Better or Butter......Rubbed or Robbed?

Nothing like a single vowel to change the entire meaning of a word, eh?

The last few days have been fairly consumed with preparation for the upcoming play Saturday night and the Pre-teen lock-in part 2 that will occur tonight. Hannah and I are about to sign ourselves up for close to 36 hours of no sleep. Why you ask? Because we only have a week left in this city we now call home, and so we want to soak up every moment.....which does not really include sleeping. No big deal, nothing a few college kids can't handle...

Yesterday was a really good day for me. Hannah and I worked on costumes for awhile (I am a model of the Cruce de Navidad -Nativity Cross- and am wearing a Mrs. Clause costume...pics will be posted later!) and then had two LST studies. Both studies were really great and I left feeling like the conversations were able to go at least somewhat deeper than the reading material. First was Sylvanna, whom Hannah and I have been studying with for a couple of weeks, and then there was Lily who we just started with last week. Sylvanna was a success because we really felt like she was able to be vulnerable with us and share a bit of her personality. I have learned that it is sometimes hard to get people to open up when they are trying to learn English, maybe it is because they want to present themselves as studious and as though they are really trying. Like Hannah and I with our Spanish, people do not want to sound dumb, so people like Sylvanna act all business and don't give much room for share time. Yesterday was different however, and it gave Hannah and I an opening to really hear more about who she is and discover her adorable personality.....I would call the hour lesson a success!!

Later that afternoon we had Lily and her friend Laura. They were the cutest women ever! They have known each other since childhood and had such a fun friendship that Hannah and I felt honored to watch. Lily last week had a lot of good questions for us about the authenticity of Christianity. This week she did not disappoint us with her pressing questions about the purpose of the Passover and the many conflicting beliefs among people of "faith." Lily and Laura were so sweet to Hannah and I and truly listened as we explained the best we could on how we felt that faith occurs within your soul and people can develop different sorts of "callings" to their relationship with God. Although I do not think either woman is a practicing Christian, whatever that means, I do know that God made them with beautiful hearts and I truly hope that through more studying they will feel called to follow Christ.

The story behind my title is that during my lesson with Sylvanna she became confused when I used the word "better." She was like "better like manteca?" (which is butter in Spanish). I laughed and said no, that is butter, there is a small difference. Then Hannah and I got into a very funny conversation about words like better and butter, rubbed and robbed, gold and golden. This was just one of the many ways that we bonded with Sylvanna that day, but now anytime Hannah and I use better or butter, I always cock my head and say "do you mean butter?"

Today Hannah and I took Will to look around Recoletta and stopped by the Cathedral there. As we walked in they were in the middle of a service and Hannah noticed that he was reciting the Lord's prayer...in Spanish of course. Thinking about it now, it is such a good reminder to me of a universal God that loves everyone and accepts everyone. This experience has taught me God calls us to reach out to all and share his love with all his people. Especially Buenos Aires......=)

Less than a week until we have to get on the plane and go home....I am sure, Mom, that you would love to read that I can't wait to come home....but the truth is that someone might have to push me on the plane! En serio (For real!)

Peace.Love.36 hours without sleep.

O yeah Bu-que-bus...everyone move to the Busque Bus!

Our busque bus...it looked more like a cruise ship!


The pretty streets of Colonia...the white dots
are rain not snow!




Look at these pretty colorful houses!


Here is our golf-cart....full of memories!


So, yesterday morning, around 7 am, Hannah and I went on yet another adventure...this time to Colonia, Uruguay. We left around 7:15 in the morning to go to the Busque Bus station (basically a giant boat) and headed on a 3 hour ride to Colonia. Who would have thought we would come back with a new outfit on, a bag of drenched clothes, and a lifetime of memories in a golf cart. Yes, all of those things made our wonderful day in Colonia.

When Hannah and I arrived in Colonia we saw a scooter and golf-cart rental place. I really wanted to rent a scooter, but we couldn't because all of them were taken. So, instead, we rented a golf-cart. Colonia is a small town and can probably be reached from end-to-end in about 30 minutes. So, we headed out in the golf-cart in a foreign country and attempted to see the town in 3 hours. The plan got interesting when it started to rain....a lot!

So, for the next 2 hours Hannah and I traveled around Colonia on a golf-cart in the freezing rain (seriously, sleet in our eyes!) It was so much fun, and yet probably not the best idea. O well, I will do everything once right?!

