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| S Ring 2.0!! |
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| New earrings! |
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| My 3.99 Euro Dress!!! |
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| Pink H&M shirt for 7 euros |
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| BEST COOKIES EVER! ate 3 of these rolls in one week |
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| the little restaraunt infront of the tram |
Monday, January 31, 2011
Pictures!
Week Three
I never thought it would be possible to go shopping for 3 hours and only go to 3 stores! Well, I proved myself wrong! On Saturday night eight (including me) girls took the tram to one of Alicante's mall. It is HUGE!! 4 levels filled with many random stores I have never seen before. We spent 30 minutes in H&M (My favorite store! I went to the one in London as well) and the outcome was a light pink shirt with lace on it that I got for 7 euros, then we went into Blanco which was CRAZY! Women rushing all over the place. I ended up getting a black dress that has pearls on the front for 3.99 euros (normally 30 euros!). I left Blanco before the others and discovered an incredible jewellery store! Wall to wall racks of necklaces, wall to wall shelves of bracelets, and islands of earrings! I bought a ring that looks exactly like my 'S' ring that I got in Mexico (but lost a few months ago), tiny pearls for my second holes since the ones I normally wear fell out, dangling earrings, another ring, and a gift for my mother! I ended up going in 3 times...the two workers there laughed every time I walked in =P. Krista and I went to a store that sold things made in Spain. SO RANDOM! There was EVERYTHING in there haha it was really neat. After a long 3 hours we headed back home and I went to bed! =P
For church we ended up going to the Salvation Army in Alicante. It was neat to see that they wear the same uniforms as they do in Alberta. The church consists of a small room (can fit up to 50 people..very cramped though) and a bathroom and a back room with an office and a room for kids to go and hang out. So cute! But it really had a weird stench to it haha I gagged a few times before getting use to it =P. It was really neat to sing songs in Spanish...I think I did pretty good! The service went for 2 hours! They didn't want us to leave. We had cake at the end of the service because they celebrate birthdays in the month. After a while we all trekked back through some alleys (so scary!) to our big coach bus that we have to take. My first experience of a Spanish church is a success! Last night we had our third fellowship night and it was amazing! We started with communion. It has never really meant anything to me before but now that I fully understand what it is and that it is almost rude to take the bread and juice without repenting! I took part and felt so refreshed afterwards =] It's not just free bread and juice for me anymore. Then we played a game called fish bowl which is a mix of catch phrase, charades and making sound affects. The winning team (my team! ...team Optimus Prime) ended up having to wash the losers feet..just like Jesus washing his disciples feet. It was such a humbling experience and I loved it! Then we had some partner prayer time and ended the night with a killer dinner!
Rachel,Steffi, Linnea and I went for a run at the beach to get back into the routine since we take a break on Friday and Saturday. It is a good way to release any stress or worries! Also, on the way back we saw the start of a lightning storm across the water!
This morning was a weird start to the week. We woke up to no power in the house!! I figured this meant that breakfast will be a bit later today so I went back to bed. Turns out it was still on time for I was 20 min late =[ haha We all hoped that we could have a sleep in day today! Oh well. Our new speaker is Ron Man and he is teaching on Biblical Worship. So far so good! He is VERY organized which I love =]
More to come soon!
For church we ended up going to the Salvation Army in Alicante. It was neat to see that they wear the same uniforms as they do in Alberta. The church consists of a small room (can fit up to 50 people..very cramped though) and a bathroom and a back room with an office and a room for kids to go and hang out. So cute! But it really had a weird stench to it haha I gagged a few times before getting use to it =P. It was really neat to sing songs in Spanish...I think I did pretty good! The service went for 2 hours! They didn't want us to leave. We had cake at the end of the service because they celebrate birthdays in the month. After a while we all trekked back through some alleys (so scary!) to our big coach bus that we have to take. My first experience of a Spanish church is a success! Last night we had our third fellowship night and it was amazing! We started with communion. It has never really meant anything to me before but now that I fully understand what it is and that it is almost rude to take the bread and juice without repenting! I took part and felt so refreshed afterwards =] It's not just free bread and juice for me anymore. Then we played a game called fish bowl which is a mix of catch phrase, charades and making sound affects. The winning team (my team! ...team Optimus Prime) ended up having to wash the losers feet..just like Jesus washing his disciples feet. It was such a humbling experience and I loved it! Then we had some partner prayer time and ended the night with a killer dinner!
Rachel,Steffi, Linnea and I went for a run at the beach to get back into the routine since we take a break on Friday and Saturday. It is a good way to release any stress or worries! Also, on the way back we saw the start of a lightning storm across the water!
This morning was a weird start to the week. We woke up to no power in the house!! I figured this meant that breakfast will be a bit later today so I went back to bed. Turns out it was still on time for I was 20 min late =[ haha We all hoped that we could have a sleep in day today! Oh well. Our new speaker is Ron Man and he is teaching on Biblical Worship. So far so good! He is VERY organized which I love =]
More to come soon!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
School's out for the weekend!
I have been away from home for almost 3 weeks now!
I cannot believe that haha I am very proud of myself =P So! I have officially figured out my plans for after Capernwray. I am planning on training it to Italy with my new found friend Heidi and her cousin! We will be there for 7 ish days and are planning on visiting Rome,Venice and Florence. I REALLY want to see the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseo . I also want to go on a Gondola! After Italy I will be heading to Toronto for a week to see my beloved family whom I have missed for years!! Then back to Cow town!! It seems soo far away but yet it seems like it will all go by so fast!
So yesterday we finished talking about Nehemiah and Leadership. Nehemiah is a killer leader!!! I admire all his characteristics and how he fully relied on God and let him take control. True role model right there!!
For the last leadership class we took a spiritual gifts test. My top three were 1) Showing Mercy 2) Pastor/shepard 3) Administration. Pretty cool =] Gives me a better idea of what I can do to serve in ministry!
At night we had our family night! Everyone is split up into family groups and we get picked up by different families from a church in Alicante (i think). They host us at their house and provide desserts and different activities. My "parents" are Joe and Cindy...so they speak english which is good but bad at the same time since I won't be forced to learn haha...and so we headed over to their place after dinner last night. They have 8 kids so in total there were 18 of us in one little house! haha The houses in Spain are pretty basic and cold/not too much color but its really neat to see how different they are! Josh, their oldest son, has his room up in a little tower. You have to climb up a ladder through a hole to get to his room haha. And all the girls (5 of them) stay in one room!! They have a kingsized bunk bed. I greatly appreciate having my single bed to myself now haha. They have 4 dogs (which made me soooo happy!), 3 cats, a bunny named Stephen, and a few birds. Their place is literally a zoo! =P. After a tour of the house we sat down and had some Tapas (finger food). Cindy prepared 2 different types of sausage, popcorn, chocolate (I ate most of it =]), cookies, peanuts, tomatoes,cheese, and cookies that they freshly baked. It was like a second supper! We all sat around a large table and shared the most embarrasing story of our lives and fellowshipped for a bit. Then we moved to the bigger room and played a number game. It is where you sit in a circle and you are given a number (in our case it was 1-18) in spanish and you are suppose to keep a beat (pat your lap, clap your hands, snap twice) and say your number on the first snap and someone else's number on the second snap. Sounds confusing but it is the easiest game ever!! I really suck at spanish though and so I always ended up losing and then I would have to move to #18 (your goal was to be #1 by the end of the game). We played that for 30 min and had a ton of fun! Then we prayed and went back to school.It was really fun to be in a group of people I don't normally hang with. Good opportunity to bond and now I feel like everyone is a lot closer...everyone hangs out with everyone!
Today has been a random day. There aren't any planned activities so I slept in a bit. When I woke up I got ready and just lazed around...I attempted to do some drawing of a palm tree but it was way too windy out..wouldn't stay still! haha Later tonight a group of us are heading into Alicante for dinner and shopping while the rest of the group is heading to the Barcelona soccer game against Alicante's Hercules. I was going to go just for the experience but it costs 80 Euros and I'm not the biggest soccer fan haha.
It will be cool to be in Alicante at night time...see all the lights and whatever. We are also going to go along the port and see all the boats and little stalls of souveniers.
Week 3...I am ready for you! haha
I cannot believe that haha I am very proud of myself =P So! I have officially figured out my plans for after Capernwray. I am planning on training it to Italy with my new found friend Heidi and her cousin! We will be there for 7 ish days and are planning on visiting Rome,Venice and Florence. I REALLY want to see the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseo . I also want to go on a Gondola! After Italy I will be heading to Toronto for a week to see my beloved family whom I have missed for years!! Then back to Cow town!! It seems soo far away but yet it seems like it will all go by so fast!
