Oranges and Lemons

(P.S. Feel free to leave comments on my entries! I´d love to hear from you!)
Being in Spain is amazing and I love the culture and the people and life in general but missing home also comes with the territory. The sense of being absent from so many things going on at the homefront is definitely the worst thing about being in Spain for a year.

While talking to my parents on Saturday (also a thing I miss, talking to my parents regulary and often...) they told me that a friend from youth group in high school had a sort of heart attack due to a undectected heart disease and was not doing well at all. Since then, thankfully, she has improved tremendously and God´s grace is so apparent in the whole situation. Sadly, all the information I have about the situation is fourth-hand. I learn about it through emails and it is hard not to be able to be in the States and more aware of what´s going on. It also makes me realize that anything can happen while I´m hear and I´m so far away I can´t do anything to help or support. That is scary to me and somewhat frusterating. But I know that God has a reason for everything that happens while I´m hear and a reason that I am so far removed from everything.

Another lemon: I had to go to the police station on Sunday to act as a translator if necessary for a friend who had his computer stolen right off his lap while he was typing on it outside his building. Of course, it is gone, along with his pictures, music and anything else saved on it. It is scary and makes me that much more cautious. It also served as a reminder not to get complacent about ensuring my safety and not to feel too safe in Madrid because it is a huge city where those kind of things happen everyday. The thing is that I don´t feel unsafe or worried about my safety on the whole. God has given me confidence in Him and I know that he will protect me according to His will. I felt the same thing when working with inner city kids at camp and then working with CO in Tulsa and doing things with campers on the North side of town. I felt cautious and very aware of my surroundings but never afraid for my life because I knew that as long as I was doing God´s work and having faith in Him, he will protect me. Sometimes, I think that is hard for people to understand because my safety is the biggest concern in my life. I´d rather be in danger and doing God´s work than sitting at home not doing anything.

After that tangent, here are the oranges (my favorite part!):

God is blessing me so much here! Every single day, his blessings become apparent in new ways. I realize more and more how lucky I am to be living with the family I am living with. They are loving, kind, inclusive, smart, funny, interested in my life, and concerned for my safety as much as my own parents. They are always willing to answer questions, give advice and tell me the best way to do whatever I´m doing. Not to mention, they correct my ever errored Spanish with unending patience. As I talk to friends here and hear stories of their homestays, I realize that God blessed me immensely. Pilar, Marucha, and Alvaro are wonderful and they don´t make me turn the water off between rinses when I´m showering. And this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Also, God has blessed me with an amazing roommate who is constantly seeking the Lord. She is 2 years older than I am and so smart. I learn alot from her daily about so many things in life. She has been a wonderful friend and we have been able to bond in a way unique to a common bond in Christ. It is wonderful. We have also been able to search for a church together and she found one yesterday that we think is it! It is evangelical (I´m not even sure there are Presbyterian churches here...Protestant churches are few and far between the many Catholic churches in Spain) and there is a strong group of young people that are actually quite international. I haven´t actually met any of them yet but I am so excited for some good Christian fellowship! I never realize how much it means to me to be surrounded by Christian friends until I´m not any more and then I miss it dearly! I will be going this weekend with Lauren (my roommate) and Kali (another good friend here who is Christian and very sweet spirited) on a retreat through the church. We aren´t really sure if it is a retreat for the whole church and we are going as some of the youth or if it´s just for young people... but we´ll find out on Saturday. I´m really excited to worship with them and to sing praise and worship songs in Spanish. I miss Chapel Fellowship and singing with Beth, Rachelle, Phillip, and Sarah alot and wish I could fly them over here to sing with me!

Another orange (a fruit which I chose arbitrarily because they are sweet where lemons are not...:
My health is good and I have not been sick yet. Alot of students have had colds of sorts and Marucha (my host sister) was sick enough last week to miss two days of work and just last night, was throwing up. We think because of something she ate but she and I both ate the same things for lunch before she got sick. So, thankfully, I have not gotten sick yet and have enjoyed everything I´ve eaten here. The funny thing is, as many foods as I know in Spanish, every menu I read is usually indecipherable because I don´t know the different names of cooked meats etc... So alot of the time I just pick something that sounds interesting and hope it will taste good. Always an adventure!

Well, I think that is all for now...I should be getting wireless internet at my house soon so that will make the uploading of pictures much easier...I´ll keep you updated!