¡hola chicos! Where has the time gone? It seems like so much has happened since my last post!
Sunday
Sunday we went to a hippie fair at one of the plazas, which was a really cool experience. I ended up buying a traverso flute (which the lady offerred me free lessons on over mystay in la plata) and a scarf.
For dinner Sunday we went to mcdonalds. It is so expensive here!!! For 15 pesos (5 bucks) I only got a plain cheeseburger, kids meal sized fry, and water!! It was crazy!
Monday
Monday was argentina's fake independence day so for English club we went to the bosque for a sports day. The funniest moment in that had to be the fact that while I was filming I totally got nailed with a soccer ball which knocked the camera to the ground. America's funniest home videos anyone?
Tuesday
Tuesday was our first day on campus. However we got there really late thanks to the banks here. It was our first chance to exchange money and being the culture that it is, it took about 2 hours for 5 people to change money. You had to wait in line to register, then wait to be called, then fill out paperwork, then go upstairs and wait in line to acutually change money. It was crazy!!!
This week we were at the physical and exact sciences campus, meaning few English speakers. Luckily, Sarah and I found juan and bélen, whom we talked to for 2 hours about god and American life...anything you can think of. From talking to them we learned a lot about argentine life
After campus, since I finally had money I went and purchased 20liters of water. I also got some frutilla tang mix, which is realllly good!
Tuesday night was also our first bible study night. I'm in Cindys which is so amazingly fun! Then we all went to a cool reatuarant to fellowship as women.
Wednesday
Wednesday on campus I ran into juan and bélen again and we had a great conversation about catholism and Methodism which gave meal chance to share the gospel some more. That was a lot of fun and well worth it! I also talked to a girl completely in Spanish today. Granted it was simple thing with bad grammar but I got a lot of practice.
I also went with abby and matt to the post office. Like the bank, this was a very long process. It's set up a lot like the DMV in the states. You go in, take a number, sit there until they decide to call you, then mail your letter. Problem is, this culture is very relational so in between and during helping people, they sit around talk, drink maté, anything you can think of!
Speaking of maté, I forgot to talk about it in my last post. Maté is like tea only it looks like weed in a cup. Argentines drink this all the time! The server pours water and passes it to the first person, then that person drink it all, then it's refilled and goes to the next person, etc around the circle. Oh, and it's rude to touch or wipe off the straw! So, partially because I don't like it, partially because it has cafeine, and also because it's a great way to spread germs, I have not been participating. Not to mention the ever growing rise of swine flu, which has now hit Argentina (but mainly in Buenos Aires).
Thursday
Thursday campus was kinda quiet so I just had discipleship with Cindy, did a prayer walk Around campus, then went to help pass our English club flyers. Thursday night we went over to the STiNtgirls apartments with some Argentine to watch a movie.
Friday
Friday was...interesting. After a quick lunch on campus, matt and I (one of the 2 guys on project) set out to talk to this guy and girl. Well, as we finished Solarium and they told us they didn't believe in God, one of their friends came over and wanted to do Solarium so matt took him and I asked the guy, gáston, why he didn't believe. Well, needles to say, I ended up sharing the gospel and my testimony for 2 1/2 hours with a crowd of 9 people. That was frustrating when they decided they didn't want to speak English anymore! 9 people talking fast in Spanish isn't what I meant when I asked God to give me practice speaking! What a sense of humor He has! Luckily, 3 of the girls from vida showed up and translated for me and helped me share with these 9 atheists. While none of them came to know the Lord, the seed was planted. Even the most "stubborn" guy agreed with me on some things and I could tell it was starting to work in his heart. God calls us to plant seeds so only He will see what will grow from that. It was a great experience but just solo overwhelming!
That night after English club, there was a fiesta during la vida to welcome us to "the tina". There was lots of dancing - everywhere from salsa to tango to cha cha slide to boot scoot boogy.
