A Secret Garden

We visited both a Japanese garden and a museum, which were adjacent to each other.  The museum was small and dainty; however, it was the garden that drew me in.  The garden reminded me of what I would imagine a secret garden to mirror.  The entry way was marked by a large tree that was over taken with blooming vines.  When the breeze blew, purple petals from the blossoms floated gracefully down, like a heavenly shower in which angels would pour down buckets of beauty.  Having been cloudy all day long, the petals of the flowers were lightly kissed with crystal raindrops.  From the ground bushes, the fragile pink petals were soft and recently refreshed by the gentle drizzle of rain, so their color was vibrant and inviting.  As I strolled along the garden path, a light spell of droplets came down from the sky.  It made the water come alive and glimmer ever so slightly.  The secret garden rejoiced with singing praises to its Maker; all the while, I was so blessed to be a witness.

Running in the Rain

Outside, the weather was crying, but my body was dying from the constricting air inside.  So, my desire for fresh air overcame, and out and running I went.  The splash of raindrops on my cheeks revived the color in my face while the spritz of water curled my hair.  My blood was pumping and breathing in the weather's kissing dew felt wonderful.  How glorious a sensation is the blessing of precipitation.  Running, like dancing in the rain, eases the congestion of stressful pain and gives enjoyment a paradoxical name. But all in all, praise praise praise, be to Jesus' name for legs to run and water to rain!

Birthdays!!!!!

In the past five days, we have had three birthdays to celebrate!! There has been an abundance of cake around the house and many happy birthday songs sung, both in English and in Spanish of course.  I have many things to be thankful for, especially for life! The life I am so blessed to have and spend a part of in another world is wonderful!  All of the birthdays are a wonderful reminder of that!
*Happy Birthday Rosalinda!*
*Happy Birthday Michelle!*
*Happy Birthday Victoria!*

~*Por*La*Playa*~ (By The Beach)

Walking along the beach for hours on end is one of the most relaxing and somehow fulfilling things.  It is freeing from the city pollution, being away from the hustle and bustle of urban living. Thoughts become clear as the swish of the tide ebbs and flows. I feel as if I am walking on clouds when I am walking on the sand. I pick flowers and put them in my hair. I have a handful of collected sea shells, and I pick up a pile of glittery sand and sea shell pieces to throw a fist full of glitter in the air. There's nothing quite like being a princess, a daughter of the King, ornate in His blooming petals, clutching His creation, and being carefree in the clouds among the glitter of the earth.

Church: Difficult with Barriers

As I am immersed in a Spanish speaking culture, I have no escape from the language barrier at any church service. It is a blessing to experience new things and see how other cultures function; however, it is becoming more of a challenge "settling" into a church. No matter where I go, I can never fully know if I agree with the doctrine or what's being said. I can pick up on the overall message based off of key words and passages frequently used in the sermon, but there is a lot that I cannot understand, obviously. The first time attending was good for the entry way deeper into the culture, but now as things are settling out of the "meeting of the new society" the immersing is revealing difficulties and uncertainties.  Church this weekend was difficult as far as language and length.  Despite these obstacles, I am determined to press deeper into the heart of God, so I found a good solution. Because my Bible is in English, I can understand it.  Thus, if I read from it and write in reflection on what I read, I am able to grow during church, have fellowship with people, and use my time effectively with the Lord as my Shepherd and light to my path.  The verses I meditated on were Psalm 18: 32-33, "It is God who arms me with strength and make my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights."

Psalm 18:32
When I turn to my body,
It will always tire and fail me.
When I turn to my own way,
Success is never seen in the day,
For my body is a corpse that's dying,
And my desires, promising fulfillment, are lying.
Never will my own body prevail,
Nor my wants ever not fail,
But when God enters my being,
My muscles and bones start singing.
He arms me with divine strength;
The revived blood in my body gives thanks.
When the Shepherd enters my life,
I no longer lead, but follow His Guide.
He makes my way perfect;
Along the road, His name I will worship.

Words of Wisdom from Amelia

Somehow in Spanish class we always get on the topics of boyfriends and girlfriends; this is easy to do seeing that the class consists of our female professor, Amelia, and four female students. Today, one way or another, we approached this topic yet again. We were speaking of when couples break up, how there is usually sadness. However, dear Amelia gave us a new outlook on the future. She said that no one knows the future but God, so why should we be sad about the future if we do not even know what it entails. Whether we are happy or sad at the current time, the future could hold and will hold something different, so keeping curiosity about the future is the best thing to do.

