Thankful

I know, I know... blogging three days in a row??!! What has gotten into me!!?? I don't know, but I like it.

I am thankful for many things. Some serious, some silly. Here are my lists (if I were cooler, and had a faster computer, I would add pictures to these... sadly, I'm not). hehe

Serious list of reasons to be thankful:

1. Jesus: He chose me- and YOU! He loves me no matter what. He loves me even when my actions say I don't love him. His Love is unconditional. Many times that overwhelms me.
2. Family: I love my family. My mom, dad, sister, brother, puppy, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, you name it... I love them. I have been blessed with an amazing family (even though they're sometimes insane. ;) )
3. Friends: This is obvious. I love my friends. My old friends (in age, and in time being friends), my young friends (in age and in time being friends), my American friends, my Argentine friends, my wherever else friends... all of them. I love friends. <3
4. Opportunity: I have been blessed with the opportunity to do so much: see the world, spread my wings. If I had had a different life, this wouldn't have been possible.
5. Roots: I'm thankful for Lincolnton, Freedom Church, and everything that has defined me growing up. I love my hometown. I love being Southern. I LOVE having roots.
6. Wings: I have a love/hate relationship with not knowing where God's gonna take me. On the one hand.. I love it... because it is teaching me to completely trust in Christ... and on the other hand I hate it for the same reason. Absolute trust is so hard! But it's so worth it!Thank the Lord for giving me wings and teaching them how to use them-knowing he'll catch me if I fall. Knowing that sometimes, falling taught me more than flying.

Silly list of reasons to be thankful

(in no particular order)

1. Catalina dressing (let's face it, it makes pretty much everything taste better)
2. fun accessories (read: rings, scarves, earrings, necklaces, pocketbooks etc.. the cuter/cheaper, the better!)
3. Pinterest (a crafter/teacher/wannabe wife/mother's dream!)
4. the color green (it matches my eyes, and I like it)
5. singing in the shower/car/ anywhere (it's probably my favorite thing to do; I couldn't live without it)
6. painting my nails/toenails (this alone makes me feel pretty)
7. mascara (I love mascara...)
8. vanilla flavoring (you can put it in casi-anything!)
9. cheerwine/tea/sundrop (notice how I didn't put "sweet" or "iced" in front of the "tea". where I come from, that's understood) :)
10. glitter and all things that sparkle (without them, life would be dull- pun intended!)

Things previously taken for granted, but now I recognize the need to be thankful for them:

(long title, I know, go with it.. some are serious, some are silly)

1. Running water (we have gone a little over a week-at most- without water at our house.. and it was awful. It was humbling after only a week... I now feel like I shouldn't complain about anything!)
2. Heat and A/C
3. cheap vegetables (they're so cheap here!)
4. car (it's a 20 minute walk to our closest large grocery store)
5. English (... oooo.. "what's the word for "parsley" in Spanish?".. hahaha)
6. quick check-out at the grocery store (I will never complain about Food Lion being slow AGAIN)
7. ooo self-checkout :)
8. Wal-mart (even though I totally agree they take away from the small business owner.. I can still find everything I need in one place!)
9. laminator (o goodness. I salivate just thinking about laminators)
10. butcher paper (saves a million years on bulletin boards)
11. learning to cook in a country with few pre-packaged things (this means I'm REALLY learning how to cook)
12. Argentine co-workers who are patient, kind, and AMAZING
13. Students who tolerate my sillyness, forgetfulness, and ridiculousness.
14. Roomies like the above. :) (and AMAZING roomies)
15. Close proximity to an Old Navy
16. High-quality shoes (in US)
17. High-quality meat (Argentina)
18. good chocolate (US)
19. Skype

I'm sure there are more.. but I'm tired. Love you all! Happy Thanksgiving!! <3

(Belated) Halloween Post

Most of you know that I LOVE holidays. For many reasons: dressing up, decorating, baking, fun school activities, parties, tradition.. anything and everything. I just LOVE them. I'm not even sure which holiday is my favorite. Probably Christmas, just because it's so huge for my faith... and huge for my family. And then, they're probably all tied. I love New Year's because generally I get to get cute and do something fun (like go to a masquerade party-even though that was kinda a bust the year before last.. hahaha), and there's usually lots of glitter, loud noises, and people. I love Valentine's Day because there's chocolate, talk of love (most of the time I'm okay with this... I LOVE LOVE), sprinkles, hearts, pink, ribbon, you get the picture. I love Easter because 1)it's the celebration of the resurrection of my SAVIOR, 2) there are pretty colors, 3) there are bunnies and chicks, 4) kids look ADORABLE at church, 5) I get to wear an Easter outfit. I love Independence Day because it's at the lake with my lovely family and there are fireworks and hotdogs! I love my birthday because it's my birthday and I can do pretty much whatever I want. :) Plus, it's in the summer. I love Thanksgiving because.. well.. actually I've only recently decided that I re-love Thanksgiving. I used to love it because it was when we went to the Outerbanks with my Mom's side of the family. It was my favorite holiday, actually. But, I'll explain that at another time, that's not what this blog's about.

