June 28, 2009
Dear Family,
It is about 10 pm on Sunday night, the 28th of “Junio.” We just finished dinner a little bit ago. Since there were only 5 of us here to eat, we ate a special meal of savory crepes and baked fish. Yum! I arrived here around 7 o’clock after having spent the weekend once more in Necochea with two of my roommates (Daiana and Cintia who are also my DTS classmates) plus one of the full-time “Jucumeras” (YWAM-ers) Vanesa, and all three grew up in the same church there. We went there for our “mini-crusada” (mini-mission trip) at the end of May, but we didn’t have time to visit their own church and families; so they insisted I go with them this weekend as it is our last chance before our outreach. I’m really glad I went; it was really cool to be with them in their hometown. Each of them has such a huge burden for their church and family to know Jesus and to grow in their faith. It made me think of my church on Vashon and also in Seattle, how thankful I am for my family there!
One thing my friends are struggling with is that their pastor is not completely supportive of their involvement in YWAM. It seems that the main reason is because now 6 of them have left to serve in YWAM, and he is concerned that they will not return. He has expressed his hurt and frustration in conversations with all three of the girls, and he has even gone so far as to retract an offer for Vanessa to share with the youth-group. She was really saddened by his response, especially because she has known him since she was like 5 years old! He’s known Cintia since her dedication at her first Sunday service as a newborn! It seems he is supportive of missions just so long as it doesn’t send people away from his church body. Yesterday morning, the four of us girls met together at Cintia’s house and prayed for this situation, and that God would guide us to accomplish his will for the day.
It turned out to be a great day—and it felt like another mini-crusada! We went to the neighborhood with Vanesa’s parents, where they go every Saturday, to help lead a little program for a group of about 20 kids. It was a very poor neighborhood, and Vanesa’s mom said that there are so many problems involving abuse and neglect in the homes. And so we sang some kids worship songs and I played my violin. Then the four of us performed a little drama which teaches that Jesus can save you from sin. They loved it! Before serving milk and crackers we prayed for all of their families, that God would do a miracle in each home and bring His peace and healing to them. Afterward, we had a great time playing “futbol” (soccer) outside, and dancing to music, and enjoying the brisk, fresh air!
Later on, we went to the church for the youth group and their pastor was their too. At the beginning the atmosphere seemed kind of tense but it seemed that something changed during the message and after the prayer. At the end, their head Pastor offered the chance for the three of us “DTS-students” to stand up and share parts of our testimonies in front of the group. That was really cool! I went first, and was so happy that it came so easy to me, and everyone seemed to understand my Spanish! Then Daiana and Cintia each shared something on their heart and we ended by singing a song along with Vanessa, and me on the violin once more!
Just now I called Daiana, because the three of them are still there in Necochea until tomorrow night. She said that at church this evening the pastor prayed over she and Cintia and blessed them for our upcoming outreach. She said that God is doing something “Grande!”
I am so encouraged every day to seek God, and to listen carefully for his voice. I am surrounded by people who live by faith and depend on God for everything- including finances- literally. That is something I am learning as well, since God convicted me to set aside the amount raised by the church back in February, to provide for a specific need. For now, I am drawing from my savings to pay for the DTS and I am praying for God’s guidance as far as when and where to offer the amount raised by the church. God is faithful, and I am excited to see where His hand leads me!
This Saturday morning, before sunrise we are heading out of Mar del Plata on our outreach! Now we will apply everything we have been learning during the theory part. It’s going to be an awesome adventure! Each week, we will be in a different city starting in Tres Arroyos, Oriente y Copetonas, Benito Juarez, Mar del Plata, Santa Clara, Santa Teresita y Mar de Ajo. During the last week in July, when we will be in Mar del Plata again, we will be working with a team arriving from a DTS in England!
In preparation, we have been learning many dramas and choreographies to perform in the parks and plazas of each city. The choreographies include “human videos” to Christian music such as the song “Everything” by Lifehouse. We are also learning Folklore dancing and Tango! I will be playing my violin wherever we go for sure, as it is a rarity and always draws attention. The idea is that we will draw attention, share the gospel through music, drama and art, and then go out into the crowd to talk individually and pray for the people.
We are believing for God to fulfill a prophetic word given to our directors a year ago, which was confirmed again just recently. The first word was given to the pastor of the church which provides a room for us to meet with the “King’s Kids” ministry on Saturdays. He said that God is going to use our group more in the area of worship to draw youth to Himself. Then, just a few weeks ago, when I played my violin for the Christian radio, another pastor here in Mar del Plata had a vision of our group moving up the coast of Argentina, and the youth were gathering around us to adore Jesus!
God is moving His awesome hand and drawing the lost! I can’t wait to see it! Another wonderful answer to prayer is that the doors are opening in the community here where we live, for the leaders here at the YWAM base to be involved. For the past two years they have been praying for a chance to be a part of the neighborhood’s “Society reunions” of some sort, but they have not been able to make the right contacts. Finally, just a couple weeks ago, when the sun was out I decided to play my violin outside, and the music caught the attention of a guy in the neighborhood. He stopped to listen and began chatting with one of the leaders of the base. As it turns out, the he is the President of the neighbornood society meetings! So now our leaders are participating in the meetings, and sharing with the members all about the mission of YWAM. Cool, huh? God is a creative God, and nothing is difficult for Him! Sometimes I feel super incapable on my violin, since for these past 5 years I’ve played about an average of once a month at most! And before that, it was maybe twice a month since high-school, and my last official lesson was when I was 14 or 15! It makes me smile every time I play a simple tune and the people are awestruck! I never would’ve guessed that all of those simple pieces I was committing to memory at the cost of my mother’s patience 15 years ago would be such a useful tool in God’s hand now in South America! God is good and full of surprises isn’t He?!