So, when it was almost time to leave we drove to the nearest mall (I know, I know) and bought some dry clothes. Then we got on the busque bus and experienced the most rocky boat ride of our lives. It was a rough three hours, but was made better by a group of British soccer players behind us.

All in all, it was yet another fun adventure of the Summer. It is amazing what can be fun when you are in a new place with a crazy side-kick.

Today is full of LST studies and youth meetings and costume preparation. As I work today, I am working with the mindset of doing so for the LORD. It is amazing how much more important the small things seem when you do it all for God. Today, I am trying to walk with that mindset.

Peace.Love.Busquebus.

Fotos de este semana pasada

Here we are...wearing our T-shirts to announce
to the world how much we love BA!


Excited faces at Thomas' house cause this was
Spencer's old room!


Pedal boating with the girls!


Saturday night bible study group!



Posing as goalies!

Te amo BA

So, it has been a few days since I have blogged, namely because I got sick yet again! Here is a lil info for anyone considering coming to BA during their winter (i.e. June through August), be prepared for extreme weather changes and bring lots of allergy medicine with you! I have suffered from quite a few allergens here (as has Hannah) and we would suggest taking our advice.

Now, let me see if I can recap you on the last few days:

Thursday we had several LST students. There has been a change in some of the people doing LST and so Hannah and I were asked to help out more on Thursday. So we started our day early and ended it around 5 or so. Even though the day was long it was by far one of my favorite days for this reason: a precious woman named Lily. It was through this woman that I was able to have one of the most real conversations I have had with anyone this summer. With Lily I was able to talk about the Christian faith and how some people tend to interpret scripture differently than others, and thus some are misguided in their thoughts. We talked about her friend who had cancer and how when she died she doubted God's existence. It was just so awesome to have someone I had just met be so honest, I loved talking with her, and I can only hope that God helps to give me the words again next week as we work through the bible lessons together. I was truly blessed by her this week!

Then that night we went to Thomas' house for dinner and had a wonderful meal. Thomas' is known for his great cooking skills and Hannah and I were privileged enough to get to experience them. It was so much fun to have dinner with him and Pedro.

Friday was a day full of fun. We had our LST student, Silvanna, in the morning and then we went straight to the Thomas family's house for lunch and to go to the park. The Thomas' are here for two years, the father works for Firestone, and they come to our Wednesday night group. Hannah and I have become friends with their sons Chris and Phillip and have fallen in love with their nieces, Imani and Nia. So, we went to their house and ate with them and then ventured to the park where we rode a four person bike with six people and went on a pedal boat. It was a beautiful day and double as nice to be with new friends.

Today was our last day to get to play soccer and our last Saturday youth meeting since we have the play next Saturday. It was a very sad realization and one that left Hannah and I with sick feeling stomachs. It has been such an incredible experience to be here and be surrounded by such wonderful people. I am struck by the realization that I really do not want to leave. I wonder though, if it partially because of the dread of coming back to a busy life in the states. I think that many times people love mission work so much because they feel so useful and fulfilled doing it, I wonder if I could bring some of that lifestyle back to the states and begin to live a more fulfilled life there. I know this is truth and should be acted out, it is just finding the perseverance to make change.

Sunday is national Friend's Day, a big day for the culture here. I am so excited (seriously, what am I not excited about?!) to be here with my friends on this day. It is 1 am as I am writing this and I have already gotten text messages telling me Happy Friend's Day. I love it!!!! It makes me think about the lesson Osvaldo gave tonight about friends and what our characteristics our ideal friends have. He challenged us to see Jesus in those characteristics and to show that to other people. I think about all the amazing friends I have been blessed with over the years and I realize that I want to be just as good of a friend to them as they are to me. What a great thing to strive for!!

In closing, Hannah and I played soccer tonight hardcore. Hannah made two goals (her and her buddy Christian) and I tried my best to play some hardcore defending. At one point I was blocking and fell to the court in splits position, I know I will be feeling that tomorrow!! But, alas, it was a great end to our Futbol season in Argentina!!

Peace.Love.El Dia de Amigos.

"Da una sonrisa mas"

So, it is Wednesday night and Hannah and I have had a really eventful/relaxing last few days. We left Sunday afternoon for Mar del Plata and came back Tuesday evening. It was a really fun couple of days in which we got to sit on the beach in Argentine "winter" and see yet another beautiful part of this country. (Pictured above are some of the precious children I get to work with every Sunday!)