So yesterday we finished talking about Nehemiah and Leadership. Nehemiah is a killer leader!!! I admire all his characteristics and how he fully relied on God and let him take control. True role model right there!!
For the last leadership class we took a spiritual gifts test. My top three were 1) Showing Mercy 2) Pastor/shepard 3) Administration. Pretty cool =] Gives me a better idea of what I can do to serve in ministry!
At night we had our family night! Everyone is split up into family groups and we get picked up by different families from a church in Alicante (i think). They host us at their house and provide desserts and different activities. My "parents" are Joe and Cindy...so they speak english which is good but bad at the same time since I won't be forced to learn haha...and so we headed over to their place after dinner last night. They have 8 kids so in total there were 18 of us in one little house! haha The houses in Spain are pretty basic and cold/not too much color but its really neat to see how different they are! Josh, their oldest son, has his room up in a little tower. You have to climb up a ladder through a hole to get to his room haha. And all the girls (5 of them) stay in one room!! They have a kingsized bunk bed. I greatly appreciate having my single bed to myself now haha. They have 4 dogs (which made me soooo happy!), 3 cats, a bunny named Stephen, and a few birds. Their place is literally a zoo! =P. After a tour of the house we sat down and had some Tapas (finger food). Cindy prepared 2 different types of sausage, popcorn, chocolate (I ate most of it =]), cookies, peanuts, tomatoes,cheese, and cookies that they freshly baked. It was like a second supper! We all sat around a large table and shared the most embarrasing story of our lives and fellowshipped for a bit. Then we moved to the bigger room and played a number game. It is where you sit in a circle and you are given a number (in our case it was 1-18) in spanish and you are suppose to keep a beat (pat your lap, clap your hands, snap twice) and say your number on the first snap and someone else's number on the second snap. Sounds confusing but it is the easiest game ever!! I really suck at spanish though and so I always ended up losing and then I would have to move to #18 (your goal was to be #1 by the end of the game). We played that for 30 min and had a ton of fun! Then we prayed and went back to school.It was really fun to be in a group of people I don't normally hang with. Good opportunity to bond and now I feel like everyone is a lot closer...everyone hangs out with everyone!
Today has been a random day. There aren't any planned activities so I slept in a bit. When I woke up I got ready and just lazed around...I attempted to do some drawing of a palm tree but it was way too windy out..wouldn't stay still! haha Later tonight a group of us are heading into Alicante for dinner and shopping while the rest of the group is heading to the Barcelona soccer game against Alicante's Hercules. I was going to go just for the experience but it costs 80 Euros and I'm not the biggest soccer fan haha.
It will be cool to be in Alicante at night time...see all the lights and whatever. We are also going to go along the port and see all the boats and little stalls of souveniers.
Week 3...I am ready for you! haha
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Oh, Thursdays...
This week has been FLYING by!! I can't believe that another week has almost passed...so Sad!
Well, the only eventful day this week was TODAY! =P It is the first day of rain (it has been raining all day and I left some of my laundry hanging outside...). We were suppose to go play soccer and basketball today after our last lecture this morning but we ended up having an extra hour of free time! I took advantage of it and started typing up all my notes so I don't have to bring home a bunch of papers =P.
I shared my testimony today!! We do a thing called devotionaries every day and so far the staff has been doing it but today was the first day of the students turn. I had to go first cause of my last name (B) lol. EVERYONE loved it!! =] I have been told that I looked so comfortable up there, I am a great public speaker, I kept their attention and I touched their hearts! That just gave me a Huge boost of confidence in my public speaking. I loved all the encouragement I received! I didn't really have a plan of what I was going to say but I focused it around the Armor of God ( Eph. 6:10-18). I made up my own pieces of Armor for a visual haha. I told everyone about how we all face a spiritual warfare everyday and that we need to put on the armor to prevent Satan's attacks. I included some of my own personal experiences but by the end I just could feel God putting things on my heart and flowing through me. It was amazing! I love God =] Now my stress/anxiety is gone and I don't have to worry about it anymore while I am here. I do lead a Bible study next week but it is only for my group of 6 girls (not as intimidating).
School seems to be getting very busy now...I have actually started to make a To-Do list! and I get a book report tomorrow =[ But this is way better than homework...this is all work that involves learning about God! I always feel inspired afterwards.
My experience here has been amazing so far but I do miss being home! I cannot wait to go back and start living my life as a transformed Godly Woman!
Well, the only eventful day this week was TODAY! =P It is the first day of rain (it has been raining all day and I left some of my laundry hanging outside...). We were suppose to go play soccer and basketball today after our last lecture this morning but we ended up having an extra hour of free time! I took advantage of it and started typing up all my notes so I don't have to bring home a bunch of papers =P.
I shared my testimony today!! We do a thing called devotionaries every day and so far the staff has been doing it but today was the first day of the students turn. I had to go first cause of my last name (B) lol. EVERYONE loved it!! =] I have been told that I looked so comfortable up there, I am a great public speaker, I kept their attention and I touched their hearts! That just gave me a Huge boost of confidence in my public speaking. I loved all the encouragement I received! I didn't really have a plan of what I was going to say but I focused it around the Armor of God ( Eph. 6:10-18). I made up my own pieces of Armor for a visual haha. I told everyone about how we all face a spiritual warfare everyday and that we need to put on the armor to prevent Satan's attacks. I included some of my own personal experiences but by the end I just could feel God putting things on my heart and flowing through me. It was amazing! I love God =] Now my stress/anxiety is gone and I don't have to worry about it anymore while I am here. I do lead a Bible study next week but it is only for my group of 6 girls (not as intimidating).
School seems to be getting very busy now...I have actually started to make a To-Do list! and I get a book report tomorrow =[ But this is way better than homework...this is all work that involves learning about God! I always feel inspired afterwards.
My experience here has been amazing so far but I do miss being home! I cannot wait to go back and start living my life as a transformed Godly Woman!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday
Today was a lazy day! My outreach group was in charge of the Sunday church service which was so incredible even though it lacked in planning! Haha The guy in our group sang a few songs while playing the guitar and in between songs we read verses. I read from Psalms about worshipping God and praising his name! Then 2 of the girls shared their testimony (I was going to but I have to share mine this coming Thursday...ON MY DAD'S BIRTHDAY! (Such a God moment =] ) and so some other girls offered to do it) and afterwards we did a skit called 'Cardboard Testimonies'. We write a struggle we have been having on one side of the cardboard and we all slowly line up and then we flip them over to what God has done to take away the struggles...oh and music is playing in the background during this time cause there aren't any words to it since they would have to be in Spanish for the churches we go to! After church I took an hour nap and hung out with everyone. A girl was getting dreads (sp?) put into her hair which was interesting to see =P. Wasn't a productive day at all but it felt soo nice to just relax and not have any chores or commitments!
PS the shoe guy never showed up to church =[ but I will continue to pray for him!
Monday
New lectures and New speakers today!! Joe's brother, Paul, is one of our speakers this week. He is talking about the book of Nehemiah so it will be neat to focus in on one book of the Bible instead of the whole thing like we did last week. Also we are watching a video series by Ian Thomas called 'Reviving Christ' or something =P. He is a great speaker and really funny...even if it is just on video. It is freezing here! I have never realized how much I took central heating for granted haha. You are constantly cold here! Drinking tea,coffee and hot chocolate is a huge deal here =p.
Lunch was soo good! I cannot get over how great the food is here. It was rice with a chili type soup which warmed us all up! I have thirds of everything =].
During my break I ended up playing a game of ping pong with Joe's son, Joshua (he is 16 and is the boys RA)...he beat me 21-12 haha but I did play a good game! Then this one girl decided to put on a puppet show which was hilarious! And now I am here, blogging! I decided not to take Spanish lessons here because I figured I just want to know the common phrases and get a good understanding of that and chances are when I go home everything will just fly out of my head since no one else will be speaking Spanish there! Haha It will also give me more time to spend in God's word or in fellowship. I will be working through my phrase book though on my own time! =P
So far, Good day =]
Today was a lazy day! My outreach group was in charge of the Sunday church service which was so incredible even though it lacked in planning! Haha The guy in our group sang a few songs while playing the guitar and in between songs we read verses. I read from Psalms about worshipping God and praising his name! Then 2 of the girls shared their testimony (I was going to but I have to share mine this coming Thursday...ON MY DAD'S BIRTHDAY! (Such a God moment =] ) and so some other girls offered to do it) and afterwards we did a skit called 'Cardboard Testimonies'. We write a struggle we have been having on one side of the cardboard and we all slowly line up and then we flip them over to what God has done to take away the struggles...oh and music is playing in the background during this time cause there aren't any words to it since they would have to be in Spanish for the churches we go to! After church I took an hour nap and hung out with everyone. A girl was getting dreads (sp?) put into her hair which was interesting to see =P. Wasn't a productive day at all but it felt soo nice to just relax and not have any chores or commitments!
