12 Days of Christmas

Christmas time is here! I have been loving my Christmas with my Family. Its been nice to see them all after being away for so long. Also seeing friends and being able to spend many nights just hanging out with them all... catching up on everything that happened all year long. Its been exciting to see that there have been many changes. Sisters growing so much taller, excited about sharing their whole year with me, friends growing in their own personal paths, sharing their news, ect.
 But at the same time there are things that haven't changed. And I appreciate that there will always be some things that dont change.... mainly just sisters and friends that can always make me laugh over silly things they say, or just nonsense things that happen. I really appreciate that those moments still happen even when I've been gone all year and have been home barely 2 weeks. Needless to say, I've enjoyed the 12 days I've been home so far. Its been a blessing and I'm so thankful that God opened the doors for me to be able to spend Christmas with Family.

Ultimo de South America

The leaving of South America for the year of 2014 has arrived. Whether I'm ready for it or not. Here we iiiiisss. The last few months of the school were full-scheduled... meaning packed!!! We did tons of things. And we worked a ton. We Studied. Had fun. Spent all our last moments together. Stayed up late. Maybe got in trouble a few times. Maybe had fun anyway. Ate foods for the last times. Had goodbye parties. And everything under the sun that leaving entails.
    Also met tons of awesome people even in the last month! And most of them were those great friends that seem like they've been there forever. Friends are truly a blessing.
    I've officially left Argentina. And am in the middle of traveling home. I have a layover in Lima Peru right now and it's hard to believe that my next stop with be in the USA! I feel like I'm going back in time or something. Sometimes I forget about the States and it just sounds like a land someone made up and mentions once in awhile. .... At least that's what happens when your here.
 Jajaja that's that.
My flight is boarding so reckon I shouldn't miss this. This flight takes me to the land where Christmas is probably celebrated the most. Maybe I'll join them on that. I do love Christmas after all.
     I'm glad I'm coming back to SA because I'm already missing Spanish.

We call this secret Ninjas

Renita officially had a tiny glimpse of what it may be like for people running for their lives and hiding forever. She may know the feeling of attacking dogs at 3am, and praying for birds to hush their squawking mouths. She along with her two frriinnnds may have been the cause of arousing those birds, and probably those dogs too. The Security of the school may have become suspicious from all the racket. They may have went to clear the coast. She may have had to cover her head because its a little white and if seen.. the whole world knows who owns that white head. They might have had the most obvious route plan. That was full of lit up lights. But it may have been the only way. The lights lighting up the 3 story staircase we needed may not have helped. The full-wall windows along that staircase may have been the dead give away. And it might have been the reason security followed them as soon as we were seen. Either seen or heard. But definitely heard. She may have flown-climbed up a ladder at the top of 3 stories faster than she ever has in her life. And probably kicked a dog in the meantime. She and her companions might have been in the stairway at the same time as security. And she might have been the last to fly up that ladder. It may have been just in the nick of time. The roof on the top of the 3 story building was probably our life saver. She learned what is means to be make complete silence. And made that silence pretty dead silence. She may have had a heart attack every 10 minutes when the air-vent turned on. They may have been nearly discovered. The security may have been right under them checking almost everything. And they were probably just right above. Probably through a peephole that wasn't even closed. They might have waited hours not to get caught. She may have fallen asleep while hiding on a roof.
They probably waited til the safest time to go back. And they probably prepared for anything. Preparing.. even expecting to get caught. But they may have ran so fast. Probably all adrenaline. It may have been the greatest escape in history. (Ok. maybe only in the history of 3 girls at a Bible Institute)  Much less to say. We might have done all this because of those stars that shoot at night in the cielo.

Sunday Worship Blessing.

     Al estar ante tì 

Adorando frente al mar de cristal 

Entre la mulltitud

En asombro alli me abrè de postrar.

    Y en mi canto mirè 

A millones proclamandote Rey 

Y mi voz oiràs 

Entre las multitudes cantar 

     Digno es el cordero de Dios 

El que fue inmolado en la cruz 

Digno de la honra y el poder 

La sabiduría suya es. 