"I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps." Jeremiah 10:23
"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord! ~Jeremiah 29:11a

FUTBOL ENTHUSIASM!!!

A group of us went out to a Futbol (soccer) game tonight! I was so amazed at the crowd! Never have I witnessed such enthusiasm for anything! The sea of people swam in their team's colors. Banners were flying. Flags were waving. Flares were flashing. Fireworks were shooting. Confetti was streaming. It was one big celebration before the team even entered the field! During the entire game, the drums were beating, and the fans singing their team songs. Never, have I seen such excitement for something! It was exciting and thrilling when the team scored a goal or when the situation got tense people were hollering and whistling. Finally when the game was won, more celebration was unleashed. The chorus of songs and beating drums continued through the streets and even in the buses. Never, in my entire life, have I seen with my own eyes something that people got so excited about. It makes me think though, if only we Christians had that excited about our faith, our Lord, and His love. My, how the world would change. Imagine if such happiness can be brought through the winning of a futbol game, how much more so would there be of JOY in the winning and saving of souls for the kingdom of God?!

Exotic Tastes

For lunch/ dinner or "linner," a few of us girls adventured to a little restaurant that specializes in empanadas.  I do think that I found perhaps my favorite dish ever! Mediterranean Empanadas! What was in them you may ask? Well, seeing that I like strange foods it really shouldn't come as a surprise: cinnamon, peaches, and chicken inside of the delightful pie crust like covering! It was so good that I really didn't want it to be gone. This feeling has occurred frequently while being here since the food is all so delicious! From Swordfish to Dulce de Leche ice cream sundays, exotic foods are very exciting! Praise Jesus for taste buds that have the opportunity to experience such fun and exciting new, exotic tastes!

Buenos Aires Day 4: Love Being a Girl!

Buenos Aires is known as the Paris of South America. It is a fashion central, and many parts, such as buildings and cemeteries, are styled after the French. I experienced much of the fashion of the culture (which I love) today as several of us browsed an upscale outdoor shopping area. It was filled with many adorable boutiques, galleries, and eating places. Seeing the traditional things of this area put in a classy spotlight was extremely enjoyable. From window shopping to actual purchasing, much fun was had being surrounded by vintage dresses, pink ribbon, flowers and jewelry. It was a great day to be a girl! Filled with loveliness, ribbons and pearls! It was a great day from around the world!

Buenos Aires Day 3: Fellowship

The theme of the entire day would have to be Fellowship. It began with arriving at church. Coffee. Bread. Introductions and conversations. New friends were made within the hour. It was amazing, absolutely amazing how the common ground of Christ's love can instantly lay a foundation of friendship. Making friends across cultures is such an expanding and uplifting experience. The great thing about our world now is that fellowship can easily be continued across the world by one simple word: FACEBOOK! New friends. Fun. Fellowship. The day concluded with building onto already based friendships over hot tea and churros. A day well used. A day well spent. A day of meaning. A day of love.

Buenos Aires Day 2: Narrow Perspective

Our day was filled with history, and for one of the first times ever, I was completely enthralled and captured by it. We toured the city, looked, took pictures, then saw more, took more pictures and repeated it all over again. It was beyond the pictures of the Pink House, Graffiti stung church, and national monument that made an impact on me; it was all the stories of fear and agony that widened my eyes. I have been so learned in my own culture, country, and life but not in the affairs and travesties of the thriving world around me.  To not know of disappearing people, economic freezes and crashes, and many other things, which have recently occurred in history, makes me ponder all of the lives that I haven't even given the time to merely acknowledge their existence. Praise God His is a God who sees and knows ALL, and thanks be to Him for widening my narrow perspective of the world!

Buenos Aires Day 1: Records

Today was a day filled with grandness, literally filled with the enormity of world records. As we journeyed to Colonia, we stopped at a via point. It was a barn saturated with random collections in the Genus Book of World Records such as "The Largest Key Chain Collection," "The Largest Matchbox Collection," and "The Largest Pencil Collection." The place even had the smallest pencil in the world and the thinnest pencil in the world. After exploring beautiful, little Colonia, crossing on the Ferry into Argentina, and going on our first outgoing in Buenos Aires we stumbled upon another feature of "grandness": the second widest street in the world. It's vastness was very intimidating when we crossed it, at one point being nine lanes long on one side, but it was a remarkable thing to absorb and soak in, in this new culture. It seemed to me that all of these are such random things to count and keep track of. However, this can be taken as a reflection of mankind as a whole, how we keep track of things. Whether it is of wrongs against us, or the latest gossip, we have a fascination and habit with "keeping records." Praise Jesus that salvation in Him is out of His love, which keeps no records of wrong and endures all things.

