El 17 de Marzo
“Do you know that you are dearly loved?”
I woke up yesterday morning with one thought on my mind: What a fallen world we live in.
I mean, how much suffering is going on in this world that we are unaware of. Sometimes its hard to run from and it is even shoved in our faces via commercials, news, and just daily living. But what about the things that don’t make it to the news or you don’t hear through the latest gossip?
I just got to thinking about how sad it can be that we all, myself included, tend to neglect the desperate need people are in all around us. Sure, we can all go to Panama, Africa, Asia, and beyond to do “missions work”, but how many of us view our hometown, school, neighborhood as a missions field? To tell you the truth, based on my experiences, the people in Yavisa, Panama and Yorkin, Costa Rica are a lot closer to finding God then people from Denver, Colorado. Now I’m sure all of you have heard this one preached 100 times over at various church services, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. What I am saying, however, is that I realized I am in a box I have created for myself. A hard, concrete box.
I heard about some things back at home that’s going on that allowed me to peak out of that box for a day or two. It reminded me that my life isn’t the only thing going on in this world. My Spanish level, career path and relationships aren’t the only things this world is revolving around. Who knew? It reminded me how, even when you aren’t aware of it, you create a small little world that you dwell in until unforeseen circumstances shake it up a bit.
Not only have I, we, created a box to live in, but we have put God, the creator of the universe, into one of these little boxes as well. Sure we believe he can move mountains when we step out of our comfort zone and intentionally go on a mission’s trip-we expect God to move and do wonderful things then, and He does. He always does. But do we really have the same expectations of God when we are going through our bleak daily routines back at home? Do we serve the same God that heals the blind and divides the seas when we are clocking into our 9 to 5’s?
I know this blog is a little unconventional for me, but this has been making my loose sleep for the last two nights. Every heart should feel the depth of his mercy and if we continue to stay in our boxes, if we continue to put God in a box, we will miss out on some pretty awesome stuff. One thing Brooke and I were talking about yesterday was even if we do have God in a box, even if we don’t believe he is capable, he will always prove us wrong. He doesn’t need our help. He doesn’t need us to venture out of our comfort zone to do “missions”. We get to do all that with Him! He is capable of way more than we will ever know and “one day every tongue will confess He is God and one day every knee will bow” with or without our help. God will heal, minister, comfort and guide without us, if need be. But He calls us to live a life worthy of His love and by doing so we get to go along with him on this great adventure.
There is suffering in this world, yes. But there is joy with Jesus. And with Him all things are possible.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Nueva
So I guess its time for me to blog (for all of my faithful readers our there-yes Brady and mom, I’m talking to you!) ☺ I can’t believe its been so long since I’ve written! When we got back from the missions trip a week ago I recorded a “blog” for you all to watch instead of read but it wouldn’t upload…so I guess I just put off writing.
So I have a lot to share! To start, I’ll just say the missions trip was awesome! We met up with Brooke’s church last Saturday to drive down to Yavisa together. It was really awesome to be able to see some people from home again! Anyways, Brooke and I traveled the whole span of the country of the course of 2 days…so that was tiring. But we finally made it down to Yavisa. A little background on this city-its dangerous. We had this army of men with us 24/7. Seriously, all the time. Like they got only 4 hours of sleep in between rotations-and that was all because we were there!
So a little background on Brooke’s church-every year doctors and nurses go down to a different city in Panama to administer healthcare to the people who can’t get it. The services span from giving away pain killers to doing eye surgery to restore sight! There was one person there that hadn’t been able to see for 14 years due to cataracts and the doctors were able to restore her sight!
Anyways, Brooke and I were in charge of the VBS-working with all the kids there. Which we did…haha it was pretty crazy. There were close to 100 kids there so all of the planned crafts we had kind of went out the window. We pretty much just ended up passing out papers all day for the kids to color. But it was good nonetheless. As the days went on they found more of a need for translators. That’s where Brooke and I come in! We spent the last couple days translating and it was awesome! God totally blessed me with the words to say and I got to get more into the medical side-which I loved! As you can see from the pictures, we were able to scrub into some eye surgeries, which was BOMB!
After 4 days of being in Yavisa we went back down to P-city to party! We went to this awesome resort called Playa Bonita where we slept in, ate awesome food, and basked in the sun! I even got a little workout in at their gym!
