Sorry again that it's taking me so long to update you on my trip. They have been keeping us so very busy that I honestly just don't have time to find a computer and spill out my thoughts. That being said, I do thankfully get time every day to sit alone and process what's going on and spend time with God. I know that's important on a trip like this!
I must say, as soon as I stepped off the bus in La Plata, I felt at home once again. The lovely (or not so lovely) smells of the city came wafting back to me and looking around at the buildings made me remember my wonderful time in BA. La Plata is much smaller but is still a fairly big city. The streets, instead of having names, have numbers. The whole city is mapped out in a grid system...so I currently live on the corner of 54 and 10. haha...it makes things much easier, let me tell you!! Only someone VERY directionally challenged could get lost. :-)
I have also absolutely loved getting back in the swing of Spanish. I am among three girls who are fluent on this trip, so I get to do a LOT of translating and helping out. Some of my group members apologize for having to ask things all the time, but I truly love it. I feel even more confident in my Spanish this time and can manage very well. One of my fellow team members actually studied in Argentina a year ago, in a different province, and then the other girl who speaks Spanish well studied in Spain a couple of years ago. They are both great girls :-)
As for the rest of our team, they are great! I have enjoyed getting to know them very well in the past couple of weeks and have enjoyed doing ministry with them. We are composed of a married couple that lead us and another woman leader. Then we have 9 girls and 2 guys. We´re lacking males! But it´s all good.
As far as a typical day..well, we don´t really have those here. haha. It seems like every day is a little bit different. But typically during the week we go to campus from 11:30ish until 3:30 ish. Once there we go around doing a picture survey with students to get them talking about spiritual things, and then hopefully transition into the gospel. We also tell them about Vida Estudiantil, our ¨Crusade¨in argentina, and invite them to English club or our community outreaches. On Friday nights we have our weekly English club and then later the weekly meeting. It´s good to get to see all of the students we´ve met and be able to hang out and chat some more. This weekend we´re going to help out at a soup kitchen and play with kids. We´re also going to uruguay on Sunday, something that I never did when I was studying abroad, so I´m looking forward to that.
I´ve been both encouraged and discouraged going on campus. We meet a lot of the same things we do in the States, like indifference or ¨oh, I´m already a Christian,¨as over 90% of the population has been raised Catholic. But we also see lots of people who are eager to hear more about this faith that has nothing to do with the Church that has been a sad part of past history. We get to share great news and I pray that God works through our weaknesses to make Himself glorified. It´s been a draining, yet great experience! Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers, I appreciate it a lot and can see how our team benefits from it!! :-)
I promise I will keep updating...tell me anything that you would like me to update specifically about and I´ll get pictures on here too!
Ciao ciao, May God Bless you all!!
1 comment:
Sarah, we continue to pray... I think your doing a great job writing your blog. I am always excited to hear what you are doing but equally as important ... How you are doing.
My prayer for you his that God will use this trip to mold and shape you into his Image. That you will embrace your presence experience in Argentina – and that this experienc will be a tool that will be used in your future.
God has a purpose for you being in Argentina. His purpose is to plant the seed of Christ in the students with whom you share. Yes, but he is also developing that which he has deposited in you.
It’s not always easy, but it’s always good… thus the coin phrase “IT HURTS SO GOOD”
Stay faithful to what God is asking of you… regardless of how difficult the task may be. Always remembering that your audience is God and God along.
Two of my favorite scriptures are from the prophet Jeremiah…
29:11 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
33:2-3 “This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name: 3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
I know these scriptures were the message he shared with the people. But I believe they are also for us today. He - The Lord has good plans for our lives.
Yet for me personally at times, I have to be honest with him and ask… Are you sure this is part of your “good plan” because to be honest you – Mr. God, every ounce of my being is screaming NO.
But always after the task (in hindsight) as I reflect back. I can see it was never about the task only - but always about him developing his Glory in me through my obedience during the task.
I call it “the working of the Holy Spirit within me”.
John the Baptist put it this way … He must increase, I must decrease.
Paul simply said … I die daily and to live is Christ, to die is gain.
There is something about surrendering ourselves to his will that brings contentment and a true trust in Christ and we truely understand the meaning of "A Joy unspeakable and FULL OF HIS Glory".
Funny thing about Jeremiah … his message was rejected by the people … not one convert, an ugly martyrs death, he is known as the weeping prophet.
From a human standpoint when I look at his life and ministry. He delivered the message of God’s love and the people reject both him and God.
And yet in the end as the prophet took his final breath, his audience (God) in pleasure, stood up and gave Jeremiah a standing ovation for his faithful obedience and he cried … Well done my good and faithful servant.
Stay Faithful to your audience :-)
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