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.