I think I’ve summed up most of what I wanted to say…
Prayer requests:
-Safety in our travels
-Protection from illness (Influenza A & the Influenza Porcina; Dengue fever)
-Guidance each day to know the places to go to find the lost
-Clarity and discernment for our leaders in making wise decisions
-Clarity in my heart and mind for the details of my long-term commitment (Where, When, Position to fill)
-Durability to my violin (an antique from 1865) as we will often be performing outside
-God’s covering from theft and crime walking in the streets, evangelizing
Mil Gracias!!!
(A thousand thanks)Thank you SO MUCH! I CRAVE your prayers! The power of prayer = the power of the Almighty God!!!!
I will be praying for you too!
Dios les bendiga!!!
God bless you!!!
Mucho Amor, un abrazo GRANDE y un besa a cada una!
Much love, A BIG hug and a kiss to each of you!
Tu hermana, hija, prima, sobrina y amiga, Marissa
Your sister, daughter, sister, cousin and friend, Marísa
lunes, 29 de junio de 2009
domingo, 21 de junio de 2009
Captions
I´m sorry I didn´t have time to add captions to the pictures I posted last week! They are a collection from the night we went bowling and then went out for hotdogs "panchos." A week later we had the "Cena de Amor" which is the dinner of love! That night we had homemade, Argentine hamburgers! YUM! Then we drew names and went around saying what we loved about this particular person, then we practiced Generosity and gave something belonging to us which was of value to that person to show love :) It was so sweet!
We had a great time! I love the people here at the YWAM base, they are like one big huge family!
The picture of the bowling score sheet shows that I was the high-scorer on my team, and then I got a picture with Matias, the high-scorer on the other team. He beat me by about 6 points!
We had a great time! I love the people here at the YWAM base, they are like one big huge family!
The picture of the bowling score sheet shows that I was the high-scorer on my team, and then I got a picture with Matias, the high-scorer on the other team. He beat me by about 6 points!
lunes, 15 de junio de 2009
lunes, 1 de junio de 2009
Fun times!
This is a picture of the whole team of YWAM Mar del Plata, plus our visitors on this day in April- Alejandro and his wife Marta, the founders of YWAM South America.
We made my Grandma's favorite recipe for Apple Cobbler, along with homemade ice cream!
Facundo and me doing one of the skits called "La Silla"
A group of the youth in King's Kids in Necochea
Facundo and me doing one of the skits called "La Silla"
A group of the youth in King's Kids in Necochea
We take the drums with us everywhere!
"Buen dia Marisa"
Tango for Jesus on the stage of the Revival event in "Necochea"
Practicing our rescue techniques in the First Aid Class is a blast!
Goofin off during our free time!
These girls were SO thrilled by the singing card Wende gave me as a going away gift!
Talkin with my lil sis on Skype with webcam!
My YWAM "sisters", Daiana, Mariana, Vanessa and me :) 
Good times!
Playin my violin in the park!
Marivelia, Daiana and me in the Plaza
My YWAM "sisters", Daiana, Mariana, Vanessa and me :) 
Good times!
Playin my violin in the park!
Marivelia, Daiana and me in the Plaza
sábado, 2 de mayo de 2009
King´s Kids
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Hola!
I’m so sleepy!
Today we went to the same church where I’ve gone these past two Sundays, for “Kings Kids.” Every Saturday Kings Kids meets from 9:45 am to about 6pm. It is a ministry for youth, which includes kids from 6 years old to 18! I remember the first time I heard about “Kings Kids” was when a group came to our church when I was young. That was also the first time I had ever heard of YWAM. Primarily, Kings Kids focuses on composing dance choreography/“human videos” to music, as a tool to portray the message of the gospel. However, here the ministry has truly enveloped every aspect of a growing church! They start with time in worship with a guitar, jambeau drum, and beautiful voices. Then they spend time in prayer- general and specific. Today we prayed for the regions in northern Argentina which are suffering the most from the recent Dengue epidemic. Then we had some time for playing games before starting work on choreography. We ate lunch together- Pizza with sauce and mozzarella! Then there was a teaching on “what is evangelism,” which included each kid in discussion. For the last hour we split into two groups and worked on new choreography which we will use during a mini-mission trip at the end of May.
We all hit the road at about 3:30 to head to the “March for Justice” which some city officials had organized in response to recent instability and violence in the city of Mar del Plata. Apparently there have been many murders and shootings in and around the city, including in high schools, as well as death of Police Force. It was so bad that the military has come into the city to support the local law enforcement. This need for security pushed the city officials to invite the priest of one of the Catholic churches, a Lutheran pastor, and a Pentecostal pastor to bring their congregations to the march in support of the cause. So, we were there too, holding up signs made with the colors of the Argentine flag which say JUSTICE. We marched and prayed that God’s kingdom would come today, as it is in heaven, in the form of justice in this place.
After all was said and done, Norma, our director’s wife, was able to give some Christian literature to 3 very influential people, who are in seek of guidance for this city. She was thrilled and we all praise God for providing the opportunity!
Hola!
I’m so sleepy!
