So much to say and yet I'm not sure that I will remember it all.. But here goes, I'll do my best!
First, I'd like to ask for your prayers for this weekend. I am taking a bus to the town of Noia (you might find it if you google it), a small coastal town on the northwest coast. I believe I have mentioned this before. I am so looking forward to some Christian fellowship and thankful that the Lord has provided this opportunity. It will also be fabulous to spend some time with some fellow Americans!! WooHoo!! Two weeks with only Spaniards has been a challenge, but good.. I'm thankful for internet and emails that allow me to express myself openly with someone without the cultural differences, language barriers, and religious differences...
WoW...hard to beleive that 2 weeks has nearly gone by already! This has already been such a fulfilling experience.. PTL!!! I am so thankful to the Lord for sending me here. So, to begin with, the Lord is still teaching me much. I hope that I do not forget these lessons as they are invaluable! Today, I had my fourth Spanish lesson. It went well, but was a challenge. I think the challenge had more to do with me than the acutal lesson. We were going over my homework. I had written sentences as requested according to the requested subject... I was to reformat sentences to reflect life in the USA, while the sentences were about Argentina. No problemo! With help from Google translate, I was able to understand the sentences and make some of my own in what I thought was mostly correct Spanish... Smile... Well, we were going over these sentences and in the one of the very first ones, I had written "los americanos". We in the US call ourselves "Americans" and don't think a thing about it.. That is just who or what we are. Not so here! I was informed that there were many countries in the two continents called America (North & South America) and that I needed to be more specific. This was all said very kindly, but for some strange reason I wanted to argue. Being an American, I wanted to defend myself, my country, and fellow countrymen.. Silly, I know! She wasn't arguing with me, only stating facts as she saw them. In my head I was thinking that people from Brazil call themselves "Brazilians", people from Venezuela call themselves "Venezuelans", and so on... I tried to mention this, but with my broken Spanish and her broken English it wasn't going so well. Then the Lord checked me...my attitude was wrong and I was speaking from hurt pride at being told I was wrong and couldn't call myself an American. I had to ask the Lord to help me because my flesh really wanted to argue... I think back on it and know that it is such a silly thing, and yet even as I write this I still get riled up a bit! It has been something on my heart and mind today. Praying that the Lord would change my attitude! It's hard to have someone from another country simply tell you the way you have done things for so long is "wrong"... Anyway, moving on, the Lord is really teaching me about being humble. I'm excited, though the lesson is hard, that the Lord is taking the time to work on me and I want to learn! PTL!!! Please keep me in your prayers that I will continue to have an open, teachable heart as the Lord works on me.. Praise the Lord!
So, as I was writing a friend today, I realized something rather interesting. As much as I would love to have my friends &/or family here with me to share the experiences, the Lord took me here on my own for a reason. I am alone in a foreign country, living with strange people, surrounded by a foreign language and culture, and experiencing so many new things. Being along in all this simply pushes me toward the Lord, seeking Him, relying upon Him -His strength, grace, wisdom, and joy-, and also removes some distractions from my life. Because I am alone here, I am also often physically alone which gives me much time to think and pray and listen to the Lord. As I'm walking to Spanish class, trying to find the bus stand, walking the city to make myself more familiar with it, in the kitchen making something for dinner while the girls are playing or studying, or simply in my room before the girls get home from school, I have time to pray and dwell on the Lord. The Word says to seek God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength...well, now I'd say that scripture is more active in my life. Sometimes it is hard for me to understand why I had to go to another country to do this, but I'm enjoying it.. Though challenging, being here is a blessing from the Lord.. He is encouraging me and constantly with me.
