God is incredible.

First of all, for anyone who has access to facebook and understands Arrested Development humor, look at this picture its comments: http://git.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30911134&id=12800721

Secondly, I just got back from my friend, Kassie's dorm room. We talked for three hours, and it was amazing. We talked about family, friends, death (I cried a little bit... but what else is new? =)), and tons of other stuff. I told her a story about the experiences that have shaped the person I am today... that may not seem like a big deal but, other than the person who was the other half of the trials, I have only ever told one person the whole story.

This may not seem like a miracle or even anything close, and maybe it's not. But, even with the most amazing best friend on the planet, I still think it's so important for me to have other close friends who I can REALLY open up to. My closest friends at school aren't Christian; I'm not that close to my Christian friends. A three-hour conversation centered around God is something, for me, that is rare and amazing.

I'm exhausted now. Chances are, my roommate will walk in, talk on her cell phone at full volume, and rearrange her entire closet at 9 in the morning, so I should get some sleep. Right now, though, I'm just happy. God is a stud.

This weekend was great, but completely exhausting. Maybe, with only nine hours of classes, that's how every weekend should be.

It's so cool, just to see God working in my life. I can tell I'm becoming a more laid-back person... not that I'm less opinionated (gosh, I don't need that to happen), but I'm just less stressed about small things, more willing to go with the flow. That is probably a good thing for me. Also, I've already talked and opened up to a few different people here. I think it's so good for it to become natural for me to do so - I don't have to pour out my whole life story to everyone, but I want to be able to share the relevant parts with people who need to hear it. On the mornings I wake up discouraged, I can pray and I am encouraged by God. I pray for the people at home who I love, and I KNOW God hears my prayers. There are hard days, and there are days when I miss the familiar... but there hasn't been a single day since I got here, in which I doubted that, right now, I belong here. Ridiculous.

I updated my travel blog, so read that too.

en vivo

the first "en vivo" was tonight. I didn't actually get to see it - I was downstairs, cooking dinner - but it seemed to go really well. It was a pretty full house, but some of the people I really hoped to see didn't show up. One girl, Samantha, reminded me of me freshman year...she said she's really busy, and doesn't really know a ton of people at El Pozo, but she feels comfortable there. She's older than me, but I can tell she's hungry for something... I hope she comes around.

Hopefully, this Thursday will include lunch with my friend Ivette. She's hilarious, and we have already had some really great conversations. Pretty good, considering the first time we met our conversation was "Como te llamas?" (what's your name?) and me staring blankly back at her. She's one of the few (maybe 25%) of the leadership group who is actually a Christian. She's such an important part of El Pozo, and I have loved getting to know her.

Life here is pretty good. Classes are a challenge while I'm in them, but they aren't very much work. I want to do well in them, but that's really just because doing well means speaking Spanish well, which would be a very good thing. I'm becoming much more comfortable here, too. I have hard days, but I never doubt that I'm supposed to be here... that's pretty freaking awesome. I already have nine true friends, and I have spoken more candidly with them than I do with most other people in my life. Kassie and I have already talked about how hard it'll be to separate from this group of wonderful people.

Our wonderful intern, Betty, could use some big-time prayers in the next 24 hours. I guess they found a pretty massive cyst and several lumps in her breast recently, and she went to the doctor yesterday and today for testing. They'll have the (preliminary, at least) results of the tests tomorrow night, and it's a pretty big deal. Betty is a crucial part of El Pozo, and she has been through so much crap in her life. She is someone you cannot help but love as soon as you meet, and it is impossible to imagine this semester without her. She has her struggles, but she is a strong, growing Christina. So... if you think of it, pray. Thanks.

Time for bed.

Yo tengo pinkeye.

Life in Mexico is both ridiculously hard and ridiculously wonderful. After almost a week and a half of pain, squinting, runny eyes, and (finally) not being able to open up my eyes at night, I decided that something more than just dry eyes was going on. So... I went to the doctor tonight. After she examined me eyes with a cell phone flashlight, she told me I had "conjuntiva," or conjuntivitis... pinkeye. Sweet. I'm taking the medicine, though, and I think it's already helping. It's hard to beat 27 peso eye drops, too. (That's roughly $2.50 USD)

Angie, our exchange coordinator, issued us two challenges for the week: 1) don't be at the house unless you're with a Mexican or there for an activity, and 2) don't take part in any activities as a group of 10. She's concerned we're using each other and the house as a crutch, and she doesnt want that. It's hard, but I agree with her. So... we'll see how it goes. I think it'll be okay, and I look forward to seeing how God uses this time.

I wake up most mornings feeling concerned about the day, but it's amazing to see the peace that God provides during my quiet time. I never doubt that I am supposed to be here, and that is amazing. I feel most alive, most secure, and most at peace when I am with people. Trips out for dinner, washers at the house, singing worship, or just talking makes me feel so good. I'm not normally an extrovert, but I think I am finally blessed enough to learn the lesson of community in the positive way, instead of the "man, I wish I weren't home alone without any of my community" way. Two of my team members hung out over here tonight, and we had such an awesome conversation. God is pretty awesome.

I should go to bed... we want to go to see some pyramids tomorrow, and we have to get over to the meeting place by 8:45 to see if there are any tickets left over. We're crossing our fingers. Hopefully, pictures and stories will soon appear on the travel blog. Cross your fingers. =)

esta bien

A few quick highlights from the day:

- This was last night, but a highlight, still: talking to my best friend on her birthday.

- Church at Torre Fuerte (strong tower). Especially singing "Glorioso Rey," the Spanish version of "My Glorious." It's SO cool to hear and experience worship in a language other than my own. It was just REALLY neat.