Today we went to the same church where I’ve gone these past two Sundays, for “Kings Kids.” Every Saturday Kings Kids meets from 9:45 am to about 6pm. It is a ministry for youth, which includes kids from 6 years old to 18! I remember the first time I heard about “Kings Kids” was when a group came to our church when I was young. That was also the first time I had ever heard of YWAM. Primarily, Kings Kids focuses on composing dance choreography/“human videos” to music, as a tool to portray the message of the gospel. However, here the ministry has truly enveloped every aspect of a growing church! They start with time in worship with a guitar, jambeau drum, and beautiful voices. Then they spend time in prayer- general and specific. Today we prayed for the regions in northern Argentina which are suffering the most from the recent Dengue epidemic. Then we had some time for playing games before starting work on choreography. We ate lunch together- Pizza with sauce and mozzarella! Then there was a teaching on “what is evangelism,” which included each kid in discussion. For the last hour we split into two groups and worked on new choreography which we will use during a mini-mission trip at the end of May.
We all hit the road at about 3:30 to head to the “March for Justice” which some city officials had organized in response to recent instability and violence in the city of Mar del Plata. Apparently there have been many murders and shootings in and around the city, including in high schools, as well as death of Police Force. It was so bad that the military has come into the city to support the local law enforcement. This need for security pushed the city officials to invite the priest of one of the Catholic churches, a Lutheran pastor, and a Pentecostal pastor to bring their congregations to the march in support of the cause. So, we were there too, holding up signs made with the colors of the Argentine flag which say JUSTICE. We marched and prayed that God’s kingdom would come today, as it is in heaven, in the form of justice in this place.
After all was said and done, Norma, our director’s wife, was able to give some Christian literature to 3 very influential people, who are in seek of guidance for this city. She was thrilled and we all praise God for providing the opportunity!
So, it was a great day! And every Saturday we will be going to participate with the Kings Kids ministry as well as street evangelism opportunities.
School this week was really good. The topics were tough and I’ve been processing a lot! The lesson focus were: The Holy Spirit; Hearing the voice of God; Clean conscience & Repentence; Prayer & Intercession; Forgiveness; &Walking in the Light. The lessons are just like Bible studies, and we are constantly looking up scriptures to learn the scriptural basis for each topic. I’ve been using my NIV English Bible as well as my Spanish Bible “Traducción en lenguaje Actual” which reminds me of the way “The message” reads- easier to understand than King James Version.
We each have a mentor with whom we will meet each week to share what God is teaching us, process questions we have, confess sins, celebrate answered prayer, and more! My “dicipiladora” –Discipler- is Alicia! She is the gal I told you about over 2 weeks ago now- the one who welcomed Renae and I so readily, and spent 2 days showing us around town, and helping me get settled in. She is so sweet and I am excited to get to know her more!
As far as homework goes, it’s not too overwhelming. Most of our learning will happen during the teachings, the practical work, participation with the youth ministry, and street evangelism. Apart from all that is scheduled, we each have a book to read, which we will be doing mini-reports on, to include a presentation to the class regarding what God has revealed to us through what we’ve read. Right now I’m reading,“Is that Really You Lord?” by Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM. It is an exciting story of God answering prayers one after another-- totally faith-building!
Well, that‘s it for now!
I love you lots!
Keep in touch!!
~Marissa
lunes, 27 de abril de 2009
Pics of where I live
Sunset from our back yard
The Beach just four blocks from our house!
My bunk & our shared closet. Denise made me that awesome calendar hanging by my bed : )
a pic of The YWAM house where I live
Our front door on another awesome sunny day!viernes, 24 de abril de 2009
April 18th with a TON to say! :)
April 18, 2009 – Saturday
I am thankful for my 2002 Dell laptop J …. 4 Argentines + Me = a bilingual school …. Two totally sweet roommates—Diaina & Cyntia ! … How do you say faucet? And what is the word for toothpaste? Wait a sec- I thought ‘camiseta’ was the word for T-shirt, so why do you keep saying ‘Remera’?” … G-whizz, how old am I? 3?! I don’t even know the right word for bucket!!! … Each day a new opportunity to experience HUMILITY …. Let’s kiss instead! … Did I just switch to English & not even realize it?! Sorry! … My daily life here at the DTS starts around 7:15 am and ends between 11pm and midnight…. A visit from the founders of Argentina YWAM… or—JuCuM in Spanish ….. Did you know that CPR = RCP in Spanish?
Hola!
I am writing to you again from my bunkbed- typing on my 2002 Dell Laptop, which the Lord has blessed with a longer-than-average lifespan! I’m going to try hard not to forget to pray for it every time I use it, that God would keep it running! Tomorrow, I will put it to the test when I attempt to use Skype, complete with an attachable web cam and all! My dad bought the headset and cam before I left, as we both had high hopes I would have access somewhere to wireless internet. I will find out soon if it will connect for us!
My first week of Discipleship Training School (DTS) was really great. There were going to be 6 students, but one girl from Chile wasn’t able to commit last minute, so there are only 5- two boys and three of us girls. My roommates are Daiana (pronounced Dianna) and Cyntia. Daiana is 19 years old, and Cyntia 22. Though they are both from here in the province of Buenos Aires, and live about 130 km away, they were both quite tearful upon separation from their families when they departed the first night. I think the reason is the situations they are leaving are quite stressful. And, the culture is so different in Latino families. Generally, until you are married, and even after sometimes too, you live with your parents. Everyone lives together. You’re expected to help the family and to raise the kids together. So, although they are not moving far, the commitment to come here to live is a big thing. It’s funny, though Daiana is the youngest here, she seems one of the most mature. I heard her praying over the phone for her sister, and it was a very powerful prayer! –at least the parts I could understand ;)
The group here is great! It’s actually quite large- even though there are only 5 of us students. The staff living here are serving full time, and are working to develop various ministries in this city. The average age I think is about 24 or so. I thought I’d be one of the oldest, but the guy students are 25 & 26. They are also both from Argentina. So yeah, I am the only foreigner, minus one of the staff is Colombian. But I’m the only native English speaker. There is one guy who is fluent in English though – Praise the Lord -- and so he is willing to translate whenever I am in need. I haven’t asked him to translate for me yet, but there have been moments, especially in the late afternoon classes when I wish I had. Focusing close enough to understand everything is extra hard when I am physically tired as well as mentally fried!!!
