As I have reflected on the first week, I see where God is about to use me like he never has before. I'm about to me a whole new person. Life, as I know it now, will never be the same. I have been calling this trip my "Launchpad". For me, that means I'm being prepared to walk in my true calling. I am ready to go and do all the things God has called me to do.
Saturday May 28:
You know how I said I was going to sleep in today? Well that didn't happen, but it's okay. I had to suck it up and deal with the fact that I'm not in charge of my schedule. Heck, I don't even know what I'll be doing tomorrow or the next week. I just play it day by day. So when people ask what I'll be doing tomorrow, I just say," Who knows because I don't." Not knowing what my schedule is usually stresses me out and I feel like I have no control over anything, but I am quickly learning that God will find you in those moments. So I'm putting my big girl panties on and living life.
Today we went to a seminar for the Chaplin of Panama. The meeting lasted from 9 am to 4 pm, but luckily for me, Joanne picked me up from there at about 1:30. We rode the metro, which was new for me. I almost got off at the wrong metro stop and Joanne had to pull back onto the metro, which was really funny. Then after the metro, we got on a public bus. I have never ridden on a public bus before, and when you're the only white person on the bus you get stared at. At this point, I just want to look down at my arm and act all surprised when I see that my skin is white. I am seriously over everyone staring at me because I am white. I know when you are staring at so please stop. Anyways, after the bus we caught a taxi. Once we got to the house, there waiting for us, was pizza. I don't remember the last time I had pizza. It was good pizza too. My pizza tank has been fueled. For the rest of the day, Joanne and I just hung out in the house. We watched the movie "When a Stranger Calls" and made brownies. After watching "When A Stranger Calls", a neighbor of the family's was at the gate and I looked at Joanne and trying to compose myself I said,"There is someone outside." At first she thought I was kidding then she saw them. It turns out that he was giving Matthew an invitation to a party. Joanne learned something about me that day. I get scared easily by two things, movies and freakishly large toads. So on our to the store to get ice cream for our brownies she yells, "SAPO (TOAD)!!" I said,"Not today Satan." and walked a little bit faster. For the rest of the night Joanne would look at me and say,"Not today." I have rubbed off very well on this family.
Sunday May 29:
I got up a little late this morning, but it worked out fine. I went to church with Joanne this morning. As we were leaving she was telling me that pastor is going to surprise his wife and they were going to stay at a hotel for 2 days. I thought that was really sweet. It wasn't there anniversary or anything. He did it simply because he loves her. I can't wait to have a marriage filled with Christ and love like that. When we got to the church, I ate a somewhat normal breakfast: fried bread and meatballs. Church started at about 11. The first week at church it was harder for me to get into the worship there because 1) it was in Spanish and I didn't understand what they were saying 2) I was really outside of my comfort zone in all honesty. This week I told myself,"Just because you are in a different country doesn't mean that your worship should be any different. He is the same God here and as the same God at home. He knows you." After telling myself that, I wasn't uncomfortable. I didn't magically learn the language in a week, but I still worshiped by praying and giving thanks. I sang songs of my own. I found a way. Just like how God has found a way to reach everyone of the world. It's really crazy to think that the same God we love and worship is the same God throughout the world. There's nothing else like that. The Holy Spirit is the same Spirit. Every element of God is exactly the same. The difference between the U.S and Panama is who is leading the service. Is the service Spirit led or does it have the agenda of man? Most churches in America are just very tight scheduled and comfortable in that way. The church I go to, however, is very much Spirit led. It is alive and thriving. Not all churches are that way and I am very blessed with the church I go to. In Panama the churches don't have an agenda, they just go for it. They worship with such humility and humbleness. Even though I am in a different country, I could really feel God's presence in that church. This Sunday we had a guest speaker from Guatemala. He talked kinda fast and I couldn't really understand him, but I caught more of what he said than what I had caught last week. I'm learning how to understand the fast Spanish and speak Spanish better. If I know what I am saying really well, I speak at the speed of the people who live here. After church, Joanne and I went to the store so she could pick up some makeup and then we went home. Lorena and her niece, Ruth, picked me up and we went to the movies. We saw the new Alice in Wonderland movie. When we sat down I was thinking that it was going to be in English, but when none of the commercials in English I knew that this was going to be in Spanish. I was correct. The whole movie was in Spanish with no English subtitles. I could tell what was happening because well they are acting out what they are saying. So from what I could tell, it was a good movie. After the movies, we went to Wendy's. I had to really use the bathroom. So I walked in there and it smelled like someone had relinquished fire and brimstone with a strong addition of sulfur in that poor, innocent bathroom. Once I stepped into my stall, I noticed there was standing water in there. That was a nightmare of itself. Then I went to go wash my hands and the sink attacked me and sprayed all on my shirt. I left the bathroom with my jacket zipped all the way up so no one could tell, but then I got really hot and just didn't care. After Wendy's I went back to Lorena's house and visited with her family. As soon I was walked inside that door, I knew I was family. I went back to my house and went to bed.
