Learning Something New Everyday

        

          The last time I posted anything on this blog was right after I left Uruguay last year, and now I’m back. A lot of things had to happen in order for me to come back, and the Lord was so faithful in the process of leading me back to Uruguay. 
      What I’m doing this time is called a STINT, which stands for short-term international intern. I’m working with Cru here, which is called Vida Estudiantil. Most of you probably know that already, so I want to share a little bit about life here so far and what I’ve been learning.

        First of all, my patience has been tested almost EVERY day. It’s been really hard for me, but also one of the best things for me. Everything here happens at a slower pace. I don’t have the opportunity to hop in my car and get from point A to point B like I used to be able to. Here, the process includes walking to the bus stop, figuring out which bus to take, taking the bus, etc. Also, EVERYONE is late here to EVERYTHING. For example, one of my friends had a birthday party the other night, which was supposed to start at 9. Most people showed up at 10, and were still early! The biggest test of patience was waiting to move into an apartment. We moved into our apartment about 5 weeks after arriving. I assumed it would take a week or so, but I sure was wrong. The cool thing is that I am becoming okay with the pace of life here, and I’m starting to really enjoy it. I feel much more relaxed and less stressed here than I did in the States.

It feels like a combination of Europe and Latin America, with numerous plazas, coffee shops, and a very rich culture.

The food here is pretty good, however there are about a total of 5 choices…. Chivitos, empanadas, milanesa, mcdonald’s, or pizza. I’ve probably been to Mcdonald’s 20 times since I’ve gotten here. However, the most famous Uruguayan food is called Asado (barbecue), which is delicious!

I LOVE THE PEOPLE. Relationships are so important here. Everyone is really friendly, and once you’re their friend they are extremely loyal, and I love that.  Also, everyone is included so much more than they are in the States, and I think that’s the way Jesus was. He reached out to every person He possibly could, and showed them genuine love.

They are absolutely crazy about soccer here... or should I say fútbol!

It’s considered one of the safest places in Latin America, however I don’t feel as safe as I thought I would. People are robbed pretty often, and I don’t like the fact that I constantly have to be watching the people around me and be careful about which streets I walk on at night.

Okay, so I know that doesn’t describe everything, but I definitely plan on sharing more as the year progresses and as I learn more about this country that is so close to my heart.  

El Fin

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel." Philippians 1:27

About to have some Asado!

Okay, so this is a little late. So much has happened since my last blog post that I need to glance at my journal just to remember the specifics of everything. The last week of project was so busy, but I think it was probably my favorite week for ministry, so that’s what I want to focus on in this blog.

      At our last Vida Estudiantil outreach meeting, I was able to share my testimony. It was really great to share how God has brought me from a life of finding approval in others, to now being able to find complete approval in Him. That night, 3 people prayed to receive Christ! Glory to God for using my story to bring students into a relationship with Him. That week was the last week for discipleship so I finished up with my guys by giving them vision plans. Vision plans are a tool that highlights someone’s character strengths, a couple areas for growth, and some next steps in life and ministry. I received my first vision plan on my last summer project and it was really meaningful and helpful to me, so I really wanted to duplicate that with the guys I discipled over the summer. We also had our last bible study that week and it was my favorite one yet! The study was on the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit and so we talked through those and what each of us were dealing with in our lives. At the end of the bible study we each shared individual prayer requests and prayed for one another.

The bible study I led over the summer

Not only was it a blessing to do ministry with those guys, I also had the privilege of spending a lot of time on campus that week. Most of the summer I didn’t get to spend a ton of time on campus, but that last week I had plenty of time to do that. I got into several good conversations and I want to briefly talk about 3 of them. The first one took place at the Facultad de Medicina. A group of us were inviting students to our English Club, when some of the students we were inviting, invited us to sit down and talk to them. That basically was our English Club because we talked to that group of students for the entire day! About halfway through our time I was able to use Soularium and share the Gospel with the guys. Although they didn’t agree with what I said, they respected me and were very open to talking about Spiritual things. The next conversation took place at the Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. I met a guy outside while we were throwing the football around. After a while, I was able to do Soularium with him and share the gospel with him (All in Spanish!).

