I love embracing the moments here that I would never experience in my life back home in Wyoming. For example....public transportation, which in Guatemala they call Chicken buses for very specific reasons. People smashed together that have been soaked by the rain = chicken bus.
So I live in San Juan del Obispo right now...a little village outside of the city, like 10 or 15 minutes away. When I want to go into Antigua, which is like everyday almost, I ride the public buses. Now these buses are the typical huge school buses we are used to in the states. Something unique about them though is that the owners of the buses ( I am assuming) get to decorate their buses how they please and drive them as they please. haha. One of my favorite decorations is a decal sticker above the bus door as you exit that says ´te quiero´ or i love you, with these creepy letters that look like some gooey liquid dripping. kinda spooky. lol.
Specifically, we all know the ´loco´ crazy bus. The driver always drives about 100 mph and stops on the dime. You can imagine what we look like bouncing around in the bus, hitting bumps and stopping very rapidly.
About 2 weeks ago, the road closed part way between Antigua and San Juan and so we started taking a really long detour. This detour probably took like at least 10 minutes longer depending on the day and the roads shall we say were a little bit sketchy. One night, one of the my fellow YAVS and I got on the bus a little later than usual because we had gone to a free salsa class. So around 6pm the bus starts getting very very full of people going back home for the night. On top of this did I say it was raining? Kristi and I are like running to the bus with our raincoats on. We get on the bus and it is already super duper full and we are super duper wet. Finally, I find a seat and sit with half of my body on the seat which is already occupied by 2 other people. Kristi is in the seat behind me on the edge of a seat as well. We start off for San Juan and more people keep getting on the bus and I keep getting people more wet with my soaked raincoat. They keep jamming people in the bus in any and every direction they fit. Kristi and I just embrace the moment and enjoy ourselves...which means we are like laughing but trying not to draw more attention to ourselves than we already draw by simply being ´extranjeras´ or foreingers.
To say the least, Guatemalans are not worried about their personal bubble or personal space. You have somewhere to be and a job to get done and you do it any which way you can. Just get the job done. And that´s what they do....Soaked people jammed into a bus like chickens. :) You just have to experience it! It is one of the best cultural experiences! One of my newest phrases for my time in Guatemala is ´Embrace the moment´ and embrace the awkwardness and discomfort´.
I hope you got an idea of a bus ride in Antigua ;)
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Comfort Vs Completeness
Buenas tardes a toda mi familia y mis amigos y cualquier persona que está leyendo este blog....
(My blog title will make sense by the end of reading this...FYI :)
I apologize that it has taken me awhile to update my blog. The last couple weeks have been filled with lots of learning....learning spanish, learning how to get around Antigua and San Juan del Obispo and learning about where I will be working and living for the next year. To say the least, sleep is a HUGE necessity. It is incredible to sleep 9 or sometimes more hours a night for several nights in a row. Yes, cultural differences, language differences, living with a family and less independence all make me tired. These things aren´t necessary good or bad, they just ARE. All part of my experience over this next year.
Now that I have been in Guatemala for about 3 weeks and things are not so new and intriguing, a common thought and or conversation that finds its way into my mind quite often goes like this: "I am in Guatemala! I am in Guatemala for an ENTIRE YEAR! Hmm....things aren´t quite as new and exciting as they were in my first 2 weeks here. O my goodness, I AM HERE FOR THE NEXT YEAR. Like wow, I am going to learn to adapt to living in a foreign country and it will become my daily life for quite some time. Wow, this is crazy!" This is a bit of some of the conversation in my mind. lol.
I will be living my language host family for only one more week. It is hard living with a family for a short amount of time, especially when they are VERY accustomed to foreign students living with them for different amounts of time. My family has been hosting students for 19 years, so I am not really anything too new. This is sometimes nice and sometimes frusturating. Nice in the way that I just kind of go about my business and they don´t bug me if I just am doing my own thing. Frusturating in the fact that I am a relational person and want to make friends and hang out and I always feel like I have to initiate that I want to hang out with all of them. But I hang out with them when I can and have enjoyed a lot of laughs around the dinner table or watching T.V with my host siblings.