PS the shoe guy never showed up to church =[ but I will continue to pray for him!
Monday
New lectures and New speakers today!! Joe's brother, Paul, is one of our speakers this week. He is talking about the book of Nehemiah so it will be neat to focus in on one book of the Bible instead of the whole thing like we did last week. Also we are watching a video series by Ian Thomas called 'Reviving Christ' or something =P. He is a great speaker and really funny...even if it is just on video. It is freezing here! I have never realized how much I took central heating for granted haha. You are constantly cold here! Drinking tea,coffee and hot chocolate is a huge deal here =p.
Lunch was soo good! I cannot get over how great the food is here. It was rice with a chili type soup which warmed us all up! I have thirds of everything =].
During my break I ended up playing a game of ping pong with Joe's son, Joshua (he is 16 and is the boys RA)...he beat me 21-12 haha but I did play a good game! Then this one girl decided to put on a puppet show which was hilarious! And now I am here, blogging! I decided not to take Spanish lessons here because I figured I just want to know the common phrases and get a good understanding of that and chances are when I go home everything will just fly out of my head since no one else will be speaking Spanish there! Haha It will also give me more time to spend in God's word or in fellowship. I will be working through my phrase book though on my own time! =P
So far, Good day =]
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Catch up!
Wow, So I have LOTS of catching up to do!
Yesterday was the first friday of Capernwray! Everyone was soo excited for the weekend =]. My friday started with waking up at 6:30 am to go for a run...Heidi and I looked out our window to see the weather and it was raining (or so we thought =P)! So we decided not to run that morning haha and Heidi ran outside to get her clothes so they wouldn't get drenched. She comes back in laughing her head off saying how there was a sprinkler up against our window...so we could have went for a run! Oh well =]
It was still a typical day, we finished off our topics in the lectures this week (it was sad to say Bye to Mark!! He is from england and his accent made me feel kind of at home since I was in London before hand!). After dinner we headed out to Joe's brothers place for a Bonfire! It was a 20 min walk in the dark..kind of scary! Once we got there I went straight towards their puppy dog and played with it for a bit then we all sat down around the fire and started to play the game "white elephant" or something ( you have presents under 1 euro wrapped and you go one by one to pick one out or you can steal the gift from someone else). I ended up with a HUGE choclate bar haha So I was happy =]. After the game we sang some worship songs which was amazing..just looking into the fire, everyone singing together, and thinking about how we are probably the only Christians in this neighbourhood! It was awesome. We also had some legit Spanish hot chocolate which turns out to be chocolate fondue in a cup! It was so thick! Apparently you are suppose to dip stuff in it instead of drinking it =P. Oh well, it was more chocolate for me! (I have been eating 2 kit kat bars a day! oh my =/ )
A group of us walked back and went straight to bed cause we were freezing! And that concluded my first week here!! What an amazing week =]
OH! My roommate, Rachel, got some tough news. Her grandma died and she was struggling with it since shes not home with her family! I spent some time with her and talked for a bit which was great bonding time but at dinner, when everyone else found out, it was neat to see how everyone stopped eating and all took turns to pray for her around the table. Best atmosphere here ever! Pray for Rachel!
TODAY! Heidi and I got up and went for a run IN THE SAND right along the water at 7:30 (we got to sleep in a bit today =] ). We ended up running into one of the other students, John, and watched the sun rise at 8:15. SO BEAUTIFUL! The sun was so bright and on fire...we couldn't even look straight at it. It reminded me what we talked about in the lectures yesterday, how we are unable to see God's face because of all his glory...it just shines so bright! haha GREAT way to start the weekend, for sure. After breakfast and packing up lunch we headed on the tram into Alicante for a trip to the Castle! It is amazing! I didn't really know too much history behind it but it was soo beautiful. It was awesome thinking ...I am eating lunch, in a castle, in Spain! soo cool =]. Took tons of pictures (on facebook!) and then a group of us..heidi,rachel,rachel,linnea,and steffi .. went into old town and went shopping!! GREATdeals! We walked into a little cafe and I used my phrase book to speak in all spanish to order...the lady at the cash said I did very well! haha Go me =] Then we went into a place called 'Central Market' which turned out to be a huge meat/ veggies market and the animals still had their eyeballs in them. GROSS...I wanted to cry haha. We ended up running into a meat lady who lived in Florida for 4 years so she spoke a bit of english. We got out of there very quickly and just walked around into little shops. We came across a shoe store (got fashion boots for 7 euros!..on sale) and ended up talking with one of the workers and invited him to church tomorrow! It will be neat to see if he comes or not. Heidi and I got tired so we left the others to their adventure and headed home! We met a girl named Sophie at the tram stop while waiting and she was born in belgium, is studying in Spain for 6 months and has lived in Ohio so she knew english too! I LOVE MEETING PEOPLE!
I really enjoy being forced into a different culture and having to adapt to it. Gives you such a rush and a huge sense of confidence! I hope that there will be many more trips into town very soon =] but no more spending money for a while! haha
Yesterday was the first friday of Capernwray! Everyone was soo excited for the weekend =]. My friday started with waking up at 6:30 am to go for a run...Heidi and I looked out our window to see the weather and it was raining (or so we thought =P)! So we decided not to run that morning haha and Heidi ran outside to get her clothes so they wouldn't get drenched. She comes back in laughing her head off saying how there was a sprinkler up against our window...so we could have went for a run! Oh well =]
It was still a typical day, we finished off our topics in the lectures this week (it was sad to say Bye to Mark!! He is from england and his accent made me feel kind of at home since I was in London before hand!). After dinner we headed out to Joe's brothers place for a Bonfire! It was a 20 min walk in the dark..kind of scary! Once we got there I went straight towards their puppy dog and played with it for a bit then we all sat down around the fire and started to play the game "white elephant" or something ( you have presents under 1 euro wrapped and you go one by one to pick one out or you can steal the gift from someone else). I ended up with a HUGE choclate bar haha So I was happy =]. After the game we sang some worship songs which was amazing..just looking into the fire, everyone singing together, and thinking about how we are probably the only Christians in this neighbourhood! It was awesome. We also had some legit Spanish hot chocolate which turns out to be chocolate fondue in a cup! It was so thick! Apparently you are suppose to dip stuff in it instead of drinking it =P. Oh well, it was more chocolate for me! (I have been eating 2 kit kat bars a day! oh my =/ )
A group of us walked back and went straight to bed cause we were freezing! And that concluded my first week here!! What an amazing week =]
OH! My roommate, Rachel, got some tough news. Her grandma died and she was struggling with it since shes not home with her family! I spent some time with her and talked for a bit which was great bonding time but at dinner, when everyone else found out, it was neat to see how everyone stopped eating and all took turns to pray for her around the table. Best atmosphere here ever! Pray for Rachel!
TODAY! Heidi and I got up and went for a run IN THE SAND right along the water at 7:30 (we got to sleep in a bit today =] ). We ended up running into one of the other students, John, and watched the sun rise at 8:15. SO BEAUTIFUL! The sun was so bright and on fire...we couldn't even look straight at it. It reminded me what we talked about in the lectures yesterday, how we are unable to see God's face because of all his glory...it just shines so bright! haha GREAT way to start the weekend, for sure. After breakfast and packing up lunch we headed on the tram into Alicante for a trip to the Castle! It is amazing! I didn't really know too much history behind it but it was soo beautiful. It was awesome thinking ...I am eating lunch, in a castle, in Spain! soo cool =]. Took tons of pictures (on facebook!) and then a group of us..heidi,rachel,rachel,linnea,and steffi .. went into old town and went shopping!! GREATdeals! We walked into a little cafe and I used my phrase book to speak in all spanish to order...the lady at the cash said I did very well! haha Go me =] Then we went into a place called 'Central Market' which turned out to be a huge meat/ veggies market and the animals still had their eyeballs in them. GROSS...I wanted to cry haha. We ended up running into a meat lady who lived in Florida for 4 years so she spoke a bit of english. We got out of there very quickly and just walked around into little shops. We came across a shoe store (got fashion boots for 7 euros!..on sale) and ended up talking with one of the workers and invited him to church tomorrow! It will be neat to see if he comes or not. Heidi and I got tired so we left the others to their adventure and headed home! We met a girl named Sophie at the tram stop while waiting and she was born in belgium, is studying in Spain for 6 months and has lived in Ohio so she knew english too! I LOVE MEETING PEOPLE!
