Argentina Policía and Monotony

Life has a sense of monotony right now.  Days that were once filled with adventure, now seem plain.  Where there was once fear, rests normality.  Walking down the streets, taking the collectivo to the university, and or passing time with friends no longer have the suspense that once existed.  I am acustomed to the culture, to the lifestyle, and to the city.  It is a strange thought looking back in my journal, when every event, every place, every person had a strangeness to them.  There was something that excited my soul and that made me feel as if I was walking upon the edge of life.  Life is good in Argentina.  

If you have regularly followed my blog, you would have seen a gradual change in themes.  I have talked less and less about the things I am doing in Argentina, and more about the things I am learning.  I first realized that something was changing, when I sat in front of a blank screen trying to remember what I did during the week.  All I could think of were the things that have been changing in my life.  I believe this changed has dervired from the fact that life here has become normal.  I am still learning the language and the culture, but even that has been normalized.  The other day I was watching a movie, and the beginning began with a Star Wars like opening.  The background of the film was written in English, but the narrator spoke in Spanish.  I was listening in Spanish, reading in English and did not recognize the difference in language until after the fact.  For me that was a little bit of encouragement that I was oblivious to the fact that Spanish was even present.  

I am able to tell little facts, such as I played a bit of soccer Wednesday, I went out Thursday night with a French student and the grigos, or Friday when I went to the house of Pablo (the boyfriend of Krystal, who is a Grace student that now lives here) and had pizza and a movie.  However, those things don’t have the buzz they once did. 

With that being said, I did take a collectivo home at five in the morning friday night, which was quite an interesting experience with a loud drunk woman behind me, who I was sure, was going to puke.  I was thankful, when she only spit on the floor.  Yea, that is how bad it was.  When she finally got off the bus, I looked at Tyler, who was sitting next to me, and we both shook our heads.  Last night as we drove home from getting something to eat with Lucas, suddenly we saw blue flashing lights and heard a voice over the a loud speaker.  Looking at each other, we asked, “What did he say?”  Lucas shut off the music and the voice spoke again.  Still not understanding the voice, but Lucas pulled over.  Being asked where we were going and for all of our ID’s the police checked the car over.  Then let us go without explaining anything.  

I love the Argentine police!

Four Months and Four Things I Miss

Family

I miss my family.  Such and obvious and cliche thing to say, but I can’t help but include it in my list.  I miss my mommy.  I miss picking on her, when she is trying to be productive.  I miss coming home and finding her watching TV, which the first thing I would do is cuddle up next to her for a moment.  I miss having to scold her when she does things that I was going to do or that she should make me do.  I love my mommy.  I miss my father.  I miss those nights we would sit and discuss soccer until finally he would stop us because my mom would be getting frustrated.  I miss his strong embrace, that he gives me every few days.  I miss seeing him stand over a grill and cook.  I miss seeing is quiet strength that leads and guides our family ever steady and ever true.  I miss my brother.  He is crazy, which is something I love about him.  I miss his ingenuinity and the fact that he is always at the forfront of technology and science.  I miss the the times when we fight and argue, and our dad gets worked up and howlers at us, while we just laugh.  I miss him tremendously, and I will give him a huge hug maybe even a kiss, despite the fact he normally does not appreciate my touchiness.  I miss my family sitting in front of the fire, sharing a meal, or watching a soccer game.  I love my family, and while I have had my doubts if I was adopted or not, I would not change families for anything.  

Grace

Most of the Grace students are excited to leave school and go home for the summer or travel, but I am sitting here missing Grace.  I already know that I am insane, but seriously.  After you have been away for almost five months counting Christmas break you begin to miss the school, when not so much the buildings, but the people.  I miss professors, which I would randomly drop in to see how they are doing and talk about education.  I miss my team, whom I play with every week.  We have sweated, bled, and cried together.  They are like brothers to me.  I miss certain relationships.  Friendships with classmates that I have developed from spending hours studying, working on projects, or simplying chilling.  There are friends that I have had for years that go to Grace, some of the best friends I could ever have.  I miss having to go to chapel and being filled multiple times a week with the truth.  I miss the feeling of sitting in a classroom and being surrounded with Godly men and women who are persuing Christ.  Yes, I would say I miss Grace.

Church 

Community Grace, my church, is a place that I have not realized until leaving how much I missed it.  To be completely honest, I took my church for grantit before I left.  However, as I have spent time in the chruch body here in Argentina it has encouraged me to return and participate even more in Community Grace.  There are so many people that I hardly know in the church that are Godly men and women.  I want to know them better, I want to learn from them, I want to grow with them.  I realized the value of a church body.  I am consistently encouraged here by the Argentine church, and even by Community Grace.  I can truely say that I miss my church and can’t wait to return.  I am not talking about the gym or the old sancutary, but the body of believers that I have been apart from.  