So in a nutshell, my honeymooning stage in Guatemala is fading out and reality and culture shock is settling in. Cultural misunderstandings and differences have been appearing in my life here. My mind is always ready to explode because I am constantly trying to evaluate situations I observe and find myself in in the Guatemalan cutlure. I am constantly trying to process the role of women and men, different protestant beliefs and theology, and just the differences in everyday culture that I am not used to. Questions in my mind relating to these topics: Is this right or wrong or just different? Why do they think that or do this? Did I offend him or her by reacting as I do in my own cultural norm? What could have I done different in that situation? Why, why why? Yep, entering a new culture is an exhausting experience that makes you question all the comfortable things you thought were stable and normal and right. To say the least, if I didn´t find my identity in Jesus Christ I would be one confused and stressed out person right now. The Word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105) I am reminded and greatful that our God has not left us alone but given us his Spirit of Truth. "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.... (John 16:13a) "So you have recieved a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you recieved God´s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, Abba, Father." (Rom. 8:15) This year I will be confronted with lots of differences and ideas that I have never thought before and I am confident and thankful that my God will guide me and lead me on His paths as I seek him admist all of this.
So this morning as all these reflections that I have just shared with you were going through my head, I was reminded of a workshop during my summer as a Nav leader about comfort vs. completeness in Christ. The workshop talked about how the Lord desires for us to be growing into the knowledge of him which means discipline and discomfort at times. I could choose to stay in my comfort zone....my independence (which I love more than ever now that I do not have as much), my family and friends, my country, my language, my room, my home, my food....but that is a whole LOT of ME. Although this year is and will be challenging....I am definately out of my everyday comfort zone... I also know this year will be FULL of growing personally and growing closer to the God I love. It is at times like this that God gets my attention easiest....because I am very weak and cannot be independent. So as much as I try to resist, I pray that that I become more complete in Christ for His Glory this year as I experience the world through different glasses. So I ask you, wherever you might be....."Have you been willing to be uncomfortable and challenged lately?"
I hope all is well back home. Much love to all my friends and family! ¡Dios les bendiga! (God Bless you!)
I have some funny bus stories to come as well as some info on where I will be worknig and moving to in about 2 weeks....so please wait in anticipation. :)
(My blog title will make sense by the end of reading this...FYI :)
I apologize that it has taken me awhile to update my blog. The last couple weeks have been filled with lots of learning....learning spanish, learning how to get around Antigua and San Juan del Obispo and learning about where I will be working and living for the next year. To say the least, sleep is a HUGE necessity. It is incredible to sleep 9 or sometimes more hours a night for several nights in a row. Yes, cultural differences, language differences, living with a family and less independence all make me tired. These things aren´t necessary good or bad, they just ARE. All part of my experience over this next year.
Now that I have been in Guatemala for about 3 weeks and things are not so new and intriguing, a common thought and or conversation that finds its way into my mind quite often goes like this: "I am in Guatemala! I am in Guatemala for an ENTIRE YEAR! Hmm....things aren´t quite as new and exciting as they were in my first 2 weeks here. O my goodness, I AM HERE FOR THE NEXT YEAR. Like wow, I am going to learn to adapt to living in a foreign country and it will become my daily life for quite some time. Wow, this is crazy!" This is a bit of some of the conversation in my mind. lol.
I will be living my language host family for only one more week. It is hard living with a family for a short amount of time, especially when they are VERY accustomed to foreign students living with them for different amounts of time. My family has been hosting students for 19 years, so I am not really anything too new. This is sometimes nice and sometimes frusturating. Nice in the way that I just kind of go about my business and they don´t bug me if I just am doing my own thing. Frusturating in the fact that I am a relational person and want to make friends and hang out and I always feel like I have to initiate that I want to hang out with all of them. But I hang out with them when I can and have enjoyed a lot of laughs around the dinner table or watching T.V with my host siblings.
