Never a dull day in BA, even in a hospital!

OK so let me start off with the most current piece of news and then digress...

Last night Hannah was not feeling well and so we skipped Spanish group and came home to sleep. Then this morning, while I was still in a comatose state, Hannah informs me that we will be going to the doctor because she has strep. Welp, so much for slow rising, I am up and ready to accompany her. I mean, it's not everyday you get to go to a foreign doctor! So we went to the hospital, which was very nice, and sat for a while while a really nice man was very attentive and told Hannah that yes "she did have strep." If any of you know Hannah very well, you know that she just had strep two months ago, so I am thinking maybe she just likes a swollen throat. Yeah?

Ok, so on to the stuff we are actually supposed to be doing in BA. Wednesday was small group at the house and I have to say that the group of people really are starting to become like family. Everyone is so loving and come with such an amazing testimony. Christian, for example, is a miracle in himself. Several months ago he was in a motorcycle accident and went head first into a concrete wall. Through God's healing and prayers of his surrounding community, he made it through barely. Now he is walking around with a goofy grin on his face and what I would imagine was his same since of humor before the accident. Christian is still waiting to get part of his skull replaced, the part that was shattered during the accident. He has a partially indented head right now, but I am starting to think it suits him!!

There is also Andres, with the most servant heart of anyone I have ever met. He shows what it means to be a Christian, always inviting and encouraging people to experience the love of Christ. There are also guys like Juan Carlos, Jose Luis, Dario who have blessed my life already and it has only been 3 weeks. People here truly are a family and they remind me everyday that families can count on each other and hold each other accountable.

Tonight we are having our first sleepover with some girls from the youth group. Evidently sleep over here means no sleep. So, I have been informed that I sleep that I will get shaving cream to the face. Great, guess I'll learn the art of sleeping with one eye open. Regardless of no sleep I am really excited about the chance to bond more with some of the youth girls. They really do have such great spirits and are tons of fun! Hannah and I's goal is to create a core leadership group among the youth, so that when we leave there will be people who can continue to outreach and pull people into a great circle of friends. Keep that in your prayers!

I am discovering more and more a different kind of exhausted. The kind where you may or may not be as busy as say, a college student, but you are busy in a way that may be even more exhausting. I am learning about the missionary life and the emotional drain it can take when attempting to physically, emotionally and spiritually connect with so many people all the time. This is not to say that I am too tired, yet, or that I am drained. But merely I am saying that I can tell that this type of work can do that, and by the end of the summer, I may very well be that tired. However, there is not better feeling than a busy day just being with people, and hoping to help them in some small way, even if it is just to be their friend.

I am reading Irresistible Revolution right now and it is really convicting. When I read books like this one, look it up if you don't know what it is about, I realize that we have so much room for growth and so many ideals we have got to get over before we can start acting and being the way God intended us. One quote that struck me today when reading is this: "We cannot fully recover (from our addictions) until we help the society that made us sick recover."

I read that and I think that too many times we try to fix people or solve their problems. Then we get frustrated when they go back to the same habits. What Shane Claiborne is saying is that we must first look at what causes people to fall short and go to that source instead of only finding fault in the person. I am finding that true as I meet people and hear their testimonies, I want to be a person who loves all and welcomes all. I want to help them, but first I want to step back and see where they are coming from and what led them to this point. We are all "sick" and must realize that everyone's sickness is not something that is not easily healed, but takes relationship and conversation and a change of the surrounding community, not just a cure-all biblical medicine and to be sent back out into the germ polluted world. These are my thoughts when I meet new people everyday or see the beggars on the Subte, I think that there is something to be said for meeting people where they are at.

Life in BA is wonderful and amidst my germy roomate( hah!) and the impending night of no sleep, I do not think that I would rather be anywhere else! The pics of Hannah and I include some of us with graffiti by the church, we thought we kind of resembled the pics. Graffiti in BA is common, even in the nice areas. Also, we found our first cup of to-go coffee and wanted to document it!

Viva BA and blessing on your day!

peace.love.submarinos at McDonalds.