Thankful...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
On this day of thanks, I hope that each one of you is have a fabulous day! That you have taken time to be thankful today for all that God has blessed you with...from great food to family and friends...but most of all for sending his son to die for you...because that is the most amazing gift of all...i am so thankful.
thankful to be here in spain, for my amazing friends, my family....for the beauty all around me...for my incredible boyfriend...for my health, for God's provision, for the ability to travel, for the great education I'm receiving, for being able to learn and speak Spanish on a daily basis...
God is good...all the time and I don't think I take enough time to be thankful...so today, and everyday I want to be thankful! :)
Also...today just a fun little story. Today was just a normal day, went to class, had lots of class... ;) but then when we came home, my Spanish Grandma and great Aunt, surprised Hanna and I by making turkey for us!!! They were so excited to give it to us, the house smelled like thanksgiving when we came home and it was just so so so sweet! So I am so blessed for a fun Spanish family who takes such good care of me!

I hope that each one of you is having a great day...and know that I am so thankful for all of your prayers, love and support!
Much love to each of you, and know that I am thankful for YOU today....

God is at work...

Happy Sunday!
Why hello everyone...how are you?! I am doing just great, I have enjoyed a wonderful weekend at home in Valladolid. Yesterday morning I got to sleep in until I woke up around 10:30...it was a beautiful thing. Then I spent some time at home, read my Biblia for a little bit, and headed out for the market with my Mama here in town. IT was an absolutely beautiful day here...I am loving it more and more, all the leaves are falling off, some trees are already bear, and some are still full of such wonderfully colored leaves! :) I love walking down by the river..I"m trying to soak it up before it all changes into winter. I relaxed for the afternoon, and went and saw the new movie 2012 about the prediction that the world will end with my Mama and her Boyfriend. It was all in Spanish, and the exciting thing is that I didn't even think twice about it, it was so normal, and I loved it! I wasn't translating, I was just listening and thinking... :)!!!!! It was good...a very thought provoking movie...I do believe the world is going to end, when I haven't the slightest idea, but it was super interesting to see a picture of what it might look like, and ask myself how that impacts my day to day living...to I look around and see the lost, do I care for the souls of the people around me...a very challenging thought. So I told you I went with my Mama...Auxi, and her boyfriend Rafa...well a little background on them...they're amazing. Rafa is over a lot and so we've got to know him and its just so fun having both of them around, they are so sweet and take good good care of me and Hanna. Rafa (Rafael) is actually a doctor, and he worked on my toe a little bit (I have problems with ingrowns, gross I know, but just in case you were wondering my toe has been really swollen and infected again...and if you know what I've gone through with them before, you know how bad it really is.) anyway that's not the point of the story...but I have been praying for awhile for an opportunity to share my faith with Auxi, in fact again yesterday I was praying about it, Hanna is in Barcelona this weekend, so I was thinking about the 1-on-1 opportunity I would have with her, so I was just asking God yesterday morning for courage and the words to say, along with a cool opportunity to share my faith with her...and God is faithful, and He answers prayer...
The opportunity arose last night after the movie, it was the kind of thing where I knew it was good timing, but was nervous because Rafa was there..but God opened up the doors and we began to talk...Auxi asked me if I was going to Church in the morning, (yes) and if it were the Evangelical one, (also yes) then she asked me what was different between the Evangelicals and Catholics...wow. And thus began an amazing conversation, I wasn't sure off the top of my head but we just began talking and sharing the beliefs of each. I told them I didn't know all the answers but I could tell them what I believe and what Christ has done in my life...so then I had the amazing opportunity to share my testimony with them in Spanish! I was nervous...but its my story, and it was so exciting to share that with them...from there came a really neat, but really challenging and hard conversation for me...Rafa has very different beliefs and is very intelligent in what he knows and has studied different things, so I felt overwhelmed by his lack of faith and arguments, and all of it coming at me in Spanish...but it was good. I just listened a lot...and prayed for him. Auxi is somewhere in the middle I think...but over all it was really cool how God answered my prayer of wanting to talk to them and then just openly being able to tell them my story, about Christ and salvation...I don't know if I said the right things, or if anything will change in their lives...but I know I'm called to continue to share, to love them and to be an example of Christ here...so I would ask for you prayers for him. Both for Rafa and Auxi, that God would be working in their hearts and lives...and that God would use me. One thing I have loved about being here is the really neat conversations I've been able to have, and just being challenged to step up and be real and share Christ with the people around me...