So in a nutshell, my honeymooning stage in Guatemala is fading out and reality and culture shock is settling in. Cultural misunderstandings and differences have been appearing in my life here. My mind is always ready to explode because I am constantly trying to evaluate situations I observe and find myself in in the Guatemalan cutlure. I am constantly trying to process the role of women and men, different protestant beliefs and theology, and just the differences in everyday culture that I am not used to. Questions in my mind relating to these topics: Is this right or wrong or just different? Why do they think that or do this? Did I offend him or her by reacting as I do in my own cultural norm? What could have I done different in that situation? Why, why why? Yep, entering a new culture is an exhausting experience that makes you question all the comfortable things you thought were stable and normal and right. To say the least, if I didn´t find my identity in Jesus Christ I would be one confused and stressed out person right now. The Word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105) I am reminded and greatful that our God has not left us alone but given us his Spirit of Truth. "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.... (John 16:13a) "So you have recieved a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you recieved God´s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, Abba, Father." (Rom. 8:15) This year I will be confronted with lots of differences and ideas that I have never thought before and I am confident and thankful that my God will guide me and lead me on His paths as I seek him admist all of this.
So this morning as all these reflections that I have just shared with you were going through my head, I was reminded of a workshop during my summer as a Nav leader about comfort vs. completeness in Christ. The workshop talked about how the Lord desires for us to be growing into the knowledge of him which means discipline and discomfort at times. I could choose to stay in my comfort zone....my independence (which I love more than ever now that I do not have as much), my family and friends, my country, my language, my room, my home, my food....but that is a whole LOT of ME. Although this year is and will be challenging....I am definately out of my everyday comfort zone... I also know this year will be FULL of growing personally and growing closer to the God I love. It is at times like this that God gets my attention easiest....because I am very weak and cannot be independent. So as much as I try to resist, I pray that that I become more complete in Christ for His Glory this year as I experience the world through different glasses. So I ask you, wherever you might be....."Have you been willing to be uncomfortable and challenged lately?"
I hope all is well back home. Much love to all my friends and family! ¡Dios les bendiga! (God Bless you!)
I have some funny bus stories to come as well as some info on where I will be worknig and moving to in about 2 weeks....so please wait in anticipation. :)
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Home Away From Home
Wow! I have only been in Guatemala for one week and it seems like way longer than that....in a good way! It seems as though I have already been here for forever. If I could sum up my life in one word since the last time I wrote, I would have to use the word ¨content.¨ I rejoice in how our God guides us and gives each of us passions and gifts to share with and recieve from others. I have barely stopped smiling since I arrived in Guatemala less than a week ago because once again I realize how God has given me an inborn love for the Latin American people and their language and their culture.
So, what has happened since I last wrote you ask? Last Friday I spent the day with my group and our coordinator, Marcia, at our beautiful little villa in Antigua, sharing our life stories and sharing the big events of our lives that have formed who we are today. It was a relaxing day of learning about each other and grasping a better understanding of where we are each coming from. Each time I tell my testimony I realize more and more how the Lord has worked in my life and the tasks he has equipped me for. One term that came up that I have never used before in my testimony was ´Spiritual Freedom´. I have experienced freedom in the blood of Jesus Christ in my life which is beyond words and I desire to share with others how they might better understand their relationship to God and be healed and free. The Lord created us to live life ABUNDANTLY. (John 10-10)
Saturday morning, we awakened ourselves at the crack of dawn to go climb a volcano called Pacaya. We were all stumbling around our adjointed rooms (2 rooms with a shared bathroom in the middle) when suddenly we heard outside REALLY LOUD popping noises. Unsure of what was going on (it sounded a bit like guns firing) we quickly locked our doors and hid in the bathroom together. We called Marcia to see if she knew what was going on and she informed us that it is custom in Guatemala to light of firecrackers early to celebrate birthdays or other celebrations. We look back and laugh now, but it was a bit disconcerting in the moment. Since that morning I think I have heard these firecrackers almost every morning, including at 4 in the morning yesterday. haha. (i am hearing firecrackers as i sit typing this as well)
After this incident, we got on the bus to take us to climb the volcano. Let me tell you, it is an experience to ride with drivers here. Traffic rules are not very strict I would say. We made it safely up the mountain to the base of the volcano and began to climb. It was a pretty intense climb for about 1 hour and 20 minutes until we arrived to the farthest point they allow. We reached the top and the rain started pouring! It was soooo cloudy that we couldn´t see beyond a couple hundred feet in front of us. We huddled up under a small shelter with about 30 other tourists. It was quite the fun, exciting experience, although we were quite cold. My choice of clothing might not have been the best....running shorts, tshirt, long sleeve shirt, and raincoat. haha. Oh well, lots of fun was had besides. At the top of the volcano we walked around and felt the heat pouring out of some of the vents. It was pretty sweet!