The Beauty and the Grave

There rests a hardworking, every day, normal man. On the left is a young person, barely old enough to be called an adult. Over there is a mother and father. Just around the corner is a whole family. On the right is an elderly man. There rests a young maiden. Who will tell me their story? Who will give me the wisdom gained from their life? Will you ma'am? Will you tell me your story, so that I may learn and grow? ~~~Silence~~~ There is, there is, there are so many, yet no answer. That is their lesson. The lesson of the Beauty, the beautiful maiden resting, is that once it is over and gone, that is all life on this earth amounted to without someone to pass it down to, to pass it on to, to further wisdom, life, and influence. Each breath we breathe, each step we take without purpose and without being bold in proclamation to others is meaningless. Silent. Statues, sculptures, stones and carvings may remain in recognition of a life for all to see, but their stories are either buried and hidden in the grave or alive and thriving in the ones they told and left behind on earth.

The Bliss of Laughter!

Oh my goodness we are ridiculous!!! As the group is bonding more and more, we are able to go deeper, but we are also much more open in the sense of being "Goofy!" We were watching the Goofy Movie and bursting out in random fits of laughter from hilarious (or at least we thought so) 2 second clips.  Change of scene. Several of us girls were in the loft and started dying of laughter and giggle fits about messing with each other about boys. Change of scene. I spritzed my friend's leg with air freshener, and she convinced herself that she was dying of its inhalation; again, this time literally, rolling on the floor laughing. Oh how I love to laugh! It's one of the joys in life that to any soul, it is an instant kiss of bliss.

Lead by God

As we are slowing being further submersed in this culture, our own is fading for the time being, and as this is happening, we are beginning to miss certain things: particularly certain foods.  Just this weekend several of us were talking about foods that sounded so satisfying; the main theme voiced by various persons was Mexican! Mmmm! Burritos! Guacamole! Salsa! Chips! Thinking about it even led to the extreme of missing home, cravings, and grumpiness to a degree.  Today, for lunch, we were greeted by the amazing site of sautéed onions, peppers, grilled chicken and beef, cheese and tortillas for burritos sided by the furnishings of guacamole, salsa and chips! I thought, "Aw! How sweet! The cooks made what we were talking about!" But it was far beyond that. The cooks did not hear the conversations we had over the weekend because they only come in during the week. Coincidence then? I think not - later our director told me that Raquel, the cook, says she cooks according to what she is "led by God" to make. Wow. I was awestruck at how amazing our God is that He cares even about the little things in our lives! What an awesome God we have!

Babies All Day!

The day started off with precious adorable little tiny PUPPIES!!!! So many cute little puppies for sale in the open air market. When I picked one up, my heart for the precious shivering little soul just melted. The next event of cuteness came about at the Orphanage. A group of us were first introduced to the babies, all under one year old. They were so cute, bright eyed and delighted. Then came the crazy yet equally adorable toddlers.  Running after rolling balls, hiding under tables, walking and falling, fumbling with words, the energy of the little tykes filled the air.  They too had big, glistening eyes filled with happiness at the pleasure of new friends.  At the end of the day though, I realized something. The children are more than just something cute and precious to play with, they are not just at a day care to have fun, this is their life.  At the end of the day, I can go home and talk to my family, my parents. I can go home and be taken care of and loved by my own parents.  These beautiful little children do not have that. They do not have parents who love them enough to discipline them, or to give them time even when they are cranky. I am so blessed to have a loving family and a home of my own. Thanks to Jesus for all that I am overly blessed with and prayers for the dear hearts of the little children who opened my eyes to this truth.