So now have been back with our grandmas for the last week. We are back into a routine with school and we have 2 more weeks here till we got back down to the city. The missions trip left me with 3 major thoughts: I love translating, I love medical things, and I really miss home. The first day back in Boquete was hard because everyone from Denver went home and we remained. It was a lonely feeling. But to tell the truth, I am starting to feel almost a kinship to the people here. Like a part of me is really familiar with it now and I love it. I am going to seriously miss all the Spanish when I get home so I am going to have to fight to keep it going. But I am starting to feel ready to be home. But God is good and we have been so blessed with Hilda and Corina, so we are comfortable here.
Please pray God continues to work in our lives and keeps us focused on our Spanish for the remainder of the trip!
Dios te bendiga!
So I have a lot to share! To start, I’ll just say the missions trip was awesome! We met up with Brooke’s church last Saturday to drive down to Yavisa together. It was really awesome to be able to see some people from home again! Anyways, Brooke and I traveled the whole span of the country of the course of 2 days…so that was tiring. But we finally made it down to Yavisa. A little background on this city-its dangerous. We had this army of men with us 24/7. Seriously, all the time. Like they got only 4 hours of sleep in between rotations-and that was all because we were there!
So a little background on Brooke’s church-every year doctors and nurses go down to a different city in Panama to administer healthcare to the people who can’t get it. The services span from giving away pain killers to doing eye surgery to restore sight! There was one person there that hadn’t been able to see for 14 years due to cataracts and the doctors were able to restore her sight!
Anyways, Brooke and I were in charge of the VBS-working with all the kids there. Which we did…haha it was pretty crazy. There were close to 100 kids there so all of the planned crafts we had kind of went out the window. We pretty much just ended up passing out papers all day for the kids to color. But it was good nonetheless. As the days went on they found more of a need for translators. That’s where Brooke and I come in! We spent the last couple days translating and it was awesome! God totally blessed me with the words to say and I got to get more into the medical side-which I loved! As you can see from the pictures, we were able to scrub into some eye surgeries, which was BOMB!
After 4 days of being in Yavisa we went back down to P-city to party! We went to this awesome resort called Playa Bonita where we slept in, ate awesome food, and basked in the sun! I even got a little workout in at their gym!
So now have been back with our grandmas for the last week. We are back into a routine with school and we have 2 more weeks here till we got back down to the city. The missions trip left me with 3 major thoughts: I love translating, I love medical things, and I really miss home. The first day back in Boquete was hard because everyone from Denver went home and we remained. It was a lonely feeling. But to tell the truth, I am starting to feel almost a kinship to the people here. Like a part of me is really familiar with it now and I love it. I am going to seriously miss all the Spanish when I get home so I am going to have to fight to keep it going. But I am starting to feel ready to be home. But God is good and we have been so blessed with Hilda and Corina, so we are comfortable here.
Please pray God continues to work in our lives and keeps us focused on our Spanish for the remainder of the trip!
Dios te bendiga!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Salmos 23
“El Senor es en medio de mi. Nada me falta.”
You just have to meet these wonderful little ladies we are living with. It is so crazy but, like I said earlier, it is like we are here to learn much more than just Spanish. Every once and awhile we will find ourselves in a somewhat deep conversations with our new grandma’s about life, love (especially in my case), or death. I have been sick for the last two days and Hilda is convinced it is because I am in love. She says “love makes you sick, it makes you tired and weak. Look at Brooke she is strong! Then look at you!” haha you have to love it. We are blessed with their wisdom 24/7 about health, food, God and everything in-between. Today Hilda reminded us here that we are here for a greater reason than Spanish. We are here to learn about people and allow people to learn about God through us. Great reminder.
Anyways, the house has been a little quieter since Vincent and Lisbeth (Fran’s parents) left on Friday. We were sad to see them leave! Vincent, thank God, was like our own personal trainer. He pushed me harder than I ever would on my own when working out to p90x! and Lisbeth is just a joy to have around. Friday we went to this place called Valle Escondido (the hidden valley) with some people from the school, and lets just say I know where all the Americans live now. It was beautiful, golf coarse and all!
