Life is good. Wish I had had the t-shirt idea...

Today is Sunday, March 20th. I have been gone from the US of A for 83 days. There are certainly things that I miss (like the abundance and availability of Peanut Butter, among other things), but this morning while on the bus home from a run, I realized that I am very content with where I am now in this season of life. Why? Well I hope to explain that.

First and foremost, I am continually gratified by the opportunity that I have to serve the Kingdom of God in Buenos Aires everyday. I love the STINT team that I work with. I am continually encouraged by how we are all united in the desire to work well for God's glory here. Sometimes that means staying up late compiling survey responses, other times it means investing a lot of time in very detailed conversation about planning for Summer project, various trips that we take, etc. and a lot of times it means hanging out with students in our apartments until way past what is normal by American standards (which is a joy, but I'm just not accustomed to hanging out and talking in Spanish til 2 AM). But I love it. My job involves loving students here and telling them about what Jesus Christ has done for them. While on campus last Friday, Tiffany and I got to share that news with six different students on campus. It was awesome!

Here are some pictures of our team of people who work together at Derecho:

Richard, Yani, Carina, Tiffany, Me

Tiffany and I on campus. You can see the front of the Law Building in the background.

Our team at a recent Student Leader retreat. Tiffany, Carina, Richard, Yani, Adriana, Me

I'm also settling in to life here and enjoying it. Last night we hung out at the girls apartment with 20 or so students. We ordered empanadas, played Wii and card games and just spent time together.  It was great! Although living in South America, I have ample time to enjoy hobbies (which wasn't possible my last year in Clemson).  This morning I went for a 6-mile run in one of the park areas in the city.  It actually ended up being much longer... I intended to run 6 miles, but on the bus ride home from the park, the bus broke down. I was out of change to get another bus, so I ran home.  I'm also in the process of sanding and finishing a desk for the apartment.

Things are really good. I'm grateful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to serve Him here in BA. I'm grateful for the friends and the life that He has blessed me with here and am eagerly looking forward to see what He has in store for the next weeks and months here!

Dia de San Valentin

So this update is way late.... but I think it'll be fun, so I shall proceed.

February 14th has become a renowned holiday. Valentine's day or, depending on one's relationship/marital status, Singles Awareness Day. In honor of the occasion the men of the BA STINT team decided to do something a little special for the ladies.  This blog will recount the details of the lovely evening.

When Cari, Jessica, Katie, and Tiffany arrived at our apartment, they were met by a dapperly dressed Ben who gave them each a dozen red roses. Upon entering our apartment, they were met with a candle-lit table set and ready for the dinner. John Mark served an original appetizer of twice baked avocados.  Next came one of my contributions,  a salad adorned with nuts and fruit and covered in a home-made balsamic vinaigrette dressing (salad dressing doesn't exist here...). The main course consisted of Bife de Lomo (a ribeye cut), Kraft macaroni and cheese (it's a delicacy here because it has to be brought from the states).  We topped off the meal with a  yogurt and fresh fruit parfait for dessert.

After a nice extended chat, we unveiled a jig that we wrote for the occasion to the tune of Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven. (Note the following terms: Mario, Dana our big bosses in Argentina and the States, respectively. Cena - dinner in spanish. Callao - one of the major avenues in BA)

As we were all dressed nicely for the occasion, we closed out the night with a photo shoot.

Back row: Katie, Tiffany, Jessica, Cari
Front row: Stud #1, Stud #2, Stud #3

Front row (for real this time) : Me, Ben, John Mark