- Getting a roommate. Well... I actually am still terrified by this. But I have one. I am 99% positive she is a "fresa"... the word literally means "strawberry," but it means the uber-cool, pretty, made-up girls. They can be nice, but are known primarily for the fact that they ALWAYS look good. Her boyfriend, though, was really nice... he studied for a year at Ohio State, and he talked to my friend Kassie and me while he waited for her to unpack. I think my roommate is nice, just about as comfortable with her English as I am with my Spanish. =)

- A wonderful conversation with a team member. It was just really cool, just to realize how similar I am to someone on my team, and how much we both want to learn from each other. We talked about some good stuff, and I think it will be really cool to see what happens as our whole team bonds during the semester.

- Hanging out with two team members and one of their roommates. The roommate, a freshman who knows VERY little English, was so fun. We spoke Spanish for well over an hour. We weren't good, but she was patient, understanding, and hilarious. The highlight of that was definitely when I told her that owning the Spice Girls CD made my mom pregnant ("embarazado") instead of embarrassed ("avergonzado"). Nice.

- Watching "Arrested Development" with the exchange team... especially the episode when Gob tries to figure out who "Hermano" is, and Buster finally explains that "Hermano" is Spanish for "brother," leading to the line that made us all crack up:

Buster: "Yeah... it means brother. As in 'hey hermano...'"

Funny if you can imagine the Buster voice. Even funnier if you are living in Mexico and ask people if they have any "hermanos" on a daily basis, as you get to know them.

I guess that's all for now. Life is still good, and I'm hoping classes go well. I have been told the language teachers are really pretty understanding, and that I should be fine. I'm just going to try my hardest, and I'm doing my best to trust God. I know He will provide. That's pretty awesome to know.

time to quit thinking for the night

Well, I am finally officially "home" for the next 4 months. After four nights at La Casa Verde, we finally all got into housing. Orientation and registration are this week, and we're getting ready for classes to begin. Room 202 in Collegio Cain-Murray definitely doesn't feel like home yet. A few things connect me to the familiar - a picture on my desk, a sweatshirt on the bed, my computer, my journals, my Bible - but, for the most part, it's a little overwhelming.

Angie and Erin (two of the female team members) have convinced me to take "intermediate" level Spanish. This sounds INSANE to me, but they told me that if I understand present tense (I do) and if I know how to say "my name is Audrey" and "what is your name?", then I'd be bored out of my mind in a beginner class. So... I'm doing it. I know it will be a challenge, but I think it will be a good one. First of all, grades are meaningless this semester. I really want/need to remember that. Second, a challenging Spanish class will help me pick up the language faster, and I really want to do that. I will make a much more significant impact if I can communicate in the language of the people here.

I know I'm in the right place. I felt it today, sitting with three other team members, singing praise to God as rain beat down on the tin roof of La Casa Verde. Our team is a team of 10 people, and it is amazing to feel the completeness when all 10 of us are in the room. I feel like an idiot with the language several times a day, but I'm trying to not let that hold me back. Someone pointed out yesterday something that seems obvious... would you ever consider laughing at/about someone's lack of English vocabulary, if they were honestly trying to learn? I wouldn't, and I really don't think anyone (or many people, at least) will do that here.

It's just scary. It's scary to realize that five days has felt like five weeks, and that I will be here for four months. It's scary to share an apartment with a girl from Honduras who knows NO English. It's scary to realize that something that happened 10 months ago continues to affect my views about drinking - I didn't realize it had ANY effect, but I felt it tonight, watching three of my (female) team members drink. It's scary, but I know it'll be okay. God is here, holding me every step of the way. He can take anything I throw at Him, including a little bit (a lot) of fear.

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." -- Exodus 14:14

I'm in Mexico. I updated my travel blog, so check it out: http://audventures.blogspot.com. Read it, and leave comments. Yeah.

Being here is a little scary, but mostly good. It's only scary when I stop, sit, and think "man, this is scary." I think I can handle this. Rather, I think God can handle this. Our team is fun, we seem to get along well, and I know I will grow SO much in the next semester. Pray for me, for our team, and for the students at UDLA about to come to campus if you would.

In Walking on Water, Madeleine L'Engle says that she thinks one reason young people still connect to and love Pachelbel's Canon is that it provides a structure, a consistency that they crave in this hectic world. When I read that, it struck me as interesting, but I didn't think about it for long. Today, it popped back into my head as I was halfway through playing Pachelbel's Canon on the piano. It's less than 24 hours until the first leg of my trip, and maybe I'm craving a little bit of structure. I don't play piano or guitar nearly as much as I want to, but it seems that music is always there for me when I need a diversion. For that reason, I'm very glad that I'm going to be able to take my guitar with me to Mexico. I think it will provide a great form of stress relief and relaxation while I am there.

I'm nearly done packing, and it's making this all very real. It's still hard to believe, though, that I'm leaving TOMORROW. Crazy.

It still blows my mind, how supportive people people have been of this whole experience. A cousin with whom I have corresponded for a couple of years, but have never met, sent me a long, thoughtful letter with a contribution for my mission expenses that I'm fairly sure is beyond what her means should allow. Today, my boss sent me a check and something even more valuable - a short note telling me that he's "very proud" of me, and that he knows I'll make great contributions to the world. From a guy who has known me (and teased me profusely) for half of my life, that really means something to me. My best friend has been a constant source of encouragement, even when it takes the form of correspondence I require her to write. =)

It's time for "Jeopardy!" (The show has an exclamation mark, I'm not THAT excited about the show), so I'm going to head upstairs. It's my last day of Jeopardy! for a few months... I need to take advantage.