Another Week Of Learning

     In language school I have noticed something, they introduce a new tense and I get frustrated and struggle, but within a week or two it has gotten easier and I'm feeling confident. I come to class expecting to have no problems only to hear the dreaded words, 

     "Today we are going to learn a new tense!" 

    I know that to learn the language I have to keep learning new tenses, exceptions and cultural phrases that don't translate well. I have to keep getting frustrated and pushing through, but sometimes I wish that we could just stick with the easy, the familiar... stay within my comfort zone of present tense and ignoring the 'usted' form. Nevertheless, I want to learn the language so that I can communicate. I have an ultimate goal, and it is a fair and decent thing to wish for, yet, I want it without the frustration and struggle of learning. I realized this week that God sometimes uses the same method with us.

    I finally feel like I am at a point where I am comfortable and adjusted to living here for another 9 months. It still seems like a long time and I miss my family and loved ones in the States, I am sad for the fact that I will miss the chance to sing the national anthem on 4th of July before the fireworks start, I am sad that I will not get to spend Christmas with my family (I imagine that I will be playing the song 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas' many times through the month of December as I am dealing with 100 degree weather and rain.) I am going to miss, and I do miss, so many things that are happening in the lives of my siblings, but nevertheless, I am resigned/content to be here for the time that I have committed to. I love the children and I am getting more comfortable with the language and making more friends. I was feeling pretty good about myself and my contentment... I mean, Paul still has me beat on the contentment scale, but I was doing pretty good. 

Or so I thought. 

    Suddenly, everyone in my life started having or talking about anniversaries, cute couple photos, boyfriends, weddings, engagements, dating... etc. That's when I began to wonder if God really does teach a little bit like my Spanish teachers. I want to be content, but the frustration of learning is, well, frustrating. In the midst of this, He is showing me more how He needs to be my desire above all else because in Him alone is true contentment, and "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." -John Piper 

We are also commanded to have no other gods before Him... Our God is a jealous God, He will not give His glory to another... Even if it is to something good that He has created. 

    He is a good Father who knows how to give good gifts to His children. "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him."  Matthew 7:11  The ultimate gift is our relationship with Him. 

"Jesus answered, 'The most important is, 'Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'"

  Mark 12:29-30 

    God doesn't care about my "occasionally lonely and always romantic soul," at least, not in the sense that sometimes I would like Him to care for it. He is concerned about my relationship with Him. Perhaps in the right time, He will decide to bring a husband for our mutual sanctification, but perhaps, in His love, He keeps what my romantic heart longs for to draw me closer to Him so that He is the one my heart longs for... Married or single, HE must my first love He wants to be my joy and my comfort and my strength. He wants to be the one that I turn to for encouragement and advice. I need to be living a life of singleness that has God as the center, because if I reach the end of my life still single, what a shame it would be to have wasted all those years waiting for, nigh pining for, a husband when ultimately, as a member of the Bride of Christ, Christ Jesus was my husband all along. Marriage is a gift from God and a beautiful thing, but so is singleness... Indeed, I venture to say that any situation that God has placed us in can be a gift. Like a set of multiplication flash cards that I received as a Christmas gift one year as a little girl, some gifts don't appear to be good gifts until you look back on the outcome. 

     The sermon today was about discouragement and the people of Israel, they rejoiced when God brought them through the Red Sea, but in the next chapter, they are complaining because they have no water, finally, they find water but it is unfit for drinking. They were angry but God brought them there to test them, to teach them a lesson about who He was. 

"I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring over their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the Lord." 

Ezekiel 6:9b-10a 

                    God uses circumstances in our lives to reveal our sin and draw us closer to Him. 

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."

Philippians 3:8

    Paul suffered a great many things, he persevered by the grace of God and encouraged the Church to do the same. He had many opportunities to give up and to complain, but instead, God has used him to write encouragement laden letters to the Church of his day and of ours. God used his trials to teach him the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. 

"My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 4:19

"On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of His heart will flow rivers of living waters.'" 

John 7:37-38

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth."

Colossians 3:1-2

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." 

2 Corinthians 9:8

    Unlike Disney's Rapunzel, who sits in her tower waiting "for [her] life to begin," God has placed each of us in the situation that we are in for His glory. We can choose to seek His face and serve Him where we are, ("living to the hilt every situation...") or we can pine for the day when "everything will be different." 

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:3-4

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." 

Ephesians 2:10

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do as I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn't know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask that Father in my name, He may give it to you. These things I command you so that you may love one another."

John 15:9-17

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Romans 8:18

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name!"

Psalm 103:1

"O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all..."

Psalm 104:24a

"Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually." 

Psalm 105:3-4

So, that is what God has been teaching me this week... 

As for the children, sickness is beginning to go around again. We also have some new tias, so the adjustment has made for a harder week with the kids acting out. Nevertheless, there have been some fun times too. I, unfortunately, don't have a lot of pictures from this week and hardly any that I can post online.  

With knowing more of the language I can start joking around and playing games with the kids... Granted some of it is pretty silly and wouldn't be so funny in the States and in English, but it is fun to have some silly "inside joke" with different kids. 

Daniel always pretends to be a cat with me, because one day he was meowing so I called him "gatitio" He leans on my shoulder and meows over and over until I tickle him and say "Hola gatitito" (Tickling is a new favorite of theirs.) "Tickle me tia?" Has been a constant phrase to hear this week.

Josue always calls me 'Mary Luz' (another tia) and I start asking where she is or tickle him until he uses my actual name... either way makes him laugh. He also was calling me a baby the other day (Idk if he was trying to insult me or what...) but I went with it and said I was "jefa en panal" (They watch the movie 'Boss Baby' and they say 'Boss in a diaper' instead of 'Boss Baby') We were both cracking up over it and he was inventing new character and assinging characters to the kids who were around us... Again, it is super silly, but it was fun to be able to actually laugh with someone in Spanish for a reason other than messing up my Spanish. 

When I first came I kept wanting to say 'pueblo' instead of 'Pablo' for one of the little boys, the other day he was calling me "Tia Sue" "Tia Suzy" etc, so I called him, "Pueblo" to which he replied mischievously, "Tia Pipocas" (Tia Popcorn) He thought it was the funniest thing in the world. 

Jose Luis is always getting in trouble and walking to school with him can be a chore, but we made up a game of counting how many cats we can see on the way to school.

Also, today, when I got back after church and lunch, he picked a dandelion for me and asked me to put it in my hair. <3 

Marcella knows that I like taking pictures, she has started making a little rectangle out of duplos to resemble the shape of a phone, then she comes and sits on my lap and informs me that she wants to take pictures. She wraps her arms around my neck and holds out the duplos and taps it with her little thumb as if she was really taking a selfie, then she checks it and shows it to me to make sure it is good. :D

Abraham has also started where he gives me tons of kisses as a greeting, on my cheeks, on my hands... and as he does it he says "Muchos besos!" (Lots of kisses!) And then he gives me a big hug. It's so sweet!!!!!! 

One of the tias sent me a text message this morning with a picture that had a sort of prayer on it, granted I don't agree entirely with the theology held by it, but nevertheless, it was really sweet and unexpected and I was able to respond to it in Spanish.