After we got back to Antigua from the volcano, we all rushed around packing our suitcases and showering so that we would be ready to go meet our language school host families at 3 in San Juan del Obispo (which is a little town just a little ways above Antigua that isn´t touristy like the city). At 3 we packed ourselves in a Honda Odyssey van with someone from the language school to drive us to meet our families. I met my host families at the church in the center of the town and we carried my heavy suitcases a few blocks uphill, not to mention the cobblestone streets. lol. I was dragging my massive suitcase on wheels on the cobblestone and making tons of noise. Here....I will paint a good picture for you. This scene I am about to describe was probably hilarious through the eyes of the natives that were standing on the streets as I walked by. I will tell it from the perspective of somebody watching this scene happen-----
A van of 4 girls pulled into our little pueblo today. They all got out at the church and started meeting their host families. They had the biggest pile of luggage I have ever seen in my life. Bright purple, bright pink, and bright red bags and rolling suitcases fell from the van. One girl cordially meets her host family and points out which bags belong to her. Her host dad picks up the bigger red bag, her most mom picks up the little carry one purple rolling suitcase and she proceeds to try to DRAG her rolling suitcases for about 3 blocks to her host house which is mostly uphill. She definately is not from these parts...she looks quite different than us. As she proceeds to drag her 50 pound rolling suitcase up the cobblestone street hill, the bag gets caught on her flip flop and it falls off. I am laughing as a native observer, but the girl also just begins to laugh as her host mom says something in spanish and laughs too. After struggling and stumbling around for a second she finally gets her flip flop in the right direction and back on her foot and proceeds to her house. O and did i mention this girl also had a backpack on her back? Who would ever need so much luggage? Bienvenidos GRINGA!
This may have been what the scene looked like to the natives in San Juan del Opisbo on Saturday afternoon. Quite funny really.
My host family is great and has kids 22, 21, 17, and 13. I have had lots of fun talking with them. A couple days ago I sat in the living room with them watching Guatemala play Belice in soccer. GUATEMALA won!!! woot woot! Today I sat with my host mom as I ate lunch and she told me stories of past exchange students they have hosted. It was pretty entertaining. Today I took a tranquil trip into Antigua and enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon sitting and talking and doing homework and observing the latin culture.
One thing I am going to miss this year is the season of Fall. There isn´t a fall here....just summer and ´winter´. So all you back home....enjoy it for me and know I am thinking of you all and missing you!
May you find peace in this day!
So, what has happened since I last wrote you ask? Last Friday I spent the day with my group and our coordinator, Marcia, at our beautiful little villa in Antigua, sharing our life stories and sharing the big events of our lives that have formed who we are today. It was a relaxing day of learning about each other and grasping a better understanding of where we are each coming from. Each time I tell my testimony I realize more and more how the Lord has worked in my life and the tasks he has equipped me for. One term that came up that I have never used before in my testimony was ´Spiritual Freedom´. I have experienced freedom in the blood of Jesus Christ in my life which is beyond words and I desire to share with others how they might better understand their relationship to God and be healed and free. The Lord created us to live life ABUNDANTLY. (John 10-10)
Saturday morning, we awakened ourselves at the crack of dawn to go climb a volcano called Pacaya. We were all stumbling around our adjointed rooms (2 rooms with a shared bathroom in the middle) when suddenly we heard outside REALLY LOUD popping noises. Unsure of what was going on (it sounded a bit like guns firing) we quickly locked our doors and hid in the bathroom together. We called Marcia to see if she knew what was going on and she informed us that it is custom in Guatemala to light of firecrackers early to celebrate birthdays or other celebrations. We look back and laugh now, but it was a bit disconcerting in the moment. Since that morning I think I have heard these firecrackers almost every morning, including at 4 in the morning yesterday. haha. (i am hearing firecrackers as i sit typing this as well)
After this incident, we got on the bus to take us to climb the volcano. Let me tell you, it is an experience to ride with drivers here. Traffic rules are not very strict I would say. We made it safely up the mountain to the base of the volcano and began to climb. It was a pretty intense climb for about 1 hour and 20 minutes until we arrived to the farthest point they allow. We reached the top and the rain started pouring! It was soooo cloudy that we couldn´t see beyond a couple hundred feet in front of us. We huddled up under a small shelter with about 30 other tourists. It was quite the fun, exciting experience, although we were quite cold. My choice of clothing might not have been the best....running shorts, tshirt, long sleeve shirt, and raincoat. haha. Oh well, lots of fun was had besides. At the top of the volcano we walked around and felt the heat pouring out of some of the vents. It was pretty sweet!