I really enjoy being forced into a different culture and having to adapt to it. Gives you such a rush and a huge sense of confidence! I hope that there will be many more trips into town very soon =] but no more spending money for a while! haha
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Espana!
Week 1 is almost over! How fast it has been going! Today was a lot better than yesterday..probably my favorite school day so far this week! Today was so different because we all went on a prayer walk! I have only done this once before and to be honest I didn't like it so much. I always felt awkward walking around and praying. Today was different =]. There is so much need in this community! We were told that the everyone neighbouring Rio Vida Bible School aren't Christians. They think that what goes on here is crazy and they don't want anything to do with it. We were encouraged to pray for them because lately, they have been opening up more and getting curious about all the students that come and what they do here! When I went on a prayer walk this time I could feel the community calling out to me for prayer..it was a really neat experience =]. I prayed for everything I passed as I walked down to the beach where I found a nice spot in the sand close to the shore. I plopped down with Bible in hand and just started to pray! I prayed for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE! My heart was so on fire! I love seeing how my prayer life has been maturing so much lately and praying for an hour straight gave me such a great sense of peace. Great way to start the day! I encourage you to all try it sometime haha. Once I was done praying I listened to some worship music on my Ipod. My eyes gazed around the beach and I was in awe at the thought of the sand =P. God cared about detail so much that he created every single piece of sand and he created them differently. Then I noticed seagull tracks in the sand and praised God for making them (even though they can get VERY annoying!). I was just so caught up in his creation! Especially hearing the waves, they are so powerful and beautiful. They show God's character, most definitely! Before I left, I walked over to the wet sand and wrote 'God <3's You'. I am just hoping that it affected someones day today! Even if nothing comes out of it...I just want someone to realize it!
Once I got back to the school it was devotionary time (a time of devotion and sharing your testimony and being a mini 'missionary...hence, devotionary haha). Joe's (the Director) Wife, Cindy, shared hers. Before she spoke, their 7 kids sang a hymn and each recited a verse. This inspired me so much so I have been making a list of all the verses I want to memorize from the books of the Bible that I have read so far...so this is what I will be doing when I get home! Cindy shared her childhood and what God is doing in their life then Joe came up and kissed her 3 times! So cute! =P They are so in love and so Godly, great example of marriage! Joe is the funniest man ever. He laughs,really hard, at all this jokes even if no one else is laughing. Also, his famous lines are '......like the government','That's Hurtin!','are you ticked!?' (no one knows what he means by this one haha),'AMAZING!' oh and he collects barf bags...showed us his collection =P. He has been teaching the lectures about prayer this week! Oh, we go for another prayer walk tomorrow which I am so excited for! =] Anyways, seeing Joe and Cindy and their kids made me realize how thankful I am to grow up with Godly parents just like them! I am soo blessed by my mom and dad =].
During the afternoon break I had my first Spanish lesson. Its 50 euros for 2 lessons a week for the whole term which is pretty good but not sure if its worth it since I will forget it all when I get home! Haha It is worth a shot anyways I guess! I just want to be able to talk to our cook, Dora, cause she doesn't speak english at all! Also, we learned about family groups. Different groups go over to a family's place for dessert and fellowship around the community from churches and I'm pretty sure their english won't be that great either =P. Oh! Also, I talked to my first spanish person today! Haha on my prayer walk I walked past one of the neighbours and said Hola! And she replied back and wished me a good day! Haha I need to talk more to the locals.
I am missing starbucks soo much! Everyone drinks tea and coffee here all day during lectures but I don't like tea or straight up coffee. I like Chai tea Lattes and I have been craving them all day every day! Also, I have been told everyday that I remind people of Amy Adams (from enchanted) and Elle (from legally blonde) haha very interesting. Anyways, have a great day!! xox
Once I got back to the school it was devotionary time (a time of devotion and sharing your testimony and being a mini 'missionary...hence, devotionary haha). Joe's (the Director) Wife, Cindy, shared hers. Before she spoke, their 7 kids sang a hymn and each recited a verse. This inspired me so much so I have been making a list of all the verses I want to memorize from the books of the Bible that I have read so far...so this is what I will be doing when I get home! Cindy shared her childhood and what God is doing in their life then Joe came up and kissed her 3 times! So cute! =P They are so in love and so Godly, great example of marriage! Joe is the funniest man ever. He laughs,really hard, at all this jokes even if no one else is laughing. Also, his famous lines are '......like the government','That's Hurtin!','are you ticked!?' (no one knows what he means by this one haha),'AMAZING!' oh and he collects barf bags...showed us his collection =P. He has been teaching the lectures about prayer this week! Oh, we go for another prayer walk tomorrow which I am so excited for! =] Anyways, seeing Joe and Cindy and their kids made me realize how thankful I am to grow up with Godly parents just like them! I am soo blessed by my mom and dad =].
During the afternoon break I had my first Spanish lesson. Its 50 euros for 2 lessons a week for the whole term which is pretty good but not sure if its worth it since I will forget it all when I get home! Haha It is worth a shot anyways I guess! I just want to be able to talk to our cook, Dora, cause she doesn't speak english at all! Also, we learned about family groups. Different groups go over to a family's place for dessert and fellowship around the community from churches and I'm pretty sure their english won't be that great either =P. Oh! Also, I talked to my first spanish person today! Haha on my prayer walk I walked past one of the neighbours and said Hola! And she replied back and wished me a good day! Haha I need to talk more to the locals.
I am missing starbucks soo much! Everyone drinks tea and coffee here all day during lectures but I don't like tea or straight up coffee. I like Chai tea Lattes and I have been craving them all day every day! Also, I have been told everyday that I remind people of Amy Adams (from enchanted) and Elle (from legally blonde) haha very interesting. Anyways, have a great day!! xox
 |
| Amy Adams |
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Crashing Waves
I had an interesting start to my morning! The alarm was set for 6:30 and 5 of us girls went out for a run!! Man, it was the most challenging thing ever (I am NOT a runner..and I haven't been running for a year! haha) but I pushed myself to do it! We ran along the boardwalk down at the beach which was so incredible! I listened to praise and worship music on my Ipod as I ran but I could also hear the ocean waves which reminded me of how unique God's creation is! He pays soo much attention to detail and beauty! We ran from alicante all the way to the beginning of Campello(which is another little town). On the way back I had to walk for part of it! It is so encouraging running with others though, really pushes you to not give up. Right when we got back to the gate at Rio Vida (the school) I stopped running and was overcome with the urge to throw up haha I walked around gagging but of course nothing came up since I didn't have breakfast in me! It was soo empowering (and probably stupid) to push myself that far..I have never done that! I usually give up when I feel the tiniest bit of discomfort. So for the few minutes I felt discomfort but in the end I was greatly rewarded with satisfaction in myself and a new bar to reach! haha
Anyways! Today was one of those Blah days, nothing great happened. I decided to accept my natural hair again today..frizz and all!...and it is honestly making me appreciate what characteristics God has given me! I hope this carries on to when I go home! It also helps to have an atmosphere of acceptance...everyone here is so unique!
So, I am finding myself getting easily distracted during lectures now! (PRAY FOR ME! haha pray for focus!) They are starting to get soo complex, it is very hard for my mind to wrap around everything! I am getting a lot of great notes out of it though =]
During my breaks today I filled my time with reading the rest of Proverbs (I have a summary of it due on friday!) and I started the book " the Wounded Spirit" by Frank Peretti. I have 2 other books I want to read from the Library as well so I have lots of reading ahead of me!
Tonight is worship night...just time spent in song and prayer. I have to lead it every other week playing the piano! And also my outreach group is on for the Sunday service this Sunday. It is crazy how busy things are getting now! Next week we start prayer partners and some other stuff!!
Well, hopefully tomorrow will be more eventful!! I hope everyone is having a great new year so far =]
MISS YOU ALL!
Anyways! Today was one of those Blah days, nothing great happened. I decided to accept my natural hair again today..frizz and all!...and it is honestly making me appreciate what characteristics God has given me! I hope this carries on to when I go home! It also helps to have an atmosphere of acceptance...everyone here is so unique!