Ceramics

Of late I have missed ceramics.  I have always loved art, but my greatest passion is ceramics.  I love sitting at the wheel and forming a small vase.  I love the feel as the clay spins and centering it.  The clay rests in harmony with the wheel.  There is something almost magical at the moment it finally centers.  After the work is finished, and the glaze has been applied.  There is an excitement as the kiln is opened and the it is seen in its finished form.  The colors have come to live and it shine from the melted silicon.  I have always enjoyed this process, but this year, there is a ceramics club at Grace, which I have missed out on, which only adds to my longing to sit a a wheel.  I have recently began drawling different designs and ideas.  I have designed a series of vases, teapots, and mugs.  I am beginning to fill a small leather notebook with the ideas, which I hope to make.  I miss this art form, which allows me to relax, vent, and be myself.  

Where Did the Time Go?

So where did Easter go?  I was thinking today that I haven't written in a while, so I looked that the last time.  It was eleven days ago.  I wrote about some of my thoughts and experiences during Easter.  Eleven days have past, and I have done little out of the normal.  I have played a little soccer here and there.  I have went to my classes.  I have completed my homework, which last week was a hectic week.  I had a lot of homework to accomplish.  There were several essay and projects due on the same days, so I was a little stressed, but lucky the Argentina culture played in my advantage.  That is to say, due dates all less strict.  This saturday we went out to a café to watch the River game, and then later we went to a movie,  well I elected to go home, since I was feeling sick.  I came down with the stomach flu.  I missed church Sunday, but I got to chat with my wonderful parents instead.  I am still recovering, but man do I feel better.

I forgot to say that I was illegal one day.  Friday before my temporary visa expired I went to immigration, but it was closed.  They told me that I could come back monday in the morning, so I did.  When I arrived I talked with someone, went to wait in line, waited an hour and half, only to get told that I was in the wrong line.  So I went to where I belonged and the process took twenty minutes.  I would of been done in twenty minutes, but instead the process took almost two hours.  However, I am not illegal now, which I suppose is the plus side.  Other then that one excursion.  I didn't really do anything those eleven days since Easter.

However, some of the most important things I have been doing have not involved places I have gone, nor people I have met, but literally who I am.  Two Sundays ago, the question "Who am I?" resonated in my mind.  The message did not have this theme, nor did any of the songs, but I found not get the question out of my mind.  As I began to ponder about it, I came to some difficult conclusions.

While I was able to say the truth about my identity in Christ, I did not live day to day with such an identity. I don't know if this makes sense to anyone.  I am a son, child, friend.  I am loved, perfect, holy, and cherished.  I am wanted, desired, fought for, and died for.  However day to day I lived by the opposite.  I am a failure, I am an error, I am unwanted, unloved, and undesired.  I have no value.  How did such lies become the roots and foundation of my identity.  Over the past several days I have found myself confronting the very essences of who I am.  I am learning of the strength I have in Christ, the power of prayer, and how to live on the edge of the Spirit.  I have surrendered things and in the same moment vowed to fight and uplift them.  I have removed things from my life only to replace them with the truth.  I am righting wrongs and repenting.

I am a child of God.  I am HOLY.  I am HIS.

So as I sit in a library, I hear the tapping of keyboards, a man in the corner that reads aloud every day, and the quiet rumblings of the streets outside.  I have written the last letter that may never be sent, and the pain no longer bears so heavy.  Instead the joy of honoring God has begun to uplift my spirit.  I have sat and ponder where my time in Argentina has went.  I have realized that for each one us here, we have all had different experiences.  In many cases we went to the same places, met the same people, but the story that God is writing in each one of our lives is uniquely different.  The small moments of his province, where we can see his face and his hands working are different for each one.

I know this blog was meant to be about what I am doing in Argentina, but I cannot help but write, what He is doing in Argentina as well.  I will say we do have plans to come.  A possible adventure in Uruguay.  Also there might be an Yguazu trip coming as well.  There is only nine weeks left in this show, which I can't believe, so stay tuned for the next episode!

Easter thoughts

Thougths before Easter...

After playing soccer in the park I went home, rested a little, and then had Grupo de Vida.  Felipe, a good friend and a faithful brother, made dinner for us.  We did not sure eat together, but we shared life.  Laughing, joking, and enjoying one another.  Afterwards we took turns sharing things that we are thankful for, things that we adore about God.  I sat SILENT.  I sat thinking about all my sin and all my failures.  I sat thinking about my frustrations with relationships and how I all to often maintain attitudes, which may be best described as ugly.  In those moments that I sat silents, as others shared about people coming to Christ, about how their family problems draw them closer to God, and about how God continues to provide for each one of them, an image came to my mind.  I remembered the time I came crying to my brother asking if I could wash his feet.  I remembered crying with my parents over my sins and failures, when light was shred upon them.  I remembered the cross, which my Lord DIED upon.  

