It seems like today was kind of a long day, and I'm feeling pretty tired as I write this. We had a great lecture this morning about living out our faith and serving in countries besides the US. This led to some fabulous discussion in my new process group. Our whole morning flew by between the lecture and discussion. I also received another package this morning, this time from my fabulous Aunt Mary and Uncle Ken. It was so nice to hear from them and eat a few of the treats they sent me. Mary said some of the people at the apartments she works at are following my blog...Hello Presbyterian Homes! I can't wait to come visit when I get home to share my pictures with you and hear what you think of my trip!
Our Spanish class lost one member yesterday because students in his concentration for the semester are taking a different, more literature focused Spanish class during that time. This means we're down to 4 students, and today two of them were absent. It was fun to have some long conversation with just our teacher and two of us students, and being able to talk like that for a while made me realize how far I've come with my Spanish this semester. I'm really going to miss using Spanish conversationally every day when I get home, and I'm excited to find ways to keep building my language skills this summer.
After ICADS I stopped at an e-cafe again to email some people at my home college with registration questions. I also called home to wish my brother TJ a happy birthday, and it was fun to chat with him for a bit. I didn't have much time to spend there because I needed to get home for a cafecito before the Ash Wednesday service at church. I just happened to take the same bus home as Andrey, and as soon as we walked in the door coffee and sandwiches were being placed on the table for us to eat before church. Everyone quickly ate and got ready to go, and then we took the bus back down the hill to a church offering an evening Ash Wednesday service.
While the priest was really hard for me to understand (he spoke really fast and unclearly), I thought a lot about the symbolism of the service. It seemed like a confession that we are all sinners and a call to repent and change our ways. This challenge has been presented to me in many forms this semester. Most of all, I was reminded of the great gift of mercy Christ has given me and the overwhelming burden I feel to serve Him. During the service I also did a lot of observing the people around me and comparing their responses to the service to those I have seen in the US. Watching people in the church is incredibly interesting to me, and it often helps me understand why things are the way they are in our world.
When we got home from church at 9:00, I still had homework to do, so I sat down to work on some reading while mami made dinner. It seems weird to me that we almost always eat twice when I get home: at our late afternoon cafecito and late in the evening for dinner, but that seems to be the routine here. Melany was dying to play cards with me, so we played a game and then I got back to my reading. Our emphasis at LASP this week is faith in action, so all of our reading is about biblical interpretation and different perspectives on missions etc. We are also going to be working on group projects that require us to come up with an action plan for making a difference with the information we have gained in our time here. Its overwhelming to try to find an answer to the problems and perspectives we're being faced with, but its also absolutely necessary. Tomorrow my group is getting together to discuss ideas for the first time, and I'm excited to see what kind of ideas we can come up with.
On an unrelated note, my ankle is feeling a lot better today, and I'm hoping that by tomorrow it will be pretty much back to full strength. Tomorrow will be another very busy day, and I really can't believe how fast time is going! It seems like Nicaragua was a long time ago already because we've moved on so quickly. This is challenging because I don't want to forget about my experiences there, but I also don't want to miss the opportunity to learn more now. This summer is going to be some intense time of debriefing and processing things from the semester, and I'm realizing more and more that the only way I can make any difference at all is by prayerfully discerning what God's will for my life is and humbly and patiently following the path He has set out for me.
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