So it has been a pretty chill last couple of days. Like I said, I have been feeling sick so I have slept away most of the weekend and I am ready to get back to working out and doing stuff tomorrow! We only have 4 days of school this week than it is back to Panama City (after the glamorous 7 hour bus ride of course). We are going on our 4th week and I cant believe it. Thee time has been going by a lot faster since we have been living here. I seriously couldn’t imagine what it would be like if we were still in the hostel!...I would be coming home 50 pounds if we kept up our diet! But now we have to do everything it takes to workout in-between the awesome food we get here! Haha
One thing about being here is that I have learned how much I appreciate the country I live in. It takes living in another country to really value the one we live in. Also, I always knew how much I valued family, but once again, distance makes the heart grow fonder. I know that this is the kind of trip that isn’t glamorous, its not fun all the time, I miss home a lot, and at times I dream of being home, but it’s the kind of trip that I will never forget. It is building so much character within me and, beyond learning more Spanish, it is preparing me for much more than I am even aware of now.
So like I said, it has been a somewhat of an uneventful week (hence me going on and on about my feelings as opposed to events), but its nice at the same time. Its already exhausting enough doing the day-to-day routine, some down time is nice! Well love you guys and I will write one more soon! ☺
You just have to meet these wonderful little ladies we are living with. It is so crazy but, like I said earlier, it is like we are here to learn much more than just Spanish. Every once and awhile we will find ourselves in a somewhat deep conversations with our new grandma’s about life, love (especially in my case), or death. I have been sick for the last two days and Hilda is convinced it is because I am in love. She says “love makes you sick, it makes you tired and weak. Look at Brooke she is strong! Then look at you!” haha you have to love it. We are blessed with their wisdom 24/7 about health, food, God and everything in-between. Today Hilda reminded us here that we are here for a greater reason than Spanish. We are here to learn about people and allow people to learn about God through us. Great reminder.
Anyways, the house has been a little quieter since Vincent and Lisbeth (Fran’s parents) left on Friday. We were sad to see them leave! Vincent, thank God, was like our own personal trainer. He pushed me harder than I ever would on my own when working out to p90x! and Lisbeth is just a joy to have around. Friday we went to this place called Valle Escondido (the hidden valley) with some people from the school, and lets just say I know where all the Americans live now. It was beautiful, golf coarse and all!
So it has been a pretty chill last couple of days. Like I said, I have been feeling sick so I have slept away most of the weekend and I am ready to get back to working out and doing stuff tomorrow! We only have 4 days of school this week than it is back to Panama City (after the glamorous 7 hour bus ride of course). We are going on our 4th week and I cant believe it. Thee time has been going by a lot faster since we have been living here. I seriously couldn’t imagine what it would be like if we were still in the hostel!...I would be coming home 50 pounds if we kept up our diet! But now we have to do everything it takes to workout in-between the awesome food we get here! Haha
One thing about being here is that I have learned how much I appreciate the country I live in. It takes living in another country to really value the one we live in. Also, I always knew how much I valued family, but once again, distance makes the heart grow fonder. I know that this is the kind of trip that isn’t glamorous, its not fun all the time, I miss home a lot, and at times I dream of being home, but it’s the kind of trip that I will never forget. It is building so much character within me and, beyond learning more Spanish, it is preparing me for much more than I am even aware of now.
So like I said, it has been a somewhat of an uneventful week (hence me going on and on about my feelings as opposed to events), but its nice at the same time. Its already exhausting enough doing the day-to-day routine, some down time is nice! Well love you guys and I will write one more soon! ☺
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Gracias a Dios
“El Señor esta en medio de ti como guerrero victorioso. Se deleitara en ti con gozo, te renovara con su amor, se alegrara por ti con cantos como en las días de fiesta.” Sofonias 3:17 (Zephaniah 3:17)
The Lord your God is with you. That is what I have been telling myself all throughout this trip. As you know, Brooke and I are now living with my wonderful friends (Franseca) grandma who is just as equally sweet as her granddaughter. It has been so great since we have been here and I can finally say I am happy. It has been a journey to say the least and I could very well cry at just the mention of Brady’s name, but all the soppy romance stuff aside, things have been really good. ☺
School has been good. As of yesterday, Brooke and I are the only ones in our class, so it’s a lot more individualized attention and so we can learn at our own pace and what we need. I love it. I feel like its almost like a science or a math that you have to figure out. Fran’s parents have been here too, they are awesome and very encouraging! One of my biggest concerns was having a poor accent, but according to them (they are native to panama), I sound great. By the way Fran, your mom said I just might have to teach you some Spanish when I get back! ☺
Here are some of the specifics of the week:
Fuimos a la playa! (we went to the beach)….and let’s just say I can now say I know the value in sunscreen. Since Tuesday I have felt like my skin is bleeding. So you can imagine I’m just a little bit tired because every time I move, even an inch in my sleep, I feel like someone put a razor to my skin. But I can already tell its going to be a tan, so at least something good came out of it.