    Y al que està en el trono sea el honor 

santo santo santo es el Señor 

Reina por los siglos con poder

Todo lo que existe es por El

Last day.

We have exactly 16 days left of being here at the Institute. But today is our very last day of classes.. Because next week we have a week of exams and the following week is closing with a Conference.
    Today for class, we watched a video called "How Great Is Our God" which was an incredible way to finish our last day of classes. And leaves you astounded in your seat at the incredible God we have. I don't really have anything I can say about it cause it just leaves you speechless.
So this is the end. Here watch if ya like.

 http://vimeo.com/m/44485151

Guts. Toads. Ploppy milk.

Just some random momentos de este semana. (AKA random moments this weekend)                1. I learned that I should always listen to my gut feeling... And when it tells me to keep walking.. I shouldn't just walk away. Run.           2.The Americans in the bilingual program that just arrived in September, decided to enjoy the warmer night out on the lawn drinking mate, I joined them and soon began to realize how long it's been since I've been around Americans. Everything about the way Americans converse is so different, strange and funny after not being around it so long. Anyways, that's beside the point. What I wanted to tell you is that at some point one if the girls pointed out and shouted "TOAD!!" And yes this place is loaded with frogs everywhere... But it was so funny for me because I completely forgot about the word ---toad in English. I haven't heard it all year, and for some reason it just made me laugh and be like "huhuuu, Toad?! That's a word we use?!!"   Anyway... I realize that's not really funny if you've never experienced being surrounded by another language all year and then all of the sudden people show up around you, using all these old phrases and words you forgot all about. But I decided just to tell you anyway.     3. Today I drank a full glass of milk for the first time all year. When the school only serves powdered milk that always has floating plops of powder in your cup of coffee... You lose the desire to drink plain milk. But recently, the school apparently had mercy on milk lovers and changed the brand of milk they serve. It's not good-ole red whole D milk from home. But it's at least liquid now instead of powdered. And this morning I couldn't take going without a cold cup of milk any longer. So I had my first cup today. Guys. I may be counting down the days to drink a beautiful cup of whole milk.   

Exam Frenzy.

I reckon since I said I would tell you about it later…. I should do it. So this is what it looked like after getting back from the Tour.
    We arrived a day earlier than we normally do from Tours. We got back on a Sunday afternoon, so we had an afternoon to get settled in, and the majority of us slept almost all day catching up on sleep we missed on the Tour.
    Each week our classes start on Tuesday instead of a normal Monday. Monday here is like a Saturday because it’s a day off! You only have work around campus in the morning and then its free the rest of the day. Buuut. For those of us returning from the Tour… we don’t have to go to work since its our exam week.  So we studied all of Monday.  We were all expecting to do our first exam on Wednesday, when they told us it would be on Tuesday afternoon. So we literally started freaking out since we only had one day to study.
    On top of that the first Exam on Tuesday was the hardest one. So one Monday night, 3 of us girls decided to study all night until we were ready…. That is IF we could be ready in time. We brought out food, coffee, blankets, everything anyone would need to stay up all night in a girls hall-dormitory.
    One of the reasons we were so pressured with this class is because we were assigned to read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy in 4 weeks. Now that isn’t so hard… its just a book a week. Buuuut say your name is Renita.. and say you were in the middle of reading a book (for pleasure) and decided to try finish that book before you start on the reading assignment for class… then say…. you end up having to read those 4 books in 2 weeks (one week being while on tour and doing 3 shows everyday) So I suppose that wasn’t so wise of me to read other books when I had a reading assignment. But, that’s how it went yall.
    So luckily on the Tour, I was able to read Exodus and Leviticus… basically any free moment we had I would read a chapter here, then a chapter there. A chapter right before my song, or while riding in the bus 10mins away. Just everywhere. And little by little I read the 2 books.
   Then coming back to campus I had to read 2 more books, PLUS study for the whole class! Annnnd I only had ONE day. So that’s why this exam week was so insane. Jana and I sat on Monday morning, and almost read the 2 books in one sitting in the morning, but I left a tiny bit of Deuteronomy for later. Then started all the class studying. We studied in the hallway that night…. Allllll night. Literally. We would get off track sometimes and start talking, or we’d get really sleepy so we would make more coffee… or run a few times around the building (well maybe Jana was the only one who did that) but needless to say…. Around 5am Andrea decided to go to bed, and Jana just conked out on the hallway floor. I would have loved to sleep, but still (even being 5am) didn’t feel ready for the exam. So I kept studying, thennn started getting ready for the day. We left the hallway around 6am since everyone starts getting up… technically we weren’t supposed to be out studying so late. But there was no way we were just going to go to bed not being ready for the exam. 