Saturday
Today was supposed to be a social project outside of la plata. However, it was an outdoors thing kind of like bible shook but due to rain it was cancelled. However, since we were going to do some songs for the kids (matt on guitar, I on trumpet, candice, michelle and elizabeth singing) we ended up sitting around and singing praise and worship songs all day. The coolest part is we were with argentines, obviously but we were in a Brazilian missionaries home, so we prayed and sang in 3 languages, sometimes at the same time. That was just so refreshing to know all nations praise God and music was the one time we could all communicate without a need for translation. Music is truly a gift from God
Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Uruguay which should be super fun. We have to leave La Plata around 730am to catch the ferry in buenos aires around 930. We are going to rent mopeds which will be fun. Hahaha. Pray I don't wreck one of those things!
I would love to hear from you all! Feel free to comment on here and let me know how your life is going!!!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
First few days in La Plata, Argentina
Thursday morning around 930am we arrived in Buenos Aires. Our first experience of the country was quite interesting...because of the whole swine flu scare in the USA and Mexico, to deboard the plane we had to fill out health questionnaires and wear face masks until we were completely out of the terminal. We also had to go through a heat sensor that checked for a fever....as hot as it was it's a wonder we didn't all get detained! After we left that, we were greeted by both the STINT team for Buenos Aires and La Plata and we immediately boarded a bus for an hour ride to la plata.
After checking in at the Hotel del Sol, we went to Plaza Moreno where we had lunch and were greeted by several students involved on La Vida Estudiantil, the campus ministry here in Argentina. After eating we went to the cathedral located in the plaza which is supposedly one of the biggest in South America. The cathedral had two towers - one to represent Mary and the other to represent Jesus. For a few passos we got to go up on the Jesus tower which gave us a paneramic view of the city.
Later that evening we went to the sede which is the headquarters for la vida and also where the guys on the STINT team live. They Got us dinner early thtlat night, rather than asking us to wait til 10pm which is normal in Argentine culture.
On Friday we had our first full day of Argentine life. We learned a lot about the history and culture of the country and met a lot of other students involved here. That night was also English Club, where we played games to help students learn English better. Right after that was a talk in their la vida meeting, debating the existence of God. There was probably a dozen non believers present. The debate ended up lasting 4 hours! Needless to say after eating empanadas (which are very cheap and popular here) we left around 11pm.
Friday we also learned out to dance a Folklore dance known as el gato which was really cool to learn!
Saturday was long but so awesome...probably one of the coolest days for me thus far. We went on a scavenger hunt of the city, taking silly photos at some places like the bosque ( forest), zoo (which had cats in it!), and creation museum. We also bought churros and learned a soccer chant!
Saturday I also met some awesome Argentines involved in the ministry here. I met Andrea who actually went to keynote summer project last year on bass guitar. She was a comp sci major in college and loves speaking English. We decided we were probably twins separated at birth. Then there was Andres who plays bass and is a music major here studying orchestral conducting. And then there is Fabiano who is from chile and has a band he is going to bring me a CD of to listen to! they play a mixture of jazz, funk, African, rock, etc.
The coolest is Graciella, who said I was an answer to her prayers because in a year she is planning to come to WV to study, probably at Liberty college. If not, I convinced her Marshall was a good second choice ;). She had been praying someone from WV would come to Argentina so she could know someone when she came to the US. It was just so cool to know that that right there was one of the reasons God brought me to Argentina this summer. I talked to her for an hour and then gave get a WV tshirt I had brought. I can't wait to see her an my friendship develop over this summer.
Yesterday evening we also went out to eat for the first time. The menu was all in Spanish of course but I figured it out really easily. However, ice cream was a different story. Being the Americans that we ate we orders the 1/2 kg size. Needless to say each of us ended up with a pound of ice cream. Hahaha
Well today we are just going to relax and spend time as a group which is fun. Can't wait to hear from everyone about how their week has been!
¡Beso!
