1/3: Done!

I can’t believe this is the end of the first part! I can’t believe that I am actually leaving for the states tomorrow! I just want to scream in happiness and joy and in praise to God for all that He has done! It has been incredible!  Just when I thought that I had not learned anything, all this Spanish and bible starts coming out of no where! It’s awesome!

I first want to give all the glory to God.  I couldn’t not have taken these first steps without Him, nor can I take the next steps without either!  HE has done all the work here. HE has allowed me to learn Spanish.  HE has allowed me to retain all this wonderful information about His word.  HE has given me the desire for the Spanish culture.  HE has given me the desire for missions. He has provided a way for me to be here and me to survive!  I remember from the first month, I just could feel God putting a pillow under my feet at every moment!  If you have not experienced this kind of proximity yet, let me encourage you to talk to God because there is nothing like this!  I am so blessed to have this opportunity to study in a foreign country (where I am the foreigner (extrañjera)) and praise the SAME GOD! Different culture, different language, SAME GOD!  And He hears all of our praises.  He hears all of our prayers and needs.  He still sees what is going on.   And He loves us the same.  He truly loves the world and has wonderful plans for ALL parts of it.  He has orchestrated my life before Argentina, JUST FOR Argentina, and NOW it makes sense!  Imagine heaven, where ALL will make sense.  Isn’t that awesome?  We won’t question, we will just know! Something else I have seen here is how much the States needs Christ, something that I already knew but was reminded of in a big way.  When you get the chance to step back and look at your country, it looks so different.  Although, I am so incredibly thankful for the country that I have been born and raised in, and don’t think otherwise.  This whole first part of my experience here has only left me wanting more!  God is opening doors now for His future plans for me and I love that!  He already knows every detail of my life, because He is God and He doesn’t miss a thing, He doesn’t miss a thing.  He knows me!  And I can’t wait to see what all those details unfold to be.

I woke up this morning thinking, “is tomorrow really December 3^rd?” I was filled with joy but at the same time, “where did this time go?”  I remember the first night I spent here.  I didn’t know why I was here! I honestly didn’t know what I was doing!  My mom asked if I wanted to come home and as much as Satan was nipping at my heart, I knew that God wanted me here and this was just Satan trying to stop a REALLY good thing from happening.  And guess what? I have lived that really good thing.  It was awesome! It still is awesome!  And there is still more awesomeness to come!  In our orientation time, I also remember them mentioning that Satan is going to use past experiences to tear us down.  Past things we have struggled with, people from the past, things back at home, other people here, and the list goes on.  That was so true!  But when those things happened, I stepped back, and looked to God, asking Him to pull me out of these things, help me be slow to speak, and that I wanted to bring glory to Him through this situation!  He also used other people for the good, like my counselor, Lyndee.  Por ijemplo, advice she gave me for when the showers were only cold water, or constant changing from hot to cold, she told me to just think of things you can thank God for while taking a shower.  “Lord thank you for a shower! Thank you for ________(Something that He did that day), etc.” So just little things like that! God has done mighty things here and I can’t wait to see what He has next!

For now, I am going to focus on this last day of the missions conference (which has been awesome!) and focus on the time I have left with my friends before I leave!  I am so happy that everything played out how it did!  Would not have had it any other way! 

Prayer Requests:

1)   My path home (Buenos Airesà Sao Paulo, Brazilà Miami, Florida): travel to Buenos Aires, safety, getting where I need to be in the airports,  SAFETY!

2)   Over the month of December, that I retain all this Spanish and bible and that my Spanish gets better at home knowing that I have a lot of Spanish where I live! (not a coincidence!)

3)   The students not going home for Christmas, latinos and gringos.

4)   My sisters trip to Haiti! (for the people they will speak to, for themselves, and the experience they will have.

5)   My time in December, that I can use it wisely J

I WILL BE HOME IN WITHIN 48 HOURS!!!