Today, I was supposed to be meeting a friend for a little while.. We were going to hangout, get some coffee or something in a cafe and chat. As I was getting ready my heart was rather heavy.. I began praying and started seeing how lost these people here really are. Similar to the States, people without Christ find something else to live for. Maybe it is because I live in the center of the newer side of town, but a lot of these people here in Santiago seem to live for working to make money to buy new clothes & spend late nights out with their friends (the young and old alike). Somehow I wasn't able to put this into words before now, though I've seen it before. Materialism. Anyway, walking around town, I have been thinking more about that and praying.. I see men who seem rather drunk and maybe homeless and want to see their lives changed to live for Christ. The Lord has put a desire in my heart to be a light for Him here. I have been asking Him how to be more vocal about my faith to follow actions and lifestyle. I have fallen into the comfort zone of not speaking so much about what I believe just living it. I think partly this is due to living in India where we had to be careful when speaking of Christianity. I'm learning and asking the Lord to teach me.. Please pray for me to be a light here.. I have already had the opportunity today twice, interestingly enough since that was what I was praying about today!! Smile...the Lord has a way of letting us put what we're learning into practice rather quickly at times I guess. Smile... 
First, I'd like to ask for your prayers for this weekend. I am taking a bus to the town of Noia (you might find it if you google it), a small coastal town on the northwest coast. I believe I have mentioned this before. I am so looking forward to some Christian fellowship and thankful that the Lord has provided this opportunity. It will also be fabulous to spend some time with some fellow Americans!! WooHoo!! Two weeks with only Spaniards has been a challenge, but good.. I'm thankful for internet and emails that allow me to express myself openly with someone without the cultural differences, language barriers, and religious differences...
WoW...hard to beleive that 2 weeks has nearly gone by already! This has already been such a fulfilling experience.. PTL!!! I am so thankful to the Lord for sending me here. So, to begin with, the Lord is still teaching me much. I hope that I do not forget these lessons as they are invaluable! Today, I had my fourth Spanish lesson. It went well, but was a challenge. I think the challenge had more to do with me than the acutal lesson. We were going over my homework. I had written sentences as requested according to the requested subject... I was to reformat sentences to reflect life in the USA, while the sentences were about Argentina. No problemo! With help from Google translate, I was able to understand the sentences and make some of my own in what I thought was mostly correct Spanish... Smile... Well, we were going over these sentences and in the one of the very first ones, I had written "los americanos". We in the US call ourselves "Americans" and don't think a thing about it.. That is just who or what we are. Not so here! I was informed that there were many countries in the two continents called America (North & South America) and that I needed to be more specific. This was all said very kindly, but for some strange reason I wanted to argue. Being an American, I wanted to defend myself, my country, and fellow countrymen.. Silly, I know! She wasn't arguing with me, only stating facts as she saw them. In my head I was thinking that people from Brazil call themselves "Brazilians", people from Venezuela call themselves "Venezuelans", and so on... I tried to mention this, but with my broken Spanish and her broken English it wasn't going so well. Then the Lord checked me...my attitude was wrong and I was speaking from hurt pride at being told I was wrong and couldn't call myself an American. I had to ask the Lord to help me because my flesh really wanted to argue... I think back on it and know that it is such a silly thing, and yet even as I write this I still get riled up a bit! It has been something on my heart and mind today. Praying that the Lord would change my attitude! It's hard to have someone from another country simply tell you the way you have done things for so long is "wrong"... Anyway, moving on, the Lord is really teaching me about being humble. I'm excited, though the lesson is hard, that the Lord is taking the time to work on me and I want to learn! PTL!!! Please keep me in your prayers that I will continue to have an open, teachable heart as the Lord works on me.. Praise the Lord!
So, as I was writing a friend today, I realized something rather interesting. As much as I would love to have my friends &/or family here with me to share the experiences, the Lord took me here on my own for a reason. I am alone in a foreign country, living with strange people, surrounded by a foreign language and culture, and experiencing so many new things. Being along in all this simply pushes me toward the Lord, seeking Him, relying upon Him -His strength, grace, wisdom, and joy-, and also removes some distractions from my life. Because I am alone here, I am also often physically alone which gives me much time to think and pray and listen to the Lord. As I'm walking to Spanish class, trying to find the bus stand, walking the city to make myself more familiar with it, in the kitchen making something for dinner while the girls are playing or studying, or simply in my room before the girls get home from school, I have time to pray and dwell on the Lord. The Word says to seek God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength...well, now I'd say that scripture is more active in my life. Sometimes it is hard for me to understand why I had to go to another country to do this, but I'm enjoying it.. Though challenging, being here is a blessing from the Lord.. He is encouraging me and constantly with me.