Anyway.. you get it, right? I LOVE holidays.

Did I miss one? One of the major ones?

"O yeah", you're probably thinking. "Halloween, that's the name of this post... what does she think about Halloween?" Or maybe you're not thinking that at all... maybe you don't care what I think about it. haha. Regardless, I'm going to assume that you care, because, after all, this is my blog, and you ARE reading it.....

So, Halloween. What do I think? Well, before we go into what I NOW think, after being abroad for a while.. let's talk about where I come from, and what most of them think of Halloween:

I'm from a small town in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC. I've gone to church my entire life (began as Methodist, then changed to Southern Baptist, and am currently a member at Freedom Church- a "half-Southern Baptist"... we  are kind of affiliated with the SBC, but act like a non-demoninational church). All that to say that I've grown up around church-goers, and have been a Christian since my early pre-teen years.

Through all of that I've never gotten a vibe that Halloween is "bad" or "of the Devil". NEVER. Now, of course we were not ignorant of the fact that stupid people do stupid things on Halloween (just like every other day of the year). This is the reason our churches always had "fall festivals", to give kids safe options of things to do (and keep them from the scary people that supposedly put razors in kids' candies... AWFUL). So, I always dressed up for Halloween, always went to "Fall Festivals" or "Trunk-Or-Treat". Most of the time I dressed up something fun and cute (i.e. cheerleader, pumpkin, clown, bunny, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel,etc...), but two times (with a LOT of convincing, mind you), I dressed up as something semi-scary (the Bride of Frankenstein, a witch). Now, my Grandmother loved/loves Jesus more than anyone I've ever known.. and she did not mind me dressing up as a witch... and neither did anyone I knew... so it never even crossed my mind that it was a "bad" or "taboo" thing to do in the church. I always hung out with church people on Halloween. I was never exposed to scary Halloween things at a young age... I never associated Halloween with the Devil or anything occult.

*At the Methodist church I attended when I was younger, we even studied about Halloween. And the only thing I can remember learning was that it wasn't BAD, that it started as as a celebration of the Harvest, and it was on November 1st, All Hallows Day, I think? *

I had GREAT experiences with Halloween. I LOVED Halloween (for all of the reasons stated above). It was just another time to have fun for the heck of tradition. I didn't really know others thought differently, that is, until last Halloween.

I've been going to a Baptist church here. Now, it's Baptist according to Argentines. But, if I were to categorize it into an American denomination, I would say Pentecostal (simply because they're charasmatic... a lot more than the Baptist church I know... ). Anyway, I've gone to this church for about a year and a half, and I really like it. But, about a year ago, a little before Halloween, I saw the below pamphlets:

It says, "Seven reasons to not celebrate Halloween". Now, before I read this.. I got REALLY excited. I hadn't seen anything Halloween-related, and thought that this was a "Finding the Gospel in Halloween" tract. I was wrong. There are things written in there like, "It's demonic", "It's sagrilegious", and a lot of other things I thought were silly (at the time). I was REALLY sad. Okay, I was REALLY sad, AND I thought it was hilairious. Just the different perspectives. And then I found out one of my roomies is also not on the side of Halloween. And apparently most of my other roomies knew the "real" meaning behind it ("real" meaning "bad"). So, after a few discussions with them that made me feel ignorant and worldly, I decided to find out for myself. What is the REAL meaning of Halloween?

While searching, I found a relevant article on Relevant Magazine's website (my friend Kris would appreciate the pun..hehe). You should read it. It's an AMAZING article. Here's an excerpt from the end, which basically sums it up:

"As with many of our traditions, it’s worth taking the time to look back and wonder, “Where did this come from?” Halloween is no exception. And, like many of our holidays, it can be misused, abused and downright non-Christian. But using the time to have some fun with friends and give kids some candy? That seems like a pretty Christian thing to do. Just don’t give the kids a tract instead of candy. That's just mean."

