Growing Pains

Hello everyone!

It's been about a week so I have.. wait not very much to say. That's a joke. The last week we've just been going to class here in La Casa and trying our best to get adjusted to everything. I've been working hard at practicing my Spanish, keeping up with my heavyyy reading and blog posts for my literature class, and spending alot of time with the girls- which is awesome. The time I've been here has been really challenging so far, to be perfectly honest. I didn't know how much I was going to have to get used to, and how homesick I would be. The thing is, I don't exactly want to be in Allen or Abilene, I just love and appreciate all the people and things I have there. Like milk! I absolutely love milk. See, they have milk here, but it's more like sweet I guess you could say. And! they only refrigerate it in our house because that's how we, Americans, like it best. I mean I have never been more excited to pour myself a tall glass of cold milk in my life.. weird right? It's just the little stuff.

City life in general is just alot to get used to as well. I talked a little about it in previous posts, but the whole way of life moves and breathes differently here. I've just lived in my bubble forever and have never been challenged to see things quite like they are here. It's not bad, it's just different. I have every option of a restaurant, every brand I could ever need, and an entire team of people rooting for me along the way back home. It's cliche, I know, but I live in suuuuch a blessed community. Duh, right? Adults reading this are like clapping that I figured it out, haha. I mean, I've known it all along, its just experiencing it this way is completely moving.

Just a few things I've gotten to do, by the way. Last Thursday we went to the opening "desfile," or parade for Carnaval, which is a huuuge celebration Uruguay and other South American countries celebrate each year. I haven't exactly figured out the reason for celebration yet, hah, but mostly it's tradition. It lasts about 6 weeks and its wild! They have different events every night and we will get to go to some of them. A few of us girls also got to go to un club privado el sábado. Which means, we got to go to a private club on Saturday.. you like that? Haha, anyways. It was on the beach, they had a restaurant, work out facilities, outside pool, and it was just absolutely wonderful. We payed $13 for a day there and we spent 7 hours in the sun... Neeeedless to say I got scorched. I put on sunscreen, I really did, and high numbers too! but the Uruguayan sun is deceptive because it's not that hot here so you don't realize how much exposure you're getting. I didn't get as burned as some of the other girls, but it was just enough for me to learn my lesson.

All the times in between classes, homework, and the bigger events, we just spend time together and continue to learn one another. We make an effort to go out in the city atleast once a day and not hide in the house all the time- which would be really easy, and also get pretty regular interaction with the locals because there's a group of students that attend the church we're associated with here. They're all around our age and love learning English and teaching us Spanish so it works out really well.

Overall, only in the week and a half that I've been here- which by the way feels like a month, God is moving me in insane ways and showing me things I would have never been bold enough to do on my own. It's been really hard and very thought provoking, but I am so psyched to see the transformation that comes from this trip.
The last thing I'll leave you with is, well first of all, Mom I now officially eat broccoli, even though it's sick nasty, and I take a multivitamin- so that's good news, right? And second, last night we had our weekly devo and Wimon talked to us about Psalm 23. Now of course, I've heard this passage a hundred times and love it, but last night was different. He used one of  my favorite exercises where we read the passage aloud 3 times with a minute in between to process. For the first time I heard the psalm as almost a love letter. Even though I know it's written to God from David, it's like David is confirming the promises God offers us. I heard alot last night, but the two things that struck me most was the confidence David had in saying "surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life."  I just love that reminder that in all the valleys and all the hills God is chasing after us relentlessly, and working for the greatest good. And the second was the last line, "and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever," which, if you know me, you know how much I worry about what is coming next this semester, this summer, this fall, and how should I plan, and what should I expect and on and on, but this, this promise says, "Hailey! Ultimately you get to be with me! Isn't that exciting? Isn't it worth it?" Wimon reminded us that we're alive on earth to cultivate that yearning for God so that by the time we've run the race and get to hang out with him we are absolutely thrilled. Needless to say, I'm growing alot. It really stinks alot of the time, I neverrr get why things go the way they do, and my attitude isn't always the best, but the coolest thing about it all is I don't have to get it. I cannot control it but I can take comfort in HIS taking care of everything. What a good God we serve.

I hope this post finds you well and I'm praying for your safety and health while I'm away. Miss me just a little bit, and know that I love you all so much!

Hailey