Hola from Santiago!

First post from Santiago!  We got here last night about 9 local time.  I am so excited to be here!

Anyways, we actually were supposed to arrive yesterday morning, but our flight was delayed because the plane was hit by hail.  So the airport gave us hotel vouchers and breakfast vouchers and we came back in the morning and spent all day in the plane.  But in a way, I think that was good because we didn't sleep the whole way there! (the original flight was supposed to be from about 9pm CST to 8am EST, but the new one was about 10am CST (supposed to be 8am) to 9pm EST).  For clarification, Santiago is in EST, aka the same time as NYC, Boston, Detroit, etc.  Three hours ahead of Arizona right now.

Anyways, like I was saying before I interrupted myself, we didn't sleep the whole way and could actually see things out our windows!  We saw the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatán Peninsula (as an archaeology major, I kept an eye out for Maya ruins, though I didn't see any), northern South America (we think it was Peru- and again, as an archaeologist, I wanted to see Machu Picchu, even though I knew it was unlikely), and the Andes!

We were cruising at 30,000 feet.  That gives you an idea of how tall the Andes are!

Time got away from me there!  I meant to write a more detailed blog post about our first day here, but I got distracted talking to my roommates (which, I suppose, is a good distraction).  Anyways, now at half past midnight, I suppose I should turn in too and brief y'all on our briefings sometime soon when my roommates aren't trying to sleep. :) 

We appreciate your prayers!  Adiós from Santiago for now!

EDIT: Additionally, if you want more frequent updates on our trip (plus videos!), you can go here and read posts from Nathan and Kelly, our project directors. Enjoy!

Chile!!!

I am literally so excited for this summer!  I applied within the last two weeks to a summer project in Santiago, Chile, and today, I got an acceptance call!

Okay, I'm going to back up a little bit and tell the whole story (for more background, see my October 21 post "Sometimes, God's as subtle as a hand grenade").  I knew the deadline for Summer Projects was looming, and I hadn't applied anywhere.  Well, technically I "started" an application for Chile earthquake relief... all I had done was click the "apply now" button.  But I wasn't sure if I wanted to do that or if I wanted to spend two weeks in southern France with the Jesus film project. Something, perhaps my natural reluctance, kept me from applying (well, beyond simply clicking the "apply now" button).

Due to my "application" to the Chile earthquake relief project, I got an email telling me that it had been canceled.  It just so happened that the person emailing me to tell me that it was canceled was in charge of the Santiago trip and he put in a personal plug for the trip.  Honestly, at the time, I was too sad that earthquake relief was canceled to really consider Santiago.  So the Jesus film project was my top choice, but I still didn't apply.

Do you ever have those moments where you sense God talking to you and you know exactly what you have to do, even though it's completely different than you had planned?  That's what happened to me a couple weeks ago (and, ironically, looking back, it was Valentine's Day when this happened).  For discipleship, we've been reading through Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  Amazing book- I highly recommend it- it's literally life-changing.  You see, in chapter four, he discusses the profile of the lukewarm.  With some of these points, it was like he was talking about me. Three in particular stood out.

Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act...

Lukewarm people say they love Jesus and he is, indeed a part of their lives. But only a part... He isn't allowed to control their lives.

 Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. (pages 70-74).

 I realized at that moment that I didn't want to have those lukewarm spots in my life anymore.  So I decided, right then and there, that I would apply for the Santiago project.  Honestly, I made an on-the-spot decision, and that's where I ended up.  And I've felt so at peace with that decision.  Before that morning, I had various objections to the trip: like the length (5 weeks overseas), the fact that I don't speak Spanish, etc.  Things that now seem trivial.  So I did it.  I finished the application, got three references, and waited patiently for a little while. :)

Anyways, coming back to today, I got the call that I was accepted.  I'm so excited, and I know now that I'm in the right place! 

"Encourage me, and I will not forget you"

The title comes from a longer quote by William Arthur Ward: "Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you.”

I love that quote.  Encouragement truly nourishes the soul, so much so that it's unforgettable.  It's so important that God (by way of Paul) tells us to "encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  We all need encouragement.  Some of us just need it more than others.

I'm one of those people who needs a lot of encouragement.  Throughout most of my life, I've struggled with my self-esteem.  It comes from a lot of factors, and I feel like a yo-yo sometimes.  I have times where I feel really good about myself to the point of being prideful, and then I have other times where I feel like I'm the worst.  Sometimes, and especially recently, I've felt like I have no self-worth or that no one really cares about me.  I know in my head that this isn't true, but I can't seem to get my heart and my feelings to agree.

I had been struggling with these feelings for a while (at least, continuously) when I went to Cru's leadership celebration.  We all got encouragement sheets where people could write down things about us, things they were encouraged by or blessed by or enjoyed about us.  My negativity was so bad that I didn't even think that many people would write on my sheet.

I went about writing stuff to other people, and when I got my sheet back, I was blown away.  Some of the things people wrote included that I was an "awesome leader and beautiful woman of God", that I had an amazing heart,  and that I inspire them to work harder.  One person even said that "you do so much for our movement, it wouldn't be the same without you".  These comments really touched my heart.  Knowing that people care about me and think these things about me helped dispel all the negativity I had been feeling.

So if you're reading this and you're one of the people who wrote something on my paper, thank you.  You have no idea how much it means to me.  I am so blessed to be a part of this wonderful group of people, and I thank God for all the people he has placed in my life!