Wow. Four days. Four days until my world is completely turned upside down and I am hopefully speaking more Spanish than English on a daily basis. Right now, I am in the nerve-racking and time consuming process of packing.  Ugh… there’s never enough room! and I KNOW that I’m going to forget something.

speaking of trials and tribulations, here are some other things that worry me:

-getting sick
-getting sick from the food
-getting sick from the water
-getting lost at one of the many airports

Of course, I have many more fears and nerves than simply what is mentioned above.  For instance, what about my classes? I will be taking two courses in English (Field Botany in the Andes, Cross Cultural Communications) and 2 intensive spanish courses (taught in Spanish). The nice this is that we only go to class Monday-Thursday, which means we always have a three day weekend. The college has sent out a calendar of events to all of us with things like weekend excursions and dance classes listed, which makes me really excited!

Oh! Recently, I received my host family and roommate info! 🙂 

My host mom’s name is Sra. Coromoto and she has two children–one boy and one girl.  Her son is about my age (early 20’s) and her daughter is about the age of my brothers (late 30’s, early 40’s or something).  We won’t have access to internet or laundry in our house, which I kind of like.  I want this experience to be different than my home.  I want to be made thankful for all I have been given, while also cherishing those moments when I do not have such luxuries at my disposal.

As for my roommates (or mis companeras), I have two! Their names are Lana and Sam, and they seem muy fantastico!  Recently, we talked about speaking ONLY in Spanish for the time that we are there.  It’s a scary thought, because I feel like there is so much that I don’t know.  Things will already be so unfamiliar, and then to add in not speaking an ounce of English… ay, dios mio!  But I’m excited!  And the whole reason I am even going to school abroad is so I can learn Spanish and be immersed in it! Most of my blogs will probably still be in English, but hopefully, once I am more comfortable with the language, I can write some in Spanish, as well.

In addition to learning Spanish, my desire to go Venezuela is so much deeper than just a need for adventure and good time (although I welcome both with open arms); through this experience, I hope to learn how to embrace differences cultures and customs, while also learning simultaneously about those inherent things that bond us all as human beings.  I hope to exude love, humility, kindness and joy with the sincerity that only Christ can give.  However, I am aware that this experience is going to be challenging for me spiritually.  I have no idea if I will become connected to any other people who are sincerely trying to live for Christ in Venezuela, and, although I would love for that to happen, I really do have peace about it either way.  My plan is to be in the Word daily (which is hard enough while here at home), and I would also really love to find a way to serve the community in which I will be living.  But, of course, none of this is certain.  Nothing has ever been certain throughout this whole process, and I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that in life, in general, nothing is ever certain. 

So, with all of this talk of uncertainty, fear, and worry, there are two verses that  I like to keep in my mind, and I’d like to share them with you.

The first can be found in one of the letters Paul wrote to the Philippians (chapter one, verse 27). This is what he says:

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.”
“Pase lo que pase, comp�rtense de una manera digna del evangelio de Cristo”

To me, this gives me a clear vision for my actions, no matter where I happen to find myself.

The second verse can be found in both the Gospels written by Luke and Matthew.  In this particular verse, Jesus, in His kindness, is trying to get us to stop worrying so much about everything.  Every time I read it, I am reminded of how very true it is.

He says, “can all of your worries add a single moment to your life?”
El dice, “�Qui�n de ustedes, por mucho que se preocupe, puede a�adir una sola hora al curso de su vida?

The answer, of course, is… no! no pueden! (they can’t!)

Thank you for reading this far! (Especially if you have read all of my other posts, as well).  As you can probably tell, I am a bit long-winded (you’ll thank me later. Heck, I’ll thank me later!).  I hope this post has brought you some encouragement, and, I hope, now that you know a little more about me, we can officially enjoy this crazy ride together!  Next time you hear from me, I will definitely NOT be posting from the confines of my hot pink and lime green wall paper! I promise. J

Adios!

Mandy

Oh, and ps. this is Shadow.  He is simply convinced that he will be joining me in my travels. I don’t have the heart to tell him otherwise yet…