One Month Mark

So we hit the one month mark this past week.

My thought so far:

{A}

Its been such a different experience than what I expected. I'v loved every moment so far. But its definatly not what I thought in terms of spanish. I gave my self very unrealistic goals for learning. I'v only studied spanish for 2 years back in the 10th and 11th grade of high school. I really dont even think that I really learned anything back then. I always ended up in the "bad" class. To this day I still think that the class I was in in 11th grade ran the teacher off. Becasue right befor we left for a holiday some smarty pants told the teacher to go back where she came from and when we got back from that break she was gone. So needless to say my 2 years of learning wasn't really learning. Anyways back to my unrealistic goals. I kept telling myself "your going to get down there and learn in a month and be fluent by the time you leave". Well one month has come and gone and guess what I wasn't even close to my goal. Now dont get me wrong I've learned alot just at A LOT slower pace than what I expected for my self. 

{B}

Bouts of homesickness. 

I've never been the one to get home sick and I dont know if you can even consider my feelings as homesickness. I just crave everything from home. I want to be around my friends, I want to eat my favorite foods (Chick fl A), I want to be stressing over studing for a test. I feel like im missing something here. Communcation with my friends has been really limited. Im used to the talk to you two or three times a day thing. Not once every two or three days.

Facebook dosn't help either! I get on and see pictures of my friends visitng each other and I have not even talked to them in weeks just dosn't help.  

I guess you could say im just home longing for everything home every once in a while

{C}

I didn't expect to come down here and make such amazing friends so fast!!

I was just talking to Monica and Tawni today about how wierd it was that we've only known each for a month. I feel like I've know them forever. My friendships have such a differnt depth to them since we have become such great freinds so fast. I love that God put these people in my life. Already I've been encouraged and learned so much from them. I've definitely made life long friends here! Its going to be so so so sad when december rolls around and we have to part ways. I don't even want to think about it now.

{D}

Im learning so much about myself.

I don't know if I it can put into words quiet yet

but im definitely learning so much about myself and what my future may hold.

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I know most of those didnt sound positive but I really am loving everything here. In life most things don't turn out the way that you expect them to and thats what happened here. I took it upon my self to "plan" what I thought it should be like. Well like eveything in like God had a plan and it definitely wasnt anything like my plan. It was far greater that anything I could dream up.

I saw this verse today and it so fits my life right now

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will recieve all that he has promised

Hebrews 10:23

I love this so much

patiens is what I need right now

and this is such a reminder of that

If im sitting here complaining about this and that then I'm not doing Gods will for my time here in chile.

I need to confidently trust that God has a plan here for me and that He has put me exactly where I am for that specific purpose.

I hope everyone back home has a wonderful Labor day weekend and enjoys the last few days of summer and I enjoy our last few days of winter!!