Catching Up!

Okay faithful readers, here's a brief update of life here:

Friday-
I had a blast eating with friends at Colombiana's, which is a definite favorite as of yet. I ate with two other American married couples (which there are lots of here in town). Then, I headed to school to watch Walking on Water in the ampitheatre. That turned out to be a sweet flick about groms (little surfers) traveling the world and surfing hot spots with pro surfers, while learning more about other cultures and faith. Both the movie and the setting reminded me of being in Costa Rica watching surf movies at an open air restaurant with Mom and Wes. It also reminded me of how much I love surf culture and why...friendly, adventurous people who love life and others.

Saturday-
Had a good time exploring town and different routes home, while my roommate was on a women's retreat nearby, with most other women from Doulos. Then, I had a fun game night with Eric, his roommate Troy, and another guy named Jake, who is also married. (He and his wife Kyle have a precious baby boy named Judah.) We played Rummikub, which I loved! Initially, I thought I would abhor that game because I really dislike numbers (sorry, MA). It turned out to be a blast, although I didn't win a single round. To finish out the night, we watched an episode of 24, which the boys are currently addicted to. I cannot even tell you how gorgeous the night was with a moon so big and full overhead.

I can't believe I forgot to mention a bit of Saturday, where Maria and I spent time talking together in broken communication about life. I talked to her a little about faith and death, family and life. She shared with me that her favorite Bible verses are Psalm 91 and 93 -- I feel a lot more connected to her from that conversation.

Sunday -
Church at La Vid, the vine, continued to encourage and inspire me for the second week in a row. This time I felt more at home, seeing familiar faces and confidently introducing myself to others I did not yet know. Their praise band is amazing, if that was in question. We meet in an open air shed like building, with a view of the mountains in the distance and a breeze flowing through.

Afterward, I went on a hike with Sara, a math teacher at Doulos who is married with two kids. We had a fun time getting to know one another, sharing past stories; it was surprising to me how much we had in common. I love life's little surprises because they obviously come so unexpectedly. We hiked right near our houses -- she lives near me -- to Salto Baiguate, one of the many grand waterfalls here. It was neat to be out toward the countryside with panoramic views of the mountains and palm trees, with horses riding by and grazing in pastures alongside.

Dinner was sooo yummy at Jonathan and Shelly's, where we had Shelly's secret recipe burritos with fresh avocado. Delicious. I must add that their veranda view is a spectacular one, and we literally watched the golden moon rise over the mountain into the night sky after dinner.

Monday -
I honestly don't remember!! I assure you it was a great day though.

Tuesday -
Yesterday, I had fun working on some t-shirt designs for the spring service-learning teams. (Hopefully I'll get one or two out of those too!)

Last night was a blast, helping out with YoungLife club. As a typical club goes, we had games, music, dancing, a lesson, and fun talking and getting to know one another. I got to help out with worship and sang along with a guitarist named Chris, who lives in Santiago. He's the area director.

It was really meaningful to me to use my talents God's given me for singing to glorify Him, and I also loved hanging out with my students I don't get to really see outside of class.

TODAY-
It's been a whirlwind of different tasks, and now I'm off to dinner at a friend's house before Bible study. I can't wait for either!

God bless-have a great night! MWAH.