Drink Deep, Live Wet

Today i was once again reminded of something i have been told my entire life...and that is that i sweat A LOT!!!!!

I played basketball at an altitude 5000 feet above what i am used to, for almost 3 hours straight, in a concrete room. The boys were sweating, the girls, not so much, which is why i was picked on. It was brought to my attention several times that i sweat like a boy (thank you i know). This is a problem i have dealt with my whole life. Thanks to my wonderful genes from my dear mother (most of which i love) whenever the temperature is above freezing, or i am doing any form of physical activity, i start to sweat. Because of this i hate the sun and wish i had a towel with me every time i have to walk somewhere. Most of my friends know this about me, are used to it, and i love them for it!!! But since they all knew about this, they thought i was CRAZY to go to Mexico, and i did too!!! We walk everywhere here, and it is still 80 degrees during the day!!!!! I AM LITERALLY MELTING!!!!!

Because of this i know that i need to drink even more water while i am here. I have a liter water bottle and i drink at least 3 of them a day. (Yeah, that's a lot of liquid).

(for those of you reading this will get less gross right now.)

Since my Bible study on letting the Holy Spirit be the water for our souls, i have been enjoying a book my Max Lucado, (an author who came to Morelia and wrote a paragraph about the NOE Center in one of his most recent books) called Come Thirsty. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!!!!! This book has taught me so much! I love water more than any other element on this earth, but this book is helping take my love for water even deeper (no pun intended) with a better understanding of spiritual water.

The book talks about making God an ever-present source of life in your soul, like water is an ever-present source of life in your body. As i drink more and more physical water here, i also strive to take in God's presence at the same time. During my Bible Study i challenged the kids to say a short prayer every time they drank water for one week. This was a way to get them to have God in their lives more every day. I got absolutely no feedback on how that went....but i am still going strong, saying a short prayer every time i take a chug from my water bottle.

And you know what else??? I'm happier than i have ever been in my life, i have so much energy it scares me, and i feel more alive. I know it's partially my environment, and partially the amount of water i intake every day, but it is mostly due to the presence of God always in my life that i am now more aware of.

The book also talks about how prayer keeps us close to the trinity. How prayer is our way of constantly inviting the Holy Spirit into our lives. It talks about making prayer an ever-present part of your life instead of something you only do at meals or when you need something. When i read this sentence, i realized that i have been doing that the last month or so and it is making a WORLD of difference in my walk with Christ. I am talking to him all the time, so it is easier for me to hear him talk back and see the results. My fifteen minute walk to and from NOE 4 times a day is filled with prayer, my classes, my time with my friends, everything i do is an opportunity for prayer for me now. I bring Christ into anything and EVERYTHING i do!!!

And i am seeing the results!!! On Tuesday i was at one of the malls here with a friend. It was 4:30 and we decided to leave because i had to be in class, teaching, at 5. The drive from the mall to NOE takes 15 minutes, so we figured we had plenty of time. We went outside to find that there were no taxis, in other words, no way for us to get to NOE. We walked around the parking lot looking and looking. 10 minutes passed and i began to panic!!! I said, "alright time to pray. Lord, we need a taxi, please." Less than 20 seconds later a taxi came over the hill, dropped off it's passengers, and picked us up. When we got in my friend said, "God likes you more, he listened to you." I laughed and said, "no" but realized it's easier for Him to answer, the more i talk to and rely on Him.

So to sum it all up, here in Mexico i am learning how to drink deeply of the Holy Spirit. To fill my life every day with the presence of God and i am reaping the benefits of it.

Because of this, my increased intake of water, and the fact that it is still SO HOT HERE, i am also living wet. Not only spiritually, but physically as well. But because of how incredible i feel with this spiritual revival within me with the springs of living water flowing within me, i embrace the streams of salty water flowing out of me.

Signing out for now and going to put on some more deoderant ;)

Change of State, Change of Mind

Today marks the one week milestone of the hardest 24 hours of my life.

I am not going to go into depth about the situation, but most of you will know what i am referring to. Last Monday i informed the family i had been living with for 2 months that i was leaving and moving into another house. This drastic change was a result of a bad beginning with that family due to me being sick, as well as many cultural misunderstandings and differences in personalities. Due to these reasons i did not feel at home where i was living and it made it very hard to get along with the family.

Juan started helping me look for a new house and last Sunday we asked a woman at his church who has hosted interns for NOE before, if she would consider taking me in?  Her name is Rosa, she is about the same age as my mom, single and lives with her mother. She does not speak a word of English, and is rumored to be one of the best cooks in Morelia.  She said yes that she would let me stay with her and therefore, i am living with her right now.

