I'm pretty sure our host mom here (Doña Mago) wants us to leave here fifty pounds heavier. Two minutes into every meal, it's "Sírvate más tú Colín" or "¿Te traigo un plátanito?" ("Get yourself some more, Colleen," and "Can I bring you a banana?"). I really am loving the eating schedule here. We eat pretty much right when we get up, a meal called almuerzo. Usually it's eggs, frijoles, tortillas, and nopales (cactus), and it usually fills me up. When we get back from English class at 2:00, we eat comida, which is usually about as heavy as almuerzo. At night, our cena is usually some avena (oatmeal) and a banana or mango. It's perfect!
Things are going well here. I am loving teaching English to my class of 6 kids ranging in age from 12 to 14. Today, for something fun to do on a Friday, we spent half of class playing Hangman, or Orcado, with English words for fruits and animals. We're also tutoring the students in different subjects afterschool, so I'm getting a refresher in geometry and algebra....in Spanish.
I'm also getting to know some of the younger kids here, and I love spending time with them. An hour of my Wednesday night was spent playing a game that Yesenia and I made up called ejercicio (exercise) because it literally is just that. We sit facing each other, holding hands, and do crunches back and forth. It gives me an ab workout, and it makes them laugh, so it must be a good game.
Living here is so tranquilo. I've loved having time to be in the Word and in prayer, and I pray that God would do big things here. I'm enjoying reading "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper, and he's reminded me to live in a way that magnifies Christ. He says, "The way we honor Christ in life is to treasure Jesus above life's gifts." I have to remember that while I'm here. God has given me so many gifts (for example, the opportunity to be here), but I have to remember to glorify the Giver, not the gifts.
Paz y amor!
"Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him." -Philippians 3:7-9
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
he is my victory and he is here
Greetings from Tamaula, Guanajuato, Mexico!
I finally have a chance to sit down and share what´s been going here. The past two weeks have been absolutely locas! I´ve been blessed to see a few different parts of Mexico and hang out with some really amazing people.
The first few days were spent in Puebla and Cholula (a smaller town outside of Puebla) with three other americanos and our friend Miguel. We stayed in a hostel and at the house of a friend of his. We saw a ton of churches, rode a double decker tour bus (superturista, I know), ate great food, and enjoyed the nightlife. While in Cholula, we got to hang out with some exchange students from the U.S. and from France that are studying at UDLA (Universidad de las Americas). On Saturday, we left there for Mexico City, where we joined up with other UNCers from the project and our D.F. friends Kari and Kike. In a city that is home to more than 20 million people, there was a ton to do. We cheered on the Mexico team as they beat Chile 1 to 0 at the Estadio Azteca (the largest stadium in Latin America). We enjoyed more nightlife, walked around the city, took another superturista tour bus, climbed to the top of Castillo del Chapultec, and visited Iberoamericana, the university that Miguel, Kari, and Kike are about to graduate from. Jake and Tomás even played in a soccer game with some students and profes!
Within 24 hours, we transitioned from the second largest city in the world to a rural community of 218 habitantes. It´s hard to believe that we´ve already been living here in Tamaula for a week! Tamaula is a small community at the top of a mountain, about 30 minutes from Irapuato (the closest city). I´m here with Caroline and Tomás from UNC, helping with the Fundación Comunitario del Bajio. We´re basically hanging out in the community and helping out in whatever way we can. So far, that means teaching English to students in the secundaria everyday for an hour and tutoring them in physics, chemistry, math, and more English after school. We´re also doing some other activities with them, like playing fútbol and teaching them computer skills.
Another project that I´ve decided to pursue is editing their English textbooks. There is a huge amount of errors in their books that a nonnative speaker probably wouldn´t pick up on. So, I´m finding all the errors and sending them to the textbook company with a hope that they will fix them for the next edition! I´ll also be teaching the secundaria teachers English so that they can better teach their students next year.
It´s been a real blessing to be able to hang out with people from the community. The first night we were invited to play fútbol with some of the guys here, and I scored 2 goals, thank you very much! The other day, we played a game called balote with some of the girls from the prepa. It´s like baseball and kickball, but you use your arm as a bat. Because the campo is so rocky and uneven, I fell and unfortunately resprained my ankle, but all is good!
I can´t wait to spend even more time in the community. I´ve been a little discouraged not being able to understand everything everyone says, but I continue to pray for clarity, in understanding what they are saying, in understanding their lives, and in understanding what our role here is. I pray that in the midst of what we´re doing here, we would be able to shine Christ´s light in the community.
"Shine on, shine on, and let the others see you´ve got your victory."
I finally have a chance to sit down and share what´s been going here. The past two weeks have been absolutely locas! I´ve been blessed to see a few different parts of Mexico and hang out with some really amazing people.