      In the morning I got to see the sunrise, then decided to finish reading Deuteronomy. I kept nodding off while finished the last 5 chapters though. I guess not sleeping all night does that to you. So I may have slept 15 minutes throughout reading. 7:45 -- we headed to class! Sleepless and going to our new classes! Our exam was at 2:30pm so we still had the morning to go over things. I was studying through class a bit, and then skipped lunch and studied until 2:30.
    In the ennnd. The results of my exam is that there were still a few questions on the exam that I didn’t know.. which ended up being actually silly because the teacher gave a Questionnaire for all the students to know what to study, but since we were gone on tour not being there  that day.. so a friend gave me the questions when we got back. …. But unfortunately not all the questions were on that paper. So there were some I didn’t study for. Ahhh well. these things happen in life.
     So after the test, I finally went to sleep for 4 hours. My friend had to come wake me up to go to Study Hall, since I slept through dinner too.
   Ahhh! The other thing that made exam week super crazy was having a music presentation/competition right in between the two exams! Thats another whole story though, that maybe if time is nice to me this month... and my brain remembers to write about.... and myself feels in the mood for it.... I'll tell you about it. IF NOT. Thennnn. Ohwels-huh. 

     But. I suddenly lost interest in continuing this writing, to which I'm sure you'll be happy to hear.    So instead I will show you some random photos. 

A little look into what Show is... this is us on the tour, and here we're at a school in a morning.
Only because you can't recognize.. I'm the 1st girl in the long blue dress on the left :P


Show in a Plaza. This is the opening scene....
as you can see the "Director of Show" appears and is welcoming the crowd.

Thiiiiiisss.... is me trying to cram in reading the whole book of Deuteronomy is less than 24 hours, I decided to break out the good ole saved Peanut Butter to motivate me.

This is called Renita, Jana (American MK to France) and Andrea (Ecuador) starting to study at 11pm and really freaking out cause we know nothing for the exam ...YET!

                                                Still goin' at it at 3am. We got this ya'll.

Annnd... this would be 5am, Andea had just decided to hit the hay, and Jana just conked out in the hall. .... I was too unprepared to do either. 

Left my studies for a quick relaxer and see the new day start out.

Annnnd. This is how a crazy week of Exams is.... except I only told you about one day. So... basically all the days are something like this sort.
Thats all I gots for nows.

Peace out girl scouts. 

   Submission to Gods divine will is the softest pillow on which to rest.

It filled the room, and it filled my life,

With a glory of source unseen; 

It made me calm in the midst of strife,

And in winter my heart was green.

And the birds of promise sang on the tree

When the storm was breaking on land and sea. 

Traveling with Show. Sometimes I wish I was a Gypsy.

So as you saw we stayed the first night of our tour with families from the church. Then we all loaded up from that section of Cordoba and went about 2 hours to the other side of town. 

    A family that owns a camp resort as their business offered for us to stay there for the week free of charge. It was a huge blessing to Show because we all (40 people in Show) stayed in one place and didn't have to get rides to so many different places every night.  Splitting 40 people up into houses every night on a tour sometimes gets complicated :P Especially when your days always end around 1am every night and THEN you have to make sure you have rides and wait for your turns to come around ;) 

   At the Camp Resort we were able to use the kitchen to make any meals we needed so we would breakfast there and then head out for the day. We normally had about 2 presentations a day. Doing one in the morning, eat lunch where we were... Usually a school or a park. And sometimes we had a few hours before the next presentation.. so since we were close to downtown we would go to a big mall and cool off a bit from the sun :P Normally just walking around and eating a nice cold ice cream. Or sometimes half of us went to relax in a plaza or park. 

