psalm 62

My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refue.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

This psalm is one of those passages that I am always coming back to in the Word. It always gives me peace when I'm at my worst. Life in Ecuador is continuing to go wonderfully, but I've realized that when people who have studied abroad before talk to you about their experiences, they tend to leave out the hard parts. Like how much you'll miss your family and friends, but at the same time, how much you'll dread the day when you have to leave the country you've called home for so long. Like how difficult it is to truly live in the moment here when every time you log onto Facebook, you are reminded of life back in the U.S.

After a rough week at school (and rough is defined as: 2 presentations, an exam, and a report - basically, an easy week at UNC), I had a really fun and relaxing weekend. My friend Alice Ann and I spent St. Patrick's Day partying hard -- eating dinner with family and then watching movies with snacks from the Fybeca. Friday was spent trying to figure out plans for the Galápagos and then dinner out to a nice Thai restaurant, followed by yet another movie. Saturday, Alice Ann, our friend Johnny, and I ventured out to Otavalo (about 2 hours away), where there is a huge market. I bought plenty of stuff for myself, as well as for my family and my apartment. One of my favorite purchases was an alpaca blanket. Might be the most comfortable thing I've already curled up in. Saturday night, Alice Ann and Johnny came over with the intention of watching another movie, but we ended up sitting in our kitchen with my host dad Guille and his friend Pepe, drinking beers and chatting in Spanish for 4 hours. Nothing like it.

Alice Ann & I in Otavalo

The only reason AA came over was to hold my sister

Goal accomplished: I held Linet, and I loved it