Now, this article did not address Halloween in culture's other than the US. I think it's worth thinking about. If this culture that I'm in sees Halloween as "demonic" and "sacrilegious", should I flaunt my freedom in Christ by celebrating it, because I am not convicted? No. In fact, if I were to live here permanently, I would probably not celebrate it (in public) simply to keep from confusing non-Believers and Believers alike. Become like a Gentile to save the Gentiles, and like a Jew to save the Jews. Follow Paul's advice.

So, will I continue to have fun on Halloween? YES! Do I think my church is ignorant? NO! Cultural context and personal convictions mean a lot. Do I think we should know about the origin of our holidays? Of course! You decide what YOU think. :) Me, I'll carve my jack-o-lantern.

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Just to prove to you that I haven't given up on Halloween.. I will show you my Halloween dinner-creation that I made for my roomies. It was DELISH, I promise. :) I call it "Halloween Hamburger Casserole". And of COURSE, I found it on Pinterest. If you love pretty much anything.. you'll love Pinterest.

O, first, this was breakfast the Saturday before Halloween (they're Cake Batter Pancakes with Halloween Sprinkles and Icing instead of Syrup... I know.. healthy, right?).

And here it is: So, this is pretty much just browned hamburger meat, onions, Worchestershire, pepper, salt, cheese, maybe some other spices, but I can't really remember? Onion powder perhaps? And I'm sure garlic salt... I put it pretty much in everything. :) The outside is a quiche wrapper... you can use a normal pie crust or calzone crust. There are two. I put one on the bottom, put in my filling, laid another one on top (with my Jack-O-Lantern face cut out), pinched the sides, created a stem with the cut-outs, painted it with food coloring, and then baked it. :)

 And for those who just want to remember fall and not Halloween: :)

The fun thing about these is that you can fill them with practically anything... shape them into practically anthing, and dye them any color you want! :) LOVE IT!!

Buen provecho! I also made a Halloween parfait... but sadly, I forgot to take pictures of them. (Vanilla ice cream, crushed Oreos, Halloween sprinkles, topped with a Halloween (or Dr.Who) related decoration). I love fun!

4 weeks

Time has flown. I cannot believe it's been exactly16 months since I left Lincolnton, North Carolina to live and teach in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some days I still can't believe that I really left... God has taken me on such an adventure! Some days I think I could stay here forever... some days I miss home so much it overwhelms me.

God is so faithful. I have such a great group of friends at home, and to be honest, I just didn't think I would ever meet anyone like them. I didn't think I would form strong friendships. I didn't think I would be able to REALLY connect with people so different from myself.

I was wrong.

It's amazing how similar we all are. Regardless of ethnicity, language, culture, age, religion/demonination, preferences, personalities, etc... we are all created in the image of the Living God... and that makes us similar. I've come to realize that people are people, no matter what. Friends can be found everywhere. Not that my friends at home are no longer important to me... or that they aren't irreplacable... they are both important and irreplacable! But, my heart has room for many relationships: forever friends and friends for a season. I am no longer worried about the friendships I have that will only last for this season. Instead, I'm going to embrace them... knowing that the time we have here, this friendship of today, is not going to last forever. If I could pause time and soak up the beauty of some of these precious moments with friends, I would. But, it's natural for paths to only cross for a short while. Roads split. Some of us speed up. Others slow down. Some turn. Some take detours. Some take shortcuts. Life happens- we need only to enjoy the journey.

School has been going well. This year (even though I am NEVER caught up, rarely ahead, and only sometimes completely prepared before the day begins), I feel like I can breathe. Last year I had absolutely no time to do anything but teach and breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Adjust to the language. Feel out the culture. Try to form relationships. Heck, try to get to the grocery store without getting lost. These were the tasks of the day. Now, I can LIVE, really LIVE. I'm able to spend more time with friends rather than working all of the time (or sleeping.. hahah). I was SO tired for the first year. And now, I'm still tired some, but it's not constant. I've learned how to cook and bake. I exercise more than I ever have (which definitely needs to be more... haha). I eat vegetables (I know, right?). I'm taking piano lessons, tutoring, teaching myself how to crochet (kind of)... haha... TRYING to learn how to effectively teach a student who came to me with zero English or Spanish. It's been a challenge. But I love it. I've learned that I do need time by myself... even though I LOVE people. God has taken me on a lovely (hard) journey. And I wouldn't change it for the world.

