These last few weeks have gone by very quickly. The last few months I feel like God has been saying to me: Balance. This week has been that – and it feels great. I’ve spent a lot of time working on my Spanish, time reading, time learning. That is what I feel like my job is right now. Monday I went to a Valerie’s house – she’s been a missionary here for 7 years. I have been fighting guilt and she gave me some good perspective on the matter. It is hard to be in a country where the average person makes so little, and to know that we are really in the middle/upper class – after all –we have a car! It has been a battle in my head regarding a house – to feel guilty about having a decent house when there are so many poor families and houses. Do we live in a barrio (very poor neighborhood, not so safe) and be able to live with the people, or do we live in a house that by their standards is a mansion, to us, it’s a normal house (and it’s safer). My conclusion: do what God is telling me - walk in that - and don't live under guilt.
Valerie also brought up the fact that we need to have a place where we can rest so we don't get burned out. If we are in the middle of a barrio, there will always be people, as is the custom here, stopping in your house at all hours of the day to stay for many hours. Therefore there is not really a feeling of having time not spent working. For any of you that really know Tristan and I, you know that we have a terrible time saying 'no' and always want to be helping/involved/participating. So maybe having a house as a refuge (even with a 2 kilometer distance) it will prevent burnout and allow us the chance to have our own space as well. Even missionaries need days off. We are focusing our house search in or near Valle De Angeles. It is a town 22 kilometers out of the city. This is where we will be doing lots of ministry. So, the search continues.
Today we started spanish classes. We both had an hour and a half of one-on-one tutoring with a Spanish teacher. Her name is Liliana and she's very good and sweet. I like her. My mind is tired - it's a lot of thinking. I felt like my tongue was all tied in knots - trying to change how you have pronounced a letter for the last 24 years of your life - and to have to pronounce it differently, is hard. It's good though. We go back tomorrow morning for more.
Max - our dog - has become a dog again! The last few years he's really enjoyed the life of a house pet that stays inside and sleeps all day. Well the family that we are living with has a dog - Cannelita. She has taught Max how to bark - how to run to the fence and bark and anything and nothing that goes by. He joins in well with the rest of the neighborhood dogs as they bark into the night. We say they are married (but will not share parenting!). They now sleep together on Max's bed outside. He doesn't like to be locked inside any more because he's afraid that he'll miss something. He actually might turn into a good watch dog - thanks to Cannelita's patient training. Oh - and she had puppies - so there were also 7 6week old puppies running around and Max doesn't like them at all -they chase him and he runs - it's very funny :). ok, enough about the dog.
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