Although I am still fairly confident of my capability in Spanish, I have decided that Castellano is pretty much its own language!!! I kept hearing time and time again – “Oh yeah, I know what you mean,… but we don’t say that here, we say this (fill in the blank with a new word that sounds nothing like the one I had already learned). Fantastic! I kept thinking- now I have to RE-LEARN that word too!! And so I was becoming more and more frustrated. However, now that I’ve decided I am actually learning a new language, and not necessarily RE-learning what I already worked hard to gain, I am less frustrated, and more accepting of my progress.
HUMBLING is the word I would use to express this process of language acquisition. I feel like a little kid- learning the proper term for toothpaste, or sink, faucet, outlet, fridge, etc, etc, etc. It’s like that feeling of having just left middle school, where at your 8th grade graduation you owned the building and the hallways, and you could find your way blind-folded, and then walking into the gigantic-in-comparison high school, where you know your big sister and that’s IT, and you get lost 10 times on your first day. AND MORE. Because I am constantly asking “how do you say…” or “what does ….. mean” from the youngest person here! I am finding I can finally relate to every foreign exchange student I ever met and thought was awkward, simply because they were trying to figure out the social norms in our country. Apparently, walking down the street, it’s not the usual greet to the stranger you pass or even to say “hola” to people passing by. One of the guys on staff told me this as a big group of us were waiting at the bus stop, and I offered a friendly “buenas” (a common abbreviation of ‘good afternoon’) to a group of old ladies walking past. Stuff like this surprises me, but I believe it to be true.
One of the biggest cultural differences is their greetings! They always kiss on the cheek; although it’s often more of a cheek-to-cheek touch with a kissing sound. I mentioned to the girls while we were waiting for the bus today, that we rarely greet with a kiss but with a hand shake / slap combo. And when I showed her, she was totally surprised and kinda “weirded out!” The time the kiss-greeting most surprises me, is when it is a complete stranger to you, but instead of shaking hands, you kiss on the cheek! It just seems so close, right away! But I guess they don’t feel that way at all, they just feel like they’re “shaking hands.”
Anyway, I should really try to make these updates more brief, I know! But there is so much to share & tell!
Tonight the funniest thing was when I was just talking to one of the staff, and as I asked him a question, I had just switched over to English without even realizing it; and he was looking at me as if to say, “what?!” Then I realized I wasn’t speaking Spanish, and he said- It’s okay, it’s because you’re tired! Everyone is so gracious with me! I feel very blessed and accepted, no matter what my language!
I should tell you more about the school! It is a full day, for sure! We are up by 7:25 at the latest, and breakfast is at 7:30. We just sit around the dinning room table and sip coffee and Maté, and nibble on some little pieces of French bread with jam, or sweet bread (like the hot-cross-buns mom makes) we’ve had this week because of Easter. Then we have 30 minutes of quiet time that we spend with the Lord, and at 8:30 class starts. The topics of our classes this week so far have been on Worship, Quiet Time, Discipleship, and the Faithfulness of God. Something very cool we were blessed to have, was a visit from the married couple who founded YWAM in Argentina, 20 years ago! They came for the first time to this base to meet us and to spend a day with us! It was great! It was truly awesome to hear of how God has always been faithful in their lives as they have given their All to serve the Lord and to further His kingdom in Argentina and other places in South America and all over the world!
We have class for two hours, which consist of lecture, prayer, lecture and more prayer! Then we have a 30 minute break before another 2 hours of lecture & prayer. Yesterday was so amazing the time we spent in prayer. The Holy Spirit was working in each of us, and I could feel my own spirit of self-reliance breaking down, and giving up more room for God to increase my faith and dependence on him for his real comfort and strength! During our classes, the 5 of us students are there, as well as at least 5 and up to 10 of the staff, who join in as much as possible since they too are seeking God constantly, and will be teaching us as well throughout the theory portion of the school.
Between 1 and 1:30, we sit down for lunch. After lunch we relax for 30 minutes, then we do our “Trabajo Práctico,” (practical work) which is really just housechores, however it is part of the Discipleship. I don’t mind it at all actually. It’s kinda cool to have the whole house of people cleaning for a full hour each day. And if we complete our chore early, we do deep cleaning things, like washing doors or chairs, for example. The leaders really believe that the service-part of day-to-day things like house work is some of the best character-work that happens during the school.
Somewhere between 4:30 and 6:30, we have an hour of free time, during which we could shower or go to the internet “locutorio.” But on Mondays and Thursdays, we’ll be heading downtown at that time, to go to our “Soccorrismo” class, which teaches First Aid and CPR. I’m excited about it, because though I’ve already learned the material in English, never in Spanish! And we will be certified too, which is cool. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays we have other things planned for the evenings. Dinner is sometime between 9 and 11pm—super late! And we’re supposed to have lights out at 11!! – that is super early for me to go to bed!
Our weekends are from Saturday night around 8pm til 4:30pm on Monday. We are expected to attend one church service each Sunday, morning or night.
I’m going to the same church tomorrow as last week, and it starts at 10:30. So, I’m gonna get to sleep now.
Love to you all!
