Hi friends! I only have a minute or two, but I finally got internet access for the first time in quite a while, and I wanted to send out a quick hello before I leave for my outreach tonight! I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas celebration with your family and friends - truly embracing the joy of this season of the Birth of our Savior! I had a VERY different experience here in Argentina, but loved every minute of it! God blessed me with a beautiful family and church here to share the holidays with, and I couldn't be more thankful for His constant Provision. And speaking of provision - thank you all SO incredibly much for your amazing generosity in your gifts of support for my outreach! I was SO blessed, and would not be where I am today (or where I'll be heading tonight) without your faithfulness and selflessness!
As our team departs for the next 2 months, please pray - first and foremost - for UNITY! If we are not united as a team, our ministry will be totally void and pointless. Pray for humble, teachable spirits as we students work and travel together, and that we would really just pour ourselves out as servants. We want to truly be disciples of Christ to the people we encounter, and act in a way that demonstrates that in EVERY area of our lives! Please also keep our safety and HEALTH in your prayers! We are SO excited to immerse ourselves in South America and begin serving and loving the people God has called us to! What a privilege!!
Alright - I must go finish packing and prepare for our trip (we leave at midnight). LOVE TO YOU ALL, and if I end up not having internet access - know that I am thinking of you all every day and constantly praying for your lives! Thank you for sharing in mine! May God be glorified immensely on this next adventure!
His humble servant.
Katie
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Hola Amados,
I tell you, my heart is very heavy at the moment. I just returned from spending a weekend at home with my host family, and it was a very, very difficult few days. It was absolutely wonderful to spend time with my family after nearly 4 weeks without seeing them, but along with the enjoyment came an encounter with the true reality of all that has occurred. Being surrounded by the truth and effects of this tragedy, and reluctantly hearing all of the appalling details allowed me to understand that what happened to my family is of a far greater magnitude than I could have ever understood by simply being told about it. I am very thankful that I was able to be there and pray with them, but the wounds are definitely still fresh for me, and I ask you all to please continue to pray for all of us. The details that I received as far as who the girl (yes, I said girl) was, and how long this had been going on are on a far worse level than I initially disclosed to you all, so please don’t cease praying for the healing and restoration of this beautiful family. I’ll be spending a lovely few days with them over Christmas, and we are all looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior together!
On a different note, we are wrapping up our final 2 weeks of classes here at the base, and preparing for the next phase of our training – Outreach! It’s a very exciting time, and we are now working towards taking care of every little detail for the trip. I would love it if you would pray for our teams as we continue planning, rehearsing choreographies and dramas, and making travel arrangements. We are definitely relying on God to accomplish all of this in less than 12 days, and we trust that He will provide all that we need. In that sense, I also wanted to let you know that because my team will be traveling outside of Argentine to Peru, we are responsible for purchasing a plane ticket and all of the transportation around the country during these next 2 months. And the Lord is most definitely teaching me about trust and reliance on Him as I have only $100 left and we will need about $850 to get to Peru and back. In this, I ask that you please pray for God’s provision, and that He would truly surprise me – as He always does. I will ask for your financial assistance as well – if you feel led to support me in purchasing this ticket, I would be SO blessed (even if it’s only one dollar!) I am trusting the Lord to provide exactly what I need, and I am so thankful that I can call on you for your support and prayers! What a blessing you have all been to me! If you do feel led to support my outreach financially, the best way to give is to write a check to my name and send it to my parents who can then deposit it into my Argentina account. It is nearly impossible to cash a check here in the country or change Dollars into Pesos where I’m at. The address is:
Katie Doud
1620 Buckeye Street
Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524
Thank you all, as always, for being such faithful warriors in prayer for all that is happening here and all that is to come in these next 2 months of serving and loving Argentina in a practical way! We’ll talk soon.
Katie
I tell you, my heart is very heavy at the moment. I just returned from spending a weekend at home with my host family, and it was a very, very difficult few days. It was absolutely wonderful to spend time with my family after nearly 4 weeks without seeing them, but along with the enjoyment came an encounter with the true reality of all that has occurred. Being surrounded by the truth and effects of this tragedy, and reluctantly hearing all of the appalling details allowed me to understand that what happened to my family is of a far greater magnitude than I could have ever understood by simply being told about it. I am very thankful that I was able to be there and pray with them, but the wounds are definitely still fresh for me, and I ask you all to please continue to pray for all of us. The details that I received as far as who the girl (yes, I said girl) was, and how long this had been going on are on a far worse level than I initially disclosed to you all, so please don’t cease praying for the healing and restoration of this beautiful family. I’ll be spending a lovely few days with them over Christmas, and we are all looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior together!
On a different note, we are wrapping up our final 2 weeks of classes here at the base, and preparing for the next phase of our training – Outreach! It’s a very exciting time, and we are now working towards taking care of every little detail for the trip. I would love it if you would pray for our teams as we continue planning, rehearsing choreographies and dramas, and making travel arrangements. We are definitely relying on God to accomplish all of this in less than 12 days, and we trust that He will provide all that we need. In that sense, I also wanted to let you know that because my team will be traveling outside of Argentine to Peru, we are responsible for purchasing a plane ticket and all of the transportation around the country during these next 2 months. And the Lord is most definitely teaching me about trust and reliance on Him as I have only $100 left and we will need about $850 to get to Peru and back. In this, I ask that you please pray for God’s provision, and that He would truly surprise me – as He always does. I will ask for your financial assistance as well – if you feel led to support me in purchasing this ticket, I would be SO blessed (even if it’s only one dollar!) I am trusting the Lord to provide exactly what I need, and I am so thankful that I can call on you for your support and prayers! What a blessing you have all been to me! If you do feel led to support my outreach financially, the best way to give is to write a check to my name and send it to my parents who can then deposit it into my Argentina account. It is nearly impossible to cash a check here in the country or change Dollars into Pesos where I’m at. The address is:
Katie Doud
1620 Buckeye Street
Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524
Thank you all, as always, for being such faithful warriors in prayer for all that is happening here and all that is to come in these next 2 months of serving and loving Argentina in a practical way! We’ll talk soon.