When we came back Tuesday, a lot of changes had happened. However, the end result is one that I am really looking forward to. Starting tomorrow, Hannah and I will be working more with LST and having students for a few hours almost everyday. It seems a little exhausting, but I am so excited to sit down with people, some of which are agnostic, and hopefully spark some interest into a world of faith. My focused prayer for the last two weeks will be to have God speak through me to these people and that a language barrier will not hinder what could be some amazing conversations about God.

Although the beach was fun, it felt so good to be "home." These people have become my family and seeing them again brought a crazy amount of joy to my heart. Hannah and I are really struggling with not acting like two weeks from now is dooms day, but we really do not want to leave. God has shown us the power of community this summer, and how through him anyone can find unity and friendship.

We are staying busy with LST and making costumes for the upcoming community play. Life here starts early and ends late, but every moment is filled with joy and remembrance of how good the Lord is to all of us.

Thanks so much for your faithful prayers this summer, they are felt!

I will leave you with a story. So, the first night Hannah and I were at Mar del Plata we decided to go out in search of a place we had heard about. So, we left our hotel....kinda late although I will not tell you how late...and got in a taxi with the exact location in our hands. When we got to the place, successfully mind you, the found out that it was closed! So, we told the driver thank you and that we should probably go back. Well, somewhere in the midst of that convo he was laughing and said something about a city tour. Being that we had just driven to the other side of town, I assume he was trying to make us feel better and telling us that at least we got a city tour. So, my encouraging reaction was, "Si, we did get a city tour!"

Welp, 30 minutes and 20 pesos later, we realized that he was in fact taking us on the city tour that I had apparently agreed to. So, I thanked him for the tour and explained that we needed to go back to the hotel. Hannah was sure to emphasize that now would be a good time. So, we finally got back to the hotel and I looked at Hannah with a smile....hoping that she would remember that without me there would not be as many funny stories, and hoping that she would forget that I cost us 40 pesos for the adventure.

Peace.Love.Do yourself a favor and eat a nuez alfajore.

PS. The title of my last blog was called "Little Gringitas" because that is what Pedro calls Hannah and I, his "little gringitas." He told us the other day he thinks of us like sisters, and well, we think of him as an older brother....so we thought that was perfect!

"Little Gringitas"

The last couple of days have been packed full of activities and changes, and one thing God has really called me to is flexibility and patience. Last night was supposed to be our Pre-teen Lock-in, but it turned into more of a fellowship time with a handful of kids and a two-week postponement of the actual Lock-in. It is a long story, but what I seemed to have obtained from the occurrence was that sometimes you have to adapt to the culture and not try to adapt the culture to you. So....instead of having the Lock-in like we thought, Hannah and I got a chance to bond with a couple of the Pre-teen girls and get to know them really well. One of the girls, Ruth, was so sweet and ended up teaching Hannah and I extreme Ping-Pong in which you use all the surrounding walls and surfaces to bounce the ball off of. It was so much fun and gave us a chance to do something with Ruth that is universal....Laugh!

This morning was a funeral for one of the brothers at a local church. Hannah and I ended up staying home and being with the girls instead of going, but it was a somber morning because we new the heartache that was going on amidst our new church family. It was a precious reminder of life and how important it is to share with ones you love.

Later today was our weekly youth meeting with all the surrounding churches and it was so much fun to join with them and sing songs. One song that brightened our day was "Cristo es Amigo." Which, to all church goers out there is "Jesus is a friend."

It was so fun to sing that song and get to dance around and hug one another. Being that the Spanish culture is more for kissing and not hugging, it was almost overwhelming to get so many hugs at one time. I LOVED it!

cristo es amigo
es tu amigo
cristo es amigo y canta asi

Then after the youth meeting some of us went to play soccer at an indoor soccer place. It was so much fun to play, this was Hannah and I's second time, and spend time with the guys. Of course, like always, Hannah and I were the only girls who played. However, it was an improvement because we at least got a girl to show up and watch!! Unlike last time, the game seemed to be way more intense. But, Hannah made a goal again and I stepped in as goalie for a little bit, despite my hesitation, and made like 5 stops. I was so scared, but it was really fun!!

Then Pedro, Hannah and I went to have a "meeting" at McDonald's and just happened to eat a meal while we were there. I do not even think I should say how many times we have eaten at McD's since we have been here, but it is way more than we should have. Still, it was a lot of fun to spend time with Pedro and here about why he feels God has called him here. It is so great to have friends here, and to be blessed with relationships that share a love for Christ. I feel so very blessed.