Doing Soularium at Ciencias Sociales

He had a similar response to the last group, but was very open and I could see him really thinking as I shared the gospel and my testimony with him. The last conversation also took place at Ciencias Sociales. I met a guy a few days before and had forgotten to contact him to meet up again. He actually contacted me surprisingly and we decided to meet up. He had class all day, but we managed to find slots of time during and in between his classes, and I managed to share the gospel with him as well after doing Soularium. He also had the similar response as the other guys, but I could tell that he was seeking and I know if I spent more time with him he would be more and more open to the gospel. It breaks my heart that I met all of these great guys the week I was leaving! I don’t know if I’ll be going back to Uruguay, but there is a chance and after being on campus so much that last week the Lord really opened my eyes to the need in Uruguay. I didn’t meet one Evangelical Christian, the entire time I was on campus for 6 weeks! 

My good friend Matias and I

 

After saying our goodbyes to all the friends we made, it was time to pack our bags and get on a plane to Miami, Florida. The sun and the heat were a nice change to the clouds and the cold in Uruguay. We spent two days debriefing there, before heading back north. I am so happy I made the choice to go to Uruguay this summer. It was such a privilege to be a part of what God is doing there and I know He will continue to use laborers in that country. In August, Uruguay will be receiving their first ever STINT team! They are going to be there for an entire year and I am so excited to see how God uses them. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support because this trip wouldn't have happened without them! God bless :)

Our entire team at our farewell party on our last night

Mixed Emotions

I can’t believe I’m going to be back in the U.S. one week from today. I have very mixed emotions. On one hand I am excited to be back in the States and see my mom and my friends, go to my church, eat good food, and move into my house. On the other hand, God has been doing so many good things in my life and in the lives of others during our time here in Uruguay. I have learned so much about depending on God to use me, because I am completely incapable of leading apart from Him. Speaking in Spanish and not having much time to prepare for things have been huge challenges for me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Admiring God's creation

This last week was another great week. Monday we had our weekly staff meeting, and that night was the Vida Estudiantil outreach meeting. I was blessed to help prepare a drama for the meeting based on the song Everything by Lifehouse. We only had two days to prepare the drama, but God definitely worked through us and that is evident by how well the drama went. Also, 114 people came to Vida Estudiantil which I believe might be the highest number they have ever had!  

Tuesday was a holiday, so I wasn’t able to go to campus, but I had two great discipleship meetings with Stephen and Barrett and with both of them we talked more in depth on what it looks like to live like a Son of God rather than a slave or an orphan. That night we had date night with Jesus, which is always a great time to be refreshed and recharged spiritually. Wednesday we had our English Club special outreach and a group of us were blessed to be able to talk to two girls for probably 2 hours. They were extremely nice and open to talking, and we are hoping to be able to meet up with them again before we head back to the U.S. That night we had our bible study, and we talked about what gospel-centered ministry should look like. Gospel-centered ministry should be centered on the gospel, and centered on grace and truth rather than flattery. We talked in the study about not being leaders that want to be needed, but leaders that want their followers to grow up and mature as quickly as possible and how that process is painful for leaders. Paul compares this to a pregnant woman about to give birth. She doesn’t want the baby to continue to depend on her, but to be out on its own and able to grow and mature. I really enjoyed that time with my guys!  