So, I am finding myself getting easily distracted during lectures now! (PRAY FOR ME! haha pray for focus!) They are starting to get soo complex, it is very hard for my mind to wrap around everything! I am getting a lot of great notes out of it though =]
During my breaks today I filled my time with reading the rest of Proverbs (I have a summary of it due on friday!) and I started the book " the Wounded Spirit" by Frank Peretti. I have 2 other books I want to read from the Library as well so I have lots of reading ahead of me!
Tonight is worship night...just time spent in song and prayer. I have to lead it every other week playing the piano! And also my outreach group is on for the Sunday service this Sunday. It is crazy how busy things are getting now! Next week we start prayer partners and some other stuff!!
Well, hopefully tomorrow will be more eventful!! I hope everyone is having a great new year so far =]
MISS YOU ALL!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Something smells fishy...
Wow, last night we had a very intense conversation in our room!! One girl asked how we all know God truly exists and how can we grasp the idea of faith. It was such a bonding time! Haha And really tested my knowledge of my personal faith and why I believe in God.
We ended up talking till 1 am non stop and it was amazing to see how everyone was soo accepting of each others thoughts and comments. No one really knew any answers but we shared testimonies and personal experiences and how we have felt God's presence. God is soo good!!
In our first and second lectures our speaker actually addressed these questions and we didn't even tell him! Haha And I really prayed for that one girl and really hoped she got the answers she needs! Pray for her! =P
Lately the weather has been pretty chilly. It is funny how most of us are from Canada and we are always saying how cold it is!!! I am hoping that by the middle of February it will warm up and we will get some nice beach days! I do have a TINY (and I mean tiny) tan line, not going to lie haha. I read a few chapters of Proverbs yesterday outside on the terrace. It was soo beautiful to sit in God's creation and reading his word!
Got my first piece of mail today from the Nielsens!! It is a lovely note about their Christmas gifts and there are also pictures the kids drew!! MADE MY DAY! Haha I can't wait to see how big they are getting and all the little things they have learned =]. It is going to be crazy to go home and see how much has changed. I have never been away from home this long! Even at camp I would go home some weekends.
Today's lunch was Paella, a seafood stir fry dish. THE SHRIMP HAD EYES! Haha Oh dear!. I only ate the rice and veggies while everyone dared to try the muscles and shrimp =P. Then I had the usual bread with oil and salad. I am soo hungry! I have been eating so much here...even my roommates have noticed haha I am always wanting food. The food here is so healthy..it is making me crave junk food.
After lunch I took a quick nap and then Amy, Julia, Linnea and I headed out to Spain's version of Walmart called Carrefour!! It is a 20 minute walk there and back. We have to walk on this busy narrow road...you can almost feel the cars brush up against you as they pass! Also, there are so many dogs that jump up against the fence barking at you haha I screamed a few times =P. We eventually got there and it was huge! I loved trying to read everything in Spanish. I cannot wait to start Spanish lessons (50 euros for 2 lessons a week) =]. I ended up getting Vogue Magazine in Spanish (just so I can say I got a magazine from Spain ha I am cool... and I want to try and translate it all), oreos for 1 euro, a gift for the elephant game we are playing on friday night at a bon fire!, and some other things. I felt bad spending money but it was the first time since I have been here that I have dropped some euros! Haha We ended up having to jog back to make it on time for our last lecture!! We came bursting into the classroom, out of breath, and with red faces...thank goodness we didn't get into trouble! We know better now!
Oh! Before our trip to Carrefour I skyped with my parents. Awe how I miss them!! They are the best..my friends all commented on how cool they seem and I must admit, I have pretty amazing parents! Haha Skype is the biggest deal here. Everyone goes on it every day haha and it is fun saying hi to all these random people on everyones skype! It is also free so its good!!
We ended up talking till 1 am non stop and it was amazing to see how everyone was soo accepting of each others thoughts and comments. No one really knew any answers but we shared testimonies and personal experiences and how we have felt God's presence. God is soo good!!
In our first and second lectures our speaker actually addressed these questions and we didn't even tell him! Haha And I really prayed for that one girl and really hoped she got the answers she needs! Pray for her! =P
Lately the weather has been pretty chilly. It is funny how most of us are from Canada and we are always saying how cold it is!!! I am hoping that by the middle of February it will warm up and we will get some nice beach days! I do have a TINY (and I mean tiny) tan line, not going to lie haha. I read a few chapters of Proverbs yesterday outside on the terrace. It was soo beautiful to sit in God's creation and reading his word!
Got my first piece of mail today from the Nielsens!! It is a lovely note about their Christmas gifts and there are also pictures the kids drew!! MADE MY DAY! Haha I can't wait to see how big they are getting and all the little things they have learned =]. It is going to be crazy to go home and see how much has changed. I have never been away from home this long! Even at camp I would go home some weekends.
Today's lunch was Paella, a seafood stir fry dish. THE SHRIMP HAD EYES! Haha Oh dear!. I only ate the rice and veggies while everyone dared to try the muscles and shrimp =P. Then I had the usual bread with oil and salad. I am soo hungry! I have been eating so much here...even my roommates have noticed haha I am always wanting food. The food here is so healthy..it is making me crave junk food.
After lunch I took a quick nap and then Amy, Julia, Linnea and I headed out to Spain's version of Walmart called Carrefour!! It is a 20 minute walk there and back. We have to walk on this busy narrow road...you can almost feel the cars brush up against you as they pass! Also, there are so many dogs that jump up against the fence barking at you haha I screamed a few times =P. We eventually got there and it was huge! I loved trying to read everything in Spanish. I cannot wait to start Spanish lessons (50 euros for 2 lessons a week) =]. I ended up getting Vogue Magazine in Spanish (just so I can say I got a magazine from Spain ha I am cool... and I want to try and translate it all), oreos for 1 euro, a gift for the elephant game we are playing on friday night at a bon fire!, and some other things. I felt bad spending money but it was the first time since I have been here that I have dropped some euros! Haha We ended up having to jog back to make it on time for our last lecture!! We came bursting into the classroom, out of breath, and with red faces...thank goodness we didn't get into trouble! We know better now!
Oh! Before our trip to Carrefour I skyped with my parents. Awe how I miss them!! They are the best..my friends all commented on how cool they seem and I must admit, I have pretty amazing parents! Haha Skype is the biggest deal here. Everyone goes on it every day haha and it is fun saying hi to all these random people on everyones skype! It is also free so its good!!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Dedication
I want to dedicate this post to Doug!!!
He is an amazing man of God who has been through many rough times but is on fire for God!
He has helped me realize that I was too comfortable in my faith and that it was blinding me from what
God was trying to tell me. Just in time for Capernwray! He challenges me in my faith everyday,
making sure I am reading my Bible and communicating with God. I look up to him so much and his
Child like faith...he makes things sooo exciting!
How incredible is God!? He placed Doug into my life with perfect timing and to open up my heart
and mind to what God wants for me! He has woken me up and made me more aware of God's
presence. Most importantly, he has introduced me to the word "blessed". I now realize everyday
all my blessings I recieve!
Pray for Doug, that he continues to have strength in his Ministry and that he not only remains a shining
light of God in my life, but he extends it to those he runs in to daily! Doug humbles himself so much with
the teen challenge guys and I want to say thank you! You are such a great role model.
GO DOUG! =] and Thank you Lord!!!!!
He is an amazing man of God who has been through many rough times but is on fire for God!
He has helped me realize that I was too comfortable in my faith and that it was blinding me from what
God was trying to tell me. Just in time for Capernwray! He challenges me in my faith everyday,
making sure I am reading my Bible and communicating with God. I look up to him so much and his
Child like faith...he makes things sooo exciting!
How incredible is God!? He placed Doug into my life with perfect timing and to open up my heart
and mind to what God wants for me! He has woken me up and made me more aware of God's
presence. Most importantly, he has introduced me to the word "blessed". I now realize everyday
all my blessings I recieve!
Pray for Doug, that he continues to have strength in his Ministry and that he not only remains a shining
light of God in my life, but he extends it to those he runs in to daily! Doug humbles himself so much with
the teen challenge guys and I want to say thank you! You are such a great role model.
GO DOUG! =] and Thank you Lord!!!!!
Test your Bible Knowledge!
I took this 'quiz' in one of my lectures and realized I don't know as much about the Bible as I thought!
Why don't you take a stab at it!?
1) how many books are in the bible? ______ old testament __________New Testament
What is the name of the book following after:
Joshua ____________ 2 Chronicles ___________ John ___________
2 Thessalonians ___________ Ephesians ____________ Hebrews ______________
2. What are the original Bible Languages?
-By the way, what language did Abraham speak?