Last night we played scrabble, in Spanish, while watching our favorite soap opera, “Mas sabe el Diablo” (“the devil knows best”...a ridiculously corny soap with the dramatic music and all. The redeeming quality is the “devil” himself. Hilda (the grandma) said it best-“if the devil looks like that, he can take me!”). Anyways, Hilda and Corina fell in love with scrabble! I’m not sure which one was more entertaining, playing the game or watching them try to figure it out! By the end of the game, they were ready to play again. By this time it was 9, the time they usually go to bed. So it was late for them! So as we get ready for the second round, the electricity went out. All Brooke and I could do was laugh hysterically as we watched these sweet little ladies roam around the house, with the aid of a single match, trying to find candles. So when all was said and done, we played our second round of scrabble in candlelight. I can easily say that was the best night since we got into panama, hands down.
So now we have 8 days till we go down to Panama City to meet up with Brooke’s church for the missions trip, which will be interesting. Brooke and I received and email from some people at her church telling people how to prepare. They said, with confidence, this will be “the most interesting of all trips” and greatly emphasized the safety tips. Haha so needless to say, it will be interesting. But we are looking forward to it, nonetheless.
After, we plan on coming back to Boquete. Fran’s grandma said we could come back and stay with her for the last couple of weeks we plan on being in Boquete. So that was an answer to prayer!
I thank God everyday I am here with Brooke. Honestly if it weren’t for her I would be back in Colorado by now for sure! Its been really cool to see how well we compliment each other. We have learned she is very task oriented with what is in front of her and I am extremely relationship oriented. So while she keeps me focused here, I keep her plugged into Colorado. Good balance. So happy she is here, but the only downfall is too much English! We need to try hard not to talk to each other in English, por favor!
Anyways, as I conclude what I’m pretty sure is my longest blog thus far, I just want to say, once again, that I serve an amazing God. I am thoroughly convinced that I am here to learn much more than Spanish. In these 3 weeks, I have learned more life lessons than I would have expected to learn in a years time. So I am looking forward to what else could be in store (I could only imagine!). Sure, at times it is extremely hard, and I want to just go home (thank God I have Brooke with me) but I know God has me here for more reasons than I could count. So, I have 8 more weeks left to my adventure here in Panama and then I will continue the adventure in Colorado! Lucky me!
The Lord your God is with you. That is what I have been telling myself all throughout this trip. As you know, Brooke and I are now living with my wonderful friends (Franseca) grandma who is just as equally sweet as her granddaughter. It has been so great since we have been here and I can finally say I am happy. It has been a journey to say the least and I could very well cry at just the mention of Brady’s name, but all the soppy romance stuff aside, things have been really good. ☺
School has been good. As of yesterday, Brooke and I are the only ones in our class, so it’s a lot more individualized attention and so we can learn at our own pace and what we need. I love it. I feel like its almost like a science or a math that you have to figure out. Fran’s parents have been here too, they are awesome and very encouraging! One of my biggest concerns was having a poor accent, but according to them (they are native to panama), I sound great. By the way Fran, your mom said I just might have to teach you some Spanish when I get back! ☺
Here are some of the specifics of the week:
Fuimos a la playa! (we went to the beach)….and let’s just say I can now say I know the value in sunscreen. Since Tuesday I have felt like my skin is bleeding. So you can imagine I’m just a little bit tired because every time I move, even an inch in my sleep, I feel like someone put a razor to my skin. But I can already tell its going to be a tan, so at least something good came out of it.
