I hate packing!

Which is ironic because I love to travel so much, but I really hate it and always put it off to the last minute. That's what I'm doing right now actually, but it's for good reason, right? I wanted to put up an update from all of my adventures last weekend in Rocha before we leave out for Buenos Aires in the morning so heeeere you go! By the way, pictures are up on Facebook if you want to see the beautiful sights I'm experiencing!

So last Friday we headed out early on this suuuper nice private bus that had this magical effect where every time I sat down I just melted, and fell asleep. 30 minutes in I was out! We traveled out of Montevideo and headed to a place in Uruguay called Piriapolis where we got to get out and see this amazing view. We visited a chapel up on a hill overlooking the shore where you're supposed to come a pray for love. I peaked inside, but the whole thing seem sad and pathetic to me, haha. We took some beautiful pictures though and talked about coming back to another part of Piriapolis for another famous landmark we all want to visit maybe on one of our free travel weekends. It was great! We stopped visit a place called Casapueblo (see the big white structures in my pictures) that seriously took my breath away. It's this resort that reeeally wealthy people stay at, but also holds the architect's art inside of it. He's a famous Uruguayan artist named Carlos Paez Vilaró. His art reminded me a lot of my dad's parent because it was all about the sun, fish, and beachy stuff. I would love to come back there with them one day! Next on our trip we stopped to see the famous "Mano" in Punta del Este and took pictures. A lot of people laughed at us and were talking about how we're just such Americans. It's weird because it bothered my a lot at first to stand out so much and look like a bunch of tourists, but now I kind of love it. Plus the pictures were great! Then we finally got to our hotel in a place called La Paloma, which was this cute, simple little beach town, headed to the beach to lay out for a while (a 30 second walk from the hotel, by the way), and went to dinner. I loved this hotel even though it had nothing at all but our beds and a bathroom. We just slept with the windows open and enjoyed hanging out with each other.

The next morning we enjoyed a deeeelicious breakfast of all these different kinds of sweet breads, yogurt, coffee, totally simple, but it was like having dessert for breakfast. Then we headed out to a super remote part of Uruguay first on our bus, then on this tiny boat for what felt like forever. Uruguay has the weirdest landscape. It reminds me a lot of like East Texas or Arkansas with all it's really tall trees, then you'll have giant oceans all of a sudden, and then prairie land with cattle. It all sneaks up on you. The boat ride was especially peaceful though because we were traveling through a salt water marsh, but there were cattle on the banks. It was perfect weather and so fascinating to see God's creation moving and breathing in harmony. Finally we docked at this lone house where we were greeted by a small group of people who offer tours of what's called the "Ombu forest." The Ombu is this type of tree that grows up with a hollow trunk, limbs break, and the tree rebuilds itself a new limb from the broken one. It doesn't seem that interesting, but the forest was amazing! And I loved our guide. She was this absolutely beautiful native who lived on the land in a tent during the summers, just living life, and teaches astronomy in Montevideo during the other months. She was so brilliant and had such a passion for nature and creation. I seriously considered what it would be like if I did that with my life!  Probably not, haha, but that would be an adventure. Plus I always love people's broken English. It's so endearing. Next we headed out to another part of the state of Rocha where we had an amazing steak lunch waiting for us at an isolated beach hostel. We had the whole beach to ourselves, they served us chocolate cake, the weather was perfect, and needless to say, I was in heaven. I would go as far as to say this was one of the most amazing days of my life. I felt so much joy and peace that day I can't even describe it. After lunch the girls and I walked down to beach to these giant rocks lodged in the water by the hillsides and just spent the day laying/sitting out there overlooking the water and contemplating everything. Literally hours passed where we chatted here and there, but mostly just sat together in silence, meditating, and taking in God's indescribable creation. I loved it! Then that night we headed back to La Paloma after a long day of wonderful memories and headed into town for supper. That night, the girls and I enjoyed another restful evening in the cool of the ocean breeze and stayed up late talking away.

When we woke up Sunday morning, we enjoyed another great breakfast, but found that, like it always seems to do at the beach, it was raining! We enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning in the rooms, made it outside for a little fresh air and cards once the clouds had passed and headed into town for lunch one more time. After we had eaten, my friend Stefanie and I had lingered away from the group a little and found these random beach chairs set up in front of a souvenir shop and just took a seat. I wish someone had been around to take a picture, hah because I'm pretty sure we looked goofy, but it was so nice. I sat peacefully there with the sun on my face and processed all that I had gotten to do so far that weekend. I thought about how much I appreciate being here and how wonderfully blessed I am back home. It last only a few minutes before we had to gather up to get on the bus and head back, but it was the perfect end to our trip. Just a moment of stillness, of course in the sun, to thank God for being such a good and faithful God. Heading back I snoozed a little, and upon arriving at Casa I felt this fullness and gladness I have been seeking for weeks. It was the most wonderful trip and I'm so glad I got to share it with the amazing girls I'm here studying with.


SO! I never know how much detail want to have, so I'm sorry if I bore you, but I wish I could show you just how great this trip was. This last week since getting home, we've just continued to enjoy each other, get some homework done, and let the Sing Song buzz die down. It's been a good, restful week and I'm still slowly, but surely waiting for that breakthrough where I can get through the day without getting bummed at all about missing something back home. It's hard to be fully present here, but I'm still working towards it because I know I'm getting to experience something amazing that not everyone gets to do. I'm so thankful for that! and weekends like this last one make me realize how great this whole opportunity is. Slowly, but surely!

Last, but not least, I'll share with you where my heart has been this week. I just touched on it a lot and clearly it's been a good week, but I love sharing especially where my studies have led me and that's Romans 8. Now of course this is one of my absolute favorite passages of all time, but last night in girls' devo one of my roomies read it aloud to us and it shook me in a new and fantastic way. As I listened, the words washed over me and I felt God speaking directly to my heart. It was great. One part I especially loved was 8:26 which reads, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." This jumped out at me because I just feel like I've been in this funk since I got here, not distant from God, but just like I don't know what else to pray for! Saying, I know you here me, God, but do you hear me? What am I trying to say or ask for? Do I even know? but this reminded me that even if I'm spiritually tongue-tied, if you will, the Holy Spirit moves and breathes within me to intercedes in my wordless groans! Even if I can't quite articulate what I want or feel, the Holy Spirits takes the cries of my heart straight to the Father for me. I just love that we get these safety nets; that God says, yes, you have these profound weaknesses, but I'll give you the tools you need if you just choose me- I will meet you half way. The other part I'll touch on was 8:37, where God reminds us that we are not just these weak, nothings to be torn this way and that by suffering, but instead "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." This verse reminds me that yes, I will have "trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword," but in these I can be a confident and fierce woman of God, who knows my worth and knows my purpose in getting up each morning. I know that through Christ I have been reconciled with God and for the entirety of my life I will never be separated from the love he offers. Now, I've never doubted this, but it's so empowering to remember this and say it out loud! To remember that I am insanely loved by the Creator of the universe and through Him I have the power to live as a conqueror. Whether this be a real heartache or tragedy in my life, or just this stupid mood I can't seem to shake completely, God gave me the power through him to determine how I face each morning. I just love that.

Well as 1am has come and gone, I still have to finish up my packing and get some sleep before our long day tomorrow. We'll get going early and be back Tuesday evening. Look forward to more stories and pictures and in the meantime I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Thanks for sticking with me until the end of this wiiiicked long post and caring enough to read it to begin with. I miss you and hope this post finds you well. I am thinking of and praying for you!

Love you all so much!
Hailey