3. What word could replace "testament" when we speak of the Old & New testament?
4. What is the Pentateuch?
5. What is the difference between the major and minor prophets?
6. Name three books thata would be Poetical?
7.Apart from Paul, name two other apostles who wrote new testament books
8. Name two of the "prison epistles"
9. which books in the new testament would be considered historical?
10. What chapters of Genesis describe the Creation?
11. What is the "fall of man"?
12. Name Abraham's two sons
13. Who from Jacobs family became second in command to the Pharaoh?
14. How long were the children of Israel in Egypt?
15. Moses' brother and sister were ___________ __________
16. At mount Sinai Moses recieved the Commandments. What other important instructions did he receive?
17. What happened at Kadesh Barnea?
18. What is the time of the Judges?
19. who were the first three kings of Israel?
20. David requested something of God which was refused but was fulfilled by his son Solomon. what was the request?
21. When did the Kingdom of Israel split?
22. Which two nations destroyed or carried captive the two kingdoms that formed as a result of the split?
23. Who was Cyrus?
24. The last book in the old testament
25. what are the four hundred years of silence?
26. How many gospels are there?
27. Who wrote the book of acts?
28. is Damascus nearer to Jerusalem or Nazareth?
29. Who wrote most of the Epistles?
30. Which city is nearer to Athens: Corinth or Philippi?
31. In which book of the new testament do we find:
-the beatitudes or sermon on the mount
-the meeting of jesus with the samaritan woman at the well
-the coming of the holy spirit on the day of pentecost
-the conversion of the apostle Paul
-teaching on the Lords supper
-Responsibilities of church leaders
-info about onesimus
-the church of philadelphia
-teaching about spiritual gifts
-an explanation of justification by faith
-teaching that warns the believer in his use of tongue
32. who wrote the book of Revelation?
33. Which verse is the central one in the Bible?
GOOD LUCK!
I have the answers if you are interested =]
Why don't you take a stab at it!?
1) how many books are in the bible? ______ old testament __________New Testament
What is the name of the book following after:
Joshua ____________ 2 Chronicles ___________ John ___________
2 Thessalonians ___________ Ephesians ____________ Hebrews ______________
2. What are the original Bible Languages?
-By the way, what language did Abraham speak?
3. What word could replace "testament" when we speak of the Old & New testament?
4. What is the Pentateuch?
5. What is the difference between the major and minor prophets?
6. Name three books thata would be Poetical?
7.Apart from Paul, name two other apostles who wrote new testament books
8. Name two of the "prison epistles"
9. which books in the new testament would be considered historical?
10. What chapters of Genesis describe the Creation?
11. What is the "fall of man"?
12. Name Abraham's two sons
13. Who from Jacobs family became second in command to the Pharaoh?
14. How long were the children of Israel in Egypt?
15. Moses' brother and sister were ___________ __________
16. At mount Sinai Moses recieved the Commandments. What other important instructions did he receive?
17. What happened at Kadesh Barnea?
18. What is the time of the Judges?
19. who were the first three kings of Israel?
20. David requested something of God which was refused but was fulfilled by his son Solomon. what was the request?
21. When did the Kingdom of Israel split?
22. Which two nations destroyed or carried captive the two kingdoms that formed as a result of the split?
23. Who was Cyrus?
24. The last book in the old testament
25. what are the four hundred years of silence?
26. How many gospels are there?
27. Who wrote the book of acts?
28. is Damascus nearer to Jerusalem or Nazareth?
29. Who wrote most of the Epistles?
30. Which city is nearer to Athens: Corinth or Philippi?
31. In which book of the new testament do we find:
-the beatitudes or sermon on the mount
-the meeting of jesus with the samaritan woman at the well
-the coming of the holy spirit on the day of pentecost
-the conversion of the apostle Paul
-teaching on the Lords supper
-Responsibilities of church leaders
-info about onesimus
-the church of philadelphia
-teaching about spiritual gifts
-an explanation of justification by faith
-teaching that warns the believer in his use of tongue
32. who wrote the book of Revelation?
33. Which verse is the central one in the Bible?
GOOD LUCK!
I have the answers if you are interested =]
The studies begin...
First school day!! Early morning...breakfast at 8! It has been a while since I have had to get up that early for breakfast before school haha. The first lecture was at 9 with the speaker Mark Thomas who is the Director of the Capernwray in England! He is doing lectures this week about the Intro to the Bible!! This is the part I was looking forward to....learning more about the facts and chronological order. I seem to only learn things from the Bible if it applies to my life at the time! The second lecture follows after a 10 minute break. It was Mark again continuing on his lesson. Then there was another break and then devotions!! (or Joe, our director, calls it...devotionary). He led it this week but the students have to do it once while here! I am doing it next Thursday =]. The third lecture follows right after and it was Joe Platillero (the Director) talking about the Fundamentals of Prayer!!He gave us wafers with honey to put on it cause he wants the Bible to be 'as sweet as honey for us'! We have these topics until Wednesday and then we start the study of Corinthians and go on 2 prayer walks. I am excited!! We have lunch at 2 and dinner at 7 which is soo weird so I was starving by Lunch time. Yummy!! We have the best food ever here! It was mashed potatoes with special spices, breaded chicken breasts that taste like nuggets, bread that I dip in Olive oil and vinegar (like they do at the Chiantis restaurant =P) and salad! For dessert there was a donut type thing with cinnamon on it and a lemon taste to it. I have been eating sooo much! A lot more than I do at home haha so it is good to gain some weight. Also, all the girls have started going for a run every day during free time so I hope to get dedicated with that and come home in shape =]. I also learned that there are a total of 4 people from Calgary! A guy named Ben who has been traveling around for the past 6 months (crazy!), Melissa..don't know too much about her yet, Laura (who has a sister named Sarah...and I have a sister named Laura haha. She just turned 20) and me!!
So I am such a different person here! I wear sweatpants around which I never do in public haha and I wear less makeup and I slept in braids last night, took them out this morning and left my hair like that! Oh and I let my hair air dry...haha this is all random but this is stuff I never do! I always try hard with my hair. Anyways, God is really transforming me and this atmosphere is so relaxed and comfortable....just like the beds here! Ah it is like a cloud! Haha
So I am such a different person here! I wear sweatpants around which I never do in public haha and I wear less makeup and I slept in braids last night, took them out this morning and left my hair like that! Oh and I let my hair air dry...haha this is all random but this is stuff I never do! I always try hard with my hair. Anyways, God is really transforming me and this atmosphere is so relaxed and comfortable....just like the beds here! Ah it is like a cloud! Haha
Sand between your toes
Some more people slowly showed up to school today! It is kind of nice to slowly meet everyone instead of everyone being in a huge group all at once. We had our first church service today!! I played the piano on our worship team and it seemed pretty good. It was very last minute though...we practiced 5 minutes the night before haha. I need to learn that when I do stuff infront of a crowd, like worship or leading a service, it is for God and he will use me. I don't need to worry about saying the right things or impressing people!! Our church service was about why we are here and our destinations in life. It was something I really needed to hear since University is slowly approaching and I have to settle on a career choice! =P The atmosphere here is so incredible! I was almost shocked that everyone here believed in God since I am use to going to a public school...it is a VERY nice change.
Anyways! After church and Lunch (which was amazing! Had a tortellini type meal with a coffee cake and ice cream for dessert) we headed to the beach which is a 5 min walk from here. It was fun to go as a collective group!! We set up some mini soccer nets and started a game! SO MUCH FUN! When do you ever get the chance to play soccer on a beach in Spain!? The sand there is like powder...feels so nice between your toes =] After a while I started tossing a volleyball around with a girl named Kim. She is 22 ,from the states, and graduated from college in the fashion program! Feels so good to be active =]. After that I ended up walking along the beach and met up with 3 more girls who were walking back to the group. We stopped and wrote many things in the sand for some pictures! =P Then I waded out into the water with Joel, Amy, and Julia. The water is pretty chilly...nothing compared to Canada's water though..and it was shallow for quite a while! The salt water burned my skin though. Rachel and I walked some more along the water and started searching for seashells! When we were doing that a cute scruffy dog and its owner walked past..the dog ended up standing beside us for a while so we rubbed its head for a while haha SO CUTE! Makes me miss my dog so much! There seem to be lots of dogs here and all their fur is matted (ha! Do you hear that mom!? I bet they don't brush their dogs fur =P). It is a change from London where I didn't see any dogs at all!!