I will be visiting the States for Christmas from December 17th-January 11th. I can't wait! Originally, I wasn't planning to visit this Christmas, as I will be returning in June 2012- for the forseeable future, at least. But, due to a HUGE blessing (my grandfather's kindness).. I will get to visit! YAY! Not for as long as it was last year, as I will be traveling with a roommate for a week and a half before school starts again in February. YAY for travel!

Also, Happy almost-Thanksgiving everyone! I'm going on a trip to Iguazu Falls next weekend (the picture at the top of the page is at Iguazu)... so I'll be out of touch! Hope to see everyone when I'm visiting around Christmas. Love you all and thanks so much for all of your support!! <3

Blog changing....

I am an awful blogger. I know, and I'm sorry. I'd like to change that. Per a request of my lovely friend Winter Graham, I am now going to (try to) post everyday happenings and thoughts. Maybe things that I cook, crafts I do, things I do in my class.... MAYBE! I'll also include thoughts that have been floating around in my head, random musings, and things the Lord is teaching me. :) So, cross your fingers and hope this gets more of like a diary- albeit a public one. :)

That is... if I can find my camera charger.... :0!!

Mi cumple/ 1 year

Birthdays call for reflection. My birthday is also just a week short of my 1 year anniversary of being here. I love reflection. I got these questions online to get me started. :)

1.What did I learn? (skills, knowledge, awareness, etc.)
I learned more Spanish, my way around (well kind of around.. haha) San Isidro- where I live- and some of Buenos Aires, how to function in a foreign country, how to live in a house with 5 girls NOT from the South :), how to bake/cook- a lot more than I could, awareness of many shortcomings I have that I need to work on, and a greater awareness each day that my God is faithful. :)


2.What did I accomplish? A list of my wins and achievements.
I graduated college, survived my first year of teaching, and survived my first year living/teaching in Argentina.

3.What would I have done differently? Why?
I think I did what I could while learning to breath again. :) I'll do MANY things differently next year. Emphasis on the MANY.

4.What did I complete or release? What still feels incomplete to me?
I released my grip on the future. I have to do this every day. We all do. :)

5.What were the most significant events of the year past? List the top three.
I listed them above. :)

6.What did I do right? What do I feel especially good about? What was my greatest contribution?
I invested in people. I just love people. I want to do this more. I want to do this better. My greatest contribution was the love I hope I instilled in my students- love for Christ and love for others.
7.What were the fun things I did? What were the not-so-fun?
Fun= moving to an amazing place and meeting some fantastic God-loving folks, working at a great school
Not fun= missing my friends and family and hometown like crazy

8.What were my biggest challenges/roadblocks/difficulties?
The hardest thing was leaving what was (and maybe will be again) behind. I struggle with thinking and wondering and hoping about the future more than I should. Yes, the culture/language thing was and is hard, but I think the hardest was definitely being so far from family, friends, church, and town I love so much. I don't know if the desire to be there is just because it's where I grew up and where my roots are, or if it's the Lord, calling me back there to put down roots with my family... I just don't know. I don't know how I feel one way or the other... and to be honest... my feelings don't matter. I'm trying to discern where the Lord can use me most. And wherever that is, that's where I'll be. :)

9.How am I different this year than last?
I can see God's hand in things more tangibly than I could before now. I've also gotten better at discerning the Lord's voice in my heart and obeying it (in the small things). In the big things.. He's still got a lot of work to do. :)

10.For what am I particularly grateful?
I am so grateful for this whole journey: for the places I've been, the people I've met, and the things I've been able to be a part of. For me, it's always about the people. I'm grateful for my friends at home, for standing by me and not forgetting about me, for coming alongside with me in prayer and helping me on this journey. I'm thankful for my family, for always being there for me, no matter what. For loving me and supporting me, and missing me (it means more than you know). I praise God for bringing the BAICA family into my life. I didn't think I would grow this attached... but here I am. I love them so much... and can't imagine a time without them. I know they have forever changed my life, for the better. :)

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:) Update on the school situation: Things haven't really changed. I'm here for the next year, still planning to return to the States in June of 2012. I will still be teaching 3rd grade this coming year, and school starts in about 2 weeks. I'm both sad vacation is ending and anxious to get the year started. Thanks so much for the prayers... I love and miss you all! :)

mix trust and belief

"What is faith?", I asked my third grade class.
"Well, if you mix trust and belief together, and you get faith."