Tomorrow Hannah and I are going to Mar del Plata which is a beach town in Argentina. We are really excited to go and spend a couple of days relaxing and seeing the coast-line. We are leaving tomorrow after church and will get back Tuesday afternoon in time for Spanish class. It should be a fun time and inevitably full of funny stories. So, stay tuned and I will fill you in when we get back. I wanna leave you with a cool poem that Hannah and I learned the other day. It really spoke to me and where I am in life right now.

Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino, y nada mas;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace el camino al andar.
Al andar se hace camino,
y al volver la vista atras
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino,
Sino estelas en la mar.
-Antonio Machado

Translation:
Wanderer, the only way
is your footsteps, there is no other.
Wanderer, there is no way,
you make the way as you go.
As you go, you make the way
and stopping to look behind,
you see the path that your feet
will never travel again.
Wanderer, there is no way—
only foam trails in the sea.

Peace.Love.Quatro de Libras (Quarter Pounders at McDonalds)

Un Perrito llamaba Cometa!

Life is wonderful in BA!

Yesterday was Independence Day in Argentina and so Hannah and I woke up early and dragged the family to a parade. Well, little did we know that the parade would be a stationary one, and that moving parades have not quite been mastered here, or at least the coordinators of this one haven't. Moving or not though, it was a lot of fun to hear the anthem and Hannah and I even waved Argentine flags. As Hannah said, "they only cost a peso, but gave a lifetime of memories!"

Last night was group and Hannah and I made empanadas for the party. Well, sad to say that although the first time we made them we were really successful, Hannah learned that putting egg on both sides does not make the empanadas wanna come off the pan!! It turned out to be ok as always....thank God for Andres and his hospitality. He brought some for everyone and we were able to disguise ours in the midst of his...phew!

Today was fairly mellow, Hannah and I went to a bead store to look for supplies for the pre-teen lock-in tomorrow night. Then we went to Dario Lopera's surprise birthday party. Dario is truly one of our favorite people here in BA and it was so fun to spend time with him and his family. We learned a lot about his life and where he has come from. It also helped that he showed us where he was baptized on Google Earth!! It was so fun, and he loved showing us. For those who don't know, Google Earth is the satellite picture system that allows you to type an address in and the satellite zooms in and shows the location. Don't worry, after he showed us the pool where he was baptized over 30 years ago, we were sure to show him our houses. Mom, he thought our neighborhood was so pretty and green...hahah!!!

Then Alejo and Marisa walked Hannah and I back to the Subte and while we did I got to walk a dog named Cometa....a little Spanish version of Comet on Full House. It made my heart happy, I think it was just what I needed to feel like I had a dog again!!

The last couple of days God has really been working on my patience. With just three and a half weeks left, I am starting to get sad about leaving and for sure am wanting to soak up every minute. At the same time, I am starting to get pretty tired too. There is still so much more I want to do, and so many more convos I want to have. I am having to lean on God and let him give me the strength as my body starts to want to stop. God is so alive in this place. I was reminded of that tonight when Hannah and I were on the Subte and a blind man was escorted by an officer to the train. Once he got on and the officer left, Hannah and I kept a close eye on him to see if he would need help getting off. As he got up for his stop, we were prepared to get up and help when this girl gently grabbed his arm and guided him off and through the gate.

It was at that moment that I was reminded just how embedded charity and hospitality is in this culture. It is not just this incident, but the numerous times I see people grab an arm of an old lady they don't know and walk her across the street, or give their seat to someone on the bus, or walk their friend home so that they are not alone at night. It is in this culture that I have seen a consistent desire to take care of one another. It makes me wonder why other cultures have not learned this art.....it truly is beautiful to watch.

I have a new love....it's called an Alfajore (cookie filled with Dulce de Leche and chocolate) and it is incredible. Hannah and I ate one at Havanna restaurant today, and I have decided it is my new favorite.

Peace.Love.Cometa

Pe

"Sorpresa!"

Sunday night Hannah and I decided to attempt to throw Pedro a surprise birthday party! It was a good idea in theory, but like always, we tend to discount the fact that we are living in a foreign country with a language and cultural curve. So...we invited and explained to people it was a surprise and thought we had done our job...

Well when Pedro showed up with 3 of the surprise guests that he was not supposed to know were coming, we had to throw our hands up and let it be....don't worry, the people in attendance still wanted to hide and yell "sorpresa!", even if he knew they were in the other room.