Last night we played scrabble, in Spanish, while watching our favorite soap opera, “Mas sabe el Diablo” (“the devil knows best”...a ridiculously corny soap with the dramatic music and all. The redeeming quality is the “devil” himself. Hilda (the grandma) said it best-“if the devil looks like that, he can take me!”). Anyways, Hilda and Corina fell in love with scrabble! I’m not sure which one was more entertaining, playing the game or watching them try to figure it out! By the end of the game, they were ready to play again. By this time it was 9, the time they usually go to bed. So it was late for them! So as we get ready for the second round, the electricity went out. All Brooke and I could do was laugh hysterically as we watched these sweet little ladies roam around the house, with the aid of a single match, trying to find candles. So when all was said and done, we played our second round of scrabble in candlelight. I can easily say that was the best night since we got into panama, hands down.
So now we have 8 days till we go down to Panama City to meet up with Brooke’s church for the missions trip, which will be interesting. Brooke and I received and email from some people at her church telling people how to prepare. They said, with confidence, this will be “the most interesting of all trips” and greatly emphasized the safety tips. Haha so needless to say, it will be interesting. But we are looking forward to it, nonetheless.
After, we plan on coming back to Boquete. Fran’s grandma said we could come back and stay with her for the last couple of weeks we plan on being in Boquete. So that was an answer to prayer!
I thank God everyday I am here with Brooke. Honestly if it weren’t for her I would be back in Colorado by now for sure! Its been really cool to see how well we compliment each other. We have learned she is very task oriented with what is in front of her and I am extremely relationship oriented. So while she keeps me focused here, I keep her plugged into Colorado. Good balance. So happy she is here, but the only downfall is too much English! We need to try hard not to talk to each other in English, por favor!
Anyways, as I conclude what I’m pretty sure is my longest blog thus far, I just want to say, once again, that I serve an amazing God. I am thoroughly convinced that I am here to learn much more than Spanish. In these 3 weeks, I have learned more life lessons than I would have expected to learn in a years time. So I am looking forward to what else could be in store (I could only imagine!). Sure, at times it is extremely hard, and I want to just go home (thank God I have Brooke with me) but I know God has me here for more reasons than I could count. So, I have 8 more weeks left to my adventure here in Panama and then I will continue the adventure in Colorado! Lucky me!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
lo que sea
"Let me say at the risk of seeming ridiculous that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love."
-Che.
Let me just say, if you havent seen the movie "Motorcycle Diaries", I think you should do so. Have you ever watched a movie or listened to a song that puts you in an inexplicable profound mood? Where you feel like you could write a novel on the depths of the human soul or something ridiculous like that? haha well this is one of those movies.
SO things are going pretty well. I feel like I have two new grandmas and I love them. Hilda has asked me about 3 times if she will be invited to my wedding (I talk about marriage probably more than the average 20 year old girl). So needless to say, I will have two more people attending!
Things are going really well here. I can already feel myself changing inside and out. As far as the outside is concerned, I have a bit more pigment in my skin (and I plan on getting more), I have been doing p90x, so I'm feeling pretty sore...hopefully some results will come out of it!
Now for the inside changes: first and foremost, I have rediscovered God as my first love, romancer, support system, and comfort. It has been an incredible journey with Him and I can't even imagine where He will take our relationship next.
I have fallen even more in love with Brady (distance makes the heart grow fonder is no lie). This is an amazing, yet hard feeling. Amazing because God has shown me just how blessed I am with him, and hard because I have my heart in two countries now. I am trying to give my all to learning spanish while wanting to talk/think about him all the time! Well I guess thats my advice to my younger siblings when and if they want to do this in the future-do it before you find someone! haha
I am learning that although I love spanish, it is super hard for me to learn, but God has given me a peace about it and I know He will bless me with it. I have been really struggling with what the future might look like (marriage, career, how good I am at spanish, health, etc) but I have been learning to daily surrender that to God.
Also, a super awesome thing is that Corina's sister came over today and she is in english classes. Brooke and I helped her with her homework and it was so fun! It was just a settle reminder that I know I am on the right path with this teaching thing. It felt so right, so praise God! I am becoming a very complacent person (in a good way). I am very content with just working out and learning. taking naps in the middle of the day is pure bliss and journaling is rapidly making its way back into my life.
All in all, it has been a crazy two weeks. (I cant believe it has been two weeks)! I am still trying to adjust but living here has made it so much easier. Honestly, it was nothing but the hand of God that allowed us to meet Hilda and Corina and allow us to stay here. I have experienced, first hand, numerous times the faithfulness of God in my life, and this trip is a defining moment of his glory in my life.