So that was my Saturday...today I went to Church, and relaxed...worked on some homework, went on a walk...its been nice. I have more homework to do, but I just wanted to share my experiences and just ask you to continue to pray. I have a little less than 4 weeks here, until I'll be home. Crazy. So I just ask that you would pray for these last 4 weeks as you have for the ones that already passed...I'm torn about leaving here, because it is wonderful! So I'm excited to experience these last weeks and see where God is going to take me!

Much love to each one of you...enjoy the pictures!

Me in Salamanca

The girls being crazy.

The "Braidy Bunch!"

Me in the Cathedral

Girls just want to have fun...it was so cold!

Rafa hooked us up with tickets to the Spain vs. Argentina game in Madrid!

It was amazing...me and Tiffany and some guys from Valladolid behind us we met at the game!

Jesse, me, Tiffany, and Hanna! Que Viva España!

We went over to some Taiwanese girls' house for a multicultural dinner!

Such good food!

Fun to have friends where our common language is Spanish!

Here are some pics! More on the way! I hope you enjoy them! I'm doing good! Great actually...I just keep realizing how blessed I am to live in Spain! It seriously had been one of my biggest dreams...EVER...and here I am experiencing it!!! Thank you for all your prayers, I cannot tell you enough how much love and support I have received being here...I am so blessed. God is good...ALL the time! :) This week has been pretty chill...more to come soon! I hope you enjoy all the pics! Much love to each one....


This is in Salamanca! It rained on and off all day and was FREEZING...but then as God promises...out came the Rainbow...so I was trying to taste it! ;)
Me and Hanna! What a blessing she is!
This is where I sat...journaling, praying and praising God!
This is where I walked to...the one I told you about when I got to sit and journal.
It is so beautiful here, with all the leaves changing colors...I get to walk down by the river, and its one of my favorite places!

These are for my mama!!! They are everywhere due to the winter season and I think of her every time I see them! :) Love you mom!

Bueno es Alabar al Señor

I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD.

Psalm 104:33-35

I went on a walk the other day down by the main river here in Valladolid, and it was beautiful. I took my Bible and Journal with me and just sat by the river for awhile, thinking and praying...and it was amazing...it is so beautiful right now because all the trees are changing colors, and the leaves are falling...and its incredible. It's been a long time since I've lived in a place with a "true" fall, and I am loving every minute of it! But it was so great to just sit by the river, and think, pray and journal...I was reading some Psalms of Praise, and it was so refreshing...I do not take enough time to just sit and praise God...focusing on Him and all He is and has done for me...or simply just praising Him because He is God...so it was so sweet just to sit and soak in the beauty around me and the words in the Psalms...the verse above is the last part of Psalm 104, and is my prayer, so I thought I would share it with you...

This week has been good...my last test until finals was on Tuesday in my Spanish Culture class (in Spanish) and it went well! So now I'm enjoying a little breathing time before finals! :) Classes are all good...I am really really enjoying them, I love learning in Spanish, and how to improve my Spanish...My Cal Poly classes are so good as well. I love the Culture/History class, and the Witch-hunt one is super interesting! I really am spoiled with the classes that I'm taking here! :)
I register for next quarter this week...ick. Registration is one of my least favorite things because its so crazy and so hard to get into all the classes I need, so I would appreciate your prayers in that, that I would be able to get everything that I need! :)

Well I am working on pictures but they are not wanting to work right now...so we'll see! I will post them as soon as I can! Much love! :)

Winter has come!