The famous hand

Thursday I was blessed to go with Jesse and Erik to meet up with a new believer named Angel. Erik and I met him a couple weeks ago, and soon thereafter Jesse and Erik shared the gospel with him and he prayed to receive Christ! I was able to go with them to do follow-up with him. I really enjoyed that, because I don’t get to do that a lot as a student staff, so that was another highlight of my week! Afterwards, Erik and I met up for discipleship and talked through the book of Jude. Jude is a book I haven’t read much of, but Erik chose to go through that and so we did. I was surprised by how much I learned from studying such a small section of scripture! That night we had men’s time, which Tyler (a Cru staff) and I were able to plan most of. We did a photo scavenger hunt, and then ate pizza and played a funny game. Afterwards we went around and encouraged each other as men and pointed out what appreciated about each guy. It was a really fun night. Friday the women planned a creative date for the men. They called it "Manventure". We started with some challenges, then ate a delicious taco dinner, and ended with the women all pretending to be a different guy while playing Mafia (A game that we play a lot on our project). It was such a blast and I am so thankful for all the women on our project! Later that night we had our soccer outreach, which was a lot of fun. I finally got to play because I don’t have stitches anymore, so I was on a team with some of our hotel workers which was a blast!   Saturday our group had the day off so we traveled to Punta del Este, which is the main tourist destination in Uruguay. It is a peninsula filled with beautiful hills and beaches. We spent the day taking pictures and just relaxing. Punta del Este is probably the most beautiful part of Uruguay that I’ve seen, so it was so amazing to be able to enjoy God’s creation together as a project. We ended the evening by watching the sunset.

A beautiful sunset in Punta del Este

Today we had family time, and then I went to the market to buy some things to take back to the States. In a little while we will be heading to our last Sunday church service. I am excited to see what God does this last week here in Uruguay. Please keep us in your prayers!!

"Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them." Psalm 69:34

Sons of God

"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." Galatians 4:6-7

My hand is healing fast!

This past week has probably been my favorite week of project so far, both ministry wise and fun wise. Not only am I feeling 100% better, I was finally able to get my stitches out on Monday… and it feels so amazing! My hand is healing very rapidly, and I’m so thankful that my injury wasn’t worse. Vida Estudiantil on Monday was definitely the best one we’ve had so far. A Christian doctor spoke about depression, which is a very relevant topic to Uruguayos and one of our teammates shared a powerful testimony of how God has changed her life regarding depression. 107 people attended the meeting and 4 people prayed to receive Christ! Praise God for changing Uruguayo lives. Tuesday was my only day on campus for the week, but I was able to get into the best conversation I’ve had so far. Stephen and I did soularium (a set of pictures used to start spiritual conversations) with one of the friends we’d met at the Social Sciences faculty. We wound up talking to him for close to an hour and a half about the gospel and some of the reasons we believe its truth. He considers himself somewhere between Atheist and Agnostic, but was very open to talking with us and we hope to talk with him more in the future. On Tuesday I was able to meet with both Stephen and Barrett for discipleship, which I really enjoyed. That night I led bible study once again, and we talked about the significance of being called Sons of God and because of that Sonship we can call God Abba Father… or in other words Daddy or Papa. Since that bible study, I’ve consciously tried to call the Lord “Daddy” or replace the words God or Lord when I’m reading the bible with “Daddy” and I’ve experienced an even more intimate relationship with Him because of that. 

Our group enjoying the weather in Salto

Wednesday we packed up or bags and got on a bus headed north for Salto for our mid-project break. While in Salto, we ate some great meals, enjoyed much warmer weather, relaxed in thermal baths, and had some great team bonding time. It was a much needed and very enjoyable mid-project break. Saturday we spent the day at a small church in the country putting on a mini “VBS” for the children. We sang songs, did a bible lesson, and played games with these kids. I really enjoyed being able to show Christ’s love to these children, even for just one day. They were so happy that we were there! Today we went to a church service just around the block from our hotel, and afterwards a group of us went to a massive Sunday market. Tonight we have family time and team time, and tomorrow it’s back to a normal week of ministry. I can’t believe we are leaving in less than two weeks, but I definitely want to make the most of my time left here and let God use me however He wants! 

Hanging out with the kids