After checking in at the Hotel del Sol, we went to Plaza Moreno where we had lunch and were greeted by several students involved on La Vida Estudiantil, the campus ministry here in Argentina. After eating we went to the cathedral located in the plaza which is supposedly one of the biggest in South America. The cathedral had two towers - one to represent Mary and the other to represent Jesus. For a few passos we got to go up on the Jesus tower which gave us a paneramic view of the city.
Later that evening we went to the sede which is the headquarters for la vida and also where the guys on the STINT team live. They Got us dinner early thtlat night, rather than asking us to wait til 10pm which is normal in Argentine culture.
On Friday we had our first full day of Argentine life. We learned a lot about the history and culture of the country and met a lot of other students involved here. That night was also English Club, where we played games to help students learn English better. Right after that was a talk in their la vida meeting, debating the existence of God. There was probably a dozen non believers present. The debate ended up lasting 4 hours! Needless to say after eating empanadas (which are very cheap and popular here) we left around 11pm.
Friday we also learned out to dance a Folklore dance known as el gato which was really cool to learn!
Saturday was long but so awesome...probably one of the coolest days for me thus far. We went on a scavenger hunt of the city, taking silly photos at some places like the bosque ( forest), zoo (which had cats in it!), and creation museum. We also bought churros and learned a soccer chant!
Saturday I also met some awesome Argentines involved in the ministry here. I met Andrea who actually went to keynote summer project last year on bass guitar. She was a comp sci major in college and loves speaking English. We decided we were probably twins separated at birth. Then there was Andres who plays bass and is a music major here studying orchestral conducting. And then there is Fabiano who is from chile and has a band he is going to bring me a CD of to listen to! they play a mixture of jazz, funk, African, rock, etc.
The coolest is Graciella, who said I was an answer to her prayers because in a year she is planning to come to WV to study, probably at Liberty college. If not, I convinced her Marshall was a good second choice ;). She had been praying someone from WV would come to Argentina so she could know someone when she came to the US. It was just so cool to know that that right there was one of the reasons God brought me to Argentina this summer. I talked to her for an hour and then gave get a WV tshirt I had brought. I can't wait to see her an my friendship develop over this summer.
Yesterday evening we also went out to eat for the first time. The menu was all in Spanish of course but I figured it out really easily. However, ice cream was a different story. Being the Americans that we ate we orders the 1/2 kg size. Needless to say each of us ended up with a pound of ice cream. Hahaha
Well today we are just going to relax and spend time as a group which is fun. Can't wait to hear from everyone about how their week has been!
¡Beso!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Argentina in T minus 3 hours
Right now I am sitting in the dullas airport on Washington D.C. awaiting my flight to Buenos Aires. The last few days we have been in Greensboro N.C. For training and team building. I found out I will be in La Plata, Argentina with a team of 12 girls and 2 guys from nc state, central Michigan, clemson, Vanderbilt, western Kentucky, and Carolina. We will arrive in Argentina about 9:30am tomorrow. I am so excited to work in the lives of the argentine students there. Please pray for me and my team as we travel all night and begin working there
God bless,
Mary
God bless,
Mary
Friday, May 15, 2009
Argentina Is Here! $220 Short!
Today (Friday) I am heading to Greensboro, NC. The rest of the group will get there Sunday afternoon when Project officially starts. We just got our flight itinerary and we leave Greensboro at late afternoon on Wednesday and fly to Washington, D.C. then we leave there early evening and arrive in Buenos Aires the next morning around 9:30 AM. Its a 10 1/2 hour flight! SO long but SO worth it! (And what an odd route. Greensboro, NC to Washington, DC to Buenos Aires, Argentina!)
Oh, I started using Skype today. For those of you who don't know what it is, its a free chat-like service, that provides phone and video chat. Its kind of cool. If you want, create an account and add me (my name is mary_heath) and if you see me online while I'm over there, start a convo with me! Its free and easy! The best part for me is Skype allows me to call landline phones in the US for $0.02/minute, versus the almost $2/minute that the international calling cards have!! Talk about big savings!
