Thanksgiving (Week 12)
Thankfulness continued...
Within the past week my ability to speak Spanish has taken a huge leap forward. *que happy dance* I still have a looooong way to go, but I am super proud of what I've accomplished so far.
This weekend I joined the local Pathfinder club on the end-of-the-year camporee. I stayed in the same tent with a few of the girls. That was an adventure because I AM NOT a morning person. When the girls woke me up by speaking Spanish I would think, "Yo! Chillens! I can't understand English sentences this early in the morning, much less Spanish." :D But, I survived the challenge. My phone died sometime during Saturday morning, so I left it to charge in my suitcase. That evening I realized that I hadn't used it to translate anything all day, and yet, I had been carrying on conversations like a champ. The conversations weren't seamless by any means, but they WERE conversations. I'm counting that as a victory.
One of Papa Henrry and Mama Laura's oldest twins (fun fact: they have two sets) traveled all the way from Lima (or that area) so that she could hang out with us over the weekend. She is a JOY and a kindred spirit... although she has a considerably larger amount of energy than I do. ;) It's been a while since I've laughed as much or as hard in a long while.
Our tents before they were moved inside due to rain.
Four new SMs joined the AMOR Projects family at the beginning of last week. Originally they were stationed in Bolivia, however, due to major political tension all Americans were strongly advised to leave the country. Their plan is to return when they can, but for the time being I am totally excited that they're here. They have brought much joy.
Also, I am SO thankful for my bed and shelter! Because of two huge thunder/rainstorms during the camporee we had to move our tents to the church both nights. After sleeping on cement floors with no pillow (I forgot mine), I'm pretty sure that I stared at my bed in adoration when I returned. Also, thank goodness for melatonin. Blessings!
Tomorrow is American Thanksgiving. It isn't a holiday here, but there are several American missionaries in the area so there is a group getting together to eat and go swimming. I can confidently say I've never gone swimming on Thanksgiving. I'm pretty darn excited. Tonight the crew is going to make brownies, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will be green bean casserole.
Can you believe I've been here almost three months? THREE MONTHS! That's craziness! It's been three months filled with a large variety of feelings and emotions, but I am THANKFUL!
Happy Thanksgiving my lovelies!
~TBS~