{Gratitude} Lately

{Gratitude} Lately

Lately I've found so many little things to be

thankful for. It seems that as soon as you 

pray for God to reveal Himself, He does. 

Often in the most simple, yet astonishing ways. 

Most recently I've been grateful:

For great friends and the Lord's amazing creation

For awesome silhouettes in the desert

For beautiful walkways that make you wonder where they lead

For birds that show God's attention to detail

For old teapots that provide soul-warming drinks

For broken sidewalks that make me pay attention to where I walk

For homemade cookies that remind us of the U.S.

For stray dogs that we have come to love

For new playmates that put a smile on your face without even trying

and for other great friends and random art! 

What are you grateful for? 

I challenge you to look around 

and see the little things that God has blessed you with. 

An Answer to Prayer

"This is my prayer in the desert,

when all that's within me feels dry . . .

All of my life,

in every season,

you are still God.

I have a reason to sing.

I have a reason to worship."

Desert Song ~ Hillsong United

My time in Argentina thus far has been incredible, challenging, frustrating, exciting, lonely, friend-filled, rewarding, and just about any other contradicting emotion/state of being that you can think of. I feel like I have experienced a whole lot of them! In regards to my spiritual walk, I've been in a little bit of a weird spot. Amongst all these amazing answers to prayers, and times that God has been evident in my life, I have felt really dry in my faith. I've lacked a passion and desire to truly know God more. I've gone through the motions: tried to read my Bible, listened to worship music, streamed some sermons, and yet, still, I've felt stagnant in my faith. I know that faith is not about emotions and we can love God even when we don't "feel" it, but it definitely is not easy. 

One of my main prayers since being here has been to find a Christian community. I've really felt the lack of accountability and community. I mentioned earlier that I visited a church which was a huge answer to prayer! Since then, I visited another church (my host mom's friend brought me) and I liked it a lot as well. Afterward, I had tons of people invite me to their homes for lunch and I felt so welcomed. However, I still left feeling discouraged because I had yet to meet Christians my age. 

Just about a week ago, I got a call from the same lady who had invited me to church, saying that I was invited to go to a group for "jóvenes" or "young people." Of course I jumped at the opportunity! Finally, I would find other Christians my age! Well, I've since decided that God has a sense of humor. :) 

So, I got picked up by one of the Pastor's daughters. She seemed a tad older than I had imagined, and mentioned that she had kids, so I figured that she must have been one of the leaders of the group. Anyway, we arrive at her house and I go inside to find a couple with a young baby. We chat a bit, but I honestly didn't really know what to say because I was confused by their presence. While we were chatting, two more couples enter, each followed by an array of young children. Now I was super confused! Within a few minutes, we all migrated toward the table and, with the kids playing and screaming in the other room, they began a devotional. Apparently I had been invited to a small group for young couples with children? haha! I'm still confused how that happened, seeing as I am neither married nor have children.... Anyway, the devotional was good, but didn't take long and so afterward they spent time chatting. I honestly could not follow much of the conversation. They talked really fast and all at the same time. Then the parts that I could understand, they were talking about their kids, and I had nothing to contribute. They asked for prayer requests and I mentioned that I would like to find other Christian friends, and I honestly started tearing up. I felt discouraged that once again, I was left without the community I had expected to find. 

"When the pieces seem too shattered

to gather off the floor

and all that seems to matter

is that I can't feel you anymore

I need a reason to sing

I need a reason to sing

I need to know that you're still holding

the whole world in your hands

that is a reason to sing"

Reason to Sing ~ All Sons & Daughters

This past Sunday, I listened to both Desert Song and Reason to Sing during my devo time. As I did, something inside just clicked. I knew that my dry period was over. Suddenly, God placed a desire on my heart to seek out the Christians within my intercambio group. This entire time, I had been seeking community elsewhere, and hadn't even bothered to look right in front of me. God was clearly leading me to contact them, and so I did. I was so nervous though! I had no idea how my message would come across to them, but I felt convicted by a verse I had just read a few minutes earlier that says, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." (Proverbs 29:25) 

The responses to my message were incredible. I didn't even have to wait more than a minute before I got several positive responses from the group! God is so good. 

A couple of us were able to meet on Tuesday morning before our classes. (In a gas station. They are pretty fancy here! ;) ) It was such a great time of getting to know each other, being vulnerable in our struggles, and encouraging and supporting one another. It was so refreshing. I am beyond excited to see what else God has in store for not only this group, but also for the impact we can have for Him in this country! 

My trip to Bariloche

First of all, I apologize for the inconsistency of this blog! It has been forever since I last updated. Maybe someday I will be able to go back and fill in the gaps, but at this point, I'm just going to fill you in on the amazing trip I just took!

~ Bariloche ~ 

The land of chocolate, the World's Largest chocolate Easter egg, 

St. Bernards, mountains, lakes, and wonderful memories. 

Ever since I knew I was going to study abroad in Argentina, I knew that I had to travel to Patagonia. I wanted to travel to southern Patagonia and go backpacking and climbing, but as it turns out, I am VERY far away. So my second best option was to at least go into the region of Patagonia, which I did! We ended up in Bariloche, which for the most part is a tourist town with a very strong German influence. I traveled with three other friends, Alec, Danielle, and Will. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect with this trip, because we didn't know each other very well beforehand! As it turns out, I could not have asked for a better group. We had the most amazing time together.  

This trip was filled with lots of little surprises, and twists and turns along the way. We learned a lot within the week we were gone! 