It was hard to tell a family i have gotten close to and care for, that i am leaving, but it had to be done. The Lord helped me to get through it, as well as my brother Erick who helped me pack and kept me from crying every 5 minutes. All the kids and staff at NOE were soooooo sweet and supportive through this entire experience. I don't know if i could have done it without them. Everyone is apologizing that this happened to me, but i am trying to look at it as a positive thing. Even though it was one of the hardest things i have ever had to do in my life, God taught me SO much through it!!!

*He taught me a LOT about myself. About how i needed a good dose of humility, and got it through this experience.

*He taught me about how to cooperate, that i need to go half way, but then need to wait for the other person or people to meet me there.

*He taught me a lot about patience, and how to still be happy in difficult situations.

*He showed me how truly difficult it is to LIVE and function in another culture.

*Finally, he showed me, more than ever before, his example of NEVER ENDING love and mercy for me, and that got me through this whole experience.

People have been asking me if i'm having fun here. For the last 2 months, i have been saying yes, but meaning yes only when i was not in my house. But now, when people ask me if i am happy i can TRULY say, "YES, I AM THE HAPPIEST I HAVE EVER BEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!"

I've been reflecting on the whole concept a lot this week.  I only moved 25 minutes away from where i was living before. But now i am closer to NOE, closer to some of the kids, it is less dangerous for me to walk to NOE, and i am with a family that i feel like a part of!!! God showed me that a little change of state, and a hard lesson, could help change my perspective and state of mind about being here ENTIRELY!!! 

2 days ago Rosa came into the kitchen with me and her niece Mari who takes care of her mother when she is at work. Mari is about 40 and has two children, one has graduated from NOE and the other is in my class. (The look on his face when he saw his teacher living in his aunt's house was PRICELESS!!!!!) Rosa had just come home from work, and came into the kitchen to talk to Mari and i.  She put her arm around my waist, and rested her head on my shoulder (she's pretty short) and said, "ah, mi hija Sophie."

Mi hija. My daughter. 

Honestly, i almost cried. I realized that at my other house, i had only called the mom by her first name. I hadn't felt entirely comfortable there, and as a result, felt weird calling the woman in that house the same thing that i call the wonderful woman who gave me life!!! But Rosa, after knowing me for 5 days, was calling me her daughter!!!! Welcoming me into her family and saying, "you are mine!"

I have decided i am going to start calling her mom. Rosa will never be my real mom, that spot is taken by the incredible woman that spent almost 40 hours bringing me into this world, but Rosa did help bring me into a new life here in Mexico. A life where i am truly happy, all the time, a kind of life that i have never experienced before. It is an incredible thing, and thus, i am going to honor her by calling her mom.

I can't help thinking that it's like how Christ is with each one of us. Rosa took me in, even though i had problems, cultural problems, that she knew could happen again with her, but she still accepted me, she gave me the chance to change. God does the same thing with us. He takes us in, in all our grime and with all our problems, and gives us a second chance at new life :)

WHAT AN AMAZING THING IT IS!!!!!

61 days and WAY more blessings!!!!!!!!!

I have officially been here 2 months, and it has been the most amazing 2 months of my life!!! I have met so many INCREDIBLE people and they are SUCH a blessing in my life that i am dedicating an ENTIRE blog entry to them!!!! I'm doing 30 dedications for all the people who have made this chapter of my life SO WONDERFUL!!! Each person is going to get their name and at least one of the many reasons they are a blessing to me.

