home sweet home

I made it home!!!! So along with all of the amazing things I have learned this summer, I have also realized that am not a very good blogger. To everyone who has been keeping up with this blog, you are awesome! Thank you so very much, especially since I have been so bad about posting regularly. I apologize for not keeping you guys more up to date!
That being said, my last few weeks in Buenos Aires, were packed full of some AMAZING experiences!! I could talk for hours about all of the wonderful things God taught me. However, in order to keep this post shorter than a novel, I am just going to tell one of my very favorite stories from my last couple weeks in Argentina!
One day on campus, we were doing our usually surveys, when we met a girl named Johanna. She was sitting on a bench studying for an exam when we approached her and asked if she spoke English. She spoke almost perfect English, and she agreed to do our survey. When we asked her the first question, trying to learn a little about her life, she told us that she is a christian and believes that Christ died on the cross for her sins. We got SO excited to meet another believer on campus, that she probably thought we were crazy! We spent a few more minutes talking to her and telling her about Vida, but then she had to go to class for an exam. A few days later I got to meet back up with Johanna and talk to her a little more. Come to find out, she has been attending Derecho for 3 years and ever since she started going to school there she's been praying for God to introduce her to a group of believers on her campus. AND on the day we met her she was sitting in a place on campus she never goes, at a time when she is never even at school. God is so so so so faithful!! It never ceases to amaze me. Oh, and remember how we have been praying for women to get involved in Vida and for more student leaders to rise up? Johanna is just as excited about getting involved in Vida as we are to have found her! She has been searching for a group of students to help her share her faith on campus for years.
So in short, the story of us meeting Johanna pretty much sums up much of what God has taught me throughout this entire summer: God is faithful, and God is sovereign. He knew that Johanna would be in that hall that day at that time, and that she would be a translation major and want to practice her English with us. He knew that she was searching for a way to share her faith with other students on campus, and He knew that Vida would be a perfect way for her to do so. He is so so so very faithful, even when I am not. He not only allowed me to see part of his wonderful plan fulfilled through Johanna, He also provided me with a lifelong friend in the process. He blesses me with so much more than I deserve!! I will never understand how much he loves us all, but I sure am glad he does! I am so thankful for my experiences in Argentina! I thank you all SO MUCH for going on this adventure with me and I would absolutely love to tell you more about it!! Thanks for all of the wonderful support you have given me!

I wonder

I've been listening to this song on repeat for the past month!! Cannot get enough!! It totally describes exactly how I'm feeling about this entire summer. Hope you guys enjoy it:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXzhCfQ3GjU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Catching up

First of all, I am so sorry that it has been so long since the last time I have written!!! Things have been crazy busy here!! Because I haven't given any updates in so long, I thought I would just post some of the main highlights that have happened this past week! Last Tuesday- we had a follow up meeting with one of the girls I posted about before. She has a lot of hard questions and doubts about God and his love and plan. Please by praying for this sweet new friend of mine! Pray that God will reveal himself to her and that she will realize how much he cares for her and wants to have a relationship with her! Last Thursday- one of the best days I've had since I've been in Buenos Aires!! A friend and I were having a hard time finding girls that spoke English and were willing to talk to us so we were just sitting on a bench reading our Bibles when an Argentine girl came up to us and starting asking us questions about who we were and what we were doing there. She ended up eating lunch with us and hanging out with us for a few hours, and it turns out that she is a believer and might possibly get involved with vida estudiantil (the Argentine version of CRU). Please pray that God might give this girl a desire to get involved with vida! Right now there is only one girl on the law campus that is involved and we are hoping to gain at least a few more so that there will be enough students to start a womens Bible study! Saturday- we took a day trip to La Plata!! It was such an awesome city and I fell in love with it!! There were parks and trees everywhere. It was so nice to see some green! Sunday- we had a big picnic event at the park with all of the Argentine friends we have met so far! We played soccer, frisbee, volleyball, and drank lots of mate. It was so amazing to get to spend the day building relationships with these students! Today (Monday)- The best day yet!!! God is so graceful!!! Today he blessed me with the opportunity to share with a girl who decided that she wanted to go home and pray to receive Christ as her savior tonight!! I am so thankful for Him allowing me to see this awesome glimpse of His plan! He is so good!!! Later on tonight when we got back to the hotel some of our Argentine friends taught us how to salsa! It was so much fun!!! As of last Sunday, our group came up with a list of 16 new believers that have given their lives over to Christ since we have been here. And those are only the students that He has allowed us to see! God is so good and his work here in Argentina is so obvious it's crazy! He doesn't need me or any of us to do what he is doing in this city. I feel so privileged to be able to take part in His awesome plan! Thank you all SO MUCH to everyone back home in the states, I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers!! I am always grateful for your wonderful support!!