Monday May 30:
OH MY GOSH!! LORENA TOOK ME TO THE ZOO TODAY!!!! I couldn't be anymore happy about it either. There were so many animals. There were animals from Central and South American jungles. At the zoo they had the national bird there. It's called the Harpy Eagle. These birds are endangered and are protected. There were also a lot of monkeys there and other kinds of exotics birds. They even had an animal called the Tapir and it was a big pig like animal that was really exotic. It's crazy to see the variety in animals depending on what region they come from. After the zoo we went to the mall to eat some food. I had rice and chicken. Then I went back to Lorena's house and watched movies. Then I went home and went to bed.
Tuesday May 31:
Today I didn't do anything besides talk to family and friends back at home. I also watched full house on Netflix. I forgot how great that show is. During that time, it hit me that I was wasting my time. I thought," You could be using this time to really press into God." My Pastor back at home had gave me some advice that was ringing in my ears at that time. So I started reading and listening to worship music. I then felt like I wasn't wasting my time, but instead I was utilizing it to find the heart of my father and learn about him. After my quiet time, I talked to my mom on Skype for a little bit then went to bed.
Wednesday June 1:
Today hasn't been too eventful. Got up at regular time and went to the church. I thought it was a good time to read some more and listen to some sermons. So I listened to Kari Jobe's teaching on Worship. It was so good. She talked about the importance of letting our Spirit man sit down and let God be God and soak in his presence day in and day out. She also talked about the role of the worship leader. One thing that is really sticking out to me is that she talked about knowing the voice of the Lord. She used the verse John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." The point she brought up is; how are we supposed to know the voice of the Lord if we don't spend anytime with him. We know the voices of people who we are around the most. We don't recognize stranger's voices because we haven't spent anytime with them. This is how it is with God. To know what his voice sounds like in a world of other voices we have to spend everyday with him and let him speak into our lives.
We left the church around 2 pm and went back to the house. I took a little nap, but was woken up by a thunderstorm that lasted until 7 pm. It was raining very hard. Before going to church, I video chatted with Tori and talked to people from church. It made me realize how much I miss them and wish I was there. However, I am more than grateful to be here and to be serving. I just miss home. This has been the longest time I have been away from my parents. I am grateful that they sent me here though. After church, we went to go get food and then we went home. We got home at about 11:30 pm. I went straight to bed.
Thursday June 2:
Today wasn't eventful at all. I was really tired though. I'm not used to waking up this early. For school I wake up at about 7:15, but here I am waking up at 6:00. We were at the church until 12:30. Once we got home, I took a 2 and a half hour nap. It was glorious. The rest of the day we all just stayed at the house and relaxed.
Friday June 3:
This morning I got up and got ready. For breakfast we had pancakes and scrambled eggs. It was really good. I think it's the first meal in almost a week I haven't had rice. My easy weeks are about to end and I'm really about to get busy. I will be helping out at two different schools. I will also be helping out with ages kindergarten to my age. This will really give me a good idea of what age group I want to work with. The schools I will be working with are both christian schools so I am really thankful for that. I know that every kid that goes there isn't christian, but gives me an opportunity to share with them about my walk with Jesus and my life. It's the reason why I'm here. I'm here to be a servant. I really can't wait to start working there. I read this bible verse this morning that is so good. As soon as I read it, I knew God was in the room. The verse is Isaiah 42:6-7,"I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of you hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness." I can't explain it, but I just know that this verse is for me.
Today after we left the church we went to the mall to eat. THAT MALL IS HUGE!! It's the biggest mall in Latin America. It's seriously insane. For lunch I had chicken and rice (typical) and a salad which was really good. Now we are back at the house and I think we are just chilling for the rest of the night. This is the first day since I have been here that I'm not exhausted and wanting to sleep. I'm actually wide awake. As always, I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow so who knows if I'll sleep in tomorrow.
This second week has had it's ups and downs, but I am constantly reminded how much God loves me and how forgiving he is. Thank you everyone who has been praying for me. Please continue to pray for me as I go into these schools within the next couple of weeks. I am about to really pushed out of my comfort zone and will need the prayer. Thank you in advance. God sees you praying and I feel your prayers. I'm so grateful to have the support that I do. So thank you so much and God bless
Pictures from the week:
 |
| At the movies |
 |
| Just a cute little bird |
 |
| The National Bird of Panama |
 |
| Me eating a very yummy empanada |
No comments:
Post a Comment