Tired, yet blessed

Tired. I think that’s the word that best describes how I’m feeling right now. I have been sick for the last few days and am still feeling under the weather. A lot of our team has had their health attacked on our trip. People have had anywhere from your typical chest cold to much more serious problems. Even in the midst of all of the enemy’s attacks, God has been so good to us and has blessed us. Our team has been so unified this entire trip, and that is something that isn’t always typical on a trip like this. Ministry is always much more effective with a unified team. This last week a lot of stuff has been happening. 

Stephen (one of my disciples) and I

Monday we had the Vida Estudiantil outreach meeting, and I met a lot of new people. I had been praying that God would allow me to connect with some more Uruguayos, and he definitely answered that prayer with the new connections I made at the meeting on Monday. Tuesday I went back to the Facultad of Social Sciences where I was able to reconnect with all the students Jesse and I met the first two days we were there, including Bruno and Rodrigo who we got to share the gospel with a few weeks ago! I also had the privilege of meeting with Barrett and Stephen for discipleship. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my disciples on a deeper level, and meeting with each of them is the highlight of my week and makes my being here in Uruguay so worth it. Tuesday night was date night with Jesus, and it was much needed! I was able to spend two hours alone with the Lord and it was really nice to connect with him for an extended time, and it helped rejuvenate and refresh me.  

Celebrating our birthdays!

Wednesday I had the privilege of meeting with my other disciple Erik, and I really enjoyed our time together. As we were finishing up, a guy came up to talk to us solely because Erik smiled at him. He was so excited to meet us, and after we told him we were here to meet students and learn more about the culture he excitedly gave us his contact information. It was so great to see God provide a student who initiated with us! Wednesday night was bible study, and we talked about we need the gospel not just at salvation, but everyday of our lives! I love leading bible study with these guys because they always come prepared and have the desire to grow. My 21^st birthday was on Wednesday, and not only was it mine, but my friend Aaron turned 21 the same day, and another girl named Casey from my project turned 21 on Thursday. On top of all that, our Uruguayo friend Santiago turned 23 on Monday so we had a combined birthday celebration that night with cake and some rounds of my favorite game Mafia. Thursday I woke up sick, so I wasn’t able to make it to campus that day unfortunately. I was able to relax and read quite a bit so that was nice. As student staff, I have the privilege of leading the prayer/worship team and Thursday night we had our first worship night, led by our very own Aaron Esqueda. The night was really God-centered and others-centered and it was amazing to share in that time of celebration and praising God.

Creative date night!

     

Friday was our first creative-date night and so the guys planned a date for the women. Some guys made a delicious meal for the women, and then we played a game called “murder in the dark”. For some odd reason our project is obsessed with murder mystery games, but I am perfectly fine with that! We also had another soccer outreach Friday night which went very well.Saturday was probably my least favorite day of project so far. We went to a Josh McDowell conference. Now normally when I think of a conference I think of main seminars and then break-out sessions. This was not the case, because Josh spoke for the entire time. We were there from 9am-7:30 pm with just 4 short breaks. If the content was good, it might have been more bearable, but the entire thing was basically sex-ed. I am just glad it’s over! Today we had free time before church, and left for church around 4:30 and just got back about 30 minutes ago. We were at the church for over 5 hours! It was long, but they served us so much food in the end that it made the long service totally worth it.

A group of us at the Josh McDowell conference

God has definitely been teaching me to be patient. I really like to be on a schedule and for things to move quickly, but things just aren’t like that here. I’ve also been learning to take every day one day at a time and enjoy it, because in a few weeks I’ll be back home and back in my routine. This week we will be heading to Salto to take a mid-project break and to process what God's been doing so far and to be refreshed and ready for what He will do during the remainder of our time here in Uruguay. I really want to make the most out of my remaining time here, and I want it to glorify God!

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58