random info

Well shoot dang. It is freakin awesome here.
On weather: slightly humid but not too bad. Never above the 80's. It usually at least sprinkles in the afternoons and it cools off.

On food: Rice and beans for almost every meal. Today we actually had it at all three. Food is sooo good. There so many kinds of bread and stuff it's ridiculous. I like it alot. Also, fruit is ridiculously cheap here.

On living conditions: My host family is legit. There are two daughters and a son all about my age. The mom is a really good cook. The dad is the pastor who we do stuff with and he is one of the more amazing men I have ever met.

On day to day stuff: Well I usually wake about 9. Mornings are kinda random but we can go for a run, go with Ronald (the pastor) on visits or Bible studies, or just chill. We are yet to actually just chill. We walk alot of places and it's not too bad. Next week we start language school. I'll only go for half the day so it won't be that bad. Sundays are crazy. Church at 9. Come home for lunch around 12:30, nap, go to the church plant in the next suburbal area 15 minutes away at 4, get home around 6 or 6:30, eat, go to sleep...long days. The Bible studies that we've gone to are really cool. He's in different places with people but it's really cool to see how he approaches it. Also, there's church Tuesday night at 7-8:30. Then Wednesday at 7-8 at the church plant. Then a Thursday prayer gathering at 7-8:30. So yikes. Busy days but really good days. Ronald has had at least a Bible study a day, sometimes two so there is a real sense of the Gospel growing and spreading because many of these are not in the church already. In Abilene, some growth seems to happen only from people switching from Highland to SoHills or from University to Beltway. Here people are saying I'm going to begin going to church. I wish I had such a desire as some of them.

On church: Church has such a different feel here than in the US. For one, the people that come are really, really serious about it. There is a greater sense of brotherhood. The leadership of it is pretty neat too. Before the service Sunday morning, about 8 men go up to a room about 10 minutes before and assign what's to be done. They already know who's preaching, although it's not the same every week. Ronald, the head honcho, assigns some to do the Communion, song leading, managing the parking lot, an opening prayer, the prayer for the sick, and the closing prayer. When I say assigns some to do the Communion, he says "Hermano, will you do the thoughts today?" So someone pretty much has about 20 minutes to come up with a thought for the supper and someone else does it for the offering. There is a deep, deep reverence for communion. The only ones who touch the trays are the ones serving it, no one else does. There also seems to be a view that the service really must go perfectly and that is a way to praise God. The prayers are so different than prayers in the US. They are vibrant! People will amen in the middle of a prayer, or say "glory to God!" and it throws you off for a little but it's affirming at the same time. It's almost as if there's an art to it. The songs are different. They are very short, and usually only have one or two verses saying a same general theme. Here they are sung somewhat slower than other places that I've sung them and I know the pastor wants to change that.

Overall it's been an awesome experience so far. I'm sure things will come up that will be harder to bear but right now, I'm all for it. It's been refreshing to see people's faith so alive. That about sums it up.