I thought that was a pretty thorough definition of faith from a nine-year old. My students never cease to amaze me. This has been what the Lord has been teaching me this past year. Have FAITH. BELIEVE in me. TRUST me. Faith in what? Faith in whom is the question to ask. Everything in my life is held together in who He is to me and what He means to me. Nothing else matters. Nothing else matters. Everything else is meaningless in comparison. meaningless.

I've been fretting and freaking out these past few weeks especially. We found out the week before last that our umbrella organization (Network of International Christian Schools) is no longer supporting our school. This happened for many reasons, but we're now dealing with the consequences of that decision. I, a NICS missionary, was given a decision: Stay at BAICA (no longer as a missionary with NICS), leave BAICA and try to find another position with NICS-in another school in another country, or simply return to the States because my 2-year contract was no longer valid.

This past year has been HARD, so the temptation to put this experience behind me and try something new is TREMENDOUS. This past year has also been WONDERFUL, and something I wouldn't trade for the world. This entire year I've been thinking about next year: the things I'll do differently and the reduction of stress because my first year of teaching is finally behind me. The idea of teaching at another school was also very tempting, for a few reasons. I tried pursuing a few of those doors (there weren't many), but up until this point, God has shut them.

With all of that said, my decision now is to stay at BAICA until June of 2012, like I originally planned. I'm afraid I'll miss out of God's blessings if I leave prematurely. I can feel him working here.

That's why I haven't written in a while. I just haven't known what to say. Things change here every day... and it seemed silly to update you all on something I wasn't even sure of.

Prayer needs as of today:

• more students for BAICA- we can't continue without more students
• staff leaving: there are a handful of people who are choosing to leave due to various situations. One is my very close friend here... my Southern friend. I'm going to miss her like crazy! Pray for their resettlement in the places they're going as well as God's guidance!
• traveling mercies over the (winter/summer) break. Good times with family, friends, and for everyone to RELAX. It's been a crazy year.
• For the new people in charge at the school. We have some great business people here looking at financial plans and such... pray they're lead by the Lord. They're having to make hard cuts...
• I'm getting irritated with Spanish, or rather my ability. I teach in English, and speak it about 95% of the time at school. Pray that I put myself out there more when I speak... and make myself get coffee with non-English speakers. (The issue is that although I have Argentine friends, most of them speak English better than I speak Spanish... boo!)
• patience in everything
• a better next year (more organized, better classroom management, what all first year teachers say. :) )
• for me to see that my personal goals for the next year are actually accomplished. I tend to make goals for myself, and not follow through with them

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I'm sorry for taking so long to blog all of this. In reality, next year is still kind of up in the air. I just didn't know what to write. I feel the prayers of everyone. Thanks so much for them; I'm sending them up for you all as well. Until later.

Blessings :)

"be their shepherd and carry them forever"

"I will be glad and rejoice in your love"

"You are my hiding place"

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped."

Long Time Coming

I went to a wedding this past weekend. One of the most anticipated weddings of my life, for sure. Emaly Elise, my best friend for the past 12 or so years, got married. I'm still in shock, I think. It's crazy. The ceremony was so sweet... it was officiated by her father, Donald. He wasn't hysterical, which I thought was a miracle in and of itself! The colors were pink and purple- Emaly for sure! She's more glitz and glam than I am (if you can believe that!). She was PERFECT. I can't wait to see the pictures!
Winter blogged about this too, but I just can't leave it untouched. It's crazy how things change so quickly. How one day you're alone (not TRULY alone, because Christ is sufficient, but work with me), and then the next you could not be. You're walking through life, trusting Christ to point you in the right direction, letting him guide your steps, not knowing if one day someone will be walking beside you.... and then you look up, and someone is there. A few years ago Em and I were up late one night, wondering aloud about whether or not we would be forever husband-less. And now, she's on her honeymoon in Antigua. Talk about a life change! I'm glad I'm on this side of things. I think I see, even more than she may, how insanely different her life is going to be- from what it was before marriage, and from mine. I'm glad I get to see from a single's perspective before I experience it on my own. And Lord willing, I will experience it on my own; I'm trusting the Lord for that. He's faithful.

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I didn't mention that the wedding was in the States, although if you're reading this, I'm sure you already knew that. I did get to go home for a little over a week, and got to be a part of the wedding festivities. A few people helped make that happen, and I am forever grateful to those people! I would've never missed that wedding for the world and am so happy I got to be there!

I got back to BA this past Monday, I'm re-adjusting well... and glad to be back. BAICA (and NICS, our supporting organization) is still in the middle of making decisions and changes... and we know nothing as of yet, but should know by Monday. I'll keep everyone updated. I know that Christ is in control, and no matter what, he's guiding my steps.