A Different Voice

As Jocelyn and I went for a run in the park today, we were applauded by a chorus of males.  The first lap around began with whistles and was followed by a song in which a whole group chimed in.  The next time around one of the individuals was "so creative" enough to make up his own song which consisted of "Rubia-aaaa! Rubia-aaaa!" (this means, blondie, blondie more or less).  It was extremely difficult to keep a straight face through it all in an attempt to not give them any response, which is what they are hoping for.  Here in Uruguay, or South America as a whole, men are much more vocal about giving cat calls, especially to American girls.  I must admit, most times they are quite hilarious, especially when they make such great stories.  My favorites are when they sing English songs to us.  This has happened to our group twice already; seeing that we consist of 90% girls, are 70% blonde, and 90% light eyed, it is probably expected.  The first instance that happened was "Hey pretty woman, walking down the street, Pretty Woman!" This was sung to a group of us as we were literally walking down the street.  The other one that has occurred was at a market when a man sang "Beautiful girls (all over the world..)."  All of the above have been great laughs after the fact, but during their occurrence, we rush away in attempts to maintain solemn countenances.  It is interesting how from one culture to another, different voices are heard on the street, different tunes are sung, and different attention is more or less boldly given.

A Day Away

The air was so fresh when we stepped off the bus this morning. Out in the middle of no where, it seemed, was a little oasis of both adventure and relaxation. La Estancia! The adventure began in the morning as we mounted horses and sauntered along pastures, beside a lake and creek, and through a forest of eucalyptus trees. As we rode about, my horse, Cocoa, taught me an important lesson, for it was stubborn and refused to gallop. Each time Cocoa persisted to try to eat the vegetation along the way, he showed me that I need to forget about getting from point A to point B and to rather enjoy each thing that comes along the way. Cocoa also refused to go past the speed of basically negative 2 miles per hour, which made me ponder why I was in any hurry anyways. So many times it is easy to get caught up in the rush of things that cherishing each moment is forgotten. The next adventure of the day was lunch! The main meal was not so much exciting as was the unexpected taste of Liquor in the chocolate cake and ice cream topping! Interesting cultural experience, but needless to say, there was a good amount of cake that went uneaten. The day continued with yet another adventure: trying to find the canoeing area by walking through a large field while wearing bright life jackets - we were a sight to say the least! Finally the relaxation came with enjoying the pool and spa area. All in all, it was a marvelous breath of fresh air out of the city and into the country, a wonderful day away.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Today I have reminisced being away from all that I know as celebration goes on for one of my dearly loved ones. I do miss people, very much so, and after seeing that it has been only two weeks it makes me wonder if this semester really is going to go by fast or not. However, the contentment of Christ in my heart is stronger than any longing I may have. Though I may miss people, Christ is doing a great work in my life that I probably won't know the fullness of its effects for even years from now. So in that, God is good and gives contentment to His children when we seek after His heart and His blessings.

On that note! Daddy! I hope your day is filled with blessings:

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear DADDYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday to YOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!

All of my love sent to you on your day of youth ;)
Many hugs and kisses that I would give if I were there!

!Cortado Delicioso!

Our group went on a tour of the Legislative Palace today. It was perhaps one of the most beautiful buildings that I have ever seen. It is one of the staples of Montevideo. After experiencing this grand, beautiful masterpiece, I was privileged to experience one of the other staples to Montevideo. This one, did not have leaf plated gold adornments, nor did it have sculptures of marble surrounding it; actually, it could be scooped up delicately in one's hand. It was the precious goodness of a cortado! A cortado is a type of coffee drink that is served here in almost every restaurant and especially in every coffee house. After the large step of further entering the culture of Montevideo by entering into their pride and joy of the Legislative Palace, I took the tiny, yet intimate step of entering deeper into the culture through the tasting of a cortado.

Learning like a Toddler

As I had one of my Spanish filled days today, I started to realize something. Learning a new language is like becoming a child again, a toddler, who is fumbling around with words. We see pictures and are told words. We see colors and are told their names. We see objects and are told their meaning. We see greetings and learn their purpose. Each of the 11 days that have persisted in my stay here, I have so greatly wanted to be able to understand the people around me without difficulty. Obviously, since I am a beginner, this is an impossibility. It is perhaps the biggest struggle for me, especially since I am a perfectionist. However, thanks to this new simile of thinking, I realize that it takes years for a child to learn a language, so for me, it will take a very long time as well. Now all there is to do is study rigorously, be bold in attempting, and pray for patience with imperfection.

Running along the Beach

Inhale. Exhale. Look beside me. See the ocean. Inhale. Exhale. Feel my muscles movement. Rebuild the strength in my body. Inhale. Exhale. Feel the ocean breeze on my face. Breathe the refreshing spring air. Inhale. Exhale. Listen to the rushing cars. Push through the next mile. Inhale. Exhale. Reflect on the days a past. Gaze beyond the ocean's horizon. Inhale. Exhale. Love life's laughter. Live for love.

