understand more that everything I say and do can either help my witness or hurt it and I do NOT want it to hurt it. I'm also understanding that I have to be flexible and be willing to let go of my expectations. I came here thinking that everything would happen a certain way and it did not. The Lord put me in places I wasn't expecting, but they turned out so well. It was better than I ever could have expected, but definitely different and that's okay!
It's been a great week. Exhausting. The whole Spanish stay-up late and my issues with getting up early don't mix well, but I just can't express how good the Lord has been to me. I love Ouachita and I miss so many of my friends, but I am so happy to be here. To be honest, I feel this opportunity would have been crazy to pass up. I may some people, but I don't really miss being in the normal routine. I have a whole year left at OBU and I don't feel like I'm really missing out being here. I can still talk to the people I love and they'll all be there when I come back, but THIS opportunity is once in a lifetime and I'm so glad the Lord did not let me pass it up. It's going to be life changing. Heck, it's already life-changing.
Thank you all for your love. I love all the people messaging me and keeping up with everything! :) I miss you all. Keep praying the Lord will work in and through us and that He is our number one focus and our lives are centered around Him. Pray for opportunities to share our faith. And pray that people see Him in us. Pray they see the difference of Him, they don't see me, but Christ living in me. Pray for my family, especially my sister, Jeremie, Cole and new baby Jase. Pray for patience-sometimes I like my breathers. Pray for strength, courage, discipline, love, grace and more.
"Just one thing: Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ..." Philippians 1:27a
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