After we got back to Antigua from the volcano, we all rushed around packing our suitcases and showering so that we would be ready to go meet our language school host families at 3 in San Juan del Obispo (which is a little town just a little ways above Antigua that isn´t touristy like the city). At 3 we packed ourselves in a Honda Odyssey van with someone from the language school to drive us to meet our families. I met my host families at the church in the center of the town and we carried my heavy suitcases a few blocks uphill, not to mention the cobblestone streets. lol. I was dragging my massive suitcase on wheels on the cobblestone and making tons of noise. Here....I will paint a good picture for you. This scene I am about to describe was probably hilarious through the eyes of the natives that were standing on the streets as I walked by. I will tell it from the perspective of somebody watching this scene happen-----
A van of 4 girls pulled into our little pueblo today. They all got out at the church and started meeting their host families. They had the biggest pile of luggage I have ever seen in my life. Bright purple, bright pink, and bright red bags and rolling suitcases fell from the van. One girl cordially meets her host family and points out which bags belong to her. Her host dad picks up the bigger red bag, her most mom picks up the little carry one purple rolling suitcase and she proceeds to try to DRAG her rolling suitcases for about 3 blocks to her host house which is mostly uphill. She definately is not from these parts...she looks quite different than us. As she proceeds to drag her 50 pound rolling suitcase up the cobblestone street hill, the bag gets caught on her flip flop and it falls off. I am laughing as a native observer, but the girl also just begins to laugh as her host mom says something in spanish and laughs too. After struggling and stumbling around for a second she finally gets her flip flop in the right direction and back on her foot and proceeds to her house. O and did i mention this girl also had a backpack on her back? Who would ever need so much luggage? Bienvenidos GRINGA!
This may have been what the scene looked like to the natives in San Juan del Opisbo on Saturday afternoon. Quite funny really.
My host family is great and has kids 22, 21, 17, and 13. I have had lots of fun talking with them. A couple days ago I sat in the living room with them watching Guatemala play Belice in soccer. GUATEMALA won!!! woot woot! Today I sat with my host mom as I ate lunch and she told me stories of past exchange students they have hosted. It was pretty entertaining. Today I took a tranquil trip into Antigua and enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon sitting and talking and doing homework and observing the latin culture.
One thing I am going to miss this year is the season of Fall. There isn´t a fall here....just summer and ´winter´. So all you back home....enjoy it for me and know I am thinking of you all and missing you!
May you find peace in this day!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Remaining, Abiding, & Dwelling in Christ
John 15:4-5
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
This last week I was in Stony Point, NY for my orientation for my year of serving Christ in a place and culture different than mine. A place out of my comfortable life of having enough, always understanding, being understood, and getting a new lens of understanding of our God and how he calls us to give and receive love. In complete honesty, this last week was challenging and disheartening but also very enlightening and encouraging for many different reasons. The scripture I put at the top of this post brought me great joy and encouragement today as I remembered that my journey belongs to my Savior! I cannot do anything on my own! I cannot bear fruit unless I remain in my Lord! I am reminded of the importance of being immersed and flooded in the Word of God! It encourages me to know that the Lord promises us that if we do not depart from Him, if we practice His presence in our lives and wait for Him, than he WILL stay with us and through our lives he will produce MUCH fruit!
I am in Guatemala!! Woot! I arrived here yesterday morning with the other 3 girls in my group and all of our luggage! Praise God! As I flew into Guatemala City, tears of great joy and excitement filled my eyes as well as tears of the reality of the situation sinking in. Tears of great joy because it was the beginning of a long time dream and calling that I have been waiting to experience and tears of the reality of missing home and people that know me for who I am and starting over in a new place forming relationships and building community...which takes time and energy and a spirit of courage in my second language.
