Its been another really good week. I’m super excited to go back home next week! But I have been busy and doing lots of fun stuff down here too. I wish I could post some pictures from my fun day on Tuesday, but Cameras aren’t allowed there. I went with my new friend Chris, to volunteer at D.I.F. (basically like DCFS, it’s a government organization for abused, and neglected kids, etc). He volunteers there on a regular basis, and I am hoping to be able to also. We had good plans for the day, there was a broken lock on a gate that we were going to replace “real quick” and then go paint for a while. Well, we had some difficulties with the new lock and lack of tools; so that ended up taking most of the morning. We took a quick break for lunch at a taco stand (I still am loving the food here!) Then we prepared for a party he was throwing for his English class, because he is returning to the states for Christmas next week also; and a few of the kids are getting transferred/placed elsewhere before he gets back. So it was like a Christmas party / going away party. It was a lot of fun, and we ended up playing with the kids all afternoon instead of painting. But, its not like it was a bad thing. These kids really needed some love. So please pray that I can get through the application process quickly and start volunteering there regularly. Also I am thankful for this friendship with Chris, he is a missionary from North Carolina, and is about my age and a big basketball and Seinfeld fan. So we always have plenty to discuss!
Also, on Wednesday, I finally got some more clearly defined expectations of my and my role here with the church. I am super excited for what God has in store when I get back from my Christmas break. i have already done a lot of this stuff, here and there, but now its going to be more frequent and expected of me. Some of the general weekly goals/plans are as follows: volunteer at DIF, addictions counselor, ESL teacher (2xweek), Escobedo outreach (poor area), evangelism, set-up/tear-down team, and co-lead small group! Its such a relief to have tangible goals and projects for each week. I feel confident enough and have “settled in” for long enough; I am ready to dive in and really get into why God sent me here.
As I write this I am also excited for this afternoons activities – basketball! That’s right, not soccer, we are going to play basketball! I finally rounded up enough people to play a real sport. (p.s. I totally count this as an outreach activity LOL)
It is finally starting to seem like Christmas (although the 75F days still throw me off) but we have a Christmas tree and some lights up! It still hasn’t hit me that I’ll be home less than a week and Christmas is only like a week away. I’m sure it will hit me when I arrive in Chi town on Thursday.