The first few days were spent in Puebla and Cholula (a smaller town outside of Puebla) with three other americanos and our friend Miguel. We stayed in a hostel and at the house of a friend of his. We saw a ton of churches, rode a double decker tour bus (superturista, I know), ate great food, and enjoyed the nightlife. While in Cholula, we got to hang out with some exchange students from the U.S. and from France that are studying at UDLA (Universidad de las Americas). On Saturday, we left there for Mexico City, where we joined up with other UNCers from the project and our D.F. friends Kari and Kike. In a city that is home to more than 20 million people, there was a ton to do. We cheered on the Mexico team as they beat Chile 1 to 0 at the Estadio Azteca (the largest stadium in Latin America). We enjoyed more nightlife, walked around the city, took another superturista tour bus, climbed to the top of Castillo del Chapultec, and visited Iberoamericana, the university that Miguel, Kari, and Kike are about to graduate from. Jake and Tomás even played in a soccer game with some students and profes!
Within 24 hours, we transitioned from the second largest city in the world to a rural community of 218 habitantes. It´s hard to believe that we´ve already been living here in Tamaula for a week! Tamaula is a small community at the top of a mountain, about 30 minutes from Irapuato (the closest city). I´m here with Caroline and Tomás from UNC, helping with the Fundación Comunitario del Bajio. We´re basically hanging out in the community and helping out in whatever way we can. So far, that means teaching English to students in the secundaria everyday for an hour and tutoring them in physics, chemistry, math, and more English after school. We´re also doing some other activities with them, like playing fútbol and teaching them computer skills.
Another project that I´ve decided to pursue is editing their English textbooks. There is a huge amount of errors in their books that a nonnative speaker probably wouldn´t pick up on. So, I´m finding all the errors and sending them to the textbook company with a hope that they will fix them for the next edition! I´ll also be teaching the secundaria teachers English so that they can better teach their students next year.
It´s been a real blessing to be able to hang out with people from the community. The first night we were invited to play fútbol with some of the guys here, and I scored 2 goals, thank you very much! The other day, we played a game called balote with some of the girls from the prepa. It´s like baseball and kickball, but you use your arm as a bat. Because the campo is so rocky and uneven, I fell and unfortunately resprained my ankle, but all is good!
I can´t wait to spend even more time in the community. I´ve been a little discouraged not being able to understand everything everyone says, but I continue to pray for clarity, in understanding what they are saying, in understanding their lives, and in understanding what our role here is. I pray that in the midst of what we´re doing here, we would be able to shine Christ´s light in the community.
"Shine on, shine on, and let the others see you´ve got your victory."
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
sophomore slump
The same old, same old. The boring routine. The lack of excitement. For some reason, most of my sophomore friends have been feeling, like myself, that this semester is just not the same as last year. We are no longer freshman, so the novelty and excitement of college life and being away from our parents is gone (if anything, most of us wish we could spend more time at home). Next year will bring another wave of "new-ness" as most of us move off-campus and into our first apartments or houses. But for now, we are stuck in the sophomore slump.
I've been intrigued by this phenomenon ever since I started noticing it around me after fall break. Wikipedia, of course, even has an article on it -- it is "an instance in which a second, or sophomore effort, fails to live up to the standards of the first effort....commonly used to refer to the apathy of students." Freshman year was awesome; there is no doubt about that. I had a great suite of girls living in the best freshman dorm on campus, I got involved in organizations that I liked, and I loved being on my own and in a new town. So I guess you could say that this year has not lived up to last, a difficult task in and of itself. It seems to me that this "sophomore slump" is just a phase that most, if not all, second-year college students go through, but I think there are some things we can do to soften the blow.
Through my "slump" time so far this year, God has brought to my attention a few things that I needed to learn about myself.
1. I am in desperate need of a Savior. No matter how hard I try, I cannot save myself. I can try pretty hard to get my life into order, but ultimately, it will fail. My plans are so minute compared to His much bigger and greater plan for me. This is such a blessing because if I had control over every single thing in my life, I would fall apart.
2. This world is not where I belong. I can find a place here on Earth that I feel most at home, that I feel I belong to. But no matter where I am, I know that I have a much better place waiting for me in heaven. So I can't put too much value on things of this world because they will ultimately fade away. Matthew wrote, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
3. I do not put my joy in the Lord, where it should be. Instead, I put my joy in things of this world -- my academic success, my future after college, my friends, etc., and when those things let me down, I lose my joy. J.D. Greear spoke about this a couple weeks ago at the Summit, and he asked the congregation if we were constantly joyful. He said, "If God is our delight, we WILL be constantly joyful." God never lets us down, so if our joy is in Him, then we WILL be constantly joyful. It seems like a simple concept, but it's one that I have failed on time and time again. (Listen to J.D.'s sermon here -- the one on power, it's awesome).
This all goes to say that I think the best way we can get over the "sophomore slump" is by putting our joy and our delight in the Lord. For me, that means spending some more time with Him and a little less time in front of the TV. Maybe it means starting the day off with a few minutes in prayer, rather than a few minutes on Facebook. Or maybe it's caring more about what God's love than the love and approval of your friends or the grades from your professors. All I'm saying is that there is hope, and that hope comes from the Lord.