Today, I was supposed to be meeting a friend for a little while.. We were going to hangout, get some coffee or something in a cafe and chat. As I was getting ready my heart was rather heavy.. I began praying and started seeing how lost these people here really are. Similar to the States, people without Christ find something else to live for. Maybe it is because I live in the center of the newer side of town, but a lot of these people here in Santiago seem to live for working to make money to buy new clothes & spend late nights out with their friends (the young and old alike). Somehow I wasn't able to put this into words before now, though I've seen it before. Materialism. Anyway, walking around town, I have been thinking more about that and praying.. I see men who seem rather drunk and maybe homeless and want to see their lives changed to live for Christ. The Lord has put a desire in my heart to be a light for Him here. I have been asking Him how to be more vocal about my faith to follow actions and lifestyle. I have fallen into the comfort zone of not speaking so much about what I believe just living it. I think partly this is due to living in India where we had to be careful when speaking of Christianity. I'm learning and asking the Lord to teach me.. Please pray for me to be a light here.. I have already had the opportunity today twice, interestingly enough since that was what I was praying about today!! Smile...the Lord has a way of letting us put what we're learning into practice rather quickly at times I guess. Smile... 
Well, onto the exciting experiences I am having... Today on my way home from Spanish class I ventured into the Fruits and Veggies Market that is an indoor/outdoor market. I had been told about it, but never venture up to the top of a rock walk where it then spreads out over quite a bit of space. It is 
hardly visible at all from the road.. you can only see the tops of a few overhangings that cover the stands. So anyway....quite a colorful experience. I did manage to find some ginger there that I purchased for making Indian food for the family I live with. I enjoyed walking through the different areas, watching people, seeing the fish and seafood stands, the many different kinds of meats hanging of in coolers, all the wonderful cheeses (some that look like large white choco hershey kisses*G*) and breads... I'll throw a picture of it in here for you all to enjoy...
hardly visible at all from the road.. you can only see the tops of a few overhangings that cover the stands. So anyway....quite a colorful experience. I did manage to find some ginger there that I purchased for making Indian food for the family I live with. I enjoyed walking through the different areas, watching people, seeing the fish and seafood stands, the many different kinds of meats hanging of in coolers, all the wonderful cheeses (some that look like large white choco hershey kisses*G*) and breads... I'll throw a picture of it in here for you all to enjoy...
Later today I met up with my friend Isabel, that I referred to earlier in this epistle of mine (Grin). Isabel and I walked around in the old side of town enjoying the sites. She had a few things to purchase and then we went to the very large cathedral and she gave me a tour inside.. It is so sad what people believe... It is Roman Catholic. Interestingly enough, as she shared with me different aspe
cts of the Cathedral, she would use the phrase "in theory" and then tell me the rest of the history or belief. She asked me if I was religious and this is one of the chances I got today to share that I was a Protestant Christian (she asked specifically if I was Protestant or Catholic). Though I didn't get to go into detail, I was at least able to be open with her about it. I don't know why it is such a challenge for me to do that.. I have a few ideas, one of which is the India influence and the other of which is fear of man.. Such a horrible thing that with the Lord's help I will hopefully have victory over someday! Anyway, as we continued our walk outside taking pictures, seeing life go by, and visiting, we headed to a cafe that she liked. Sitting down inside I had no menu and no idea what to order... I told her I wanted something hot with a little chocolate in it... she ordered for me.. I was served a "small chocolate".. It was a small glass (like a juice glass) filled with very strong looking chocolate. I took a sip thinking it was very strong hot chocolate like we know it, only to get a glob of chocolate in my mouth. I had to spoon the rest of the "hot chocolate" into my mouth. It was rich, creamy, hot, and delicious.. Sure am glad it was only a small glass though or it would have been more than I could finish (or at least should finish)...grin.. Boy was that some hot chocolate..