Katie
Monday, November 26, 2007
Dear Ones, I have some terrible news that I feel God wants me to share with you so that you might join me in prayer. This has been an absolutely horrific week for me personally, and for my host family. On Monday of this past week, we tragically discovered that my host-dad has fallen into a deep sin trap and has been having an affair. He confessed to the family, and is no longer living at home. As you might guess, this was an absolute shock to everyone involved, and we are all still struggling to even accept it as reality. I won't go into all the details because this is a very embarassing and shameful situation for my family here, but I will ask you to please, PLEASE join me as warriors in prayer against this situation. Please pray, first and foremost, that my host-dad Ruben would cease running away, and turn back to the one who loves him unconditionally - the Lord. That he would ask for forgiveness and turn from this terrible, destructive life and return to seek forgiveness from his beautiful wife and broken children. It would be so easy to pray that he would just stay away and that his family would be able to rebuild their lives without him - that is what our human justice desires. However, when we are walking in the grace and truth of our Savior, we will pray for the things on HIS heart, and that is that Ruben would return to his family, seek their forgiveness, and that the incredible grace of God would overflow into this family and they would be restored. Please pray that this will happen. Truly ask the Lord in FAITH that Ruben would not remain in hiding because of his guilt, but that he would turn back around and face the loving, graceful, merciful God that created him and would accept the forgiveness and grace that is offered to him through the death of Jesus on the cross.
While you are praying for this, please also pray specifically for the three lives that have been so completely destroyed this week. Please pray for my host-mom Inez - that she would truly rest in the strength and perfect love of Jesus - that she would know she doesn't have to be strong for the kids, but that it is okay to cry and let God begin to heal her - and that the feelings of inadequacy and failure that the enemy will try to force upon her would be crushed by the grace and strength of God.
Please pray for wisdom and strength for my host-sister Yamila as she begins to process all of this. Pray against the feelings of deception and bitterness that she may feel towards her Father for the pain that his choices have caused - that she would be filled with God's unfathomable grace for her Dad and truly be able to forgive him.
One of my most important requests is for prayer for my host-brother Marcelo. Out of everyone, he has, by far, taken it the hardest. He has not spoken in over a week, and only by God’s grace did he answer his phone last night when I called. We talked for a very long time, and after much prayer, he finally opened up. Marcelo is broken. His entire life has been destroyed, and his best friend is gone. Please pray for understanding and forgiveness. Most of all, pray that Marce will embrace the truth that God is his true Father who loves him unconditionally and will NEVER let him down or disappoint him. That he would truly be able to rest in that truth and feel the loving arms of his true Daddy.
I know that this is a very heavy update, but I made the decision to share this information with you all because I know you will support me and my family here during this time of total brokenness. We need your prayers desperately, and have faith that God will truly work a miracle. Thank you SO much for joining in this fight with me, and I will absolutely let you know anything new.
Katie
'Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
Jeremiah 33:6
While you are praying for this, please also pray specifically for the three lives that have been so completely destroyed this week. Please pray for my host-mom Inez - that she would truly rest in the strength and perfect love of Jesus - that she would know she doesn't have to be strong for the kids, but that it is okay to cry and let God begin to heal her - and that the feelings of inadequacy and failure that the enemy will try to force upon her would be crushed by the grace and strength of God.
Please pray for wisdom and strength for my host-sister Yamila as she begins to process all of this. Pray against the feelings of deception and bitterness that she may feel towards her Father for the pain that his choices have caused - that she would be filled with God's unfathomable grace for her Dad and truly be able to forgive him.
One of my most important requests is for prayer for my host-brother Marcelo. Out of everyone, he has, by far, taken it the hardest. He has not spoken in over a week, and only by God’s grace did he answer his phone last night when I called. We talked for a very long time, and after much prayer, he finally opened up. Marcelo is broken. His entire life has been destroyed, and his best friend is gone. Please pray for understanding and forgiveness. Most of all, pray that Marce will embrace the truth that God is his true Father who loves him unconditionally and will NEVER let him down or disappoint him. That he would truly be able to rest in that truth and feel the loving arms of his true Daddy.
I know that this is a very heavy update, but I made the decision to share this information with you all because I know you will support me and my family here during this time of total brokenness. We need your prayers desperately, and have faith that God will truly work a miracle. Thank you SO much for joining in this fight with me, and I will absolutely let you know anything new.
Katie
'Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
Jeremiah 33:6
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Splendid news!!
After MUCH prayer and seeking the Lord, we have finalized our outreach locations and teams. God spoke to me numerous times during this process about these places, and confirmed His word this week as well. So….I will be spending the first month of my outreach on the Atlantic coast of Argentina with my team of 10. We don’t have all the details of our specific cities just yet, but I can tell you that we’ll be doing a lot of “beach ministry.” During the summer months of January and February, they say that the coast of Argentina becomes the new Capital of the country. Masses of people move out to the coastal cities and spend the summer there – thus, our time of ministry will be very much focused on the people who are on holiday…youth on the beach (sports, surfing, etc.), as well as building relationships during the numerous festivals and concerts that take place. It will be an incredible and exciting time, and I have faith that God will reach many through us.