   If you would like to hear a silly story about two young girls in a fight I will continue to tell the following... 

    One day we had some free time. So some went to a mall and others went went to relax under a runway bridge. It had a river under it, so we grab our books to try study and relax under the shade of the bride while soaking our feet in the cold water, we then meet two young girls, we made conversation with them and shared why we were here in their city. Later on in this story (a story that is actually real life) one girl splashed her friend and accidentally wet the girls watch -meaning it broke. Her friend got all mad and when she had the opportunity she pushed the other girl in the river!
And we're just there nice and calm you know, and watchin these two girls start a rival.
     The girl who was pushed in had her cell phone in her hand so obviously that got wet and wouldn't turn on... Which now turns her back on her friend. First the girl who pushed her in ran away for her life... But then she comes back, and the girl grabs her backpack and says she's throwing it in the river... Unless she would jump in herself. So she now jumps in so her friend wouldn't do it, when she gets out, she makes the mistake of getting out on the other side. She then wanted her stuff but she didn't want to cross the river again. Besides that her friend was still upset about her phone an just kept challenging her to do it. "Just cross over to this side. Then well see what happens" she kept saying. So for an hour the girls fought back and forth about breaking each-others watch and phone, and how they both ended up on the water, so everything should be equal. But it just kept going on and on cause they kept at it. Meanwhile about 15 of us are just under this large bridge in the middle of these two 14 and 16 year olds little girl fight.  Finally the girl convinces the other girl to throw her stuff to her across the river. We were all like "noo! It's not going to make it!" But she throws it and luckily it makes it... But she forgets to put her sweater inside so she goes to throw it back over in order to put her sweater inside... But throws it very... lets just be real here and say: like a lil girl! It basically goes strait up and comes back down to land in the river and start floooowing down the river... Then they both start chasing it from both sides of the river! and and then! and one of them ended up jumping in to get it!! And then! And then!!! ..... And that kind of ended their little rampage. The end. 

     Well that was our little entertainment of that afternoon.  Needless to say, we didn't get much studying done due to hearing these 2 girls argue and threaten each other for an hour.
   So throughout the 10 days of our tour we manage to get tons of little stories such as these. But if I told all of them I would bore you all to death.
    Meanwhile we're back at the Institute now, we had a week of Exams to catch up on since the whole school takes exams while we're on tour, we have to make them up when we get back... along with going to new classes. So we basically come back and jam, cram and stuffff in everything we can all day until exam. Annnnd only lose probably gallons of sleep and drink hours of coffee. (that might have been switched on purpose or not) But now we've finished our week of exams (it was probably one of the craziest I've had. I'll tell you about it later)
Buuuutttttt I think I'll just leave guys  cause its time for me to go to a practice I have to be at.

PS. I know Gypsies have nothing to do with this. but that doesn't change the fact that I wanna be one.
     

    

Fullest day possible.

Today is about to be a flying full packed day of Show. We have 5 presentations scheduled and we have only ever done 3 in one day. It's gonna be interesting but everyone is ready to give it all we've got! This time we're not running late from traveling 14 hours, but most of us are running on 3-4 hours of sleep.
     We all met at the bus this morning at 6:15 and now we're at a school doing out first presentation at 8am this morning. Then we have 4 more throughout today. It's packed to the fullest!
I reckon by the end of the day well be pulling energy from every side possible.
Wooooott. Lets take on this challenge!