Well...no more do we have the nice summer weather! It has gotten SO cold here! I don't even know what we're going to do, because my mama tells us to just wait! Because its not even that cold yet! Ah, I like cold weather, but I haven't lived in really cold weather in a long time, so we'll see how I survive!
WELL this was a busy week, I had a grammar test that kicked my butt! and an oral expression test that wasn't so bad...one more this week, my Spanish Culture class (in Spanish) and then I get a little break from tests before finals!
This weekend was really nice, my grammar test was Friday, so when I got home I was pretty wiped out. Me, Hanna, Tiffany and Aubrea went on a long run and enjoyed being outdoors for awhile. Then we came home and ate lunch, and Hanna and I watched "The Holiday" in Spanish and fell asleep on the couch! I stayed home all Friday afternoon which was amazing and super restful! Then we went out for a little bit, Aubrea had a friend come who is studying in San Sebastian and so we picked him up and hung out for a little bit...
but THE MOST exciting thing about Friday is that it was officially Brandon and I's 10 monthiversary! :) And I'm just so excited about that! God is so good, and has blessed me with such an amazing boyfriend! I'm the luckiest girl...so happy 10 months to Brandon! :) And we would appreciate your continual prayers, as it is definitely hard to be away from him for so long...i miss him a lot! :) But God is good, and teaching us a lot, and I am really excited about where we're at, and where we're going! :)
On Saturday we went to Salamanca as a school trip, and it was awesome! It is our last school trip which is kind of crazy, but it was super fun. It is a city about 2 hours North of here with a Big University and Cathedral that we got to see. The only thing was that it was absolutely freezing! It rained and the wind was so cold, but other than that it was a really fun day.
Sunday we went to Church...we've found this little Spanish Christian Community that I really enjoy, so that was super fun...It was such an encouragement to me, because I've really been dealing with a lack of true Joy for some reason...and the first song we sang was "I'm trading my sorrows, my sickness, my pain, my shame...all for the JOY of the LORD!" God is so good...then after church we met and hung out with some Brazilians, so now we have new friends! SO exciting, because our common language is Spanish!!!
Today was a long day...I have one more test tomorrow, a culture test. So I'm off to Study, but pictures and more stories tomorrow...I actually have some pretty fun stories to share...so stay tuned!
LOTS OF LOVE!

Santander!

Well...there is competition now on my list of favorite places in Spain, or I should more say that I've now added another place...and that would be Santander! This past weekend we had a holiday on Monday for the "Day of the Saints" so me and three friends, Tiffany, Aubrea and Kristen went to Santander, which is just about 4 hours north of Valladolid on the Coast!!! In the Bay of Biscay!!! It was supposed to be raining all weekend, but as you can see from the pictures it was absolutely gorgeous! Probably somewhere around the 70s or 80s...humid and amazing! I love soaking up some summer sun at the beginning of November!


It was so relaxing...after such a crazy week it was really nice to just be able to go and soak up the sun, be with the girls and enjoy a truly beautiful place! We didn't have any plans, or anywhere to be so we were just able to enjoy each other and the beauty of Santander!
We ended up going on a bike ride all along the coast that involved...the beach, a harbor, the sunset, a castle, trees, and each other...it was fabulous!




We got to go out to dinner together and just relax and laugh and have so much fun!



Some more fun pics!









And thats the journey! :)
Something really fun that I got to do today was lead Bible Study...I shared my testimony and how God has been working in my life, with an emphasis on the way that He is teaching me to Trust Him..it was super fun to share with the girls, and I am just so thankful for the ways that God has worked in me...and blessed with the life I have...pray for the girls as God continues to work in each of their lives...its super fun to see that and just love on them and encourage them!
Much love to each of you!

Pictures!!

Me and my empty bus! :)


The beauty of the drive to the north of Spain...


Me and Hanna in Bilbao by the river!


Aubrea, Tiffany, Natalie and I at the Real Valladolid vs. Mallorca Soccer Game!


Me and Nat at the game!


The girls enjoying the main park in Valladolid!


We went to the theaters!


Me, Auxi and her Aunt, with Dinner!


Me and Natalie...


Love this girl...it meant the world she came to Spain!

I hope you enjoy these! Much love!