Exotic Fruit, Excellent People, and Exceptional Beaches... Welcome to Rio Everyone

These past ten days have been spent in the beautiful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Study abroad allows us to have a ten day free travel period where we are allowed to travel anywhere we'd like. (Well in South America that is ha) I, along with three other friends from the group, chose to do a beach vacation to Rio de Janeiro! Beach days during our semester? Not sure how I was so blessed by that!

Our trip has been unforgettable. So many things fell into place despite potential challenges. For one, there's the language barrier. All four of us have been studying Spanish for the semester and we were thrown into a world of Portuguese for the week. We've gotten very good at hand motions and charades this week to communicate what we want and have learned to laugh at all of our mistakes and miscommunications. I never thought I would think that going back to a SPANISH speaking country would be considered "easy," but compared to Portuguese speaking Brazil, Uruguay will seem like a breeze.
It has also been a challenge to navigate the city on our own. Fortunately we got everywhere we wanted to go.

Lastly, there were the safety concerns. Rio really is not the theft-ridden, random gun-war incidents, crime-up-to-wazoo, scary place that people make it out to be. Yes, safety is very important. And yes, it does happen here. But what city doesn't?! This city has so much to offer, and it's a shame that many will not visit because of the supposed horrible crime. 99.9 percent of the locals are the sweetest people I have ever met, and it makes me sad to think that the other .1 percent that are out to get tourists ruin Rio's reputation. We experienced no problems nor witnessed any crime either. Thank you Jesus for smooth safe travels!

My favorite part of the trip was our tour of a favela. Favelas are Brazillian slums. How did I find myself in a Brazillian slum? Let me explain. We found an organization that allows you to spend a day in a favela in a safe and educational way. The organization isn't doing it as a business, they're doing it because they care about the people in the favelas and want to change people's thinking on the favelas and poverty in Brazil. I learned so much from my time in the favela. The people in the favelas are so kind and full of life. And, ironically enough, I felt safer in the favela than anywhere else in Rio. Sure, the favelas have problems. But don't we all? A day in the favela taught me many lessons, and unfortunately I don't know how to put them all in a blog right now. Also, I got to ride a motorcycle taxi! Dream come true lol.

Among other highlights from my time here: the exotic, incredible fruits and juices. the warmth of the people (Brazillians are my new favorite group of people!). seeing Rio de Janeiro's city lights from the top of Sugarloaf mountain. Christ the Redeemer statue. running up the steps of Lapa- steps made from thousands of unique tiles by an artist. drinking coconut water straight from the coconut on the beach. experiencing the beauty of the botanical gardens and Tijuca National Forest. Santa Teressa, the historical neighborhood with great architecture. Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. staying in a hostel with people from sooo many different countries, gotta love meeting international friends. art museums and local art as well. the bright colors and delicious tastes of Brazil.

Well, I guess that sums up my trip. Until next time!

Dad Daughter Week

Time for an update from Montevideo! I realize that often my blogging gets so caught up in my random ponderings that I don't explain the daily things I have been up to! So here's a brief update on my life the past couple weeks :)

Two weeks ago: We returned from our trip to Iguazu Falls in Brazil and hit the books for a week. (A whole week of class? Heaven forbid we study here! lol) We also had a visiting faculty from the education department at ACU, Mitzi Adams. It was wonderful having another American here for a while and getting to show here around!

This past week: MY DAD CAME TO URUGUAY! This was one of the highlights of my time here. We went to a beach called Punta del Este for the weekend- a great daddy daughter weekend! We saw wind surfers (I'm inspired to learn now! lol), seals, a live fish market, the harbor, beautiful beaches, and an art museum. My dad also got to try all the amazing Uruguay foods. The most challenging part of the weekend was having me for a translator! But I suppose it was good Spanish practice. After Punta del Este, he spent two days here in Montevideo. I was able to show him all of my favorite spots- the beach, the Plaza, the historic district, the rose gardens, the cemetery, churches, etc. Overall it was a great time with him here! I definitely enjoyed myself and I hope he did too. Call me biased, but I think it would be quite hard to not fall in love with this beautiful country ;)

The week to come: Tomorrow I'll be leaving for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for 10 days. I'm going with 3 other girls and we're planning beach hopping, taking the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain, seeing the Christ the Redeemer statue, the National Park, art museums, and drinking a wholeeeee lot of Brazilian coffee and Guarana, the most wonderful soft drink known to mankind and native to Brazil. To say I'm ecstatic is an understatement :)

Until next time, besos y abrazos!

Dirt Versus Real Food

Bratty kids, we've all seen them. They scream in the supermarket line, cry in movie theaters, and whine in restaurants. Believe it or not, these kids exist worldwide, meaning they are just as present in South America as they are in the USA.

