Just a quick note to share how thankful I am for the advances in technology over the last two decades. When my family lived in South Korea in the 80s it was $3.75 a minute for our family in the states to call us. Needless to say we didn't talk all that frequently and it was a huge treat when we did get to. In 2008, I have the wonderful technology of Skype where I can call family and friends for literally pennies a minute keeping me connected to home. I LOVE IT!!! It's been so good to be able to talk to my parents and friends when I have an internet connection. It has definitely helped make the transition easier to life in Latin America.
And while I'm bragging on the advances of technology. I love emails! Wednesday was a rough language day for me, but when I checked my email that afternoon I had so many encouraging emails that totally made my day. Thanks for your love, support, prayers and emails! They can literally change the direction of my day!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
10 Days and Counting!
We've officially been here 10 days! In some ways it feels like I've been here a lot longer than that. Maybe it's because I've really settled into my routine with my Guatemalan family, and I finally have a consistent schedule again, or maybe it's because I really like the tranquilo Latin American life. Either way, I'm really thankful to be here and for the opportunity to only study Spanish for 3 months. I joke that I've finished my first week of kindergarten. I sound out almost all my words and I can say very simple things like "I like music," "I talk to my parents," "I study much Spanish." I'm slowly able to put more and more words together to form sentences, but it's definitely humbling not being able to communicate as an educated adult! I received at least 400 vocab words in the past week and have been feverishly trying to learn them. As I write, I'm sitting in an internet cafe making flash cards to help me learn!
In class this week I got some of my words confused and I told my teacher that I carried my books in a big blue onion to school. Yup...I meant bag, not onion. No wonder she was looking at me so funny!
On a funny note, I was sitting at an outdoor basketball court with Kelli and Leah the other day and randomly we saw a horse come galloping down the road and around the corner dragging a brach from the tree that it broke free from. About 20 or 30 seconds later a group of men and boys on bicycles and motorcycles came chasing after it. It's not every day you get to see a horse loose on the streets!
In class this week I got some of my words confused and I told my teacher that I carried my books in a big blue onion to school. Yup...I meant bag, not onion. No wonder she was looking at me so funny!
On a funny note, I was sitting at an outdoor basketball court with Kelli and Leah the other day and randomly we saw a horse come galloping down the road and around the corner dragging a brach from the tree that it broke free from. About 20 or 30 seconds later a group of men and boys on bicycles and motorcycles came chasing after it. It's not every day you get to see a horse loose on the streets!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Antigua
Well our entire group has made it safely to Peru. When we arrived on Wednesday night we were all shuttled out to our host families. I had been under the impression that we would be the only person living with our families, but when I got to my “new home” I found out that I would be living with 8 other students. I was a little disappointed at first, especially when I sat down for dinner and everyone was talking to me in English, but it is actually really cool. In my home there are 2 guys and a girl from Belgium, 2 girls from Denmark, 1 girl from Switzerland, 1 girl from the UK, and one from the US. So it is a very international group and 2 of them don’t speak much English so we have been using more Spanish lately. Anyways, please keep my host family (father: Miguel, mother: Amanda, children: Alan, Diego, and Guillermo) in your prayers and that I would be able to develop relationships with them in spite of the boarding house like atmosphere. Also please be praying for the other students that I am living with. We eat all three meals together 6 days per week, so we should have a lot of quality time together.
Tuesday morning our group met at Appe language school for orientation and a tour of Antigua. It is a really beautiful city with colonial architecture and cobble stone streets. There is also a coffee shop on every corner and most with wireless internet. That makes me really happy as I’m sure you can imagine. At the language school we each have a personal tutor that we meet with 4 hours per day. My tutor is so, so wonderful. Her name is Claudia and please be praying for her and that we would be able to have good conversations as I learn Spanish. Yesterday she described herself as an evangelical catholic and we talked a little about the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism. Unfortunately I didn’t understand a lot of what she said but it was a good start.
Today most of our group was looking for coffee shop with wireless and the one that we wondered into just happened to be a Christian church. Our waiter shared his testimony with us and we are excited about helping out with some of their ministries.
Anyways, that’s all for now. I am so excited to be here and I feel like I am already making a lot of progress with Spanish. I love you all and miss you already. (just a little note – I will reply to any personal emails if you want to say hi… babyruthgt@gmail.com)
Bye until next time!
Tuesday morning our group met at Appe language school for orientation and a tour of Antigua. It is a really beautiful city with colonial architecture and cobble stone streets. There is also a coffee shop on every corner and most with wireless internet. That makes me really happy as I’m sure you can imagine. At the language school we each have a personal tutor that we meet with 4 hours per day. My tutor is so, so wonderful. Her name is Claudia and please be praying for her and that we would be able to have good conversations as I learn Spanish. Yesterday she described herself as an evangelical catholic and we talked a little about the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism. Unfortunately I didn’t understand a lot of what she said but it was a good start.