Well, thanks to everyone for your prayers (I know I have some religious readers out there and knowing that inspired me to write more!) Love you guys!
-Che.
Let me just say, if you havent seen the movie "Motorcycle Diaries", I think you should do so. Have you ever watched a movie or listened to a song that puts you in an inexplicable profound mood? Where you feel like you could write a novel on the depths of the human soul or something ridiculous like that? haha well this is one of those movies.
SO things are going pretty well. I feel like I have two new grandmas and I love them. Hilda has asked me about 3 times if she will be invited to my wedding (I talk about marriage probably more than the average 20 year old girl). So needless to say, I will have two more people attending!
Things are going really well here. I can already feel myself changing inside and out. As far as the outside is concerned, I have a bit more pigment in my skin (and I plan on getting more), I have been doing p90x, so I'm feeling pretty sore...hopefully some results will come out of it!
Now for the inside changes: first and foremost, I have rediscovered God as my first love, romancer, support system, and comfort. It has been an incredible journey with Him and I can't even imagine where He will take our relationship next.
I have fallen even more in love with Brady (distance makes the heart grow fonder is no lie). This is an amazing, yet hard feeling. Amazing because God has shown me just how blessed I am with him, and hard because I have my heart in two countries now. I am trying to give my all to learning spanish while wanting to talk/think about him all the time! Well I guess thats my advice to my younger siblings when and if they want to do this in the future-do it before you find someone! haha
I am learning that although I love spanish, it is super hard for me to learn, but God has given me a peace about it and I know He will bless me with it. I have been really struggling with what the future might look like (marriage, career, how good I am at spanish, health, etc) but I have been learning to daily surrender that to God.
Also, a super awesome thing is that Corina's sister came over today and she is in english classes. Brooke and I helped her with her homework and it was so fun! It was just a settle reminder that I know I am on the right path with this teaching thing. It felt so right, so praise God! I am becoming a very complacent person (in a good way). I am very content with just working out and learning. taking naps in the middle of the day is pure bliss and journaling is rapidly making its way back into my life.
All in all, it has been a crazy two weeks. (I cant believe it has been two weeks)! I am still trying to adjust but living here has made it so much easier. Honestly, it was nothing but the hand of God that allowed us to meet Hilda and Corina and allow us to stay here. I have experienced, first hand, numerous times the faithfulness of God in my life, and this trip is a defining moment of his glory in my life.
Well, thanks to everyone for your prayers (I know I have some religious readers out there and knowing that inspired me to write more!) Love you guys!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
feliz
Thank God! So I guess I need to fill everyone in (everyone being maybe the one or two people who read this). SO last sunday, Brooke and I were invited over to my friend, Francesca's Grandma's house for "an american breakfast". Hilda is her name and she lives with her prima (cousin) se llama Corina. Anyways, they live in the sweetest house and are just the funnest, sweetest ladies you will every meet. So we came over for breakfast and Hilda was very concerned about our situation. (Fran had called her earlier and told her about the host family and hostel). Anyways, long story short, Hilda told us she was falling in love with us as if we were her own and that she wouldnt have us live with anyone besides her! Both Brooke and I cried when she told us. It is so perfect. We have a cute little room with to beds and a dresser, we are ablet o practice a lot of spanish with them (it makes my mind tired, by the end of the day I am exhausted!) and we already have 3 recipes in our "cook book" we are bringing back! So thank God, he is faithful in answering our prayers.
So now we are in our routine of waking up early for breakfast, then hanging out, workingout and doing tarea (homework) before school at 1. We come home at 530 for dinner and a novela- (soap opera) called "Mas sabe el Diablo)-the devil knows best. and by nine everyone is in bed! haha so we are on a grandma's schedule to say the least but its great. We now have about 2 weeks till we meet up with the church for the missions trip. I think the time will go by faster now that we are happy. After the missions trip we are praying about our options, so if you can, pray with us!
Gracias a Dios!
So now we are in our routine of waking up early for breakfast, then hanging out, workingout and doing tarea (homework) before school at 1. We come home at 530 for dinner and a novela- (soap opera) called "Mas sabe el Diablo)-the devil knows best. and by nine everyone is in bed! haha so we are on a grandma's schedule to say the least but its great. We now have about 2 weeks till we meet up with the church for the missions trip. I think the time will go by faster now that we are happy. After the missions trip we are praying about our options, so if you can, pray with us!