The other day, I witnessed a scene that (strangely enough) reminded me of our relationship with God. A toddler was playing in the dirt while his mother watched from a distance. The toddler picked up a big clod of dirt to put in his mouth. The mother, horrified, took the dirt away from the kid. The toddler bawled and screamed in protest. From what he could see, his mother was depriving him of something he wanted, the dirt. How could she take that away from him?! How dare she! The mother, of course, had a different, wiser view of the situation. She wasn't depriving her child, she was simply saving his taste buds and appetite for something much better- real food. She had better to offer him than that disgusting dirt clod.

This idea is so applicable to our own spiritual lives, isn't it? We're the bratty kid. We're sticking dirt in our mouths thinking we're going to enjoy it. God comes along and "deprives" us of that dirt because he has better in store.

So many times I question why God takes away. How could He deprive me of that relationship? How could he close the door on that job offer? Why would he take "fill-in-the-blank" away from me? But the truth is God takes away because he wants to offer us "real food." He's protecting us and giving us what is best for us. He "deprives" us of adultery to offer us monogamous, Biblical marriages. He "deprives" us of 10 percent of our income from tithing to offer us an opportunity to bless others and hold our possessions with an open hand. He may chose to replace one relationship for another, one job for another, or one opportunity with another. He's giving us "real food" through His will and plan for our lives. God takes away to give us something better.

How often do I miss this? How often do I react in frustration or anger, rather than seeing His taking away as a blessing? Now those are some humbling questions right there.

Breathe. Be Still. Be.

Breathe. Be still. Be. These three B’s are crucial to living a life of peace. They are commands I must tell myself about thirty times a day. Blame it on my high-energy personality; blame it on my culture; blame it on anything. No matter how I look at it, I have realized lately that I have a serious problem with being, with breathing, and with being still.

Since coming to South America, I have been learning grand lessons in this area of “being.” Cultural analysts have always asserted that American culture is all about doing and South American culture emphasizes being. The United States is marked with doing, going, and succeeding. North Americans’ are experts on finishing their to do list, getting the job promotion, multitasking, making the most money, and, of course, impeccable time management. None of these things are necessarily evil, but it causes us to forget the wonderful art of “being.”

Examples of South American’s “being” surround me. When I go to the rambla ("la rambla" is the area by the beach here), I don’t see people talking on their cell phones about business deals or walking briskly to their next appointment. The people at the rambla are sipping matte (Uruguay's version of tea... EVERYONE carries it around even on the streets!), chatting casually, flying kites, roller-skating, laying in the grass, and taking naps. Furthermore, I always take note that I am one of the few people who jogs along the beach while the rest of the crowd enjoys the ocean view. I love those runs, but my South American friends don't share that love for running. This is a mark of my American, high strung nature I suppose. When I pick up my laundry at G y G (the local laundromat around the corner from our house), the owners are not rushing around wildly to get their work done. Rather, they are enjoying their day and chatting with each other. Not having a million things going on at once allows them to greet their customers pleasantly and exchange stories from the day.

Westerners may mistake this "being" nature as laziness or inefficiency, but I see that this lifestyle is a positive approach. Being has benefits. It allows one to form relationships, a concept most Americans do not grasp well. It results in less stress and pressure than my culture. It creates an enjoyable life. I am learning three important B’s from my time here in South America: breath, be still, and be.

(As a side note, I was shown another blog recently that goes along with the idea of being. Zen Habits is all about simplicity and peace. Granted, the site has a Hindu/Buddhist/New Age vibe that I do not believe in, but when I look past that I think the site has some great insight into "being." The link is http://zenhabits.net/ for anyone interested!)

Our Daily Bread

Highlight of my time here in South America so far: This past week. Why? Well, in the past five days I was able to experience...

Iguazu Falls, a candidate for one of the seven natural wonders of the world

Holding a python

The black market in Paraguay

An Indian village

A colony of thousands of butterflies

Being in two countries at once, Argentina and Brazil

Standing in the mist of a huge waterfall

Rainbows

Hundreds of colorful birds and flowers

Almost having my lunch stolen by a cuati, the South American version of a racoon

Holding a macaw

White water rafting in the Parana River

A South American dance show

The best papaya I've ever had

And, best of all, fall more in love with God for his beautiful Creation through it all!

My trip to Iguazu Falls was unforgettable. One that particularly struck me was our visit to the Guarani Indian village, a tribe of Indians in Paraguay and Argentina today. Our tour guide explained to us that the Guarani live their lives thinking about the present time. They only prepare food for that day and there is not an emphasis on storing up material wealth. No one in this tribe is saving up for their retirement fund or planning dinner for next week.