Back at home in time to meet an empty house... huh?? I was supposed to be here in time to watch the kids so Irene could go out, or so I thought. I had raced home as fast as my legs would carrying, covering a distance that typically took me 15 minutes walking at a decently fast pace in only 10 minutes... About 30-45 minutes later the oldest daughter, Celia, walked in having no clue where the rest of the family was.. The rest of them arrived home at 11:30pm...huh?? Oh well... Celia and I enjoyed a nice dinner of pizza and a great salad (just love the veggies here).
It has been a good day and a great week... Looking forward to a great weekend and will tell you all about it when I get back. Would greatly appreciate your prayer as I once again stretch my comfort zone to include something a bit new to me (traveling by bus alone in a new and strange country while knowing little of their language). Thankfully I am equipped with a small map of the city, I know where the main bus station is, and I have been given a few necessary sentences to know to be able to communicate what I need to get on the right bus... Still a bit nervous, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..
Want to say thank you for all the wonderful emails.. I just love hearing from you all, what's going on your life, and how you are.. Hearing about your life, though it may seem mundane or unexciting to you, is a blessing to me.. Let's swap blessings! Grin.. Have a blessed weekend!!
cts of the Cathedral, she would use the phrase "in theory" and then tell me the rest of the history or belief. She asked me if I was religious and this is one of the chances I got today to share that I was a Protestant Christian (she asked specifically if I was Protestant or Catholic). Though I didn't get to go into detail, I was at least able to be open with her about it. I don't know why it is such a challenge for me to do that.. I have a few ideas, one of which is the India influence and the other of which is fear of man.. Such a horrible thing that with the Lord's help I will hopefully have victory over someday! Anyway, as we continued our walk outside taking pictures, seeing life go by, and visiting, we headed to a cafe that she liked. Sitting down inside I had no menu and no idea what to order... I told her I wanted something hot with a little chocolate in it... she ordered for me.. I was served a "small chocolate".. It was a small glass (like a juice glass) filled with very strong looking chocolate. I took a sip thinking it was very strong hot chocolate like we know it, only to get a glob of chocolate in my mouth. I had to spoon the rest of the "hot chocolate" into my mouth. It was rich, creamy, hot, and delicious.. Sure am glad it was only a small glass though or it would have been more than I could finish (or at least should finish)...grin.. Boy was that some hot chocolate..Back at home in time to meet an empty house... huh?? I was supposed to be here in time to watch the kids so Irene could go out, or so I thought. I had raced home as fast as my legs would carrying, covering a distance that typically took me 15 minutes walking at a decently fast pace in only 10 minutes... About 30-45 minutes later the oldest daughter, Celia, walked in having no clue where the rest of the family was.. The rest of them arrived home at 11:30pm...huh?? Oh well... Celia and I enjoyed a nice dinner of pizza and a great salad (just love the veggies here).
It has been a good day and a great week... Looking forward to a great weekend and will tell you all about it when I get back. Would greatly appreciate your prayer as I once again stretch my comfort zone to include something a bit new to me (traveling by bus alone in a new and strange country while knowing little of their language). Thankfully I am equipped with a small map of the city, I know where the main bus station is, and I have been given a few necessary sentences to know to be able to communicate what I need to get on the right bus... Still a bit nervous, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..
Want to say thank you for all the wonderful emails.. I just love hearing from you all, what's going on your life, and how you are.. Hearing about your life, though it may seem mundane or unexciting to you, is a blessing to me.. Let's swap blessings! Grin.. Have a blessed weekend!!
No comments:
Post a Comment