"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me." -Psalm 63:1-8
My roommate from Wheaton, Emily, knows so well how to encourage me, even from so far away. Before I came to Spain she gave me a special homemade envelope that has a Spain map on one side and the same paper as from the lanterns that hung in our room last semester on the other. Inside the envelope are 17 letters: one to open for each Sunday from the time I left until the time I return home. Every letter has some sort of picture (whether of us, or of our old room, or a beautiful picture she the talented photographer has taken) as well as a Bible verse, artwork she has done, and a sweet note. I look forward so much to Sundays as they are very relaxing here in Spain and I usually am either traveling home to Sevilla or spending time "tranquilamente" with friends, and I get to open my letter from Emily! Psalm 63:1-8 were the verses awaiting me today, and are a wonderful reminder of why I am here and who I am. When my mom was in town, we were able to have some great conversations about the Gospels because she has been in a seminary class about them. We talked about how in the book of John, the writer for who it is named refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved instead of by his name John, not out of arrogance, but rather out of humility and as a result of finding his identity not in anything but in being one who Jesus loves. At Encuentro (our version of weekly chapel here) on Wednesday, we reflected on this same idea of having what defines us being one whom Jesus loves. My roommate here in Spain Becca and I talked about it afterwards: being here, we want to integrate into Spanish culture, and yet we are Americans, and when we return home we know there will be an adjustment getting back to the culture and missing things here. Yet we are not defined by being American or Spanish or anything else, but ones whom Jesus loves. Knowing that I have the steadfast unconditional love of my Creator and that His right hand is upholding me is all I need to be sustained and quenched and filled, wherever I am. Now that is reason to sing for joy!
This week, as one whom Jesus loves, I had the opportunity to experience many different Spanish things. Monday was our flamenco fiesta that we had been practicing for with all of our classes for two months. We stayed after school and had a picnic all together outside before putting on the dresses we had borrowed from school, doing our hair and makeup, and practicing a few last times. The performance was at Hospital de la Caridad, a home for elderly Spanish men. We walked over there in our flamenco dresses with flowers in our hair and were stopped by several people on the street to take pictures with them. We performed for the men at the hospital, as well as some people's señoras who had come (ours was sadly out of town) and some people who work at school. Although we still weren't great Sevillianas dancers, we had a blast and had definitely improved since the beginning! It was just wonderful to had participated in something so important in the Spanish culture and to be with good friends doing it.
 |
| Kelsey doing my makeup |
 |
| Jana and I after being all made up |
 |
| Jenna was my awesome dance partner! |
 |
| Random people on the street who wanted pictures with us |
 |
| Becca and I after performing |
 |
| Chocolate on the beach...A necessity |
 |
| Our finished smoothies after a great day at the beach |
This morning, Amber, Jana, Emma and I went to a showcase at the bullring. There were some Spanish dancers and beautiful horse-drawn carriages with people from all different places. It was very interesting and a great cultural experience! I am trying to take in everything as I know these last few weeks are going to fly by. It has gotten super hot here, and tomorrow starts Feria: the biggest party in Andalucia! I am looking forward to enjoying a couple days of that and then heading off to Switzerland on Wednesday. Thank you Lord for all the blessings of this semester, and keep reminding me of who I am and who my identity is in!
 |
| Spanish dancers |
 |
| The showcase |
 |
| Me, Jana and Amber outside the bullring |
No comments:
Post a Comment