Well, here I am…in Spain, finding myself. My love for learning is never saturated, but sometimes I wish I could just know what the right thing to do is in every situation. This week has definitely been one that’s full of struggles and learning, and I’m grateful that God is bringing me through it. Through my experience here, He’s teaching me patience, humility, perseverance, and the importance of being vulnerable, among many other things…I’m struggling to keep up with His class, but luckily He’s a gracious teacher.
I stayed late at the school today to talk with our program coordinator a little bit about how hard it’s been for me to transition from a semester in Latin America to a program in Europe. We talked about the social differences between the two programs I’ve participated in and some ways I can make the best of my experience here. It was a good time for me to re-establish a good perspective on the semester, and because I was meeting with her I ended up being at the school until it closed. While this meant I arrived at home later, it also meant that I got to walk home with a lot of my classmates. I never realized that so many people stay after class to use the school’s computers, but it was a fun discovery to make, and I enjoyed spending time with some more people.
My afternoon started with a heart-to-heart with my roommate, which was much needed on my part. We again talked about the difficulties of transitioning into a semester abroad, and we connected through the experience. God’s definitely teaching me the value of sharing my burdens and struggles with the people around me, and I’m grateful for the wonderful people He’s placed in my life for that purpose. After our chat, I headed over to the park to study with a couple of friends, which was another good experience. We talked a little bit about our hopes for fall break and the challenges that come with being away from home and getting to know new people. I appreciated the change of pace and the company while working on homework, and after a couple of hours the three of us headed over to the small local church where Encuentro is held.
Katie gave another really encouraging lesson tonight that went right along with what I’ve been struggling with. She talked about how in life and our walk with God we are always at some point in a growth cycle, and while it’s easy to get frustrated and give up, faithfully persevering is what God calls us to do. After Encuentro was officially over, I talked with my prayer group to set up our first meeting, which I’m really excited for. We had a really fun dinner with our Senora, and then I hit the hay. For some reason today was exhausting for me, so I’m praying for rejuvenation and strength as I head into tomorrow…only two days away from another weekend!
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