From The Inside Out

God is changing me and every student here from the inside out.
We are learning about ourselves and telling each other what we've been learning and discovering. I've seen the change on each of their faces, including my own, and it makes me excited to see what God is going to do with the rest of our time here. We all look refreshed, healthy, and ready for this coming week. We have been renewed.
I can't believe we're only in our 3rd week of school! SO much has happened, mostly on the inside, in the heart, but I feel like I've been here a year!
Please be praying that we will be able to keep an open heart and mind, and be able to continue sharing our hearts with our leaders and each other.
Also, I'm still in need of finances for outreach and living expenses. Please be praying for that! If you feel lead to give, there are two ways, both on the right hand side of this blog.
You're all awesome!!

Isaías 43:13
"Desde la eternidad y hasta la eternidad, yo soy Dios.
    No hay quien pueda arrebatar a nadie de mi mano;
    nadie puede deshacer lo que he hecho."

Detalles. Details. Unconditional Love.

I have an awesome God-thing to share with you guys.

For about 2 weeks, the parents of one of my fellow students was staying with us. I can’t explain it, but I immediately trusted them. I felt like I had known them for a long time and that they cared about me... after 3 days of knowing them. I know! Crazy, but so true. I got to know them over the two weeks that they were here, and I began to really like them, and even love them. 

I had multiple dreams Tuesday night that starred my family and California. (This is not off topic, I promise.) I woke up on Wednesday feeling extremely homesick and sad. One of the things we’re leaning in this school is how to go to God BEFORE we turn to music or our friends or anything else. So, I cried out to God and I asked him to please give me a hug today. I missed the physical touch of my family, and if I could just have one really great hug, an embrace, I would be so happy.

Then I found out that my friend’s parents were leaving that day. I grew more sad knowing that I was losing friends, just as I was really getting to know them. We all went out to the sidewalk to see them off. I gave both the parents hugs, and here’s the God-thing: when I hugged my friend’s dad, he hugged me back and said, “I love you,” then hugged me harder. My eyes welled up with tears and spilled over. I said, “I love you, too,” and off he went to get into the taxi that took them both to the airport.

The fact that I had cried out to God that same morning asking for a hug, asking for comfort today, and getting it in such an unexpected way, amazes me. GOD JUST AMAZES ME. I love how He works. I love it so much. And to be honest, I had forgotten that I asked God for a hug. When my friend’s dad hugged me, I was just crying because I love him and I was sad to see him leave. I only remembered that I asked God for a hug when I started writing this post, and I cried again. Realizing how God really pays attention and listens to even the smallest desires of our hearts really puts life in perspective for me. 

God really does care. He cares about the fact that I was sad and needed comfort from a father figure. He cares about the fact that I miss my family. He cares about the fact that I miss my friends. That I miss hugs. That I miss the comforts of home. He CARES. He isn’t going to leave me hanging. I know that now. He cares about every detail of my life, and He's going to fulfill my desires in the most perfect way possible: with His unfailing, unconditional love.

Psalm 34:18 

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

Psalm 37:23

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He DELIGHTS in EVERY DETAIL of their lives.” (word emphasis by me) 

Beginning The Process

We've finished our first week of classes, but it feels like we've been here a month already! The classes are very intense. The first two days we were taught on the fear of God, and then the next three were spent discussing the divine plumb line talked about in Amos 7:7-9, and how we need to align our lives to God's plumb line. It was intense, to say the least. And we have 4 or so more weeks of it. I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining, because that is the opposite of what I'm feeling. I'm looking forward to the coming weeks and what God has in store for me and the rest of the students!

There are 6 girls and 4 guys, and most of them can speak English! Their abilities range from being fluent to knowing a few words, but I can communicate with most of them! It's nice knowing that if I don't know how to say something in Spanish, I can ask one of them and they help me out. I'm learning a lot of Spanish just being emersed in the language. But our lessons are also translated for me, so hearing the Spanish and then English is helping me learn more words and phrases.

Yesterday, we went on an adventure into the beautiful city of Buenos Aires. We went to an outdoor market and had so much fun looking at all the things people were selling. FUN FUN FUN!

Here's lots of pictures for you guys to enjoy!

This guy made his own camera a took these pictures! The two round things right in front of him to his right are the cameras.

The market!

Argentina!

Of course. :)

Sooo pretty!!

Guilla modeling for me. 

Being silly!

My models for the day. Aren't they gorgeous?

Pancakes... I think.

Thought of you, mom!

Jumanji, Haunted Mansion... Yup. It's apparently real.

At this point, I gave my camera to Mariana and let her have some fun. I love seeing what other people see that I don't! The thing I love about the pictures Mariana took, is she took so many pictures of THE PEOPLE. I'm so into the art and buildings, I always miss that.

I can almost hear their conversation in my head. :D

This is actually one of my classmates. But this was just too awesome not to add to this blog. :p

Thanks for the pictures, Maii!!

This is where we had linner. (lunch/dinner) It was pretty great. 

Is it the sun or the moon?! (It's the sun guys... Don't try fooling yourselves like we did... :p)

The pink government house, at night!

Changing of the... oh... no, not the guards, but the flag.

Guilla took these. I love them!