Today most of our group was looking for coffee shop with wireless and the one that we wondered into just happened to be a Christian church. Our waiter shared his testimony with us and we are excited about helping out with some of their ministries.
Anyways, that’s all for now. I am so excited to be here and I feel like I am already making a lot of progress with Spanish. I love you all and miss you already. (just a little note – I will reply to any personal emails if you want to say hi… babyruthgt@gmail.com)
Bye until next time!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Good-byes, transitions, and exciting days ahead!
I hardly know where to begin this blog because so much has happened in the last few weeks. On Wednesday, we finished eight and a half weeks of training. We learned about Church Planting Movements, transition and culture shock, how to start a church and methods of discipleship. It was definitely a time of being stretched and challenged. It was also a time of encouragement as we spend everyday with like-minded people who have become such dear friends.
Last week after our Commissioning last week began the very sad good-byes. The 363 other people that I have spend the last two months with are literally spreading to all corners of the earth, and while it’s very exciting, it’s also sad to know that it will be a long time before I get to hug their necks again. I have said my fair share of good-byes, but it’s almost as if I’d forgotten how hard it can be. Maybe I thought that it would be easier than before because we hadn’t been together very long in the grand scheme of life, but I was wrong! Now that I’ve been home a few days, I still miss my new friends, our awesome conversations, the laughter, Waffle House runs and just being together.
I am very excited about what lies ahead in Guatemala and Peru! I still don’t have a clear picture of exactly what life will look like, but the Lord has given me such a peace about the unknown. I’m excited to rejoin some of my FPO friends as we begin language school in Guatemala. I’m so thankful for the protected time that the South America region is providing to learn Spanish. My focus for the next three months is Spanish and learning to be bilingual. Being able to share the gospel in Spanish is going to be crucial to our ministry in Peru.
In the remaining 9 days that I have at home, I am spending as much time as possible with my family and friends. It is really special to have my brother home from Oklahoma for a few days. As much as I love being home, I’m ready (except for packing!) to get on the plane and head to Guatemala!
If you would like to receive my email updates, please leave me a comment and I’ll add you to the list!
Last week after our Commissioning last week began the very sad good-byes. The 363 other people that I have spend the last two months with are literally spreading to all corners of the earth, and while it’s very exciting, it’s also sad to know that it will be a long time before I get to hug their necks again. I have said my fair share of good-byes, but it’s almost as if I’d forgotten how hard it can be. Maybe I thought that it would be easier than before because we hadn’t been together very long in the grand scheme of life, but I was wrong! Now that I’ve been home a few days, I still miss my new friends, our awesome conversations, the laughter, Waffle House runs and just being together.
I am very excited about what lies ahead in Guatemala and Peru! I still don’t have a clear picture of exactly what life will look like, but the Lord has given me such a peace about the unknown. I’m excited to rejoin some of my FPO friends as we begin language school in Guatemala. I’m so thankful for the protected time that the South America region is providing to learn Spanish. My focus for the next three months is Spanish and learning to be bilingual. Being able to share the gospel in Spanish is going to be crucial to our ministry in Peru.
In the remaining 9 days that I have at home, I am spending as much time as possible with my family and friends. It is really special to have my brother home from Oklahoma for a few days. As much as I love being home, I’m ready (except for packing!) to get on the plane and head to Guatemala!
If you would like to receive my email updates, please leave me a comment and I’ll add you to the list!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Anticipated Schedule
There are still a lot of unknowns about moving to Peru, but what I do know, is that we are going to be in Antigua, Guatemala from mid-October to mid-January studying and learning Spanish. Christine has a much better grasp on language at this point, but I'm ready to learn!
In mid-January, we will make the exciting move to Lima, Peru. Lima will be our home base and where the majority of our team lives. As I think about our work in Peru, Psalm 96:2-3 keeps running through my head.
"Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples."
In mid-January, we will make the exciting move to Lima, Peru. Lima will be our home base and where the majority of our team lives. As I think about our work in Peru, Psalm 96:2-3 keeps running through my head.
"Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples."
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
It's Official!
Hi all! Christine and I are just starting up our blog that we'll update during our years in Peru. We are currently in training in Virginia and are about 38 days away from flying to Guatemala for language school. It's really hard to believe how quickly our first 5 weeks here have past. It's been an incredible time of building relationships with teammates and others who are going all around the world.
We'll post more soon as time permits. Thank you all for your support and prayers for both of us!
We'll post more soon as time permits. Thank you all for your support and prayers for both of us!
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