Following our month on the coast, our team will pack up and head to…. Peru!! and spend the next month there. It is so exciting to be going to this beautiful country because the Lord laid it on my heart in the very beginning of our school before we ever knew it was an option for outreach! He is SO faithful in speaking and sharing his heart with us! We still don’t have all the details on cities or specific ministries yet, but when we start to finalize those things, I will definitely send out an update!
The other two outreach teams are very exciting as well. One group will be working in northern Argentina for a month, and then in Bolivia. The third team is traveling the farthest – spending a few weeks in the gorgeous South of Argentina, then a month in Australia, and finishing up in JAPAN! It is so cool to see the very different places God called each of us to, and I am so excited to see all that He does through each of our three teams.
If you could please keep us in your prayers this week, and the coming month, as we begin to prepare for our ‘crusada’ and plan all of the details. Pray for wisdom for our leaders (who, by the way, are all in their early 20s – some even younger – so by no means will we have veteran adults accompanying us). Pray for unity of our group as a whole, as well as each of the three outreach teams. Pray for financial provision as we trust in the Lord to provide us all that we need to travel to these nations and serve them in the love of Christ.
Thank you SO much, and we will talk soon!
Love from Ituzaingó.
After MUCH prayer and seeking the Lord, we have finalized our outreach locations and teams. God spoke to me numerous times during this process about these places, and confirmed His word this week as well. So….I will be spending the first month of my outreach on the Atlantic coast of Argentina with my team of 10. We don’t have all the details of our specific cities just yet, but I can tell you that we’ll be doing a lot of “beach ministry.” During the summer months of January and February, they say that the coast of Argentina becomes the new Capital of the country. Masses of people move out to the coastal cities and spend the summer there – thus, our time of ministry will be very much focused on the people who are on holiday…youth on the beach (sports, surfing, etc.), as well as building relationships during the numerous festivals and concerts that take place. It will be an incredible and exciting time, and I have faith that God will reach many through us.
Following our month on the coast, our team will pack up and head to…. Peru!! and spend the next month there. It is so exciting to be going to this beautiful country because the Lord laid it on my heart in the very beginning of our school before we ever knew it was an option for outreach! He is SO faithful in speaking and sharing his heart with us! We still don’t have all the details on cities or specific ministries yet, but when we start to finalize those things, I will definitely send out an update!
The other two outreach teams are very exciting as well. One group will be working in northern Argentina for a month, and then in Bolivia. The third team is traveling the farthest – spending a few weeks in the gorgeous South of Argentina, then a month in Australia, and finishing up in JAPAN! It is so cool to see the very different places God called each of us to, and I am so excited to see all that He does through each of our three teams.
If you could please keep us in your prayers this week, and the coming month, as we begin to prepare for our ‘crusada’ and plan all of the details. Pray for wisdom for our leaders (who, by the way, are all in their early 20s – some even younger – so by no means will we have veteran adults accompanying us). Pray for unity of our group as a whole, as well as each of the three outreach teams. Pray for financial provision as we trust in the Lord to provide us all that we need to travel to these nations and serve them in the love of Christ.
Thank you SO much, and we will talk soon!
Love from Ituzaingó.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Buen Dia, Querridos!
I pray everyone is healthy and splendid!
I wanted to tell you a bit about this last week. I just arrived back at the base this morning from a 7-day Missions Conference in Mendoza, Argentina, and could not be more thrilled with how things went! The Lord blessed our 14-hour bus ride home and brought us back safely…and dirty! Though the conference was held at the YWAM base in Mendoza, there was not nearly enough room to house the more than 500 Jucumeros (YWAMers), so we spent 7 days in a city of tents - camping and NOT showering!! Thus, my first shower in a week was AMAZING! God has definitely been teaching me to appreciate the little things…like water and soap!
But let me tell you, this conference was incredible! Every YWAM base in Argentina showed up – staff, DTS students, workers, everyone! It was so great to spend time with the students from the other bases and hear how God is moving in their schools! I also got to know a lot of the staff from Mendoza and other bases, and was so blessed by the new relationships God allowed me to build during my time in that gorgeous place. Mendoza is truly one of the most beautiful locations I have ever been to – towering mountains, Eucaliptis (sp?) trees, incredible stargazing, and acres and acres of vineyards!
Aside from the view, though, God did fabulous things in the hearts of nearly every person from our base. People were hearing words about their futures, new ministries, specific countries, and SO much more! It’s SO awesome to witness more than 500 YWAMers joining together for a week to seek the Lord, and truly hearing His voice! Praise God for His faithfulness!!
Things are going great at our base as well. The students are bonding – especially after this trip – and the whole team is working together beautifully. No major health issues either. I was sick with a cold for the majority of our time in Mendoza, but as always, God gave me the supernatural strength to fight it and still fully enjoy the conference!
My Spanish has been improving like crazy – Gloria a Dios! I was actually mistaken for an Argentine at the conference – apparently my accent fits in well. I have also been having many more opportunities to translate – my favorite being a conversation between a Bolivian and a woman from Africa who spoke English. The two desperately wanted to have a conversation, but Rosa, the Bolivian, didn’t speak a word of English, and Bongi (the African woman) didn’t know any Spanish, so I sat between then and translated their entire conversation! It was splendid. Such a blessing that the Lord is giving me success in acquiring this beautiful language! I love it SO much!