1. Brian Overcast- for giving me the opportunity for this incredible adventure!
2. Mireya Overcast- for always knowing the exact moment i need American food.
3. Keila Overcast- for being my fellow guerita down here and for being an incredible friend and accomplice in our many mischievous acts.
4. Erick- for being the world's most INCREDIBLE brother!!! You are always there when i need you, and you know what i need even when i don't. You take care of me, you know how to make me laugh, and i don't know what i would do without you!!!
5. Daniel- for being the best charmer i have ever met. You always make me feel like a princess. Thank you for being such a gentleman!
6. Maniwis- for being my wrestling partner and always having a smile on your face :).
7. Bety Garcia (my Mexican mom)- for being a mother figure in my life here and for always being willing to do anything and everything for me.
8. Papa Garcia- thank you for all the driving trips to my house late at night. i always feel safe when you are driving...your sons???? MOST of the time :)
9. Luis- for being my best friend down here, always being there when i need you, always keeping me sane when the kids are going crazy, and always being my fellow person to stand out with. We both walk above the crowd :)
10.Gerardo-for always being there with a hug and a smile.
11.Marco-for all our in-depth conversations. For everything we share, everything we pray for, and everything we do.
12.Luis Pi-for all our jokes and crazy hugs :)
13. Christian-for being one of the most incredible people i have ever met, you are such a great friend and you always know just what i need.
14.Leti- for being the most incredible daughter a girl could ask for.
15. Dani (Calderon Garcia)- for being the best husband EVER!!!
16. Juan Bananas-for all the bad humor, all the inside jokes, and everything in between.
17.Clau-for always being there with me to help me handle the madness of the guys.
18. Juan Peralta- for being not only my mentor, but an incredible friend here, you help me so much, i don't know what i would do here without you. i would definitely go insane!!!
19.Nadia-for being my fellow strong woman and just an incredible friend, i know you will always help me in whatever way possible.
20. Montse-for putting up with me living in your house and trying to help me whenever you can.
21.Alethia- for reminding me every day how much fun it is to be young, crazy, and alive.
22. Memo- for our in depth, sometimes intense, conversations that always leave me thinking.
23.Lydia- for being so sweet and helping me with everything i need at NOE.
24.Ale-for greeting me every morning with a smile.
25. Hugo- for you helping me enjoy Exploradores and for always making me feel welcome.
26. Irma- for always being there for me to talk to if i need it.
27. Marianne- for your kind words all the time and those wonderful smiles.
28. Yael- for always being there when i need to be put in my place.
29. Montse Maldonado-for being so sweet all the time, you are great!
30. ALL MY STUDENTS- YOU HELP ME BECOME A BETTER TEACHER EVERY DAY, BUT YOU ALSO TEACH ME EVRY DAY HOW TO BE A BETTER PERSON!!!



*And a special number 31 for Andrew Donahue, my fellow Gringo down here in the land of sun. Thank you for always listening and praying :)

Quenching the Thirst

On Monday i taught my Bible study about our thirst for God. I had been preparing for it for a few weeks and knew it was going to be great!

But little did i know how much of an impact it was going to have, not only on the kids, but on me as well.

The Bible study was centered around the story of Jesus walking on water with Peter in matthew 14:22-33. I talked about the power of water, how it can be dangerous and safe, and then started talking about quenching the thirst in our souls. My slogan for the study was Sink or Swim. I said that many people try to quench their soul's thirst for God with sin (the first 3 letters of sink) but that we need to use the k in sink to keep our eyes on Jesus (my mommy helped me come up with that part). I read the story to the kids and talked about how Peter doubted Christ, he looked down and sank as a result. We talked about how the only way we aren't going to sink in life is if we keep our eyes on Jesus.

We also talked about how, in the story, Jesus reaches out to Peter and saves him.  I am building trust with these kids, and i know it is going to help a lot when i teach them how to swim. Some of them, i think, are really scared of the water, so it will be  a big step for them to trust me entirely while we are in the water together.

Finally i talked about how the Holy Spirit in our souls, is like water for our body. It hydrates us and refreshes us constantly, but we have to choose to swallow, we have to make the choice to let it enter us fully. I challenged the kids for the next two weeks (until we go swimming) to say a short prayer every time they drink water. That way they are hydrating not only their bodies, but their souls as well.

Afterwards i got a great response from the kids. Many of them told me that they learned a lot from the lesson. It was cool also to see my words echo back to me in facebook status's from some of the kids.


This water lesson also helped me a lot too. Here in Mexico my life is more dangerous than it was in the states. Instead of crossing quiet 130th twice a day to go to and from school, here i have to cross a 5 lane highway 5 or 6 times a day. In the states i can drive everywhere, so i never have to worry about the dangers of walking. Here i walk almost everywhere and have plenty of reasons to be afraid. Even when i have an escort i am still really cautious about the people around us.  Here even some of the food i eat can be dangerous, unlike in the states where i have no fear whatsoever when it comes to food. Because my life here is more dangerous, it should be really hard on me, but it has actually been pretty easy. Why??? Because i have been SATURATING my days with prayer!!!!! God is showing me that the more of my day i fill with prayer, the less i have to worry about, and my days go SO much better!!!

I use the 15 minute walk to NOE to pray about my classes and the kids in them, randomly throughout the day when i think about someone at home i pray for them, i pray every time one of the guys walks home alone at night, i pray before and about every Bible study, and at night i pray for everyone here and at home.  Prayer is helping me here in so many ways!!!!! I am filled with a peace all the time that i have never experienced before!!! Normally in situations like this i would be really nervous all the time, but i walk down the street with confidence because God is hydrating my soul with his peace!!! I even sleep better here, i no longer thrash in my sleep, every morning when i wake up my blankets look exactly the same as they did when i went to bed. It is such a blessing!!!

God is changing me in so many ways here!!! I am being hydrated by him more and more every day, and even though this process is happening in the midst of scorching sun, i am loving every minute of it!!!!!!