My body is so aching right now

Last night for dinner I choked down 3 meatballs that were rather pink on the inside. Im talking not cooked all the way pink but my host mom assured me it would be fine. With each bite I prayed for protection over my body. That was almost enough to make me turn vegetarian.

Today I fell down the steps. That makes once in Chile and once in Argentina, alright Im on a roll. After I fell to the ground I imediately got hot and sweaty, thought I was going to puke, my vision went blurry and then dimmed and I was shaky. I tried to call to Paula for help but I could yell above a faint whisper. I got pretty scared and ill admit that there was some tears, but I just think my blood pressure shot up. Anyways, I didnt go to the hospital but i have an ace bandage and i think ill be find. All in all, it made me want my mommy and Im not afraid to admit it.

Today my friend and I tried to go to an Argentine bible study. Talk about culture shock! The amount of people and the language barrier was a bit overwhelming. We left and decided that we will go back for church service where we wont have to have conversations. Sometimes i feel okay about this language but other times....theres just not chance.

In house church on thursday we talked about how living a life where the holy spirt can do great things through you requires surrendoring everything. it is a hard road and many of us admitted to the fact that we dont know if we have what it takes. And frankly, we arent so sure we want a life like that. But I know that is my flesh speaking because there is such a battle inside. My spirit longs in desperation for spiritual things. Im glad that Christ gives us the strength to do what is right because it is pretty hopeless on my own.

The woman incharge of my program sent me (and my fellow companions) an emai:

Hola a todos!!!!!!!
I just wanted to let you know that the government have just announced a new Holiday that will be next March 24. No classes will be held on that day.
The Holiday is in conmemoration of the 30 years of the Military Process Government.

So now I get another day off from school. This is good.

In Chile I tried to tell a guy that i wanted to pay him (for the internet) but apparently I told him I wanted to punch him. So that explains the stange look.

"The toilets are clean and there is tolet paper. ive died and gone to heaven" -some women when we finally arrived to see the glacier in Calafate.

Discovering myself is a long and wearing process. Sometimes I get really giddy and full of excitement but other times I just dont like what I´ve discovered. Its difficult to accept my faults and move one but i´m learning.

Ive asked my teacher about getting a private tutor because the little bit of a southern drawl I have is holding me back in speaking Spanish. Im ecspecially having a hard time with the Rs. it figures though because when I was 6 i had to go to speech class for that dang letter as well as other things. So here I am, 20 years old, and I have to go to speech class again. I keep picturing flash cards with pictures on them and having to say the word. I wonder if it´ll be like that again?

i desire to be like you. like any son or daughter, i want to be like my father. Lord, i want to be just like you.

sometimes i just feel like i´m missing the mark by so much. i´m so glad that there is grace because i just dont know how id make it other wise. im thankful for unconditional love

God is so good to me!! He has been doting on me this week that Im traveling. I have met amazing people, gotten to shower at a strangers, and experienced amazing things. Mate (the tea stuff) helps bring people together. I asked God to make me like it and the other day I had a cup and actually enjoyed it.

Q: Whatd you do in Argentina for your week of vacation?
A: I went to Chile
We decided to pop on over to Chile and climb in the Andes a bit to see Torres del Paine. We did a day hike up, camped and came back down. We got to see the sun rise there and it was absolutely B-E-A-utiful. But yeah, very chilli. When we arrived at the base I saw two people eating and I recognized them. They were the two people from the UK that stayed at the same apt as me for two weeks! Of al places to see them again, in Chile.

Aparantly when people get out of the army in Isreal they either travel in South America or Asia. There were more Isrealines one the mountain than Chileans. New Hebrew word of the week: Zababa (i dont know how to spell it but it sounds like how i spelt it) it means somthing along the lines of ïts all good.¨

Im learning to listen.

Patagonia

I have a week until my class starts up again so I´m traveling with two Natalies and we are seeing Argentina (and maybe a bit of Chile). We are having a lay over type thing in a town way down south. I´m excited about this trip because its been so random already. We shared mate (its tea) with people one our bus, including Franando who actually works on the bus. During our 1st lay over we went home with friend of Monica(a girl we met on the bus). Monica´s friend is about 21 and is super sweet. While we were there her brother put on a worship DVD from Hillsong (the church in australia). Its just random but I love it all.

I just learned I´m about 500 miles from antartica right now. CRAZY....I´m so far away from South Carolina right now.

Alot of the terrain I´ve seen from the bus is pretty flat. At some points you could turn 360 degrees and all you would see is green with brown and the blue sky. Its what I´d imagine its like on a shipe instead of the blue of the ocean its green from the grass. That makes seeing horse, cows, Gauchos or even a little bit of a hill extra exciting. But the longer we travel the more beautiful the landscape is becoming.

I tried to go to a church the other day. There was a long line to get in becuase the 1st service was just ending. I felt sick so some woman that was talking with me walked me inside and straight to an empty white room with a few white chairs in it. I more comfortable when I realized they wanted to pray for me. A ¨new time¨God wants to give me while I´m here is what the woman felt like God was saying. An interpreter was brought in to help our conversation a little more smoothely...ha...an interpreter....

There is a girl from Japan staying in the same apt as me now. She doesn´t speak english and though her spanish is better than mine, its not terrific either. Its funny when we try to communicate. There´s a lot of gestures. But unlike things with my host mom, I can´t speak spanglish with my Japoneese housemate. Also, a girl from another part of Argentina is staying with us too. She speaks way too fast for me.

My mom doesn´t have diabetes anymore!! Thank you Jesus, thank thank you Jesus!! She lost enough weight that she doesn´t have it. Man, God is good. Good job Mommy on loosing that weight!

One last thing, the steak here is the bomb.com (thats for you Bailey). And Tupac was brought up in conversation yesterday by someone from Isreal. Its the little tings that make me think of home.