Halfway!

So as you might have guessed by the title of this post, we are now just about halfway through our 6 week adventure here in BA! This feeling is so bittersweet!! I am really starting to miss all of my family and friends back in the states, but at the same time I am still so in love with the Argentines! I cannot believe it is already halfway over! Anyway, in order to take a break from the busy city life, our staff surprised us with a day trip to an estancia (ranch) about 2 hours from the city! It was absolutely beautiful! After living in this busy busy down town area for the past 3 weeks I have never been so excited to see grass! There were also horses and we got to take part in a big traditional asada, which is kind of like a BBQ. We had such a fun amazing day! The only down side is that my horse decided to go a little crazy when one of the gauchos whistled and he took off and bucked me off. I fell off the back of the horse, but thankfully I'm okay! Just a little sore but nothing serious. Thanking God that I didn't get hurt! Other than that I had an amazing restful day and am so grateful to have gotten a break from the craziness of city life! Still cannot believe that this trip is halfway through, it is flying by!

Feelings

Do you ever get those weird feelings that you just "need" to do something? Like when you see someone and you just feel like the Lord is telling you to go talk to them or do something for them? Yeah.. I don't. I wish I could tell you what that feels like, but it doesn't really happen to me. I've always been jealous of those people who just "know" they need to say or do something. But yesterday for the first time in my life I had one of those feelings. I was sitting down on some steps in the school lobby when I happened to look up and see a girl that was pretty upset walk by. I really don't know if it was because she was crying or what, but for some reason I just got the strongest feeling that I needed to go talk to her. So naturally I stalked her untill she sat down, and then I made my move. She was still crying when I went up to her and I couldn't think of what to say so I just asked her if she spoke English. When she said yes I pulled out my soularium cards (a collection of pictures we use to give students surveys in hopes of sparking spiritual conversations) and asked her if he had time for a survey. Now I'm not exactly sure why she was so nice to me, because if I was sitting by myself visibly upset and some gringo (foreigner) came up to me asking me to do a survey I would have told them to get lost.. But for some reason she agreed to participate. Long story short we ended up talking until she had to go and she was sooo excited to meet up with me again and hear more about Jesus! She even offered to give me a tour of the city and show me all of her favorite places! Argentines are probably the most friendly and welcoming group of people I have ever met. Today was awesome! Thanking God for all of my wonderful new friends! Galatians 2:22

Sunsets & Cines

I have had such an exciting couple of days!! Yesterday I got the chance to meet and talk with 2 very awesome Argentine students! I haven't asked permission yet to write about them, so for now I can't say much about their stories. But please please be praying for my two new sweet friends!! I am meeting with one of the girls again tomorrow afternoon, so if you happen to think of us, we would love your prayers! Also I am meeting with my other precious new friend next Tuesday, so you can be praying for God to give me the guidance and wisdom to help talk her through some tough questions! Sorry I can't give much more information now, but know that God is DEFINITELY at work on this campus!! One of my sweet new friends skipped her class that she travels 1 1/2 hours by bus to attend, just because she was so interested in hearing more about Jesus!!! Yes, we talked until sunset. God is changing hearts here in Buenos Aires and I am so blessed to be able to see it all unfold! God is so good!!!
Now, on the Cine part of this post. Tonight after leaving campus some of my other Argentine friends invited me to go al cine (to the movie theater) with them! We watched an Argentine film called Elefante Blanco. It was about the villas (poor neighborhoods) and was very very sad. I only understood about half of it, but the parts that I did understand almost brought me to tears :( although it wasn't based on a true story, my friend Estefania told me that most of the things that took place in the film really happen every day. It broke my heart! I was a sad reminder of just how broken the world is. Although the movie was pretty tragic, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to hangout with some of my new friends off campus! I also got invited to drink mate (kind of like tea) in the park on Saturday! Can't wait to see these friendships grow. I see so much love in these people!! Thankful for new friends and growing relationships! And of course I am still very thankful for all of my supporters! Would not be here without you all!!