~Marissa
I am thankful for my 2002 Dell laptop J …. 4 Argentines + Me = a bilingual school …. Two totally sweet roommates—Diaina & Cyntia ! … How do you say faucet? And what is the word for toothpaste? Wait a sec- I thought ‘camiseta’ was the word for T-shirt, so why do you keep saying ‘Remera’?” … G-whizz, how old am I? 3?! I don’t even know the right word for bucket!!! … Each day a new opportunity to experience HUMILITY …. Let’s kiss instead! … Did I just switch to English & not even realize it?! Sorry! … My daily life here at the DTS starts around 7:15 am and ends between 11pm and midnight…. A visit from the founders of Argentina YWAM… or—JuCuM in Spanish ….. Did you know that CPR = RCP in Spanish?
Hola!
I am writing to you again from my bunkbed- typing on my 2002 Dell Laptop, which the Lord has blessed with a longer-than-average lifespan! I’m going to try hard not to forget to pray for it every time I use it, that God would keep it running! Tomorrow, I will put it to the test when I attempt to use Skype, complete with an attachable web cam and all! My dad bought the headset and cam before I left, as we both had high hopes I would have access somewhere to wireless internet. I will find out soon if it will connect for us!
My first week of Discipleship Training School (DTS) was really great. There were going to be 6 students, but one girl from Chile wasn’t able to commit last minute, so there are only 5- two boys and three of us girls. My roommates are Daiana (pronounced Dianna) and Cyntia. Daiana is 19 years old, and Cyntia 22. Though they are both from here in the province of Buenos Aires, and live about 130 km away, they were both quite tearful upon separation from their families when they departed the first night. I think the reason is the situations they are leaving are quite stressful. And, the culture is so different in Latino families. Generally, until you are married, and even after sometimes too, you live with your parents. Everyone lives together. You’re expected to help the family and to raise the kids together. So, although they are not moving far, the commitment to come here to live is a big thing. It’s funny, though Daiana is the youngest here, she seems one of the most mature. I heard her praying over the phone for her sister, and it was a very powerful prayer! –at least the parts I could understand ;)
The group here is great! It’s actually quite large- even though there are only 5 of us students. The staff living here are serving full time, and are working to develop various ministries in this city. The average age I think is about 24 or so. I thought I’d be one of the oldest, but the guy students are 25 & 26. They are also both from Argentina. So yeah, I am the only foreigner, minus one of the staff is Colombian. But I’m the only native English speaker. There is one guy who is fluent in English though – Praise the Lord -- and so he is willing to translate whenever I am in need. I haven’t asked him to translate for me yet, but there have been moments, especially in the late afternoon classes when I wish I had. Focusing close enough to understand everything is extra hard when I am physically tired as well as mentally fried!!!
Although I am still fairly confident of my capability in Spanish, I have decided that Castellano is pretty much its own language!!! I kept hearing time and time again – “Oh yeah, I know what you mean,… but we don’t say that here, we say this (fill in the blank with a new word that sounds nothing like the one I had already learned). Fantastic! I kept thinking- now I have to RE-LEARN that word too!! And so I was becoming more and more frustrated. However, now that I’ve decided I am actually learning a new language, and not necessarily RE-learning what I already worked hard to gain, I am less frustrated, and more accepting of my progress.
HUMBLING is the word I would use to express this process of language acquisition. I feel like a little kid- learning the proper term for toothpaste, or sink, faucet, outlet, fridge, etc, etc, etc. It’s like that feeling of having just left middle school, where at your 8th grade graduation you owned the building and the hallways, and you could find your way blind-folded, and then walking into the gigantic-in-comparison high school, where you know your big sister and that’s IT, and you get lost 10 times on your first day. AND MORE. Because I am constantly asking “how do you say…” or “what does ….. mean” from the youngest person here! I am finding I can finally relate to every foreign exchange student I ever met and thought was awkward, simply because they were trying to figure out the social norms in our country. Apparently, walking down the street, it’s not the usual greet to the stranger you pass or even to say “hola” to people passing by. One of the guys on staff told me this as a big group of us were waiting at the bus stop, and I offered a friendly “buenas” (a common abbreviation of ‘good afternoon’) to a group of old ladies walking past. Stuff like this surprises me, but I believe it to be true.
One of the biggest cultural differences is their greetings! They always kiss on the cheek; although it’s often more of a cheek-to-cheek touch with a kissing sound. I mentioned to the girls while we were waiting for the bus today, that we rarely greet with a kiss but with a hand shake / slap combo. And when I showed her, she was totally surprised and kinda “weirded out!” The time the kiss-greeting most surprises me, is when it is a complete stranger to you, but instead of shaking hands, you kiss on the cheek! It just seems so close, right away! But I guess they don’t feel that way at all, they just feel like they’re “shaking hands.”
Anyway, I should really try to make these updates more brief, I know! But there is so much to share & tell!
Tonight the funniest thing was when I was just talking to one of the staff, and as I asked him a question, I had just switched over to English without even realizing it; and he was looking at me as if to say, “what?!” Then I realized I wasn’t speaking Spanish, and he said- It’s okay, it’s because you’re tired! Everyone is so gracious with me! I feel very blessed and accepted, no matter what my language!
I should tell you more about the school! It is a full day, for sure! We are up by 7:25 at the latest, and breakfast is at 7:30. We just sit around the dinning room table and sip coffee and Maté, and nibble on some little pieces of French bread with jam, or sweet bread (like the hot-cross-buns mom makes) we’ve had this week because of Easter. Then we have 30 minutes of quiet time that we spend with the Lord, and at 8:30 class starts. The topics of our classes this week so far have been on Worship, Quiet Time, Discipleship, and the Faithfulness of God. Something very cool we were blessed to have, was a visit from the married couple who founded YWAM in Argentina, 20 years ago! They came for the first time to this base to meet us and to spend a day with us! It was great! It was truly awesome to hear of how God has always been faithful in their lives as they have given their All to serve the Lord and to further His kingdom in Argentina and other places in South America and all over the world!