So, we are now back to reality. Lots of classes and work, but it will be great to get back into the swing of things! If you would please continue to pray for our decisions about the Outreach phase – we should be finalizing things by the end of this week or so. I will let you all know as soon as I know where I’m headed in January! Thank you for continuing to be such an important part of this journey!
Todo mi Amor,
Katie
p.s. I am still working on getting pictures sent out. Our internet connection rarely lasts long enough for me to get an album put together, but you can expect some photos very soon!
I pray everyone is healthy and splendid!
I wanted to tell you a bit about this last week. I just arrived back at the base this morning from a 7-day Missions Conference in Mendoza, Argentina, and could not be more thrilled with how things went! The Lord blessed our 14-hour bus ride home and brought us back safely…and dirty! Though the conference was held at the YWAM base in Mendoza, there was not nearly enough room to house the more than 500 Jucumeros (YWAMers), so we spent 7 days in a city of tents - camping and NOT showering!! Thus, my first shower in a week was AMAZING! God has definitely been teaching me to appreciate the little things…like water and soap!
But let me tell you, this conference was incredible! Every YWAM base in Argentina showed up – staff, DTS students, workers, everyone! It was so great to spend time with the students from the other bases and hear how God is moving in their schools! I also got to know a lot of the staff from Mendoza and other bases, and was so blessed by the new relationships God allowed me to build during my time in that gorgeous place. Mendoza is truly one of the most beautiful locations I have ever been to – towering mountains, Eucaliptis (sp?) trees, incredible stargazing, and acres and acres of vineyards!
Aside from the view, though, God did fabulous things in the hearts of nearly every person from our base. People were hearing words about their futures, new ministries, specific countries, and SO much more! It’s SO awesome to witness more than 500 YWAMers joining together for a week to seek the Lord, and truly hearing His voice! Praise God for His faithfulness!!
Things are going great at our base as well. The students are bonding – especially after this trip – and the whole team is working together beautifully. No major health issues either. I was sick with a cold for the majority of our time in Mendoza, but as always, God gave me the supernatural strength to fight it and still fully enjoy the conference!
My Spanish has been improving like crazy – Gloria a Dios! I was actually mistaken for an Argentine at the conference – apparently my accent fits in well. I have also been having many more opportunities to translate – my favorite being a conversation between a Bolivian and a woman from Africa who spoke English. The two desperately wanted to have a conversation, but Rosa, the Bolivian, didn’t speak a word of English, and Bongi (the African woman) didn’t know any Spanish, so I sat between then and translated their entire conversation! It was splendid. Such a blessing that the Lord is giving me success in acquiring this beautiful language! I love it SO much!
So, we are now back to reality. Lots of classes and work, but it will be great to get back into the swing of things! If you would please continue to pray for our decisions about the Outreach phase – we should be finalizing things by the end of this week or so. I will let you all know as soon as I know where I’m headed in January! Thank you for continuing to be such an important part of this journey!
Todo mi Amor,
Katie
p.s. I am still working on getting pictures sent out. Our internet connection rarely lasts long enough for me to get an album put together, but you can expect some photos very soon!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Hola, mis amores!!
I hope everyone is wonderful! I miss you all so much!
This week was absolutely AMAZING. Jam-packed with class, Spanish, and more Dulce de Leche than I should EVER have eaten! And get this: my diet here consists of bread, pasta, potatoes, pizza, and dulce de leche on EVERYTHING, yet for some insane reason I am actually losing weight! It’s the miracle diet that every American woman wishes for – carbs, carbs, carbs, and a side of caramel sauce with every meal!!
School this week was also very lovely. We had awesome speakers from Argentina and Chile who told us some incredible stories and taught us about discovering what God has for our futures and obeying that calling no matter what – stepping out into the unknown without fear, because the Creator of the Universe is on our side! We also spent a lot of time studying the scriptures on ‘faith’: never doubting what the Lord has in store for us, and daily ‘walking in faith.’ God has been teaching me un montón de cosas (lots of things) both in class and during my time away from the base, and I am loving every minute of it!
On Wednesday of this last week, our entire school traveled into Capital for a huge Missions conference with missionaries from all over Argentina, and it was an awesome celebration! So awesome, in fact, that we had the pleasure of hearing Luis Pulau speak!! Luis is a famous all over the world, and I was shocked when he walked onto the stage! It was a gorgeous night, and so cool to be in the presence of missionaries young and old, all with the same calling and purpose!
The greatest part of the week, however, was my weekend “at home” with my host family and friends in Zarate. They are honestly the greatest blessing I have yet received in my 3 weeks in Argentina! A little background info: About 3 days before I arrived here in South America, my host sister Yamila (who has also decided to pursue a future in missions) was praying and asked the Lord how she should continue in her future, and 2 days later, He answered with a phone-call from YWAM. They asked if she and her family would be willing to host a girl from the United States that next week, and she said, “of course!” And apparently from that moment on, Yamila knew that the Lord had something beautiful planned for my time there. And the moment I arrived, I felt the very same thing. That weekend, I was able to attend a meeting of some of the youth of their church (our church), in which they were planning their first ever Missions Night. Our church has a gorgeous heart for missions, and many of the youth have recently discovered a passion for missions as well, so they began to plan a big missions night to further encourage the teens. But anyway – to make this story a bit shorter – the night of the meeting, I felt an incredible burden on my heart for the youth the church, and for walking with them and encouraging them in this missions movement. And over the past few weeks, I have been spending loads of time with them – going to events, playing guitar, sharing with them what I have been learning in my classes here at the base, etc – and God just continues to expand this passion in my heart for them. Truly, from day one, I felt this strange connection with each one of them, and my host sister was telling me today that they have all said the same thing – that we have a bond that is unfathomable by our mere human minds, but that is SO clearly from the Lord! So, as of now, I am not sure exactly how He is going to use me, but it is clear to me and to everyone in Zarate that God had been preparing me for them and them for me! It is SO beautiful to witness His perfect plan unfolding and walking IN FAITH, knowing that every step I take is in His hands!