1. The bus ride does not take 15 hours..... it takes 24! 

The night before we left for Bariloche, I was so kindly informed that I was very wrong about the length of time our bus was intended to take. It was only about 9 hours different than I had thought. haha! Anyway, our first bus ride was absolutely amazing. I swear it was nicer than first class on an airplane! The seats were huge, we got lots of food, and even watched some great movies. The 24 hours just flew by! The way home............. not so much. Apparently we had picked the company that is known for having their buses break down. Thankfully that didn't happen to us, but the journey was definitely much slower and not nearly as enjoyable. 

2. Horseback riding in the mountains is as amazing as I had dreamed. 

I have been a horse person ever since I was tiny. All these years, I've dreamed of riding in the mountains through gorgeous landscapes and feeling the wind in my hair as I cantered along dusty paths. I can now say that this dream has come true. Our first full day in Bariloche, we went to a place called Tom Wesley to go horseback riding. We got there, and were immediately thrown on a horse. No questions asked. So Argentina if you ask me! ;) There were about 10 of us in the group with one guide. We rode through the mountains for 3 hours with a stop at this absolutely incredible lake. I wanted to stay there forever! Our guide also gave us plenty of opportunities to canter, which was absolutely amazing. I literally get so giddy being on a horse in open spaces! After our incredible ride, we returned back to the ranch and had the best asado ever. I swear we were all in heaven! 

Here's a quick wikipedia definition of an asado if you so desire: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asado

3. Staying in a hostel is such an awesome experience! 

Our first two nights in Bariloche we stayed at Hostel Los Troncos. It was such a great experience. We ended up staying in a mixed, nine person room mostly because it was the cheapest, but it ended up working out splendidly. Just being in a hostel, you have so many opportunities to meet amazing people from all over the world. I made friends with people from Holland, Sweden, Argentina, Israel, and of course, the United States. I was amazed at how many people can speak English though. Definitely makes me feel uneducated! At the end of our trip, we stayed in a hostel called, The House (which they pronounce, duh huse... haha). It was a great experience as well! 

Quick story:

At the second hostel, I ended up sleeping on the top bunk of a bunk bed that also happened to have no ladder or railing. For a chronic sleepwalker such as myself, I should have maybe suggested switching with someone and sleeping on the bottom, but I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. whoops! Anyway, apparently in the middle of the night, I woke up my friends with my thrashing and yelling. The last thing they heard was me yelling "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh" and then a huge thud. I woke up to a scream (which was my own) and a not so nice landing. Apparently I had basically thrown myself out of my bed because I landed completely on my side on the tile floor. I woke up everyone in the room and this poor stranger was nice enough to see if I was ok! haha! Moral of the story, Kayla needs to sleep on the bottom bunk and strap herself in. :) 

                                        

                                                

4. Finding camping gear is not as easy as they make it sound. 

Before the trip, we decided that we really wanted to go camping. Every website said that it was super easy to rent equipment in the area, so we decided not to worry about it too much. We ended up going to another town, about an hour and a half away, called Villa La Angostura and camping there. However, when we first asked about where to rent equipment, they told us that there was no place that did! Luckily, I had seen a place earlier, and we were able to get some, but it was limited. We were only able to rent two, two-person tents, and four sleeping bags. The rest of our camping experience was pretty scrappy, especially the cooking, but we had a ton of fun! 

5. We made some great animal friends

This is chief princess Stoney Brook. I thought this cat was hilarious because it's eyes were almost always like that!! Anyway, we loved (well, mostly loved) chief princess. It (still not sure if it is a girl or a boy, hence the name) even ate some of our chocolate! That little rascal. 

This is Don (Don the Adventurer). We met him after our horseback riding experience and he hung out with us for a long time as we wandered around the area. He even hopped on the bus with us! Such a loyal friend. 

6. The World's Largest Chocolate Egg is a big deal. 

It's pretty incredible that the largest chocolate egg in the world just so happened to be in Bariloche when we were. We got to see it while it was still in process and then also when it was finished. Apparently it's over 27 feet tall and weighs over 4 tons! Crazy. On Easter day, we waited in line for over 4 hours for a piece of the egg (they break it and give it away), but the crowd ended up becoming too ridiculous and we decided that it wasn't worth it. So depressing. 

7. I am not a biker. 

On our last full day in Bariloche we decided to go biking through the mountains for a unique experience. We ended up biking the Circuito Chico, which is a big loop through the Andes. It's 27 kilometers, so about 16.5 miles, but it is definitely up and down the whole time. I realized that I am not a biker as soon as I glanced at one of the giant hills. Almost immediately my motivation was lost and I resorted to walking up it (as in basically walking up every hill), which I much preferred anyway. :) The downhills were glorious though! I have never gone so fast on a bike before! Throughout the circuit, there were opportunities to do some mini little hikes and see some fantastic views. It was incredible. Overall, such an amazing experience. 

8. I am continually blown away by God's creation.

Throughout the entire trip, it was almost impossible not to praise God. We were surrounded by His awesome creation and I was just in awe. 

"They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful works."

~ Psalm 145: 5 ~ 

9. Being homeless is a really eye-opening experience.

Yep, you read that correctly. I did say, "homeless." One of the nights in Bariloche we ended up stuck without a hostel. It's a really long story, so I won't explain in this blog post, but nonetheless, I have a much greater understanding and appreciation for what it would be like to not have a home. Definitely puts things in perspective. 


Overall, Bariloche was an incredible trip with lots of unforgettable memories. Hope you enjoyed a few of the highlights!