We have class for two hours, which consist of lecture, prayer, lecture and more prayer! Then we have a 30 minute break before another 2 hours of lecture & prayer. Yesterday was so amazing the time we spent in prayer. The Holy Spirit was working in each of us, and I could feel my own spirit of self-reliance breaking down, and giving up more room for God to increase my faith and dependence on him for his real comfort and strength! During our classes, the 5 of us students are there, as well as at least 5 and up to 10 of the staff, who join in as much as possible since they too are seeking God constantly, and will be teaching us as well throughout the theory portion of the school.
Between 1 and 1:30, we sit down for lunch. After lunch we relax for 30 minutes, then we do our “Trabajo Práctico,” (practical work) which is really just housechores, however it is part of the Discipleship. I don’t mind it at all actually. It’s kinda cool to have the whole house of people cleaning for a full hour each day. And if we complete our chore early, we do deep cleaning things, like washing doors or chairs, for example. The leaders really believe that the service-part of day-to-day things like house work is some of the best character-work that happens during the school.
Somewhere between 4:30 and 6:30, we have an hour of free time, during which we could shower or go to the internet “locutorio.” But on Mondays and Thursdays, we’ll be heading downtown at that time, to go to our “Soccorrismo” class, which teaches First Aid and CPR. I’m excited about it, because though I’ve already learned the material in English, never in Spanish! And we will be certified too, which is cool. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays we have other things planned for the evenings. Dinner is sometime between 9 and 11pm—super late! And we’re supposed to have lights out at 11!! – that is super early for me to go to bed!
Our weekends are from Saturday night around 8pm til 4:30pm on Monday. We are expected to attend one church service each Sunday, morning or night.
I’m going to the same church tomorrow as last week, and it starts at 10:30. So, I’m gonna get to sleep now.
Love to you all!
~Marissa
sábado, 18 de abril de 2009
Happy Easter!
April 12, 2009
“You speak Spanish?! YES!!! That means we don’t have to interpret!” … Treated like a princess J … “you want me to speak on the radio?! Copado!” … “La cena (dinner) is at 10 pm” … Let’s play fútbol! … PTL (Praise the Lord ) for Sunshine every day!
Queridos Amigos~
I am finally stopping long enough to write again J
I’ve been pretty busy just getting settled, and hanging out with my wonderful new amigos! Last time I went to check email, I didn’t have much time, so I couldn’t write an update. This time I am smart, and I am typing my letter to you on my own laptop on my bunkbed, and then I will either put it on my memory card to transfer to a “compu” they call it, at the “siver” which is a place you can use the internet, though it may be slow. I could also take my laptop with me into downtown Mar Del Plata, where I’ve been told it is possible to just sit down in some plaza somewhere, use free Wi-fi, and send emails, or I could search for a café somewhere with Wi-fi. I think I will try to do that tomorrow.
It’s about 7:45pm here on Easter Sunday and a big group have gone to an evening church service. I went this morning to a church in town called “Iglesia Evangelica Bautitsta” which means Evangelical Baptist Church . It was great, I really like it! It was fairly similar to our church at home, pretty casual and very welcoming! I was so touched when we sang a song I recognized, which in English would be “Lord I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone! Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord have your way in me!” I loved it! The sermon was pretty brief, but I could understand probably about 80% of it, which I consider quite good! I plan to return to that church next week too, since my new friend Alicia goes there as well as the head directors of the YWAM base here- Daniel & Norma.
About this time of day I start feeling pretty hungry, but they don’t have dinner until about 9 or 10pm !!! Yeah, I know! Crazy right? Well, actually maybe not so crazy,.. considering 9 o’clock was a fairly common time for us to sit down altogether back in the day ;) Anyway, I am still accustoming myself to their schedule. In the morning, they eat crackers with marmalade or “dulce de leche” which is like a thick, creamy caramel spread Argentines eat daily! And they also have “café con leche” – coffee with milk, or “yerba mate” – a traditional tea sipped through a traditional straw and cup which is passed around to share with everyone at the table. Lunch is around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and it is the biggest meal of the day. Often with an Italian twist of pasta or Gnocches, and/or sometimes rice, and always meat! They’re big into beef here.
It is so sweet how they treated Renae and I, and how they still are treating me as an honored guest! Sitting down at lunch and/or dinner, it was a special surprise that Renae and I were given the plates with the best pieces of meat, or one time even with meat that no one else had been given! And same yesterday, they gave me a T-bone steak while everyone else had a rice & fish casserole! Today I merely helped to clear the table and I was told to “no lavar los platos” – don’t wash the dishes. “Relajate!” they said, which means “relax!” When the school starts on Wednesday, THEN you can work J
So yeah, pretty much I’ve just been chillin’ and hangin out with Alicia, who has pretty much taken me in under her wing, and made sure I have everything I’ll need for the program. Also she helped me to go to the right stores and buy all I will need for washing my clothes. Apparently they do have a “semi-automatic” washing machine, but you have to wring out your own clothes and hang them up to dry. I don’t know how well this maching actually cleans clothes, because she also told me to buy a bar of soap to use to wash the clothes by hand,… we shall see J
The other day- yesterday I guess it was, (man the days have been so full I feel that it was at least 2 days ago!) I went with Alicia to a Christian radio station, and I actually got to talk, pray, and read scripture over the air! Isn’t that awesome?! Apparently, a good friend of YWAM has an hour to evangelize on this station each Saturday, and once a month, she invites someone from the base to come and share during that hour. So yesterday was this week was their week, and so we went and shared scripture about the 40 days after the resurrection that Jesus shared with his disciples. It was really cool to use the microphone J Later, we came home, took a “siesta” and went back into town for an “obra” or play. It was a musical depiction of the life of Jesus, performed in a theatre, and narrated by a guy who played the part of the “gaucho,” or Argentine cowboy, who was rather difficult to understand. I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Today, after church and eating lunch, I got to play “fútbol” with a group of the guys here. It was such a blast! It was so funny too, that whenever the wind or the bumpy field would direct the ball onto the nearby street, a few of them would say “en el nombre de Jesus” praying for the ball, that none of the passing cars would smash it- and no one ever did drive over it, Praise the Lord! It was fun, and I had a goal too! I learned many soccer vocab. words too!