We drove to Antigua, Guatemala from the airport and this is around the area that I will be staying for the next year. I am staying in a cute villa for about 3 days for orientation with my site coordinator, Marcia. This morning we took a walking tour of Antigua learning about the ancient ruins and history of this city with lots of Mayan influence. Let me walk you down an avenida in Guatemala with me...
you walk out the enclosed courtyard area of our quaint villa and enter a narrow cobblestone street. It is about 9 am in the morning and the lives of the Guatemalan people have begun. There are kids running to school, women preparing tortillas in there beautiful clothing, loud trucks speeding by feet from you, vendors selling their goods, and others drinking their cafe and enjoying the company of a friend. A look beyond the immediate city and your eyes meet the beautiful hills of green and volcanos slightly covered with clouds. Wow, it is beautiful and inviting. Enter the main plaza or park area in the middle of the city and feel your energy increase as you watch school kids running around for the festival of the corn. The plaza is full of people milling around with friends and socializing.
Needless to say, the tour this morning was amazing.
Friday I will spend the day with my group sharing our stories so that we can get to know each other and understand each others lives. Saturday we will hike a volcano in the morning and then go out of the city to San Juan Del Obispo to move in with our language school host families who we will live with or about 5 weeks. Language school will start Monday and I am stoked! It will be just what I need to solidify the Spanish I know.
I want to thank all my friends and family for all the prayers and support you have graciously shown me already. Each day I am even more confident the Lord has called me here and given me a passion to be in this culture with these people, speaking Spanish :) I would ask for prayers for health and a spirit of humility and boldness in a new place. I love you all.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
This last week I was in Stony Point, NY for my orientation for my year of serving Christ in a place and culture different than mine. A place out of my comfortable life of having enough, always understanding, being understood, and getting a new lens of understanding of our God and how he calls us to give and receive love. In complete honesty, this last week was challenging and disheartening but also very enlightening and encouraging for many different reasons. The scripture I put at the top of this post brought me great joy and encouragement today as I remembered that my journey belongs to my Savior! I cannot do anything on my own! I cannot bear fruit unless I remain in my Lord! I am reminded of the importance of being immersed and flooded in the Word of God! It encourages me to know that the Lord promises us that if we do not depart from Him, if we practice His presence in our lives and wait for Him, than he WILL stay with us and through our lives he will produce MUCH fruit!
I am in Guatemala!! Woot! I arrived here yesterday morning with the other 3 girls in my group and all of our luggage! Praise God! As I flew into Guatemala City, tears of great joy and excitement filled my eyes as well as tears of the reality of the situation sinking in. Tears of great joy because it was the beginning of a long time dream and calling that I have been waiting to experience and tears of the reality of missing home and people that know me for who I am and starting over in a new place forming relationships and building community...which takes time and energy and a spirit of courage in my second language.
We drove to Antigua, Guatemala from the airport and this is around the area that I will be staying for the next year. I am staying in a cute villa for about 3 days for orientation with my site coordinator, Marcia. This morning we took a walking tour of Antigua learning about the ancient ruins and history of this city with lots of Mayan influence. Let me walk you down an avenida in Guatemala with me...
you walk out the enclosed courtyard area of our quaint villa and enter a narrow cobblestone street. It is about 9 am in the morning and the lives of the Guatemalan people have begun. There are kids running to school, women preparing tortillas in there beautiful clothing, loud trucks speeding by feet from you, vendors selling their goods, and others drinking their cafe and enjoying the company of a friend. A look beyond the immediate city and your eyes meet the beautiful hills of green and volcanos slightly covered with clouds. Wow, it is beautiful and inviting. Enter the main plaza or park area in the middle of the city and feel your energy increase as you watch school kids running around for the festival of the corn. The plaza is full of people milling around with friends and socializing.
Needless to say, the tour this morning was amazing.
Friday I will spend the day with my group sharing our stories so that we can get to know each other and understand each others lives. Saturday we will hike a volcano in the morning and then go out of the city to San Juan Del Obispo to move in with our language school host families who we will live with or about 5 weeks. Language school will start Monday and I am stoked! It will be just what I need to solidify the Spanish I know.
I want to thank all my friends and family for all the prayers and support you have graciously shown me already. Each day I am even more confident the Lord has called me here and given me a passion to be in this culture with these people, speaking Spanish :) I would ask for prayers for health and a spirit of humility and boldness in a new place. I love you all.
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