I am an ugly boy.  I refuse to use the word man, because I do not see myself as a man.  I see myself as a wandering boy, confused and lost.  He does not know how to handle the emotions he feels, nor does he understand how to fight the battles in front of him.  So he sits scared.  He sits idol and scared in a corner hoping someone will see him.  Hoping someone will rescue him.  

The lesson that God continues to try and teach me, but my hard head does not seem to want to learn it, is the fact that I have great power.  I have the power to say no to sin, because I have died to it.  I have the power to transform lives, because God uses me daily.  I have the power to live, and live life to the fullest!  All too often I neglect the power that exists within me.  The Spirit, that raised Christ from the dead, lives in ME!  I can live without longing for something I do not have, because I have EVERYTHING I need for this life and the next.  A lesson I still have not yet fully learned.  I have not learned to tap into the power that already exists in me on a daily basis.  

I once believed that as humans it is impossible to live a holy life here on this Earth.  My opinion has begun to change.  I believe that we can be holy on this Earth.  (And, yes.  I am taking aobut before the return of Christ.)  “Be HOLY as I AM HOLY!”  We are commanded to be holy.  Living daily and completely in the power of the Spirit we can find holiness.  It is a grand challenge, but it is my challenge.  As a believer it is my goal!

What I have been up to.

So I have past the half way point of my trip.  Still alive!  It is strange thinking I am half way done, when this trip has felt so long.  It seems that every day drags on.  Not that I haven't had fun or haven't enjoyed myself, actually the contrary is true.  I have probably enjoyed myself too much and had too much fun.  I am kind of thankful that the trip has seemed slow.  It has given me a good opportunity to relax, process, and learn.  Hang in there mommy... I will be home before you know it!

So last monday was a vacation day, so I didn't have class.  I took the day to rest and ended up going to a park to play fútbol.  Actually I seem right now to have forgotten what I did Monday.  Not sure if I was even alive that day.  It may come back to me...  Okay I had to draw a diagram of what I did for the week, but I figured it out.  I didn't go to a park Monday.  I went out with the Merinos (Brittney's family), Andrés, Tyler, and his family.  We toured the city a little bit.  Ate lunch, and afterwards I went to soccer practice.  Which is a story in itself.  The subway was not working, so I walked twenty-five minutes to the train station.  My twenty-five minute trip from down town ended up taking fifty minutes, but I arrived although I was a little late.

I went to classes Tuesday.  The classes were kind of boring, but afterwards I went to the house of Fernando.  He had his birthday and we were invited to celebrate with him.  He ate a delicious asado, which is like a cow-roast.  Literally they cook about every part of the cow and then eat it.  I enjoyed most almost all of it haha.  I skipped my classes Wednesday, and then thursday morning we set off for a small town outside the city (San Pedro).  We went camping for the night and hung out.  Just enjoying each other's company, walking through the small city, eating, and drinking mate.  It was a good time, and then we returned home the following day.  Saturday I went to the park to knock the ball around and then once again I helped in the children's sunday school class.  And back to school and soccer practice as normal this week.  

Good times here in Argentina... there is more I am able to write, but for now I will leave it there.
Chau

Entry #17

Thoughts leisurely stroll through my head as I sit in one of the small grey chairs that were placed neatly in rows waiting the entrance of the bride and groom.  A simple melody floats from a piano, which is accompanied by a sweet girl in a elegant purple dress.  Casually she elects each note, and strikes the keys with precision. As if I was constructing those sweet tones out of air, my hands mimic the touch of each key.  Restlessness can be felt in the air as the crowd begins to grow and seats are filled.  There is not a pause in the melody, which continues to stroll amongst the people.  From the back of the crowd, a man emerges, who is dressed in a formal black jacket and pants, which from the creases, I would suggest, have recently been pressed.  He walks to the small stage and greets the crowd through the microphone, urging the crowd to finally be seated.  Moments later with the crowd seated the bride and groom enter, walking slowly to the same soft melody.  With what strength he has, he helps his bride to the stage.  She has grown frail over the years.  The years they have spent working, raising their family, and glorifying God have not always been easy, and in their late years their bodies have begun to feel the wear.  This is not the first time they have been wed.  This is not the last time they will be wed.  Each day for fifty years, they have elected to wed each other.  Each day, while there may not have been a grand ceremony, they were bride and groom choosing to marry.