My Spanish is doin pretty good I think, however the language down here is WAY different than that of Mexico or central America. The grammatical rules are the same, of course, but the way the terms they use are different for so many things that I am constantly hearing- oh, well, we don’t really use that word here,…. so I am constantly asking “como se dice… “ which means- how do you say,…? So yea, I am definitely dependent on these people around me, and working on learning a ton! There are two boys here that know English, so when I need to know how to say something, I often go to one of them. Sometimes I feel like a little girl all over again, because I am learning how to say so many basic terms like- tooth paste, or faucet, sink, fridge,… etc, etc.. I think all of the translating in my head makes me tired more easily,.. or maybe it’s the 70 degree weather which I am not used to,… but anyway I am very happy to be here, and looking forward to the start of the school on Wednsday! I’ve been told Mondays are the off-days around here, so I plan on sleeping in tomorrow as late as possible!!!
I have been loving the weather! It has been surprisingly warm for everyone here. They say it’s usually pretty chilly by this time in April. But it’s been hot! Today I had to put on sunscreen, and after soccer, I walked to the beach and in the water of the Atlantic ocean ! I don’t remember the last time I’ve been in the Atlantic ! It’s very refreshing! And there are a TON of surfers here! Very cool to watch.
Right now I am the only one in this bedroom, and sleep in the top of the first bunk. There will be 4 of us in here, and I believe the 3 other girls will arrive Tuesday.
Well, I’m gonna get goin, but I love you all and can’t wait to hear from each one of you!!!
Dios Te Bendiga!!!
Con todo mi amor,
Marissa xoxoxo
“You speak Spanish?! YES!!! That means we don’t have to interpret!” … Treated like a princess J … “you want me to speak on the radio?! Copado!” … “La cena (dinner) is at 10 pm” … Let’s play fútbol! … PTL (Praise the Lord ) for Sunshine every day!
Queridos Amigos~
I am finally stopping long enough to write again J
I’ve been pretty busy just getting settled, and hanging out with my wonderful new amigos! Last time I went to check email, I didn’t have much time, so I couldn’t write an update. This time I am smart, and I am typing my letter to you on my own laptop on my bunkbed, and then I will either put it on my memory card to transfer to a “compu” they call it, at the “siver” which is a place you can use the internet, though it may be slow. I could also take my laptop with me into downtown Mar Del Plata, where I’ve been told it is possible to just sit down in some plaza somewhere, use free Wi-fi, and send emails, or I could search for a café somewhere with Wi-fi. I think I will try to do that tomorrow.
It’s about 7:45pm here on Easter Sunday and a big group have gone to an evening church service. I went this morning to a church in town called “Iglesia Evangelica Bautitsta” which means Evangelical Baptist Church . It was great, I really like it! It was fairly similar to our church at home, pretty casual and very welcoming! I was so touched when we sang a song I recognized, which in English would be “Lord I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone! Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord have your way in me!” I loved it! The sermon was pretty brief, but I could understand probably about 80% of it, which I consider quite good! I plan to return to that church next week too, since my new friend Alicia goes there as well as the head directors of the YWAM base here- Daniel & Norma.
About this time of day I start feeling pretty hungry, but they don’t have dinner until about 9 or 10pm !!! Yeah, I know! Crazy right? Well, actually maybe not so crazy,.. considering 9 o’clock was a fairly common time for us to sit down altogether back in the day ;) Anyway, I am still accustoming myself to their schedule. In the morning, they eat crackers with marmalade or “dulce de leche” which is like a thick, creamy caramel spread Argentines eat daily! And they also have “café con leche” – coffee with milk, or “yerba mate” – a traditional tea sipped through a traditional straw and cup which is passed around to share with everyone at the table. Lunch is around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and it is the biggest meal of the day. Often with an Italian twist of pasta or Gnocches, and/or sometimes rice, and always meat! They’re big into beef here.
It is so sweet how they treated Renae and I, and how they still are treating me as an honored guest! Sitting down at lunch and/or dinner, it was a special surprise that Renae and I were given the plates with the best pieces of meat, or one time even with meat that no one else had been given! And same yesterday, they gave me a T-bone steak while everyone else had a rice & fish casserole! Today I merely helped to clear the table and I was told to “no lavar los platos” – don’t wash the dishes. “Relajate!” they said, which means “relax!” When the school starts on Wednesday, THEN you can work J
So yeah, pretty much I’ve just been chillin’ and hangin out with Alicia, who has pretty much taken me in under her wing, and made sure I have everything I’ll need for the program. Also she helped me to go to the right stores and buy all I will need for washing my clothes. Apparently they do have a “semi-automatic” washing machine, but you have to wring out your own clothes and hang them up to dry. I don’t know how well this maching actually cleans clothes, because she also told me to buy a bar of soap to use to wash the clothes by hand,… we shall see J
The other day- yesterday I guess it was, (man the days have been so full I feel that it was at least 2 days ago!) I went with Alicia to a Christian radio station, and I actually got to talk, pray, and read scripture over the air! Isn’t that awesome?! Apparently, a good friend of YWAM has an hour to evangelize on this station each Saturday, and once a month, she invites someone from the base to come and share during that hour. So yesterday was this week was their week, and so we went and shared scripture about the 40 days after the resurrection that Jesus shared with his disciples. It was really cool to use the microphone J Later, we came home, took a “siesta” and went back into town for an “obra” or play. It was a musical depiction of the life of Jesus, performed in a theatre, and narrated by a guy who played the part of the “gaucho,” or Argentine cowboy, who was rather difficult to understand. I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Today, after church and eating lunch, I got to play “fútbol” with a group of the guys here. It was such a blast! It was so funny too, that whenever the wind or the bumpy field would direct the ball onto the nearby street, a few of them would say “en el nombre de Jesus” praying for the ball, that none of the passing cars would smash it- and no one ever did drive over it, Praise the Lord! It was fun, and I had a goal too! I learned many soccer vocab. words too!