By the time we got back almost everyone was already back at the school. A few of us stayed back a bit longer to talk some more, take lots of pictures and then we headed back. It was so much fun and really made the group into a family.I ended up getting a sunburn! Haha Everyone is so comfortable with each other here! Not everyone talks to everyone but everyone is still friendly =]. We got back, had some more free time and had a fellowship night at 5:30. We do this every Sunday night and different outreach groups lead it but tonight the staff did! We played some 'name games' to learn everyone's name! It was a blast. Good for me, I am pretty bad with names =P After we had free time and so the girls in my room all hung out and we ended up meeting our last roommate(we are all from Canada in our room!) !! Her name is Janessa and she is an incredible hiphop dancer,a pastors kid (wooot!) and loves photography! Shes really nice. God has blessed me with amazing roommates who are so real and in love with God! That was my worry, that I will be with girls who are really caught up in the outward appearance.
Looking through the student handbook I noticed how demanding this course will be!! There are weekly readings of the Bible, weekly memory verses,prayer partners,bible study groups, Outreach 2 times a week, spanish classes, book reports and more! Haha This week I have to read Proverbs 1-31!! haha I am at Proverbs 18. It was incredible at first but I am finding it to be so repetitive so God is challenging me to search deeper into what I read to get more from it. Everyone needs to read this book =] . I am using the S.O.A.P method....Scripture,Observation,Application and Prayer. It really helps with reading the Bible!
Well, all in all this experience is amazing so far. I can already feel God slowly molding me into the Godly woman I want to be!!
Thank you guys so much for taking interest in my journey and for your prayers!
Anyways! After church and Lunch (which was amazing! Had a tortellini type meal with a coffee cake and ice cream for dessert) we headed to the beach which is a 5 min walk from here. It was fun to go as a collective group!! We set up some mini soccer nets and started a game! SO MUCH FUN! When do you ever get the chance to play soccer on a beach in Spain!? The sand there is like powder...feels so nice between your toes =] After a while I started tossing a volleyball around with a girl named Kim. She is 22 ,from the states, and graduated from college in the fashion program! Feels so good to be active =]. After that I ended up walking along the beach and met up with 3 more girls who were walking back to the group. We stopped and wrote many things in the sand for some pictures! =P Then I waded out into the water with Joel, Amy, and Julia. The water is pretty chilly...nothing compared to Canada's water though..and it was shallow for quite a while! The salt water burned my skin though. Rachel and I walked some more along the water and started searching for seashells! When we were doing that a cute scruffy dog and its owner walked past..the dog ended up standing beside us for a while so we rubbed its head for a while haha SO CUTE! Makes me miss my dog so much! There seem to be lots of dogs here and all their fur is matted (ha! Do you hear that mom!? I bet they don't brush their dogs fur =P). It is a change from London where I didn't see any dogs at all!!
By the time we got back almost everyone was already back at the school. A few of us stayed back a bit longer to talk some more, take lots of pictures and then we headed back. It was so much fun and really made the group into a family.I ended up getting a sunburn! Haha Everyone is so comfortable with each other here! Not everyone talks to everyone but everyone is still friendly =]. We got back, had some more free time and had a fellowship night at 5:30. We do this every Sunday night and different outreach groups lead it but tonight the staff did! We played some 'name games' to learn everyone's name! It was a blast. Good for me, I am pretty bad with names =P After we had free time and so the girls in my room all hung out and we ended up meeting our last roommate(we are all from Canada in our room!) !! Her name is Janessa and she is an incredible hiphop dancer,a pastors kid (wooot!) and loves photography! Shes really nice. God has blessed me with amazing roommates who are so real and in love with God! That was my worry, that I will be with girls who are really caught up in the outward appearance.
Looking through the student handbook I noticed how demanding this course will be!! There are weekly readings of the Bible, weekly memory verses,prayer partners,bible study groups, Outreach 2 times a week, spanish classes, book reports and more! Haha This week I have to read Proverbs 1-31!! haha I am at Proverbs 18. It was incredible at first but I am finding it to be so repetitive so God is challenging me to search deeper into what I read to get more from it. Everyone needs to read this book =] . I am using the S.O.A.P method....Scripture,Observation,Application and Prayer. It really helps with reading the Bible!
Well, all in all this experience is amazing so far. I can already feel God slowly molding me into the Godly woman I want to be!!
Thank you guys so much for taking interest in my journey and for your prayers!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
HELLO SPAIN
So I am safe and sound in Spain at the school!! The morning was interesting. I stood infront of a screen for 1 hour to find out my gate # for my flight. They only show a few at a time so it is a pain and I didn't want to miss it haha. My flight was very short but I ended up sitting by a couple (they don't speak English so not sure where they are from) who really enjoyed making out with each other...very uncomfortable! haha Also, it is rediculous how they try to sell you all kinds of stuff on the plane to raise money. I got annoyed by that =P Landing in Spain was very exciting...I could see all these little towns tucked away between hills and mountains and LOTS of plants. I was nervous walking out of the gate cause I didn't know who would be there to pick me up and so I walked back and forth for a bit, stood outside, then sat at my gate. 15 minutes later (yes, I did start to freak out) and Director of the school showed up. How thankful I was to see him! haha We drove to a train station to pick up 2 other girls from the states before heading to the school. I liked that since it made it easy to meet them since we had to carry on a conversation during the ride. They are both my age! Arriving at the school was insteresting...lots of people got there last night or early this morning so they knew the ropes around here and were all hanging out. The 3 of us who just arrived stuck together for a bit as we figured everything out but then everyone started to gather as a group =]. It is neat to see how we bond over the littlest things...a bunch of the girls and I sat in the dining hall on our laptops since we just got internet and we were sitting in silence but no one cared! A bit of the group went to a soccer game (it was the Director's son's game) while the rest of us stayed back. We went walking around the area and ended up going to a supermarket! Everything is sooo cheap there! You can get perfume for 6 Euros (which is still pretty cheap in Canadian) =P. I will end up buying Nutella there when we go back to have for breakfast instead of plain toast! haha You can also get a lot of bulk stuff for less as well. After walking around for a while it was getting pretty dark and chilly so we came back and hung out in the fireside room. We just talked for a while until dinner (at 8:30 pm!!!!). My first meal consisted of Tortilla (sp?) which is egg and potatoes mixed then backed into a fluffy cake (almost like a Quiche),chicken nuggets,salad,bread,fruits,and sausage. Not bad! haha After dinner I had a worship practice. I got sucked into playing the Piano and singing on the worship team. One of the girls I met from the States is also singing and a guy named Joel from Canada is playing guitar and singing and I think this guy, Johnny, is from Australia? He is playing the congos haha. We shall see how it goes! it was very last minute. Over half of the students are Canadian and the rest are american haha. It kind of sucks since I wanted to meet people from all over the world but now if I make some close friends I can visit them more often =]. Everyone is so unique here so its fun!! I am a bit homesick, I think I am still very tired so it makes me want to curl up in my own bed and get back to my regular time haha but I know after the first week things will be great and I will be in routine. Also, I keep on forgetting that I am taking classes here! haha It isn't just about the friendships.
I do miss London lots, and home, but I can't wait to experience this culture!! It will most likely be the best experience of my life! Keep you posted!!
(No pictures yet)
I do miss London lots, and home, but I can't wait to experience this culture!! It will most likely be the best experience of my life! Keep you posted!!
(No pictures yet)
Friday, January 14, 2011
GOODBYE LONDON
You will be missed, greatly!
I cannot believe that my London experience has ended! I could stay here for at least one more week...it feels like I was just getting the hang of this 'way of life'. Tomorrow morning I head off to Spain to start my Capernwray journey!! Lots of prayers as I fly over there =].
So my last day was amazing! I spent it with Bethany (another 'cousin') who took the Tube here from where she lives in England. We clicked right away, sharing many things in common such as art,life experiences and more! We ate lunch then headed to a shopping complex...finally some shopping!!! I ended up buying a nice shirt and 2 braided bracelets so I can have some souvenirs for myself. We did some more talking then headed home to meet Yasmin once she returned from school. The 3 of us had a night planned of activities!! We went to see the movie 'The Tourist' (funny to see how in love Beth was with Johnny Depp), shopped around some more, and had dinner at a place called Nandos. When you buy your movie tickets you get to choose which seats you want to sit in by looking at a screen...its neat you can reserve exactly where you want to sit! The movie was really good haha the theater (or known as the Cinema) was pretty much empty. We had to wait 20 min for a table at Nandos but it was worth it! It is famous for its chicken and Nando sauce! very spicy food haha. We took the bus home and I had a funny experience. The girls told me it cost 2 pounds but it ended up costing 2.40 pounds. I haven't exactly memorized the shape and value of their change and so I kept on pulling out coins and asking the driver if it was right. I ended up just saying I am Canadian and the whole bus just smiled and chuckled a bit! haha I eventually got it right and we were off!! Once at home I got pictures with everyone and repacked my stuff. I am soo worried that my baggage will be over the requirements! Pray that I don't have any complications!