Regardless it was a fun night, but one thing really touched me above the rest. It was after Hannah and I had served dinner, and after the noodle disaster that you can ask about in detail later, and it happened when 13 of us were sitting around a table together. We were all sitting around and they were telling chistes (jokes). Hannah and I were sitting there and laughing at these guys standing up and being so animated and attempting to give their best recap of a story. But it hit me after Pedro's prayer of blessing on the food, in which he thanked God for his "family", that these people have become my family in the last month. Each one of them has started to mean something in my life, and each day I look forward to the conversations or laughs I will have with them. We had a variety of personalities around the table, but looking at all of them made me realize just how important family is, whether you are countries away from home or not. It really was such a beautiful moment to share with them, and one I will always remember. Not to mention the night kept getting exciting as Pedro's Selva Negra cake got smashed into his face and we all went and saw Kung Fu Panda. (Skadoosh!) Every moment is a memory here, and as we are approaching the 5th week of our 8 1/2 weeks here, I am reminded that every moment is precious.

Blessings to you all!

Peace.Love.Bombom chocolate.

"Hello Gringa"

So, it has been several days since I have last blogged. I would like to say that it is because I was so unfathomably busy that there was just no time to breathe, much less update you. However, that is a slight exaggeration, and a more accurate account would be that I am sick and therefore did not feel like exerting more energy than necessary. So let me fill you in on the highlights of the last few days!!

Wednesday of this week, Hannah and I were fortunate enough to visit the one and only Starbucks in Argentina, located about 20 minutes from our house!! We have seen it before, but the line is always out the door and so not worth waiting in line for. However, we went in the morning having decided to buy mugs that say Starbucks Argentina on them. When we got there, much to our surprise, there was no line. So, of course we got some coffee and sat down and enjoyed the FREE WiFi there. (side note: the U.S. Starbucks do not have free WiFi and I would just like to say that if BA can make it free, so can they!) There we sat down and enjoyed some vanilla lattes and talked about our game plan for the week.

After that we went to a mall in search of something to wear and a present for Debbie's Quince on Friday. And, of course, regardless of what city we are in, Hannah and I are always successful shoppers.....ALWAYS!

Thursday was a day of decorating and helping prepare for the big party.

Friday we had the Quince and it was a lot of fun. We learned some of the traditional things that are done, and then we participated in teaching some Argentine's the "country electric slide!" It was so funny to watch the crowd try and mimic Hannah and I's moves. For sure a moment I won't forget while in BA. Other than that, my favorite moment of the night was when we watched fireworks from the park across the street in celebration of Debbie's birthday. How convenient it was that Hannah and I got to see fireworks on JULY 4!! However, it could have been a little inconvenient for the adults in charge when the cops came a few minutes after saying that "gun-shots" were reported. HAHA, what a funny moment that was to watch....of course I stayed appropriate and kept my laughter in until later. The party lasted from 10 pm to 7 am. Although, Hannah and I opted for an early bedtime around 4:30 am.

Saturday, which is today, we got up around 12 to go to the LST farewell pizza party. Today was the first time that Hannah and I realized just how close it is before we leave. We leave in four weeks from today, and I dont think either of us are ready for that!! But, we said bye to Pat, Les, and Ruth and welcomed the new LST teachers. It was fun to sit down and share a meal for all the students at once, because normally we only see them segmented or one at a time.

The highlight of the week for me was witnessing Andres' baptism on Friday night before the Quince. It was an amazing experience to see a guy, close to my age, who has studied and prayed for so long about the decision. Hannah and I are blessed to know Andres through our Wednesday night cell group and then have started hanging out with him occasionally outside of group. It was the best hug I have received all summer (granted one of the few since people seem to only kiss here) when he came out of the baptistry with a huge grin on his face. I am so happy to have him as a brother in Christ, and I was blessed to witness such an event.

God has been teaching me a lot about perseverance in relationships and anything worthwhile takes a lot of work. God is there in the small things and uses us in those instances to leave a huge impact. God has been so good to me by forming such solid relationships here, ones that withstand language barriers and are built on laughs, crys, and silence. I can truly say that I am IN LOVE with BA and would rather be nowhere else. This week was crazy, but God pushed us through it and led us to a point of peace.

Tomorrow is Sunday which always proves to be a busy day. I have been reflecting on the verse about the story of Esther and "for such a time as this." As I diligently look to make my plans for after I get back from this Summer, I recognize that God has placed me in the here and now, and for no other reason than to exist here with HIM. My prayer, daily, is to be used for "such a place as this." Thanks for supporting me in that!!

Peace. Love. Pedro's dad called Hannah and I "gringas."