That's all for now. I hope everyone had a blessed Easter!!

Peace & Love

Assurance

Periodically, I like to look back over my journal and read past entries. The journal I have here only goes back to the Charlotte airport on June 21st. I wrote my first entry when I was alone, about to board my first plane of this journey- to Memphis, TN (Southaven, MS)- for my Pre-Field Orientation. When I read my words: about trouble, confusion, heartache and worry, I experience, again, the crazy whirlwind of emotions that defined my life then. I'm also able to view them with a sober mind,with distance, and praise God that the same whirlwind of emotions no longer defines or consumes me. Well, most of the time. The Lord has brought me to a "level ground" in regard to my emotions. This will continue to be a struggle of my life (due to my gender, genetics, and personality-haha), but I know that these struggles and life-changes have happened to produce in me "zeal" and "longing" and "repentance", and for those, I am indeed thankful.
There's a song we sing in chapel called "I am on a Journey/Free to Fly". The words are as follows:

I am on a journey; You lead me as I go.
Whatever weighs me down I will let go.
I am on a journey; You're everything I need.
Nothing now, can hold me down; the Truth has set me free.
Free to jump, free to dance, free to live in the power of the Son.
Free to dance, free to sing, in You there's victory.
I am saved. I will obey. I am Yours. I am free.... to fly.

Even if they're from a cheesy kids' song.. they still ring true. We're on a journey called life. If we allow God to lead us it will be the most amazing adventure we could [n]ever imagine.
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I've been listening to a sermon series on Song of Songs (from CharlotteOne). It's been pretty insightful. I wanted to share some of the things I've heard:
*Physical beauty is to be praised as a gift from God (not despised or ignored).
              I like this, a lot. I feel like a lot of people are in one of two polar opposite camps on this issue. There are those that think about their beauty (as well as others'), do their best to keep up to the unrealistic standard the world places on beauty, and believe looks are an absolute reflection of the inner person. Then, there are those people who care very little about their looks, behave unhealthily, and back it up with 1 Sam. 16:7 and 1Tim. 2:9. God created beauty. He doesn't want us to neglect our bodies, despise the gift of beauty, or talk ourselves into ignoring it. Neither does He want us to elevate it to a position it doesn't deserve by worshipping it or tending to it with more care than our inner person- our relationship with Him. There must be a meeting place somewhere between the two extremes.
*Women's struggle in the area of control carries over into wanting to "arouse or awaken love before it so desires". "Arouse" and "awaken" are verbs and imply initiative. The original choice to take control (by Eve, in the Garden) resulted in immediate shame. It caused Adam and Eve to feel shame for the first time. The sin to take control keeps us in the dark.
          The Lord truly knows I struggle with wanting to control. Every woman I know struggles with the same thing. We want to control men, our jobs, the pace of our relationships, the words people say, our children, our friends, our churches. We feel like if we were in charge we could solve the world's problems and make things run smoothly. "Your desire will be for your husband and he shall rule over you" really hits home for me. I'm not even married and my desire for my husband is something I deal with daily. The struggle to let men control dating relationships is hard for women. We want to talk things out, find out where they're going, and plan for a future we can't yet be promised. Women, we must not let Satan trick us into thinking it's okay for us to try to control everything. We have to stop equating "strong" with "bossy" and "hard-headed". Being a strong woman means "firmly rooted in Christ" not "my way or the highway".
*Lies women, especially, believe:
              1) Our bodies are our identities
              2) If I'm alone, there's something wrong with me
              3) Everything must appear to be perfect
              4) I must compromise to feel accepted


That's all for now. You should go listen to the sermons yourself.

Blessings :)

Mi Refugio

Uncertainty forces me to draw near to the Lord. It makes me not rely on my own intelligence, reasoning, and emotions. And life, right now, for me is uncertainty. Life, for each of us, is uncertain. We are not promised tomorrow. Each day, each moment, is a gift. The only constant is Christ. The only thing I can always count on is Christ. He's my Rock, my Redeemer, my Love, my LIFE. No matter what. Even if I lose everything: my job, my family, my friends, my life. Even if I gain everything: a husband, children, a promotion, an abundance of wealth. Christ is the only person, the only thing, I can count on to never let me down. And in a world full of imperfect people who let me down constantly, that's amazing. I can rest safely in the arms of Christ, close my eyes, and know, that even if I don't wake up, I'm taken care of.
I'm truly thankful that God has brought me here-to today. To the experiences I've had, the people I've missed, and the people I've met. I'm especially thankful for my sweet small group, with whom I've gotten to spend more time with; the Lord is blessing that. I'm also thankful for my kids. The Lord has definitely hand-picked each and every one of them to be in my class for this specific time in their lives, in my life, and in the life of BAICA. It's awesome to me how intricate and detailed the mind and plans of God are. He knows all. And in his vast knowledge he knows how to bring people together to accomplish exactly what he sent them there to accomplish... down to minute details.
I'm sorry I haven't written for a while. There's just so much going on, every time I sit down to put it into words I get overwhelmed. Without going into much detail, here's a synopsis:

• A woman that works at our school has cancer. Her name is Eva. She happens to be the mother of one of my students. It's uterine cancer, and far worse than expected. Because our school's so small and close, we're in the middle of dealing with many many questions from students and families. Pray we rally around her and support her. Pray also that the Lord gives me the wisdom in conversations with my students, and most especially, her daughter.
• BAICA's in the middle of a lot of changes, at best. Pray God gives wisdom to make the right decisions to the ones in charge, and comfort and the ability to make it through the changes to all who must adjust to them. We know God's in control.

Those are the only things I'll share for now. Thank you so much for your prayers; we feel them. I'm praying for you all.. love you all, and miss you all!

Special shout-out to Mawmaw and Pawpaw. Mom mentioned that you read this; thank you! I love you and miss you both! Also, I got your card (and such :) ) a while ago. Thank you so much! <3

Co-Workers

This past week was rough in some ways, great in others, and blessed in all. I've been so emotional. I'm way more stable than last year at this time, and definitely more so than 6 months ago... but I still have a long way to go. Things that happen in my day definitely affect me (in a positive or negative way) way more than they should. Be it something my kids say, a Skype call I do/don't receive, or things going or not going my way. I want to be on "level ground". Most of the time, when I'm being crazy, I repeat verses, or words from the Lord, to myself and I'm fine. But I definitely need to become more "preventative" in the way I lead my life. I've recently become more adament about memorizing and meditating on Scripture, and that has helped a lot. The verse I memorized last night was, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is set on you, because he trusts in you." (Isaiah 26:3) I am trusting. I am striving to have that "perfect peace". Sometimes I catch a glimpse of it, and boy is it amazing!

This week, with my kids, was great! I felt like when I arrived at school on Tuesday, I was automatically a better teacher. I'm more calm, it's more normal, and I just feel way better about it. Thanks be to God! It's been great. I've been a bit more stern, but at this point I'm beginning to see that it really wasn't my lackadaisical attempt at discipline that was off, it was my overall demeanor. I was trying to be the friend and not the teacher. And now I'm an in control, friendly teacher. :)

If you're praying for me, pray that I focus on today: where I'm at and what I'm doing. Pray for my spiritual growth, and for me to rely solely on the Lord. Pray for the eyes and ears of my heart to be open to the Lord's plan for me, regardless of the wheres/whos/ and whats. Pray for the relationships I have, that they continue to grow heavenward. Pray also for my school, my students, my family, and my mission.

I'm praying that we realize the incredible gift we've been given: the opportunity to serve the world WITH God. We are his "co-workers". What an incredible blessing- so humbling. My class Bible lesson yesterday was on being "selfless" rather than "selfish". This is the crux of what Jesus's life on earth WAS. The crux of who he IS. He didn't worry about where he slept, what he ate, what he wore, or what he earned. He came to serve. We, in the same way... in the SAME way... are called to make ourselves less, and not just less, but LAST.... in order that others may be first. We must become less, in order for Him to be greater. Become less, church. Pray for one another, feed one another, clothe one another. Forget about you: your wants, needs, desires, hopes, dreams. How crazy is that? I must forfeit all that I want in order to help see the needs and wants of others realized? Yes. You must. And by doing this, by laying your very heart at the feet of Jesus, you're asking Him to pick it up. And, pick it up he will. You will not be forsaken. HE will take care of you. Who are we to worry about ourselves if the very God of the universe is taking care of us?