This “living one day at a time” mentality allows them to enjoy their lives and have less stress or worry. As an American, I am so focused on the future that I often miss out on the wonderful experiences happening in front of me. As I write this, for example, I am stressing over my long weekend to-do list or dreaming about Christmas with my family in December or wondering what I will do after I graduate from ACU. Since I was young, I have been taught to look ahead, save my money, get a good education, and the like, all for my future. This future-oriented mindset is not always bad, but it does detract from “the now.”

As Christians, we are called to live in peace about the future. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “Give us this day our DAILY bread.” I believe that the Lord’s Prayer includes the word “daily” for a reason. We are not instructed to pray for food for tomorrow or the next day; we are told to ask for food for TODAY alone. By doing this, we are living in the moment and trusting that God will provide for our futures. We are given the freedom to live day by day without worry. The Guarani taught me a biblical lesson without even realizing it. In fact, most Guarani are repulsed by Christianity after being abused and taken over by Jesuit missionaries in the 1600's. The Mision is an excellent American movie on this sad crisis if you're interested. I was humbled by the fact that I learned this Christian principle from the Guarani, a tribe that does not practice Christianity. I hope to put this value into practice in my life by enjoying today and trusting in God for tomorrow.

The F Word... The Future

Hello friends!

First off, I should apologize that my blogging has been a bit lacking. This week has been one of schoolwork, schoolwork, and more schoolwork... with the occasional sun set on the beach thrown in the mix! (The picture on the left is taken from our favorite hill to watch the sun set. It's breathtaking to see!)

This week has included another event- planning our Spring semester classes in preparation for ACU registration. I'm going to be frank- I had been thoroughly deceived for eighteen years. Before going to college, the idea of making my own schedule, deciding on class times, picking my classes, etc. sounded so... exciting. I imagined it going something like this: "Well, I will sleep until noon every day (because of course I can opt out of morning classes), I will take classes like horseback riding and the history of cartoons (because obviously I get to pick my own classes), and I will take classes with my best friends (because of course their schedules will line up blissfully with mine)." Wow, was I silly or what? lol.

After planning my own schedule, I would chose other words to describe the experience. Stressful maybe? Confusing? Complicated? Let's be honest, I don't even know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow, how am I supposed to plan my classes for next JANUARY?! Of course all of this planning leads to hundreds of other questions. Will I graduate on time if I don't take this class now? Am I taking the right classes? Is this teacher hard? Blah blah blah. Class registration has a sneaky way of making me fret because it includes the dreaded F word... get your mind out of the gutter I'm talking about the Future. Thinking about my future, whether it be classes or deeper questions, can trouble all of us. The future is unclear often, and as humans we worry.

This morning, I was reflecting on this complicated process of "planning my future," whether it's class registration or deeper areas of life, and God really spoke to me. He's always got a wonderful way of doing that doesn't He?

Isaiah 42:16 says "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them."
I don't think I've ever been hit by the full meaning of this verse until recently. As followers, God has PROMISED to lead us in every area of our lives! How incredible is that!

Tozer in his book Knowledge of the Holy (quite possibly the most eloquent, beautiful, insightful book on God's character, in my opinion) puts it profoundly. "With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures."

So whether it's the uncertainty that comes with registering for classes next semester or much larger issues about the future, God will lead us through it all. What a relief that we can rest in Him and His plans for us! Because of His love and infinite wisdom, we can look to the future with hope, excitement, and joy, rather than dread or fear. We truly are "the most favored of all creatures," and praise be to Him for his faithfulness, both now and in our future paths!

Everything You Do Just Screams "I Love You"

"Everything You do just screams 'I love you,' and everything You are says 'I care'..."

This weekend our adventure was to La Paloma and Cabo Palonia a few hours outside of Montevideo. We spent our days walking the beaches and our nights making food and fire in our cozy cabin. While by the beautiful coast, I was listening to the song above by Cory Asbury (If you aren't familiar with his music, look it up! Mind-blowing good.) The words really spoke to me, especially while being surrounded by God's incredible creation.

The details of a tiny seashell. Horses. The ocean breeze. White sand dunes along blue beaches. Sea lions and whales. Shooting stars on the beach. Everything God does for us literally screams 'I love you.' And the best part is, He speaks to each of us personally. While I may be touched by the glittering sand, my friend may be touched by the seagulls floating through the air. God works to convey his love and power to each of us in a unique way.

I'm reminded of Psalm 8:3-5...
"When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower
than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor."

The Creator CHOOSES to love us uniquely. What a humbling, frightening, beautiful thought. It's not because we're great, it's because He is. With such a great God, how could we not want to respond?

If I had it my way Cory Asbury would sing a second version of his chorus at the end of the song. The chorus would say "May everything I do just scream 'I love You' and may everything I am say 'I care'..." I'm a longgggg way off from this goal, but it's what we are made to do and God is patient. May everything we do, say, act, create, think, breath, believe, hope in, and are show God our love.