I spent Saturday night with “my chicos,” (nearly all of the youth from the church are boys) and we managed to shatter my ‘staying-up-late record’ – which they are all SO proud of. We were playing guitar, singing, and goofing-off the entire night, and when we looked out the window, the sun was up and shining bright! We were awake until after 8:00 am, when we finally made ourselves go to bed!! We have a blast together, but on a more serious note, I’ve been getting to know each of their hearts, and have been absolutely blown away by the depth and maturity of even the youngest – Ivan – who is only 15 years old! They are amazing boys, and I thank the Lord constantly for blessing me with them!
I would love it if you could pray for a few things this week:
-First and foremost, for my host-sister Yamila. Yesterday, God told her that her journey into the world of missions is beginning now. It’s an incredibly exciting time for her, but scary as well. Please pray that she will be able to clearly hear God’s voice as He continues to reveal more details to her, and that the logistics of her future would all work out smoothly. Also, if you would pray for her strength and faith in the perfect plan God is unfolding. We are all SO excited to see what the Lord has next for her!
-In addition, If you would please pray for rest for me as I try to figure out a better way to travel to and from my “home” here. It is quite a great distance away from the base, and when my family cannot come get me themselves, I have to either take the train (which is horrid and dangerous), or take a taxi (which costs me about twice as much as anyone else, because they drivers – seeing that I am a foreigner – completely rip me off every time). So, it is a very tough situation, and something that I constantly stress and worry about. Please pray that I will put into practice what I learned this week and HAVE FAITH that God will work everything out beautifully!
Thinking about you all so much, and would still love to hear from you. Please forgive me though, if I do not return your emails right away. I have about 3 chances every week to check my email, and this week, our lovely internet was down the ENTIRE week. It’s definitely a battle, but I hope that sometime soon it will be reliable enough for me to actually get 20 or 30 consecutive minutes online to communicate with you all! (God’s definitely teaching me a lot about PATIENCE as well ;-)
Love you all so much!
Katie
p.s. Every weekend when I get home, my host family gives me a once-over evaluation to make sure I’m eating well and also to check-up on my language acquisition. And this weekend, as well as being told that I am getting too skinny, I was pleased to hear that my Castellano (Spanish) is far better than when I arrived! Praise the Lord – He’s allowing me to adjust so wonderfully!
I hope everyone is wonderful! I miss you all so much!
This week was absolutely AMAZING. Jam-packed with class, Spanish, and more Dulce de Leche than I should EVER have eaten! And get this: my diet here consists of bread, pasta, potatoes, pizza, and dulce de leche on EVERYTHING, yet for some insane reason I am actually losing weight! It’s the miracle diet that every American woman wishes for – carbs, carbs, carbs, and a side of caramel sauce with every meal!!
School this week was also very lovely. We had awesome speakers from Argentina and Chile who told us some incredible stories and taught us about discovering what God has for our futures and obeying that calling no matter what – stepping out into the unknown without fear, because the Creator of the Universe is on our side! We also spent a lot of time studying the scriptures on ‘faith’: never doubting what the Lord has in store for us, and daily ‘walking in faith.’ God has been teaching me un montón de cosas (lots of things) both in class and during my time away from the base, and I am loving every minute of it!
On Wednesday of this last week, our entire school traveled into Capital for a huge Missions conference with missionaries from all over Argentina, and it was an awesome celebration! So awesome, in fact, that we had the pleasure of hearing Luis Pulau speak!! Luis is a famous all over the world, and I was shocked when he walked onto the stage! It was a gorgeous night, and so cool to be in the presence of missionaries young and old, all with the same calling and purpose!
The greatest part of the week, however, was my weekend “at home” with my host family and friends in Zarate. They are honestly the greatest blessing I have yet received in my 3 weeks in Argentina! A little background info: About 3 days before I arrived here in South America, my host sister Yamila (who has also decided to pursue a future in missions) was praying and asked the Lord how she should continue in her future, and 2 days later, He answered with a phone-call from YWAM. They asked if she and her family would be willing to host a girl from the United States that next week, and she said, “of course!” And apparently from that moment on, Yamila knew that the Lord had something beautiful planned for my time there. And the moment I arrived, I felt the very same thing. That weekend, I was able to attend a meeting of some of the youth of their church (our church), in which they were planning their first ever Missions Night. Our church has a gorgeous heart for missions, and many of the youth have recently discovered a passion for missions as well, so they began to plan a big missions night to further encourage the teens. But anyway – to make this story a bit shorter – the night of the meeting, I felt an incredible burden on my heart for the youth the church, and for walking with them and encouraging them in this missions movement. And over the past few weeks, I have been spending loads of time with them – going to events, playing guitar, sharing with them what I have been learning in my classes here at the base, etc – and God just continues to expand this passion in my heart for them. Truly, from day one, I felt this strange connection with each one of them, and my host sister was telling me today that they have all said the same thing – that we have a bond that is unfathomable by our mere human minds, but that is SO clearly from the Lord! So, as of now, I am not sure exactly how He is going to use me, but it is clear to me and to everyone in Zarate that God had been preparing me for them and them for me! It is SO beautiful to witness His perfect plan unfolding and walking IN FAITH, knowing that every step I take is in His hands!