Not sure when I will have internet access in Spain as school doesn't start till Monday but I will keep you posted when I can!!
Spain, here I come!
I cannot believe that my London experience has ended! I could stay here for at least one more week...it feels like I was just getting the hang of this 'way of life'. Tomorrow morning I head off to Spain to start my Capernwray journey!! Lots of prayers as I fly over there =].
So my last day was amazing! I spent it with Bethany (another 'cousin') who took the Tube here from where she lives in England. We clicked right away, sharing many things in common such as art,life experiences and more! We ate lunch then headed to a shopping complex...finally some shopping!!! I ended up buying a nice shirt and 2 braided bracelets so I can have some souvenirs for myself. We did some more talking then headed home to meet Yasmin once she returned from school. The 3 of us had a night planned of activities!! We went to see the movie 'The Tourist' (funny to see how in love Beth was with Johnny Depp), shopped around some more, and had dinner at a place called Nandos. When you buy your movie tickets you get to choose which seats you want to sit in by looking at a screen...its neat you can reserve exactly where you want to sit! The movie was really good haha the theater (or known as the Cinema) was pretty much empty. We had to wait 20 min for a table at Nandos but it was worth it! It is famous for its chicken and Nando sauce! very spicy food haha. We took the bus home and I had a funny experience. The girls told me it cost 2 pounds but it ended up costing 2.40 pounds. I haven't exactly memorized the shape and value of their change and so I kept on pulling out coins and asking the driver if it was right. I ended up just saying I am Canadian and the whole bus just smiled and chuckled a bit! haha I eventually got it right and we were off!! Once at home I got pictures with everyone and repacked my stuff. I am soo worried that my baggage will be over the requirements! Pray that I don't have any complications!
Not sure when I will have internet access in Spain as school doesn't start till Monday but I will keep you posted when I can!!
Spain, here I come!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Sight Seeing
Day One In order to get into town you have to take the Tube ( London's underground train system) which is incredible!! Soo many different levels of train stations and escalators(rule: go on the right if you are just going to stand, go on the left if you are going to walk up/down it) . You could easily get turned around haha We took the Tube from Morden station to Embankment where we walked around and saw St. James park, Buckingham Palace, lots of military and Parliament buildings, Big Ben, London Eye, and Trafalgar Square. Across the street from Trafalgar we ate at my now favorite place 'Pret A Manger'. EVERYTHING there is made the same day and thrown out at night so it is really fresh and VERY healthy and every package they use has either been recycled or can be. A weird thing I learned is that if you Eat in you have to pay taxes and if you don't then there are no taxes. The weather has been pretty gloomy (with a bit of rain) so we ate in. Afterwards we took the Tube to Westminster to see the Westminster Abbey. INCREDIBLE! It is a must see for everyone! Just seeing all the memorials and tombs and also the detailed ceiling blew my mind! I wish I could go to church in that building everyday! haha I made sure to send up a quick prayer while walking around. It is so magical.
Walking around I saw soo many different architectural buildings which really makes me wish that Canada adapts this style of building haha. Also, it was different to see all the Guards and soldiers on their horses or standing at their post. It is crazy how they can keep a straight face for soo long..I would fail at doing that =P. I have officially fallen in love with this City...although I can't get over how people don't smile or say thanks or excuse me. That needs to change! haha
Once we arrived back home I took a nice hot shower,a nice long nap and got ready for dinner. It has been hard with the time change being hungry at meal time here! I have been forcing myself to eat atleast half of everything. After dinner Jake,Isobelle and I went out to Kripsy Kreme donuts for a while. I could only manage to eat two (my record is 12) and we talked about a lot of interesting stuff! Afterwards, we headed home and I went to bed. What a great day!! Filled with soooo much history!
Day Two
I am getting use to taking the Tube now. All the signs and directions are starting to make a lot more sense! We took the Tube to Bank and switched to St. Paul's. Here we went into St. Paul's Cathedral which is nothing like Westminster Abbey. It is a lot more spread out, less detail to its architecture but a lot more murals, and the memorials are all underneath the church. We walked around listening to a tour on headphones for an hour and then I went up to the Whispering Gallery (it has been said that when someone whispers, you can hear it from the other side of the dome! and this dome is the second largest in the world..the first one is the dome in Rome). It is 259 stairs up a winding staircase (makes you dizzy) but so worth it! I really wish you could take pictures because the view below is like nothing else!! Soo high up...and I am not a person of heights! Then I dared to go up 152 more steps to the Golden Gallery. This is a circular porch outside where you can get the perfect view of London. I overestimated my 'height limits' and so I tried to go up another 152 steps to the Stone gallery but only made it up 10 steps. It was a tiny spiral staircase with see-through steps so I chickened out haha. I headed down, found Grandpa and found myself at another Pret A Manger for lunch! This made me VERY excited! I tried a different kind of sandwich, yogurt and bought myself a gingerbread man named Godfrey(apparently a little kid walked into a Pret one day and asked why they didn't sell gingerbread men..they had no reason not to so they started making some!). The Tube welcomed us yet agian as we headed to the Tower bridge. It is the tallest bridge I have ever seen! I wanted to see if lift up to let boats through but it only happens ever so often. We didn't spend too much time there since we didn't go inside the building for a tour. Back to the Tube and went to the V&A (Victoria and Alexander) Museum. We headed right for the interior/furniture/tapesty section and spent quite a while (and many pictures) there. I loved it! I need to go to Museums more often...seeing all the art students there sketching statues inspired me! Afterwards we headed home in amazement that it didn't rain at all today! God has blessed us with 2 days of no rain when it was suppose to!! =] A nap was in order once again and now I find myself here, recording my London experience! =]
Walking around I saw soo many different architectural buildings which really makes me wish that Canada adapts this style of building haha. Also, it was different to see all the Guards and soldiers on their horses or standing at their post. It is crazy how they can keep a straight face for soo long..I would fail at doing that =P. I have officially fallen in love with this City...although I can't get over how people don't smile or say thanks or excuse me. That needs to change! haha
Once we arrived back home I took a nice hot shower,a nice long nap and got ready for dinner. It has been hard with the time change being hungry at meal time here! I have been forcing myself to eat atleast half of everything. After dinner Jake,Isobelle and I went out to Kripsy Kreme donuts for a while. I could only manage to eat two (my record is 12) and we talked about a lot of interesting stuff! Afterwards, we headed home and I went to bed. What a great day!! Filled with soooo much history!
I am getting use to taking the Tube now. All the signs and directions are starting to make a lot more sense! We took the Tube to Bank and switched to St. Paul's. Here we went into St. Paul's Cathedral which is nothing like Westminster Abbey. It is a lot more spread out, less detail to its architecture but a lot more murals, and the memorials are all underneath the church. We walked around listening to a tour on headphones for an hour and then I went up to the Whispering Gallery (it has been said that when someone whispers, you can hear it from the other side of the dome! and this dome is the second largest in the world..the first one is the dome in Rome). It is 259 stairs up a winding staircase (makes you dizzy) but so worth it! I really wish you could take pictures because the view below is like nothing else!! Soo high up...and I am not a person of heights! Then I dared to go up 152 more steps to the Golden Gallery. This is a circular porch outside where you can get the perfect view of London. I overestimated my 'height limits' and so I tried to go up another 152 steps to the Stone gallery but only made it up 10 steps. It was a tiny spiral staircase with see-through steps so I chickened out haha. I headed down, found Grandpa and found myself at another Pret A Manger for lunch! This made me VERY excited! I tried a different kind of sandwich, yogurt and bought myself a gingerbread man named Godfrey(apparently a little kid walked into a Pret one day and asked why they didn't sell gingerbread men..they had no reason not to so they started making some!). The Tube welcomed us yet agian as we headed to the Tower bridge. It is the tallest bridge I have ever seen! I wanted to see if lift up to let boats through but it only happens ever so often. We didn't spend too much time there since we didn't go inside the building for a tour. Back to the Tube and went to the V&A (Victoria and Alexander) Museum. We headed right for the interior/furniture/tapesty section and spent quite a while (and many pictures) there. I loved it! I need to go to Museums more often...seeing all the art students there sketching statues inspired me! Afterwards we headed home in amazement that it didn't rain at all today! God has blessed us with 2 days of no rain when it was suppose to!! =] A nap was in order once again and now I find myself here, recording my London experience! =]
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