I've been intrigued by this phenomenon ever since I started noticing it around me after fall break. Wikipedia, of course, even has an article on it -- it is "an instance in which a second, or sophomore effort, fails to live up to the standards of the first effort....commonly used to refer to the apathy of students." Freshman year was awesome; there is no doubt about that. I had a great suite of girls living in the best freshman dorm on campus, I got involved in organizations that I liked, and I loved being on my own and in a new town. So I guess you could say that this year has not lived up to last, a difficult task in and of itself. It seems to me that this "sophomore slump" is just a phase that most, if not all, second-year college students go through, but I think there are some things we can do to soften the blow.
Through my "slump" time so far this year, God has brought to my attention a few things that I needed to learn about myself.
1. I am in desperate need of a Savior. No matter how hard I try, I cannot save myself. I can try pretty hard to get my life into order, but ultimately, it will fail. My plans are so minute compared to His much bigger and greater plan for me. This is such a blessing because if I had control over every single thing in my life, I would fall apart.
2. This world is not where I belong. I can find a place here on Earth that I feel most at home, that I feel I belong to. But no matter where I am, I know that I have a much better place waiting for me in heaven. So I can't put too much value on things of this world because they will ultimately fade away. Matthew wrote, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
3. I do not put my joy in the Lord, where it should be. Instead, I put my joy in things of this world -- my academic success, my future after college, my friends, etc., and when those things let me down, I lose my joy. J.D. Greear spoke about this a couple weeks ago at the Summit, and he asked the congregation if we were constantly joyful. He said, "If God is our delight, we WILL be constantly joyful." God never lets us down, so if our joy is in Him, then we WILL be constantly joyful. It seems like a simple concept, but it's one that I have failed on time and time again. (Listen to J.D.'s sermon here -- the one on power, it's awesome).
This all goes to say that I think the best way we can get over the "sophomore slump" is by putting our joy and our delight in the Lord. For me, that means spending some more time with Him and a little less time in front of the TV. Maybe it means starting the day off with a few minutes in prayer, rather than a few minutes on Facebook. Or maybe it's caring more about what God's love than the love and approval of your friends or the grades from your professors. All I'm saying is that there is hope, and that hope comes from the Lord.
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
revamped
As I have just spent approximately an hour that I could have spent on school work on redecorating my blog, I feel as though I should begin to post again. So here are my thoughts, ideas, photos, or anything that I feel the need to share with the world (or the one or two people who will actually read this).
I am back in Chapel Hill after a summer spent in one of my favorite plaeces in the world: a couple of border towns in the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico. I worked with Faith Ministry in Reynosa and Miguel Aleman as a long-term volunteer/intern. These places are my second homes, so needless to say, it's been difficult transitioning back to life here. As I sit here drinking peach Jumex out of a can (something I was very excited to find at Harris Teeter), I can't help but wishing I was in the complex in Reynosa, drinking Coke out of a glass bottle and eating queso blanco quesadillas. Over the past few weeks, however, God's been showing me that while a part of my heart is always in Mexico, Chapel Hill is where I need to be right now.
On a completely separate note, one of my favorite albums right now is Needtobreathe's new one, The Outsiders. I think my favorite song so far is "Garden," referring to the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went with the disciples the night before his crucifixion to pray. Not only do the lyrics speak so much truth, but the music is, of course, great as well. See them perform it live at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li8aiGtNyZo.
Won't you take this cup from me'Cause fear has stolen all my sleepIf tomorrow means my deathI pray you'll save their souls with itLet the songs I singBring joy to youLet the words I say profess my loveLet the notes I chooseBe your favorite tuneFather let my heart be after YouIn this hour of doubt I seeBut who I am is not just meSo give me strength to die myselfSo love can live to tell the taleLet the songs I singBring joy to youLet the words I say profess my loveLet the notes I chooseBe your favorite tuneFather let my heart be after YouLucky for us in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area, the band is coming to play at Cat's Cradle on September 25th. You can buy tickets online in advance for only $12! Everyone should come and enjoy the music of this great band.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Paradox
My friend Alex and I went around the arboretum on campus the other day, just to take pictures and enjoy the beautiful day. We found this amazing tree, and I loved how the picture turned out with each of us standing next to it. It reminded me of how utterly small I am in the midst of God's huge presence. It's such an interesting paradox to me. On one hand, we are just little specks compared to the greatness of God's majesty and creation. Yet, on the other hand, God loves each of us individually just as much, and what's even more: that love is unconditional -- there is nothing we could do to make God love us more, and there is nothing we have done that makes God love us any less. He knows everything about us (every hair on our head even!), yet He also created an infinite number of other people that He loves just as much and knows everything about also. Oh, but wait, He also created billions upon billions of animals and plants. Oh, but there's more! He also sculpted and painted the majestic landscapes that we see at the Grand Canyon and in deep gorges and in sunrises and sunsets. It is truly amazing.
"He must become greater;
I must become less."
- John 3:30My sister & I enjoying the New River Gorge
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