Realizing today how much I will miss my family, the Garcia Zarco’s.

Realizing how much God is teaching me here. Realizing he can call me to stay in Austin or go elsewhere. Realizing everything I’m learning here is applicable outside of Mexico.

Realizing that everything I’ve ever done in my life, which I deemed as useless, has led to this moment. I love music and guitar—-my Spanish sucks but I can play and sing songs with my host dad and brother, who love music and dancing. I love being active and sports—-playing basketball with my host dad Piña this Saturday (I think…remember? My Spanish sucks.). I like to stay at home and not do much—-them too! Ha, it’s incredible how I’ve seen myself molded since departure from the womb. Don’t throw away any interests or talents God has given you! He WILL use them eventually for himself. Just feel it. Do it.

—————————————

Also had a very beneficial/wonderful prayer session this week with a woman named Ann, who is an Intercessor. Taught me many things, amongst them: the importance of vulnerability, what it means to “take up your cross and follow me [Jesus]” (Matthew 16:24), and conviction of some root sins in my life. She was just an incredible, down-to-earth woman of God and i was so excited and honored to pray alone with her. Don’t wanna preach too much on my blog, but please ask me about my experience with her if you wanna know! :)

Will miss guayaba and surprise junk food Piña brings home and makes.

Request for prayer: To embody 1 Corinthians 13—-Love is PATIENT, love is KIND.

This photo is of some of the Spearhead leaders putting on a Jesus-centered clown show at a park in Mexico City. Clown shows are a popular form of street entertainment here and a very good way to get kids involved. It’s pretty cool seeing how Spearhead has found different ways of putting “the light” in a place where this culture can see it. (This really cleared up the confusing request on our packing list that said “clown stuff.”)

I’ve been reading “Speaking of Jesus” by Carl Medearis and it’s really speaking volumes to me right now as I’m also sumultaneously reading through the gospel message of Mark. Both are completely radical ways of thinking of Jesus, different from Western Christianity. Both have an extreme emphasis to not worry about theology or doctrines or anything else created by man to make sense of our FAITH, but to just follow Jesus because there is just no other way to get to God. Both speak of simply pointing to Jesus and not worrying about results because our job is simply to worship him and talk about “the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).”

This is definitely radical from the Western thought of Christianity because as C. Medearis puts it, Christianity is different from Jesus and when we try to convert someone to Christianity, we end up having to defend all the crap that comes with it.

What is there to defend about Jesus? Nothing. He speaks for himself and has from the beginning. No documentation of the life of Jesus has he ever had to explain himself and why it would be beneficial to follow him. It’s either FOLLOW ME and be saved. Or don’t.

All I have to do is point to Jesus and the rest is not for me to worry about. This is the courage and strength and hope that I was really seeking from my last post. Thanks for continued prayers, and keep ‘em coming! Mas! Mas!

Prayer request specifically now for believing and living out 100% of what I just preached >.<

P.S. If interested, here’s a short video clip of the clown show! http://qik.com/m/video/9b24be7f0a0b47da82ccdcbf7483b09a

Feeling slightly defeated with the language barrier today.

FULLY realizing this comes from strength that is not my own.

NEED prayers for much more of His strength and encouragement, por favor.

:)

VIDEO! Tour of mi casa.. http://qik.com/41247287/f579bd6d

Feeling really blessed right now with my host family and my new roommate/teammate Brenda. Both have been really wonderful to me and really patient in speaking to me in Spanish. I think I´ve been learning a lot, but it´s hard to think that when I still have trouble understanding simple things people are trying to say to me. Definitely picking up a lot of phrases. I can usually express what I want to say to people, but then I have no clue what they are saying back to me. Thank you for prayers in my willingness to learn! I´ve definitely gotten a lot of ¨wow, I´ve been really impressed how much effort you´ve been putting into trying to speak Spanish,¨which translates to ¨wow, I can´t believe how dumb you are willing to sound.¨But it´s definitely part of learning! I do make up a lot of words just to see if I get a good reaction and make up a lot of conjugations. I think Spanish class tomorrow will be good.

Apartment set-up is 6 people, 1 bathroom. Not the worst. And sharing a room with 2 other girls, 1 being Brenda and the other being my 15 year-old host sister. Please watch my video that took forever to upload for more details!

Mondays are our day off to reset. Mi papa works long hours y mi mama works til 5 but has a 2 hour commute home. Mi hermana Vivi has school starting at 7. She has to wake up at 4:10am to get to school on time. Mi hermano Raul has school at 8. Not sure when anyone will get home today… It´s been a good day of rest though. Just catching up on sleep, prayer, reading, journaling, emailing, Flickr uploads, learning Spanish at home with Brenda, etc.

Continued prayers for willingness to embrace learning the culture and language, and for my relationship with God to continue to grow through this experience. Additional prayers for my team (me, Jenna, and Brenda) and our work with the church we are at. We will be teaching English, helping with a short vacation bible school type thing for the niños (young kids) and Jevones (teenagers), and much more. Our church reminds me of my church back in Austin, Vox, a lot. Only 2 years old, runs as a kids party place the rest of the week (kids parties are a really big deal here), emphasis on community and doing things in the community. Yesterday was my first day at church and I have to say, they really know the meaning of hospitality here. Lots of hugs and kisses and ¨bienvenidos.¨

More to come. Hasta luego!

Arrived safely yesterday. This is my window view from my room at the hotel we’re at for orientation until Saturday afternoon when we move in with our families. Orientation has been good. There’s 13 people on the summer team with 4 facilitators and then the director and AD.

I feel like I’ve learned so much about MC already. One very important link between Mexicans and their faith is understanding the Virgin of Guadalupe and just how much the Catholic church looks to her for guidance and spirituality rather than Jesus. It was actually noted by someone who went on a tour here that when they passed by a “Christ-centered” church, the tourguide noted that it was a really strange sight. What the hell!

I also took the Spanish placement exam today. To no surprise, could barely read the exam. Excited to learn though! Our language classes will start Tuesday.

That’s it for now! Adios, mi amigos!

Flight tomorrow at 12:10pm.

Prayers for me to be open to LEARN anything and everything. Prayers for me to LISTEN to HIM.

This is what I’ll be eating for the next 8 weeks, right???