In between

In between college and marriage, in between friends and family, in between life in Lincolnton and life in BA... relying on internet connections to carry my love long distances: hoping email, Skype, and Facebook messages will lift up and encourage those far away. All the while trying to build relationships here. Trying to pour into the people I'm around daily; impact my immediate world for the better. This is my life. Juggling past and present... while hoping for a future. Thanking God for the past, living in the present, and wondering what the future holds. Realizing the past was just what it needed to be, and trusting God for both my present and my future. Knowing where I am is where I need to be, but also knowing that being static is not an option. Always moving forward, leaping further, growing stronger. This is my life. This is your life. This is the life of anyone who has accepted the mandate God gives His followers. We put down our lives and take up His; He calls, we go. That's how this life works. Submitting our hearts and minds to God daily. Worshipping. It's beautiful.
Life has been good. I'm adjusting well to life back here. Six weeks at home was probably too much, but it was definitely amazing. I love my family, church, and friends so much; they're more than I could ever ask for. Thank you guys for being who you are! :)
When I arrived there were a TON of bugs here, and that just added to the irritation I was already feeling about the difficulty of life here. It's just HARD here. To do anything: go to the store, go to work, go to anywhere. I can't just hop in my car and go. It takes effort. Which, I realize, IS a good thing... it's just so much harder! It's been like a roller coaster here... which, as Winter pointed out, that's just life. I would be experiencing these ups and downs anywhere... I just happen to be here. :)
My friend Caroline and I have decided that we're going to be more dedicated to putting ourselves "out there"... we try to go to a 'celula', or small group Bible Study on Wednesday nights, but it goes rather late and sometimes we don't make it. We're going (almost) every week this time, fingers crossed! Also, we were invited to two birthday parties this weekend, AND are going, so that's exciting! They're both Argentine, and super cool... fun/scary! We always have a blast when we go to these things, I don't know why it takes so much to get us there!
School starts on Monday; kids have a half-day on Tuesday. I think I'm ready. I'm ready to do the job I'm called to do. :) I love teaching. I just need to be tougher, more stern (don't laugh).

Pondering

The past few days have been especially hard. My mood is off, and the slightest thing upsets my whole day. I'm struggling with trusting the Lord, in a few areas. It's just hard. It irritates me when I start to think how much longer I have to teach in Argentina. I LOVE my job, my kids, and my friends... but I LOVE my life here too. I love my family, my church, singing in the praise band, and just doing things I've become so accustomed to. Staying in the States this long may have been a mistake... because it no longer feels like a "vacation"; I feel like I've re-adjusted to my life here. And now I'm going to have to go back and adjust to life in BsAs again. Ugh! Hopefully it will be easier.
I've decided that I don't like time, distance, or waiting for things. The Lord is for SURE stretching me in these areas. It's hard for me to be away from people I care about. It's hard for me to not be able to text or call them when I want to. It's hard to not be able to involve those I love in the small things of life. Because, you know, the small things ARE life. I'm just over it I guess. I'm ready for everyone I love to be in the same place... and I'm starting to think that maybe this is just the beginning of these kinds of experiences. Therefore, I need to cling to the Lord, and realize that my mission on earth is NOT to live comfortably with my friends and family in a bubble. My goal in life is to follow where the Lord's leading me. And right now, I'm a 3rd grade teacher at BAICA.
I still don't like waiting for things. :)

Hebrews 10:35-36

I've been home for one month today, and my time has been sweet. It's been busy (in the evenings at least.. haha) that's for sure! On the way home from the airport, Emaly announced her engagement to her boyfriend Michael. :) I'm so happy for her I could scream, and scream I did!! They will be getting married on April 23rd of this year, and I will be flying back for a week or two to celebrate with her. I cannot wait. Well,that's a lie; I can wait. I'm so happy for her, but as the best friend (who's not currently engaged), I'm nervous for the change it will bring for our relationship. Although, it can't be much different than the change my move brought.. haha! We shall see; I know we'll always be best friends. We'll just have to work through the changes life brings. And this is a good change. :)
Christmas and New Years were great. Those two weeks were a blur of seeing family and friends; I definitely tried to do way too much over those weeks; wore me slap out! The past two have been less hectic.. but all of last week it was snowy and we were confined to the house. We watched more movies and slept more than I have in a long time. O, I was also sick for a day... sicker than I've been in a LONG time. It was AWFUL! Thankfully it only lasted 24 hours. Praise the Lord I was in the States with my mom for that little adventure.
The Lord has given me much rest over the past few weeks especially. I've slept a TON. I can't even tell you how many hours per night... I'm ashamed to tell it. haha. I suppose it's my body resting from the many changes living in Argentina brings. I just hope it gets back to "normal" upon returning. T-2 weeks... exactly. In two weeks I will be on a plane back to Buenos Aires. And in a little less than four I will be returning back to work. Back to the life God has called me to for this moment in time.
Until later... :)