Pensamientos

This is week four for me in Chile. I can´t tell if it seems like I´ve been here a few days or a few months, it´s one of those weird time warps where certain things feel like I´ve been doing them forever (like lighting the water heater before taking a shower and holding the front gate in just the right way to lock it) and it seems like I´ve always known certain streets and stores, but there are some things I think that will just never feel familiar no matter how long I´m here. No matter how good I am at speaking Spanish, I will always be a gringa, and there´s not too much I can do about that.

I really don´t want this to sound like it´s complaining, because I promise it´s not. I just know that I´ll always be a foreigner which just means I´ll always be different; cultural immersion doesn´t change who you are. I think God´s actually using that knowledge to teach me about being a stranger in this world. Like Chile, the world is not really my home no matter how much time I spend here or how well I know the locals. Hebrews 11:13  talks about how those of great faith in the Bible knew that they were foreigners on earth and knew that their real inheritance was not here. I would really like to always have that eternal perspective.

The Lord has also been showing me the blessing of Christian fellowship. I´ve been blessed with a wonderful church back home and small groups full of awesome girls that help me grow in my faith and make me want to look more like Jesus. I have definitely not been left without that here in Chile, but it´s a lot less than what I´m used to. In the end, my relationship with God comes down to what I put into it, and I´ve had a lot more solo time with Him these past few weeks. Brothers and sisters in Christ are such a blessing and encouragement, but if I´m not seeking Him on my own, their encouragement can only go so far. Seeking God alone has been more challenging for me but really fruitful as well.

I wish I was good at transitioning my thoughts. I´m almost a third of the way done with classes, which is crazy. There have been some pretty hard things going on with the group here, so prayers would definitely be appreciated. I´ll be in Argentina and Uruguay next week and I´m super excited! But right now, I´ve got to go catch a metro!

Hasta luego