The golden wedding, which I attended last night was magnificent.  The story of how they were married, found Christ, and raised a marvelous family was wonderful.  The video of old photos with the interruptions from the bride and groom were both funny and lovely.  I fell in love with  with the violin and piano gracefully playing.  I could not help, but thing fifty years is a long time.  My heart began to stir as I thought of same opportunity and challenge, that one day, God willing, I will have.  

After cleaning up and leaving the church at one in the morning, Brittney, Andres, Krystal, Pablo, and Melody, and I went back to my house to play cards.  We played cards and games till five in the morning.  We decided to play Euchre and then a trivia game, which I am no unable to remember its name.  I happened to realized I cannot stand how the U.S. uses the U.S. Standard System.  Why on Earth do we have our own system?  I don't understand.  I am on this rant because the game had trivia questions about distances and area and depth, which obviously I failed at because I don't understand the systems.  

Then decided to go to Mc Donalds, but we did not eventually go to Mc Donalds.  Well we actually were standing in the drive-thru, but did not order anything.  This is actually kind of an interesting story.  We went to a Mc Donalds, that we thought was a 24 hours Mc Donalds, but it was a 24 hour drive thru, so we thought about taking a taxi through it or walking though it, but sadly we did not do either.  We decided to get a little something to eat and go to the river to watch the sun rise.  As we all sat cold, eating food that really was not that great, we marveled at the beauty and glory of God.  Melo pointed out that we are at the second dirtiest river in the world, and still somehow it was incredibly beautiful.  Thankfully Andres had is camera, because we took a ton of pictures.  Most were good, some were strange, and the rest were simply goofy.  It was a long night, but a good night.  As Andres said in Facebook, we have a new record.  "8 a.m."  Thankfully Monday is a holiday.  I may be able to rest a little then.  

"Toy Story" Soundtrack

I am having a bit of writer's block.  Maybe it is because I am not a writer, and I normally try to present my random thoughts in a poetic prose with sophisticated words.  However, I am a simple man with simple thoughts, goals, and dreams.  More likely I cannot write because I have a tremendous amount of pressure compiling in my head.  The last two days I have not felt well.  Increasing pressure in my head, a nose that can't be caught, and some irritation in my throat.  I would say it is nothing more, then the change of weather and a small cold, but I find it difficult to write these days.

Classes are settling into a rhythm much like normal.  There is homework, classes, homework, class, and the dance continues.  You all understand how it goes.  I have begun to play more and more fútbol, although today I lack the initiative to go.  Feeling ill and wanting to be in good health has kept me sidelined today.  However, playing with the school has become one of my favorite things to do.  It is a different group of individuals that I have the opportunity to know and talk to.  Monday we ran for more then an hour, it is so strange, but I enjoyed it.  I enjoyed pushing myself to that next level when the legs were heavy and the breath was short.  Then we played eleven's.  I had an opportunity to play number "cinco" and "cuatro."  In other words that is defensive center-mid, and left back, but I kind of like the number system better.  Other then fútbol and school, my days do not consist of much.  I am lucky to get a little down time.

Today in my economy class, I had to present a chapter in our text.  Once again I realized that I am meant to be a teacher.  I am in world that I struggle at times to communicate, in front of a group of French, German, and U.S. students, and I am sure that my Spanish was not the best.  However, despite my circumstances, I spoke between ten and fifteen minutes, and was able to convey what the factors that cause the development of the Latin American economy in the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.  I know!  Right?  It was strange though, because I almost felt like a different side of me took over.  I was feeling sick, nervous, and a little scared, and suddenly.  I just started to teach IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE.  It was a victory for me today.  I seem to be able to find little victories a little more often recently.  I have had random conversation on the bus with strangers, successfully bought food on my own, and even at fútbol, I talked to the coach and players all in Spanish.  Little victories are beginning to fill up my life.


Strange, when you are so far from home.  Sometimes you feel like there is the Great Wall of China between you and once close friends.  Simple things like not knowing they took off to Chicago for the weekend, changed their name on Facebook, or even baked cookies, suddenly are transformed into live changing events.  You realize how much you have taken for granted the simplest of relationships.  I am realizing that those conversations after class, those quick "hey how you doing," or the random lunch/coffee get togethers are sometimes the most important times with friends.  Being away, you begin to miss it all.

Oh, and I doubt that many of you understand how the title and what I wrote relate.  Well I watched Toy Story 2 last night, and I thought the songs was a good depiction of my life.  Especially, "You Got a Friend in Me," and "Strange Things" are great interpretations of my life.  Well thanks for your prayers.  Thanks for your thoughts.  I miss you all.