First Day of Show Tour

     First day of our 10-day tour! It has been quite a day. We started out last night leaving from the Institute... We were supposed to leave around 7pm Thursday night, but our bus broke down on the way over so we it didn't arrive until about 11pm and the. We had to load it with all of Show supplies, scenery, props, costumes,ect... And then out luggage. Lets just say the goal of leaving after supper... Flew out the window and down to midnight.
      Travel time to Cordoba Argentina from San Miguel del Monte (where WOL is) is supposed to be around 10 hours. We needed  to arrive early Friday morning and had a very packed day planned with 5 presentations planned! Five is a lot for one day... We've ever even done 4 in one day. We do 3 a day often.. But even 3 is a packed day of only stopping at meal times, with maybe 2 hours after or before a presentation. So the only way possible to do 5 in one day is if we do it in the same place more than once (which was the plan) but since our bus didn't arrive afte supper... And we didn't get going until midnight. We couldn't make it to Cordoba in time for the morning presentations. So sadly, we missed two this morning while we were traveling as fast as we could to get there.
      Traveling in the bus all night: means everyone sleeping of course. I had a seat that wouldn't lay
back at all since it was broken. So I moved to the floor right in front of our two seats. Just curled up into a ball all night and slept. It was so much nicer than a stick strait chair. Although I nearly froze in a ball down there.. But I would wake up every so often and move a bit :P hahah we call this doin what you must to sleep.
    We arrived to Cordaba around 2-3 this afternoon. We ate lunch as fadt as ae could since we were so behonh schedule. We set up in a school to do the presentation. Unloading the bus, and setting up the scenery of show takes about and hour. Then the presentation itself is and hour and a half, and taking down and loading up the bus again - another hour. So it's generally about 3-4 hours in all for one presentation.
    After loading up from the school we went strait to a park. Set up and started about 7pm. Finished there and loaded up to our last place of the day - and started the last one at 10pm. It was definitely the latest we've ever done a presentation, but there were lots of people waiting there before we even got there.
     By the time we finished the last one. It was 1am and we sat down for supper at 1:30am.
We were all super exhausted by very hungry. Traveling in a bus 15 hours all night, sleeping in the bus, then jumping in to a full day. It was packed but we enjoyed it.
   Now we are dispersed into houses of about 8 families from the church. And getting a good nights rest for another day tomorrow of 3 presentations! It will probably be able the same as today... Except they probably won't be as late since we were behind schedule from traveling. We're in these houses just one night and then we'll change again.
    It was a good first day. Super packed. But full of the blessing of presenting the gospels through show :)   Also tonight I could smell honey-suckles and it flew me to a spring day at home. I miss those y'all.
 
   

Thanks of today guys.

    Today is a beautiful day here in Argentina. The summer is finally arriving and everyone is loving the fact that we can walk outside in T-shirts finally. The last 2 nights my room has even slept with the fan on and window open. Though some people think its still to early for that... But we're snaggin up summer as fast as we can guys!
     After eating the same breakfast all year.....Lets just say the students are more than happy to go to breakfast (no matter how early it may be) when we are served eggs.
     This morning I think I just want to tell you I'm thankful for chickens because they give us eggs.

JUNE: Breaks and Adventures

The Month of June we were given a free weekend to visit friends, get to know Argentina, visit Church ministries, or do anything we would like! I was invited to my roomates house who lives in Buenos Aires, so about 5 of us girls got together on Friday after classes to go tour around Buenos Aires, but more than that to get to know her family and spend some time in a house once again! For me that was my favorite part!! Being in a real house with a family of 6 with girls my sisters age and getting to spend time just talking and playing with them just like I would at home. 

Being at school makes you realize how much of Family life, and just doing the everyday happenings of life... that you miss that a lot being away so long. So I loved being with a family even just for a few days, they were truely a blessing to me in more ways than one and they opened their home to us as the 5 of us students were their own daughters! We all were super excited to have the oppotunity to visit a family and get to know Argentina outside of the School :P

Jana and I enjoying a beautiful morning at a "linda" cafe :P hahah oh, the stories we walked away with from the waiters at this place!

Taking the train to Buenos Aires! 

They took us around to some tourist places... I decided I loved this tree so much I'm probably going to do this to all the trees in my yard. 

You cannot go to Argentina without learning about "Mate" the special Tea they drink here. Guys. This is a subject in and of itself and I will tell you guys all about this a little later :P 

The 5 of us students from Word of Life who enjoyed the weekend visiting Buenos Aires.

Visiting "La Caminito" a place where I would probably live just for the amazing colors! This is just glimpse this place, and it was absolutely beautiful visiting.