Isaiah 40

25 “To whom will you compare me?
    Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up into the heavens.
    Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
    calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
    not a single one is missing.
27 O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
    O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
28 Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

It's amazing how God can show us just the right verses at just the right moments. The biggest thing I have been leaning since I have been in Buenos Aires is just how hard evangelism is. Of course I wasn't expecting this trip to be easy, but I have come to find out how emotionally and physically draining it is to share the Gospel on these college campuses. I didn't expect it to be so difficult for me step out of my comfort zone and tell these students about my relationship with Jesus Christ. Attempting to transition conversations from "What's your favorite kind of empanada?" to "so have you heard that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins?" has been challenging. I will even admit that on more than one occasion throughout the past week I have questioned what exactly I am doing here and just what I have gotten myself into. Was I ready for this? Am I even strong enough in my own walk with the Lord to be telling others about him? Can I really do this? And then last night it hit me. The truth is I had been so caught up in focusing on my own faults failures and inadequacies that I had momentarily forgotten one crucial fact... I am not here alone. Yes, I will mess up and I will say the wrong things and I will make awkward conversational transistions, and I will get laughed at and rejected. And if it were all up to me, then the city of Buenos Aires would be in some serious trouble. But thank the Lord, it is not up to me. My worries are pointless, because I am not even the one doing the work here. God doesn't need me to do amazing things here in this city, he has only blessed me with the privilege of watching them unfold. Yes it is emotionally draining to have an hour long conversation with a student who disagrees with everything you say, but I am not alone. Although I may grow tired and weary and discouraged, my God never will. He meets me in my weakness and gives me strength. This is the first time in my life that I have had to rely on God for all of my strength. He has taught me what it looks like to trust in His plan wholeheartedly and given me the confidence of knowing that he is in control. God has shown me through Iasiah 40 that I don't need to worry about being good enough or saying the right words to these Argentine students. He is in control and He is God and there is comfort in that.
Now... All that being said, I hope you don't all think I am miserable here and having a horrible time, because that is certainly not the case! Yes, God has been teaching me some tough lessons and I was in for a small wake up call, but I am still love love loving the city of Buenos Aires! The people here are more honest and sharing than any culture I have ever experienced in the states. I am so thankful to be here to witness the amazing things God is doing here! Oh, and while I was busy feeling sorry for myself and learning some good lessons last week, 3 Argentine students came to know the Lord on my campus! God is so good, all the time! Please pray that new believers will continue to rise up and that God will better enable me to share his love with these students. Thank you all so very very much for all of your prayers! And for reading this forever long post! It means the world to me to know that I have so many supporters back home. Love you all! Besos :)

Greater things have yet to come

Here is a picture of our entire summer project group, along with some of the Argentine student leaders! It was taken at the Buenos Aires campus for science majors. We all got together there last Wednesday, our first full day in the country, and shared the Gospel with 40 different students. 4 students came to know Christ that day! God is doing huge things in this city!

Rain rain go away

First day on the law campus and it was pouring down rain! Apparently many many students here in BA just don't go to class when it's raining outside.. It felt like home! Haha :) But although there were few students on campus today we got to learn a lot about Cru's history at this specific school and our goal for this summer. I would like to ask you all to pray specifically for this law campus. Please pray that God will bring up students for us to talk to, and that those conversations would be fruitful and add to the ministry on this campus. This movement is just starting out and only has two student leaders, Mika & Juan Pablo. Please pray for them and on the impact they might have on their school. Finally, I would please ask that you guys be praying specifically for the future leaders of this country, as so many of the nation's former presidents have graduated from the very same campus we will be ministering on! Pray that God's presence will be unmistakably felt throughout this campus, and all of the colleges in Buenos Aires. Thank you all again so much for your support! I am still so amazed that I have been blessed with the wonderful opportunity to be here and witness the awesome things God is doing in this city! Miss you all, and see you soon! Besos!