All in all, running along the beach is now one of the most liberating and refreshing things I have ever done. Being able to simply glimpse over my shoulder and see the beauty of the great big Blue and soak up its loveliness is a breathtaking experience. I love the rush of people all around yet being alone in nature at the same time. All in the same, I am pushing my body and mind to the next level. Finding that sense of accomplishment while admiring God's creation wipes away all gyms with treadmills or circular runs around a track a hundred times over again. This is just one of the many ways God is blessing me with wonderful opportunities on this exciting adventure in this new world.

Church: Different in the Same

Sunday morning I attended a Spanish, Pentecostal church. Certain phrases in the worship touched my heart in their Spanish form far more than the English form. It is amazing how certain things are so much deeper and intimate in the Spanish language than in my own native tongue. "Crea en mi un corazon de sincero" or "Create in me a sincere heart" went beyond the song in my voice, down through the air it required in my lungs, and into the life giving blood in my heart. The beauty of it's meaning and melody flamed my Spirit alive more so than almost any phrase of worship in English. It was amazing. God spoke to me this Sunday in many ways. Though I could barely understand the language the sermon was in, I could feel the same Spirit, I could worship the same Lord, I could read the same message, and I could experience the same Love.

Weather Weather Weather

In preparation for the trip, the directors told us to pack a combination of cold and warm weather clothes because of the opposite changing seasons from winter to spring since we are now in the Southern Hemisphere. Little did I prepare my mind for the fact that it would indeed be cold! No, it is not freezing, but the past four days have been wet and dreary. Rain coats, layered sweaters and jackets, long sleeved shirts, and pants have all been in the requirements to survive outings. However, the sunshine did come out this afternoon for the first time in days, and my was it a welcomed sight! I pray for more sunny days to come!

Lost in a Dance

Tonight we went to a traditional Uruguayan show. It was a conglomeration of soloists, guitarists, Tango dancers, drummers, and other entertainers. The performance was a great expression of Uruguayan culture and tradition. It made me ponder some thoughts. My mind submerged and became lost in the dance. Each step and twirl of the elegant Tango dancers reflected the recent turns in my life. How the dancers gazed into each others eyes, lost in their performance yet full aware made me realize that I want to be the same way, fully lost in this dance of life with the One as my Lead. To get lost in the current dance is to be immersed into this new culture. I have been trying to tread water and keep my head above it, but I want to dive down; I want to dive into the place I am in, in the excitements, friendships, traditions, sites, foods, arts, language, and everything else of this place. I hear that to lose oneself in a new country is to find oneself. I hope that I can lose myself in this dance with Him and in turn find myself in Him all the more.

A Second Language

Today was officially my first day with a full Spanish schedule. By the last half hour in my second Spanish class after already having had three and a half hours worth of Spanish classes for the day, I thought my brain was about to keel over. After it reached what I thought was maximum capacity, it literally went numb. I had never experienced that numb cooling sensation in my brain like what Iceyhot does for exhausted muscles. I continued on in my day to help lead an "English Conversation Club" at a place in which Spanish speakers go to learn English. As my partner, Victoria, and I were leaving we realized that the majority of the students were not leaving but rather staying for the next "Club" in order to go even further in their English. It was quite convicting how they stayed hours on their own to learn my language, yet I have had such trouble even beginning to learn theirs. I am very blessed to have this opportunity to run beyond the horizons of familiarity, stretch myself beyond what I knew to be possible, and breech misconceptions held out of ignorance. Praise God for His gift of language, of communication, of interaction with other souls, for from each other, we can learn far more than just studying on our own.

From the Eye's View

I was reflecting on the outings I have had thus far in the city. At a glance one may not notice it, but once I looked more closely, I saw it so blatantly on the surface with my eyes. The colors here! The faces here! There are no vivid colors. Blacks, grays, and dark colors flood the region. Bright colors such as orange, pink, yellow, and teal are only on the backs of my own, my own fellow Americans. The colors here are almost dreary. They do not demand attention, but politely request to not be pulled into the spotlight. The faces here make the same request. I have yet to see a female coated with makeup as I see daily at ACU. There is no bold declaration painted onto the faces of femininity. The women here do not proclaim a fake beauty, but rather they allow their natural beauty to quietly shine, not having to peer through a mask of make up. It is quiet evident, quiet plain to see now. From the eye's view, there is no loud demand for attention, but rather one must dig beyond the surface to see the vibrancy of life.