My Spanish is doin pretty good I think, however the language down here is WAY different than that of Mexico or central America. The grammatical rules are the same, of course, but the way the terms they use are different for so many things that I am constantly hearing- oh, well, we don’t really use that word here,…. so I am constantly asking “como se dice… “ which means- how do you say,…? So yea, I am definitely dependent on these people around me, and working on learning a ton! There are two boys here that know English, so when I need to know how to say something, I often go to one of them. Sometimes I feel like a little girl all over again, because I am learning how to say so many basic terms like- tooth paste, or faucet, sink, fridge,… etc, etc.. I think all of the translating in my head makes me tired more easily,.. or maybe it’s the 70 degree weather which I am not used to,… but anyway I am very happy to be here, and looking forward to the start of the school on Wednsday! I’ve been told Mondays are the off-days around here, so I plan on sleeping in tomorrow as late as possible!!!
I have been loving the weather! It has been surprisingly warm for everyone here. They say it’s usually pretty chilly by this time in April. But it’s been hot! Today I had to put on sunscreen, and after soccer, I walked to the beach and in the water of the Atlantic ocean ! I don’t remember the last time I’ve been in the Atlantic ! It’s very refreshing! And there are a TON of surfers here! Very cool to watch.
Right now I am the only one in this bedroom, and sleep in the top of the first bunk. There will be 4 of us in here, and I believe the 3 other girls will arrive Tuesday.
Well, I’m gonna get goin, but I love you all and can’t wait to hear from each one of you!!!
Dios Te Bendiga!!!
Con todo mi amor,
Marissa xoxoxo
Sunday April 5th, 2009
Hola everyone!!!!
Renae and I arrived safely in Argentina this morning at 7am (3am Seattle) Praise the Lord! It was a long journey, but lots of fun too!
I am sooo thrilled to be here! God provided for us a very honest taxi driver, who didn´t charge a cent too much, and who drove us right to the door of the YWAM base in the grand city of Buenos Aires, where we are staying tonight and leaving half my luggage while we travel away from the city for the next 5 or 6 days.
I was a bit worried that my lack of experience with the Argentine version of Spanish-- "Castellano" would make it really difficult to communicate, but God has quickened my ear to understand it much easier than I thought, and we are getting by just fine. As we rode through the city, listening to our taxi driver describe everything, I felt as though I had been here weeks already and the language was very smooth to my ears. Gloria a Dios! (Glory to God)
Renae and I took a nap late this morning, and then took showers and found a very fancy cafe where we enjoyed our first, DELICIOUS cup of Argentine ESPRESSO! Now we are planning to go to a Tango show tonight! I am soo excited! This is so fun! I am sooo happy Renae is with me too! Otherwise I think I would be sad at the same time,... Thanks Drew! I hope you are not too lonely over there in the still-snowy Spokane!!!
Oh, and by-the-way, it is like, SUMMER here!!! I´m pretty sure it is 70 degrees! Woo-hoo!!!!
I thank you for your prayers and I will be praying for each of you! Happy Palm Sunday!!!
Les amo mucho y ya les extraño!!! (I love you a lot and I already miss you!)
Dios les bendiga cada una (God bless each one of you)
En Cristo,
Mariss
Renae and I arrived safely in Argentina this morning at 7am (3am Seattle) Praise the Lord! It was a long journey, but lots of fun too!
I am sooo thrilled to be here! God provided for us a very honest taxi driver, who didn´t charge a cent too much, and who drove us right to the door of the YWAM base in the grand city of Buenos Aires, where we are staying tonight and leaving half my luggage while we travel away from the city for the next 5 or 6 days.
I was a bit worried that my lack of experience with the Argentine version of Spanish-- "Castellano" would make it really difficult to communicate, but God has quickened my ear to understand it much easier than I thought, and we are getting by just fine. As we rode through the city, listening to our taxi driver describe everything, I felt as though I had been here weeks already and the language was very smooth to my ears. Gloria a Dios! (Glory to God)
Renae and I took a nap late this morning, and then took showers and found a very fancy cafe where we enjoyed our first, DELICIOUS cup of Argentine ESPRESSO! Now we are planning to go to a Tango show tonight! I am soo excited! This is so fun! I am sooo happy Renae is with me too! Otherwise I think I would be sad at the same time,... Thanks Drew! I hope you are not too lonely over there in the still-snowy Spokane!!!
Oh, and by-the-way, it is like, SUMMER here!!! I´m pretty sure it is 70 degrees! Woo-hoo!!!!
I thank you for your prayers and I will be praying for each of you! Happy Palm Sunday!!!
Les amo mucho y ya les extraño!!! (I love you a lot and I already miss you!)
Dios les bendiga cada una (God bless each one of you)
En Cristo,
Mariss
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