I spent Saturday night with “my chicos,” (nearly all of the youth from the church are boys) and we managed to shatter my ‘staying-up-late record’ – which they are all SO proud of. We were playing guitar, singing, and goofing-off the entire night, and when we looked out the window, the sun was up and shining bright! We were awake until after 8:00 am, when we finally made ourselves go to bed!! We have a blast together, but on a more serious note, I’ve been getting to know each of their hearts, and have been absolutely blown away by the depth and maturity of even the youngest – Ivan – who is only 15 years old! They are amazing boys, and I thank the Lord constantly for blessing me with them!
I would love it if you could pray for a few things this week:
-First and foremost, for my host-sister Yamila. Yesterday, God told her that her journey into the world of missions is beginning now. It’s an incredibly exciting time for her, but scary as well. Please pray that she will be able to clearly hear God’s voice as He continues to reveal more details to her, and that the logistics of her future would all work out smoothly. Also, if you would pray for her strength and faith in the perfect plan God is unfolding. We are all SO excited to see what the Lord has next for her!
-In addition, If you would please pray for rest for me as I try to figure out a better way to travel to and from my “home” here. It is quite a great distance away from the base, and when my family cannot come get me themselves, I have to either take the train (which is horrid and dangerous), or take a taxi (which costs me about twice as much as anyone else, because they drivers – seeing that I am a foreigner – completely rip me off every time). So, it is a very tough situation, and something that I constantly stress and worry about. Please pray that I will put into practice what I learned this week and HAVE FAITH that God will work everything out beautifully!
Thinking about you all so much, and would still love to hear from you. Please forgive me though, if I do not return your emails right away. I have about 3 chances every week to check my email, and this week, our lovely internet was down the ENTIRE week. It’s definitely a battle, but I hope that sometime soon it will be reliable enough for me to actually get 20 or 30 consecutive minutes online to communicate with you all! (God’s definitely teaching me a lot about PATIENCE as well ;-)
Love you all so much!
Katie
p.s. Every weekend when I get home, my host family gives me a once-over evaluation to make sure I’m eating well and also to check-up on my language acquisition. And this weekend, as well as being told that I am getting too skinny, I was pleased to hear that my Castellano (Spanish) is far better than when I arrived! Praise the Lord – He’s allowing me to adjust so wonderfully!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Por Fin!!
(translation: FINALLY!)
Hello all!
Please forgive me for not updating you sooner, but I JUST got internet for the first time here – it’s been quite a battle to get connected! I arrived in Buenos Aires safe and sound last week (after a very terrifying flight - we hit a massive storm as we flew over the Caribbean and I truly thought it was my last few moments on earth!) But, praise God! He allowed me to quickly get through customs and find my ride to the base once we finally landed! I spent one day and one night at the base here - with just the staff (so I spent a lot of time sleeping and reading)...but on Friday – the 28th, my host dad (mi papi) came to pick me up and take me HOME! My “second home” here in Argentina is in the city of Zárate – a lovely little town with the most amazing people I have EVER met – and my family – The Orozcos – have been such a blessing from the Lord! Mis papis are SO wonderful and from the very first day, they truly adopted me as their own daughter. I have 3 new siblings – Elías (who is just recently married and lives near us), Marcelo (16 years old), and Yamila (pronounced Sha-MEE-la, 18 years old – who has already become my best friend). I was SO worried and scared my first day in this gorgeous country, but I immediately asked the Lord to remove that fear and allow me to trust completely in Him to provide everything I need…and as ALWAYS, he answered my prayers 10-fold!
If you can believe this, it is already harder for me to write and think in English than it is in Spanish (or “Castellano”). Even as I write this, I’ll begin to write in Castellano and have to erase it and re-think in English. It’s so awesome! I’ll try to describe how incredibly different life here is: first of all, I must introduce you to my new love – MATE (prnounced MAH-tay). It is the national drink of Argentina, and is basically a metal vaso (like a coffee mug without a handle) filled to the top with loose tealeaves (Yerba) and sipped through a metal filter/straw. However, Mate is much more of an action than just a drink. It is all about fellowship and sharing (one person drinks it, then it is re-made and passed to the next person in the group, and so on for HOURS). It’s a beautiful tradition, and quickly becoming one of my very favorite pastimes.