Gracias a Dios!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Hey guys,
wow, this has been the hardest, longest week of my life. We went from a high of excitement to an extreme low. We have felt homeless, super hungry, sad, mad...everything. But, like Brooke said in her blog, we have been learning almost everything BUT spanish! haha so ironic. Never did I think that I would learn so much about traveling (always have a plan B, people) about myself (I dont handle stress that great and I loose my appetite like crazy...I think I've lost about 5 pounds), and about God (the most incredible, amazing, faithful Savior!) in such a short amount of time. But gracias a Dios, Brooke and I are on the same page. I dont know what I would do if we were feeling tension towards each other.
So at this point we in a pretty nice hostel for the next 3 weeks. We got into the same class today (prior to this we were in different classes). So our saving grace is that we are together and we LOVE out teacher. Her name is Ismenia and probably the sweetest, funniest woman we will ever meet! Besides you, mom! We have already learned a lot, so that is nice. I guess at this point we just need to try to get comfortable (as much as we can). Its a little boring cause we always make it back to our room by sun down (645). so we just watch TV (in spanish, claro), read (spanish) write (spanish)..and then there's facebook...not spanish. haha
We are getting more used to being here I guess, an answer from God. We have three more weeks here and then we meet up with Brooke's church for the missions trip. We are both pretty excited about that. I seriously can not believe we have only been here a week. It feels like 3. no joke. But I think once we get more settled the time will go by faster.
I hope you all like the video we uploaded. Obviously, it covers our first week here. Note that the majority of the pictures are from when we were in Panama City! haha
so watch and enjoy. By the way, that little clip of the amazing dancers is an everyday sight to behold in the Albrooke mall in panama city. Jealous, huh? :)
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Que Aventura!
Wow! is all I have to say after this last weekend. So, we had an awesome time in panama city! We went to the Albrook mall, which is huge! its a fun place to practice spanish, thats for sure. Then we went out to eat and to a movie, se llama "Estan Todos Bien", "We"re all good". It was about a dad and his four kids and how much he loved them...lets just say I bawled....It reminded me of how great my dad is!
SO then the next day we were on a 7 hour bus to Boquete. It wasn't as bad as we expected and we had a two hour convo in spanish to get some practice in before school! So when we got to boquete we went straight to out host family's house. To say the least, it was hard to live in. Although the family was super sweet, the living arrangements were nowhere near what the school told us to be. Pretty much we did not feel safe, so we spent all day yesterday trying to figure out a new living arrangement. Unfortunately, that was our first day of class too, but we needed to figure out where to go first!
Anyways, the school worked with us and we were able to get a nice, safe hostel about 8 mins from the school. We feel so much better here, and we actually were able to get some sleep! (we got about 2 hours at the host family's house). And after traveling for about 3 days straight, we needed some sleep!
So now we are here, we start school in a couple hours and we are going to try to get into a routine! Starting by doing some power90! talk about not working out for awhile!
If any of you would like to pray for us, please pray for peace and assurance. Its been a pretty stressful tip so far, and now we just need to rest in God. Please pray school goes well and we learn a lot. We are already looking forward to the missions trip with Metro church. So pray God prepares our hearts for that.
God is faithful, and he has consistently showed us that...He is for sure taking us on an adventure!
SO then the next day we were on a 7 hour bus to Boquete. It wasn't as bad as we expected and we had a two hour convo in spanish to get some practice in before school! So when we got to boquete we went straight to out host family's house. To say the least, it was hard to live in. Although the family was super sweet, the living arrangements were nowhere near what the school told us to be. Pretty much we did not feel safe, so we spent all day yesterday trying to figure out a new living arrangement. Unfortunately, that was our first day of class too, but we needed to figure out where to go first!
Anyways, the school worked with us and we were able to get a nice, safe hostel about 8 mins from the school. We feel so much better here, and we actually were able to get some sleep! (we got about 2 hours at the host family's house). And after traveling for about 3 days straight, we needed some sleep!
So now we are here, we start school in a couple hours and we are going to try to get into a routine! Starting by doing some power90! talk about not working out for awhile!
