I don't know how to start this one.
I can start here: that a concern for Ronda is increasing somewhere inside of me. I can really say this one isn't mine- because it seems that along with this is correlating longing for home- for you all. I really miss you guys a lot. But it is a peaceful longing and that I am really grateful for. Shortly after I arrived here, I read this in a book that Whitney gave me:
"No friendship or lover, no husband or wife, no community or commune will be able to put to rest our deepest cravings for unity and wholeness." As I write this, the song playing on my computer is, "None But Jesus." Timely.
Sometimes I miss you because I crave that unity, and I am quick to look for it in one of you. But lately I have been missing you from a different place, and like I said, this is something I am really grateful for. But, back to Ronda. It is a bit "exciting-scary-sobering," to be quite honest, when a person or place is laid heavy on the heart (like Ronda on mine). It is because what precedes involves awe, action or a thing unanticipated. I don't know what this means for me but I can't look a person in the eyes here without wanting Jesus to come. I find myself thinking, please send someone to tell them about your love, Jesus. Then I get home and look in the mirror.
Well, I can say too that in the ways God is moving, He is also providing me with everything I need. And abundantly more. Gosh you guys, it is really true. He won't speak without providing. The last two weeks I have gone to prayer/worship night at my church. There are about 6-10 people and we sing a lot of songs and pray for the city/vision/each other. Before we put out our requests, though, we just thank God. I can't understand, but at the same time I can. The unbound spirit inside of me understands and it moved by all of it. This family and I, and you who are in Christ, we are one--- like, I wonder how you might be in this too. But man- back to God just really providing- I get prayed over in Spanish and get to pray for my family in English. And there is a unity in all of it.
A gift that has come from this is a deepening friendship with my Spanish friend Jessica. She is 22 and has a really soft heart that mine seems a bit knit to. I think about how hard it is for her to live here- in Ronda and in Southern Spain- she does not have one local friend her age that knows the Lord. Wow. Among other things, she is asking that I will learn Spanish, rapido. Haha.
So, in other news, school is going well. Struggling through Spanish still but asking for some miracle in my mind to just understand! In the meantime, I am tutoring a 7 year old and helping him with English--- although it usually turns out that I am the student. :-) Also- my friend Pil (from South Korea) and I have gotten to hang out a lot and go on a lot of walks. We literally run into each other almost every day in the evenings and it turns into a half hour of walking and watching the sun set. I think only two times we actually planned it. I love it! Her and my friend Megan and another girl from South Korea- Yuni, and I are going to Morocco this weekend through Wednesday! We have three days off of school, so I am super pumped for this time... for conversation... ah! Really!
Last thing- conversation and time has been really great with my Spanish madre (the new one). Reyes is her name and her husband is Fernando. They make me laugh and smile pretty much every day :-) The other night they were in the living room and I was in my room just laughing because Fernando was singing a "Journey" song at the top of his lungs and Reyes was in there with him just laughing. She also talks to her self a lot and this I love too. For example, before eating she will sing vamos a comer, vamos a comer. Actually, she sings everything she does. Vamos a poner, vamos a poner, vamor a poner (while we set the table), or voy a dormir, voy a dormir (sleep). It is seriously hilirous. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean with them and every single thing that happened: Que Obscuro! Oue Pena! Que Pelo! Que Bonita! hahaha. Anyways, our time has been good as have our convos. She teaches CCD classes at the Catholic church and we have had neat convos about that, too. :-)
Well. Thanks for reading this. I hope it gives you all a bit of an update. Love you guys. I will actually end with this from Psalm 16 and also from a note Jenny sent me right after I got here:
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
I can start here: that a concern for Ronda is increasing somewhere inside of me. I can really say this one isn't mine- because it seems that along with this is correlating longing for home- for you all. I really miss you guys a lot. But it is a peaceful longing and that I am really grateful for. Shortly after I arrived here, I read this in a book that Whitney gave me:
"No friendship or lover, no husband or wife, no community or commune will be able to put to rest our deepest cravings for unity and wholeness." As I write this, the song playing on my computer is, "None But Jesus." Timely.
Sometimes I miss you because I crave that unity, and I am quick to look for it in one of you. But lately I have been missing you from a different place, and like I said, this is something I am really grateful for. But, back to Ronda. It is a bit "exciting-scary-sobering," to be quite honest, when a person or place is laid heavy on the heart (like Ronda on mine). It is because what precedes involves awe, action or a thing unanticipated. I don't know what this means for me but I can't look a person in the eyes here without wanting Jesus to come. I find myself thinking, please send someone to tell them about your love, Jesus. Then I get home and look in the mirror.
Well, I can say too that in the ways God is moving, He is also providing me with everything I need. And abundantly more. Gosh you guys, it is really true. He won't speak without providing. The last two weeks I have gone to prayer/worship night at my church. There are about 6-10 people and we sing a lot of songs and pray for the city/vision/each other. Before we put out our requests, though, we just thank God. I can't understand, but at the same time I can. The unbound spirit inside of me understands and it moved by all of it. This family and I, and you who are in Christ, we are one--- like, I wonder how you might be in this too. But man- back to God just really providing- I get prayed over in Spanish and get to pray for my family in English. And there is a unity in all of it.
A gift that has come from this is a deepening friendship with my Spanish friend Jessica. She is 22 and has a really soft heart that mine seems a bit knit to. I think about how hard it is for her to live here- in Ronda and in Southern Spain- she does not have one local friend her age that knows the Lord. Wow. Among other things, she is asking that I will learn Spanish, rapido. Haha.
So, in other news, school is going well. Struggling through Spanish still but asking for some miracle in my mind to just understand! In the meantime, I am tutoring a 7 year old and helping him with English--- although it usually turns out that I am the student. :-) Also- my friend Pil (from South Korea) and I have gotten to hang out a lot and go on a lot of walks. We literally run into each other almost every day in the evenings and it turns into a half hour of walking and watching the sun set. I think only two times we actually planned it. I love it! Her and my friend Megan and another girl from South Korea- Yuni, and I are going to Morocco this weekend through Wednesday! We have three days off of school, so I am super pumped for this time... for conversation... ah! Really!
Last thing- conversation and time has been really great with my Spanish madre (the new one). Reyes is her name and her husband is Fernando. They make me laugh and smile pretty much every day :-) The other night they were in the living room and I was in my room just laughing because Fernando was singing a "Journey" song at the top of his lungs and Reyes was in there with him just laughing. She also talks to her self a lot and this I love too. For example, before eating she will sing vamos a comer, vamos a comer. Actually, she sings everything she does. Vamos a poner, vamos a poner, vamor a poner (while we set the table), or voy a dormir, voy a dormir (sleep). It is seriously hilirous. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean with them and every single thing that happened: Que Obscuro! Oue Pena! Que Pelo! Que Bonita! hahaha. Anyways, our time has been good as have our convos. She teaches CCD classes at the Catholic church and we have had neat convos about that, too. :-)
Well. Thanks for reading this. I hope it gives you all a bit of an update. Love you guys. I will actually end with this from Psalm 16 and also from a note Jenny sent me right after I got here:
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
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