One of the greatest differences here is the daily schedule – at least on the weekends when I am at “home.” Weekdays are fairly similar those in the states, but once the weekend hits, everything flip-flops. I have class from Tuesday to Saturday evening every week, and then Saturday night to Monday night is my “weekend.” When I get home on Sat, there’s usually a big group of teenagers from the church hanging out at the house (if I didn’t mention it before, mi papis are pastors, so there’s always a lot of activity at home) and we sit around talking a drinking Mate until usually sometime after 330 am, then sleep in until around 1pm on Sunday. And I have to confess to you that last night was my record-breaker, so far. My brother and I weren’t really tired when everyone else went to bed, and ended up staying awake until 5:30 in the morning, when we forced ourselves to go to bed (we still weren’t tired)!!!! Our church service starts at 7pm, and is AMAZING! The congregation is around one hundred people, and everyone is like family there. Such a beautiful group! And in fact, my first weekend there, they welcomed me SO well, and allowed me to be part of the service – I stood up in front of everyone and shared about my heart for missions and medicine (ALL in Castellano!) and then Marcelo (my brother) played the guitar (he is INCREDIBLE) and I sang three worship songs in English. They also brought me up front later in the service and the entire church prayed for me and for my first week at school, etc. It was a beautiful night, and after my second time there (this weekend), I already feel like I am a part of that church family! What a beautiful blessing, no?! What’s more, it is SO amazing to witness how perfectly God timed my arrival to this family, as Yamila (my sister) had been praying and praying just DAYS before I came, for some sort of encouragement in her own calling to missions. She felt the Lord call her to missions 2 years ago, but has had very little direction or encouragement, and so just 2 days after she asked for help, God allowed me to join their family, and now she and I are able to walk this road together – encouraging each other and sharing everything we are learning! In addition, the night I first arrived in Zarate, I had the privilege of participating in a meeting to plan the first ever Missions Night for the youth of the church (something God really laid on Yami’s heart), and the actual event took place this past Saturday. It was an awesome night, and I was SO excited to see how many teens showed up with a burden and passion in their hearts for the nations! God is SO amazing, and it is so beautiful that I will now be able to be a part of this movement and encourage these kids with what God has taught me through my own call to missions!
This updating is getting to be very very long, so I will try to wrap it up, as there’s not a whole heap to tell about the school aspect of my life yet. It was an awesome first week, though – and I was forced to quickly adapt to the hectic schedule during our school-week. We are up and eating at 7am (very tough after a weekend of staying up til the sun rises!) and have bible class, quiet-time, work duties, language studies, dance classes and meals from 7am to around 9pm! It is jam-packed every single day! My body is definitely still in shock, but slowly becoming accustomed to this new life. My fellow students are all so much fun, and I’ve loved getting to know each one of them. There are 5 of us from the US (all girls), 3 from Europe (Belgium, Holland, and England) and then rest hail from different areas of South America. We are 26 in total, and everyone gets along GREAT! My Castellano (Spanish) is coming along quite well since there is hardly ANY English spoken throughout the day – though I still have a LONG way to go before I can truly communicate clearly.
There are a few things that I will please ask you to lift up in prayer during this next week: First and foremost, that we students would rid ourselves of all distractions, and truly be “available for God” – for him to speak to us through our classes, training, work duties, relationship-building, etc. Second, that we would be able to clearly hear God’s heart for the specific places and families in our barrio (neighborhood), and exactly how we can serve them (whether it be through prayer or simply serving them in practical ways – yardwork, childcare, etc.) Finally, I ask you to pray for the youth of my church who are a part of our Missions group – that the Lord would daily increase the passion for the nations in their hearts, and that they would desire to live radical, adventurous lives for Jesus!
It has been an incredible journey so far (and I’m only 2 weeks in!) Throughout everything though, and above ALL else, God has completely sustained me and continues to teach me more and more about His heart every single day! What a perfect and beautiful plan He has! I am SO grateful to be here and can’t wait to experience all that God has in my future! Thank you all SO, SO much for your support! It is SO powerful to be able to tell my fellow students and my church family here that they have a huge group of brother and sisters in the states praying for them! I miss you all so very much, and pray that the Lord is doing amazing things in each of your hearts, as He is in mine!
Con el Gran Amor de Cristo!
Katie
(translation: FINALLY!)
Hello all!
Please forgive me for not updating you sooner, but I JUST got internet for the first time here – it’s been quite a battle to get connected! I arrived in Buenos Aires safe and sound last week (after a very terrifying flight - we hit a massive storm as we flew over the Caribbean and I truly thought it was my last few moments on earth!) But, praise God! He allowed me to quickly get through customs and find my ride to the base once we finally landed! I spent one day and one night at the base here - with just the staff (so I spent a lot of time sleeping and reading)...but on Friday – the 28th, my host dad (mi papi) came to pick me up and take me HOME! My “second home” here in Argentina is in the city of Zárate – a lovely little town with the most amazing people I have EVER met – and my family – The Orozcos – have been such a blessing from the Lord! Mis papis are SO wonderful and from the very first day, they truly adopted me as their own daughter. I have 3 new siblings – Elías (who is just recently married and lives near us), Marcelo (16 years old), and Yamila (pronounced Sha-MEE-la, 18 years old – who has already become my best friend). I was SO worried and scared my first day in this gorgeous country, but I immediately asked the Lord to remove that fear and allow me to trust completely in Him to provide everything I need…and as ALWAYS, he answered my prayers 10-fold!
If you can believe this, it is already harder for me to write and think in English than it is in Spanish (or “Castellano”). Even as I write this, I’ll begin to write in Castellano and have to erase it and re-think in English. It’s so awesome! I’ll try to describe how incredibly different life here is: first of all, I must introduce you to my new love – MATE (prnounced MAH-tay). It is the national drink of Argentina, and is basically a metal vaso (like a coffee mug without a handle) filled to the top with loose tealeaves (Yerba) and sipped through a metal filter/straw. However, Mate is much more of an action than just a drink. It is all about fellowship and sharing (one person drinks it, then it is re-made and passed to the next person in the group, and so on for HOURS). It’s a beautiful tradition, and quickly becoming one of my very favorite pastimes.