Que triste :(

¡Uno mas cosa! I forgot to add one more sad fact.. I was originally planning on sending postcards to all o you (my supporters) but unfortunately, I will not be able to. :( the mail here is very very veryyy slow and I will more than likely return to the US before any sent mail will get there. One of the staff that is loving here in Argrntina says they she sent a letter back to the states in January and it has yet to arrive. So please don't plan on sending or recievin any mail to/from Argentina. Sorry about that, and thank you all for all of your support!! It means the world to me!!!

Strike

Good news and bad news this morning!!! The good news: I finally got my sube card! Which means I can easily ride all of the collectivos (busses) y los subtes (subways)! The bad news: the subway workers went on strike today soo no subway for us. Which means walking because the busses are too crowded for our group. Haha apparently the subway workers go on strike pretty frequently aqui. But it was actually pretty nice getting to see more of the city on foot :) It really makes me appreciate my car.. Although i would never dare to drive on these crazy streets. Also we got to go on campus yesterday and start talking to students! The weather here is still beautiful and in the low 70s. I also found out which facultad (the campuses are separated by different areas of study) I will be at this summer, and it is the Univercity of Buenos Aires law campus. Or, derrecho! So excited to start my first real day there tomorrow!

¡¡Estamos aqui!!

WE MADE IT!!! We are now safe and sound in the beautiful Buenos Aires!! Just had a wonderful lunch of empanadas and now it's off to go exchange money for pesos! I am so in awe of this city and so thankful for this opportunity! Can't wait to head off to campus bright and early tomorrow morning! Already loving this city!!

Blessed

It's my last night in the United States and right now I am seeing how incredibly blessed I really am!! I am blessed enough to have an amazing family, who always supports me no matter what, and I love them so much for that! I have also been blessed with the most wonderful friends I could ever ask for, and it amazes me how much they have impacted my life! 

Perhaps one blessing that has stood out the most to me today, is St. Luke. I have been attending St. Luke Lutheran Church since my family moved to Memphis about 5 years ago. I remember the very first SLY (St. Luke Youth) event I ever attended, and how scary it was to go, since I didn't know anyone. But I also remember the overwhelming feelings of friendliness and welcome I felt the second I arrived. I could tell from the very beginning that St. Luke was a church full of genuinely caring people. And so, as they say, the rest is history!

Today, I was again reminded of the amazing caring hearts of the St. Luke saints. The church hosted a donut sale in order to help raise support toward this trip to Argentina, and today I was presented a check for over $1,000 toward my trip!!! Funny thing is, the amount of money that was raised was enough to completely cover the remainder of my support. In fact, it was almost the EXACT amount of money that I still had left to raise! God is so cool. Especially since I didn't have any idea of where the rest of my support money would come from! Anyway, God has really shown me today that he ALWAYS provides! And to all of my St. Luke family, I would like send one giant THANK YOU!!!!! I know that God brought me and my family to St. Luke for a reason and I am  so very grateful that he did! I am so thankful to each and every St. Luke saint! Thank you all for supporting my trip! I literally would not be getting on a plane and leaving the country tomorrow if it were not for ya'll. I am so thankful that God has given me an amazing and generous church family! Thank you all so much!!  

Preparation!

Hey everyone!! I created this blog in order to keep in touch with all of my friends and family while in Buenos Aires, Argentina! I plan on posting a few times a week, so that I can keep you all updated on what is happening! I am so looking forward to this trip and cannot wait to see what God will do this summer! With only  3 days left in the United States, everything is finally hitting me! The nerves are starting to set in.. just a little:) I would love for you all to keep me and the rest of my team in your prayers as we prepare for this journey. I cannot wait to share this awesome adventure with all of you!