If any of you would like to pray for us, please pray for peace and assurance. Its been a pretty stressful tip so far, and now we just need to rest in God. Please pray school goes well and we learn a lot. We are already looking forward to the missions trip with Metro church. So pray God prepares our hearts for that.
God is faithful, and he has consistently showed us that...He is for sure taking us on an adventure!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Estoy Aqui!
We are finally here in Panama! I really cant believe that all the planning has come down to this! So after a grammy worthy drama scene at the airport saying our goodbyes, we got on the plane and we were on our way! My first thoughts were "what the heck am i doing?" to set this up for you-imagine two little girls traveling alone to a country we have never been in....hmmmm.
anyways, once we were on the plane and the emotions calmed down, the excitement was hard to contain. I mean, this is something we have both been wanting to do for quite some time now and here we are!
So after a delay, 4 hour flight to florida, 3 hour layover, and another 3 hour flight to panama (while sitting next to a seriously creepy guy) we made it to panama city where we were met by Lisa and David (an awesome missionary couple living here). So that is where we are residing for the next couple days. They live in a very quaint little place-military housing built in the 1920's. They make you feel right at home, which is good because Brooke and I will be living with them for the last two weeks of our trip.
I am so excited to go to school! Lisa and David attending Habla Ya for three weeks and they showed us their homework, and lets just say we are in for a ride! It looks pretty intense, and they only went for 3 weeks! We are going for 8!
but as for now we are just getting used to being here. We are going out into the city today which is going to be fun! I will be posting pictures on facebook, so keep an eye out!
It feels so right that we are here, and its amazing because I truly know its from God! Thanks to all of you for your support through prayers finances. How blessed am I?!
anyways, once we were on the plane and the emotions calmed down, the excitement was hard to contain. I mean, this is something we have both been wanting to do for quite some time now and here we are!
So after a delay, 4 hour flight to florida, 3 hour layover, and another 3 hour flight to panama (while sitting next to a seriously creepy guy) we made it to panama city where we were met by Lisa and David (an awesome missionary couple living here). So that is where we are residing for the next couple days. They live in a very quaint little place-military housing built in the 1920's. They make you feel right at home, which is good because Brooke and I will be living with them for the last two weeks of our trip.
I am so excited to go to school! Lisa and David attending Habla Ya for three weeks and they showed us their homework, and lets just say we are in for a ride! It looks pretty intense, and they only went for 3 weeks! We are going for 8!
but as for now we are just getting used to being here. We are going out into the city today which is going to be fun! I will be posting pictures on facebook, so keep an eye out!
It feels so right that we are here, and its amazing because I truly know its from God! Thanks to all of you for your support through prayers finances. How blessed am I?!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Donde va el tiempo?
Well here it is-my first "blog" (is that what you call an individual posting or the combination of them all?)...I'm not too "blog" savvy yet! Anyways, 3 days and counting and I will be in Panama! "Donde va el tiempo"-where did the time go?! I can't even believe it! What I have packed is as follows: toothbrush. Sounds like a pretty good start to me, huh? :) So looks like I still have a bit of preparing to do! Speaking preparation, I am trying to get there mentally. I still feel like I am talking in the third person when I describe my trip to others. Like I'm not really going!...haha I'll get a reality check when I step on that airplane friday morning!
What I have learned, or should I say relearned throughout the planning process for panama, is the faithfulness of God! This has been a dream of mine for years and, when I least expected, He provided the opportunity, funds, and even a friend to go with! For those of you who don't know, I am going with my wonderful boyfriend's sister, Brooke. It is going to be awesome for us! So...sit back, relax, and enjoy reading about my panama dream!
O and just in case you're wondering, that picture is of Boquete, the little city we will be living in!...talk about a dream!
"Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, and Your faithfulness to the clouds." Psalm 36: 5
What I have learned, or should I say relearned throughout the planning process for panama, is the faithfulness of God! This has been a dream of mine for years and, when I least expected, He provided the opportunity, funds, and even a friend to go with! For those of you who don't know, I am going with my wonderful boyfriend's sister, Brooke. It is going to be awesome for us! So...sit back, relax, and enjoy reading about my panama dream!
O and just in case you're wondering, that picture is of Boquete, the little city we will be living in!...talk about a dream!
"Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, and Your faithfulness to the clouds." Psalm 36: 5
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