One of the greatest differences here is the daily schedule – at least on the weekends when I am at “home.” Weekdays are fairly similar those in the states, but once the weekend hits, everything flip-flops. I have class from Tuesday to Saturday evening every week, and then Saturday night to Monday night is my “weekend.” When I get home on Sat, there’s usually a big group of teenagers from the church hanging out at the house (if I didn’t mention it before, mi papis are pastors, so there’s always a lot of activity at home) and we sit around talking a drinking Mate until usually sometime after 330 am, then sleep in until around 1pm on Sunday. And I have to confess to you that last night was my record-breaker, so far. My brother and I weren’t really tired when everyone else went to bed, and ended up staying awake until 5:30 in the morning, when we forced ourselves to go to bed (we still weren’t tired)!!!! Our church service starts at 7pm, and is AMAZING! The congregation is around one hundred people, and everyone is like family there. Such a beautiful group! And in fact, my first weekend there, they welcomed me SO well, and allowed me to be part of the service – I stood up in front of everyone and shared about my heart for missions and medicine (ALL in Castellano!) and then Marcelo (my brother) played the guitar (he is INCREDIBLE) and I sang three worship songs in English. They also brought me up front later in the service and the entire church prayed for me and for my first week at school, etc. It was a beautiful night, and after my second time there (this weekend), I already feel like I am a part of that church family! What a beautiful blessing, no?! What’s more, it is SO amazing to witness how perfectly God timed my arrival to this family, as Yamila (my sister) had been praying and praying just DAYS before I came, for some sort of encouragement in her own calling to missions. She felt the Lord call her to missions 2 years ago, but has had very little direction or encouragement, and so just 2 days after she asked for help, God allowed me to join their family, and now she and I are able to walk this road together – encouraging each other and sharing everything we are learning! In addition, the night I first arrived in Zarate, I had the privilege of participating in a meeting to plan the first ever Missions Night for the youth of the church (something God really laid on Yami’s heart), and the actual event took place this past Saturday. It was an awesome night, and I was SO excited to see how many teens showed up with a burden and passion in their hearts for the nations! God is SO amazing, and it is so beautiful that I will now be able to be a part of this movement and encourage these kids with what God has taught me through my own call to missions!
This updating is getting to be very very long, so I will try to wrap it up, as there’s not a whole heap to tell about the school aspect of my life yet. It was an awesome first week, though – and I was forced to quickly adapt to the hectic schedule during our school-week. We are up and eating at 7am (very tough after a weekend of staying up til the sun rises!) and have bible class, quiet-time, work duties, language studies, dance classes and meals from 7am to around 9pm! It is jam-packed every single day! My body is definitely still in shock, but slowly becoming accustomed to this new life. My fellow students are all so much fun, and I’ve loved getting to know each one of them. There are 5 of us from the US (all girls), 3 from Europe (Belgium, Holland, and England) and then rest hail from different areas of South America. We are 26 in total, and everyone gets along GREAT! My Castellano (Spanish) is coming along quite well since there is hardly ANY English spoken throughout the day – though I still have a LONG way to go before I can truly communicate clearly.
There are a few things that I will please ask you to lift up in prayer during this next week: First and foremost, that we students would rid ourselves of all distractions, and truly be “available for God” – for him to speak to us through our classes, training, work duties, relationship-building, etc. Second, that we would be able to clearly hear God’s heart for the specific places and families in our barrio (neighborhood), and exactly how we can serve them (whether it be through prayer or simply serving them in practical ways – yardwork, childcare, etc.) Finally, I ask you to pray for the youth of my church who are a part of our Missions group – that the Lord would daily increase the passion for the nations in their hearts, and that they would desire to live radical, adventurous lives for Jesus!
It has been an incredible journey so far (and I’m only 2 weeks in!) Throughout everything though, and above ALL else, God has completely sustained me and continues to teach me more and more about His heart every single day! What a perfect and beautiful plan He has! I am SO grateful to be here and can’t wait to experience all that God has in my future! Thank you all SO, SO much for your support! It is SO powerful to be able to tell my fellow students and my church family here that they have a huge group of brother and sisters in the states praying for them! I miss you all so very much, and pray that the Lord is doing amazing things in each of your hearts, as He is in mine!
Con el Gran Amor de Cristo!
Katie
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Hi Guys!
Bear with me while I get this page set up - I'm pretty new at blogging, but I will try my very best to make it easy to access and understand. With today's crazy technology, I guess even Emailing is becoming an inconvenience, so I figured I would give your inboxes a break and just set up a site that you can visit whenever you find the time. I will definitely be posting updates as often as I possibly can about life in Buenos Aires...the cultural differences, my fellow DTSers and all of our adventures, and most importantly - all of the amazing things God does during our time in this beautiful country! Thank you all SO much for your support and PRAYERS! I would not be embarking on this adventure without you, and am so very blessed by your continued prayer support throughout my stay. God Bless you all!
His,
Katie
Bear with me while I get this page set up - I'm pretty new at blogging, but I will try my very best to make it easy to access and understand. With today's crazy technology, I guess even Emailing is becoming an inconvenience, so I figured I would give your inboxes a break and just set up a site that you can visit whenever you find the time. I will definitely be posting updates as often as I possibly can about life in Buenos Aires...the cultural differences, my fellow DTSers and all of our adventures, and most importantly - all of the amazing things God does during our time in this beautiful country! Thank you all SO much for your support and PRAYERS! I would not be embarking on this adventure without you, and am so very blessed by your continued prayer support throughout my stay. God Bless you all!
His,
Katie
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