Annnnnndd, as I seem to never have time to update this thing. I'm just going to post this without further a due. Not much, but a little more than before guys. Be back pronto when I can!

April - In a New Place!

So I arrived to Argentina on March 30th, getting through immigrations is a story itself! 

The Word Of Life Institute property is right on a lake. So we have a beautiful sunsets everyday.

Its also a very salty, which makes the Institute water... Suppper salty, basically if you would like to experience my first month of getting used to drinking the water here. Pour half a cup of salt in every glass from now on. But hey, after the first month... Its all good.

These are the 4 girls dorms hiding behind those trees. 

                           

We get lovely morning walks everyday back and forth!

           

                                   The Institute here has a gymnasium, with inside access to play basketball and volleyball, then 2 outside sand volleyball courts, 2 grass volleyball courts, 2 tennis courts, and this outside basketball court, and of course fields to play infamous soccer :P 

                                 This was our first week in the Institute, they had the welcoming conference and orientation week in the auditorium. 

 Getting to know people little by little in the first few weeks. These were the first girls I met, we all came for 1st Year here and were all newbies at getting about and knowing things (along with the other 200 students here) we stuck together and learned everything in a group :P

Christina came a week early like I did, so we got to know eachother since most of the new students hadn't arrived yet. 

                              Catching up with families in the internet cafe on campus.

  First week sine we didn't have much of a set schedule yet, we got together to jammmm!!!YES!!

            Easter I spent just here on the campus, went to the campus church, then had my own little celebration of Easter candy I brought from America :P It was weird not to have an Easter meal with family, or any type of Easter food for that matter.

 Once classes got started. Basically it works like this. We had two materials we study the first 3 weeks of the month. We have classes every morning Tuesday-Friday, 7:45-1pm.
At the end of the 3 weeks, the last week we don't have classes so that everyone can study for Exams (the 4th week of the month) The first Exam week, all us 1at year students were a bit nearvous because it was our first Exam here and our very first grades on the classes :P So we packed in as much studying as we could!

  Maybe too much packin in the studying, to stay awake in class! 

March - Peru

     For the sake of others and myself.  I decided to start out one of these sites that keep an update on ones life only because they choose to update such a thing.  

What if I put up some pictures that nobody has seen.

Lets start at the very beginning... a very good place to start..When you sing you beginn... wait do you guys know that song?! 

    I left my house on March 16th, and I flew to Lima Peru. My flight to Argentina originally had a flight change in Lima anyway, so I decided to take advantage of that and visit my friends that live in Lima Peru! It was super exciting to see my friends from the DTS I was in last year.

   While spending a week at my friend Damaris' house. Her family was going to visit another church outside of Lima and also family to celebrate an Uncles Birthday. So I jumped in along with them, and joined in on all the adventures that came with it! 

Peruvian Birthday Celebrations... go all out on the food. And ohhhh the food is so amazing! 

Of course you can never finish the amount they give you though.

Damaris and I taking advantage of the whole day in the sun.

Got to spend a WHOLE day sitting on the beach with her family!

Did some touring with her Family as they wanted to take advantage of being out of Lima and seeing new places. We went to Ica Peru. Which is a little tourist city that many travelers go to from all over the world because its in the middle of the desserts of Peru. 

We took a little boat tour to see boulders in the middle of a lake that were covered and completed surrounded by seals and seals and more seals. It was one of the biggest attractions to the little town.

Spent some time with a hott date too.

 Huacachina oasis outside of Ica Peru. It is in the middle of the dessert. and people climb the mountains surrounding and trow themselves down rolling and flipping in the sand, they also give you the option to rent a snowboard type of board and slid down with that. 
 From our group of 8 people, 3 of us climbed all the way to the top and then we rolled, flipped, slid, everything down the mountain and were covered head to tow in sand by the time we got to the bottom. But it was worth it and so much fun!

     A better overlook at the place. When I got to the top of the sand mountain, I was completely amazed that I could be in a place like this in the world!

Quote

"Adventure is not outside man; it is within." 
: George Eliot