ALSO, I am taking my neww iPod touch with me, meaning anytime I can find free wi-fi, I can check emails or internet, or whatever. AIM, Skype, maybe Facebook. The best part is, it has a built in Spanish Bible so I don't have to lug my heavy bilingual Bible with me all the time!!!
On an "unfortunate" note (if you can call it that) I am going to be $220 short towards my project, assuming no money comes in the mail before I leave tomorrow. I am going to be writing a faith check to cover this amount and praying that the extra $220 comes in while I am on project. I'm sure if it is God's will for the money to come in, it will. If any of you reading this would like to donate still, it is not too late! Prayerfully consider donating to my trip. ANY amount (if even only $1) will be SO helpful!
Please pray for me and my group for safe travels, both to Greensboro for briefing/training and to Argentina. I am so excited to see how God is going to use me in the lives of the Argentine people. Have a great week everyone! I will try and update this once or twice more before I leave for Argentina!
Oh, I started using Skype today. For those of you who don't know what it is, its a free chat-like service, that provides phone and video chat. Its kind of cool. If you want, create an account and add me (my name is mary_heath) and if you see me online while I'm over there, start a convo with me! Its free and easy! The best part for me is Skype allows me to call landline phones in the US for $0.02/minute, versus the almost $2/minute that the international calling cards have!! Talk about big savings!
ALSO, I am taking my neww iPod touch with me, meaning anytime I can find free wi-fi, I can check emails or internet, or whatever. AIM, Skype, maybe Facebook. The best part is, it has a built in Spanish Bible so I don't have to lug my heavy bilingual Bible with me all the time!!!
On an "unfortunate" note (if you can call it that) I am going to be $220 short towards my project, assuming no money comes in the mail before I leave tomorrow. I am going to be writing a faith check to cover this amount and praying that the extra $220 comes in while I am on project. I'm sure if it is God's will for the money to come in, it will. If any of you reading this would like to donate still, it is not too late! Prayerfully consider donating to my trip. ANY amount (if even only $1) will be SO helpful!
Please pray for me and my group for safe travels, both to Greensboro for briefing/training and to Argentina. I am so excited to see how God is going to use me in the lives of the Argentine people. Have a great week everyone! I will try and update this once or twice more before I leave for Argentina!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
ARGENTINA--THIS WEEK! $290 left to raise!
Friday I leave for Greensboro, NC to stay at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel for a few days. Project officially starts on Sunday, but my Dad had to be in Hilton Head on Saturday so he is just going to drop me off at the hotel 2 days early. I can't wait for Argentina! This last month has flown by and I have been so amazed at how much God has prepared me and how much support He has brought in. I have officially raised $4,810 towards project from 79 ministry partners! I am still $290 short, but I can continue to raise this support while I am there. I'm sure God will provide.
This week is going to be crazy as I do last minute shopping, packing, laundry, etc. I just got home from Marshall on Saturday so all of my stuff is still in bins so I'm trying to unpack as I pack for the trip! Its hectic but SO worth it!
I can't wait for a life-changing summer both in my own life and in the lives of the Argentine people.
Please pray for me as I begin traveling this weekend.
God Bless,
Mary
This week is going to be crazy as I do last minute shopping, packing, laundry, etc. I just got home from Marshall on Saturday so all of my stuff is still in bins so I'm trying to unpack as I pack for the trip! Its hectic but SO worth it!
I can't wait for a life-changing summer both in my own life and in the lives of the Argentine people.
Please pray for me as I begin traveling this weekend.
God Bless,
Mary
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Less than 2 weeks, $4,035 raised!
This week I am in the midst of finals and preparing things for Argentina. I can't believe its less than two weeks until I leave!! So far I've raised $4,035. From money people have pledged in addition to this, I am within $600 of reaching my goal! Very exciting! I'm sure God will provide me the last of that money before I leave. Stay tuned for more updates within my final days of preparation. Also, when I arrive in Argentina, I will have internet access about once a week where I will be updating everyone on all that I am doing in the lives of the Argentine students! I hope everyone has a lovely Cinco de Mayo, which is coming up in about 30 minutes! God Bless!
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