Pizza Hut

So since before coming here to Paraguay, and since getting here, there hasn´t been a day that I haven´t wondered or asked God why he brought me to this country, and I think I may finally have an answer.

A friend and I were sitting in Pizza Hut on Saturday afternoon talking about everything under the sun. She is a teacher here, but is from Whales, so she understands what I am going through, and all the cultural differences and struggles I have encountered. She once told me that a friend told her that God only brings the stong to Paraguay because it is a hard country to live in - which is so true. She also told me that he brings the independent and strong willed to show them that we really do need to rely on God everyday. I am a very strong willed and independent person, and I have to admit that when I was living at home I didn´t really need to rely on anyone for much. I could basically go where I wanted, when I wanted, do what I wanted and not have to worry about much. I could communicate with everyone around me with ease, and never thought about how others might feel coming new into my town, church or school. I went to church every Sunday, said my prayers before eating, and was baptized at 16, but never truly lived out my faith to the fullest. You could almost have called me a hypocrite Christian. Well apparently God decided it was time for me to get a reality check, and decided it was time I began relying on him.

Since coming here I have relied on God every minute of everyday. Some mornings its a struggle for me to get out of bed because I know I am going to have to speak spanish - all day, when that happens I just ask for the courage and wisdom to get through it. On the days when I have so much homesickness I just want to get on the next plane home I ask for a hug from God and I always get one. The other day I was going to work with a friend and had to walk up a fairly large hill, and it was quite warm out already. I was in an area that buses don´t go through very often and figured my chances of getting one was slim. I started walking and said a quick prayer asking for a bus. After I said it I turned around and there was the bus I wanted. In Canada I would have thought I got lucky. Here in Paraguay I thanked God so much for answering my prayer. It´s little things like that, that are bringing me back to God. Even seeing a firefly the other night and thinking how great is our God that he created something so cool as a glowing bug.

I hope that all made a little bit of sense!!

Heat

Since coming here everyone´s favourite question to ask me is ¨are you hot?¨ because they automatically know the answer is going to be yes, and it always is. I think that they assume that since I´m from Canada, I have never expierenced heat before, which I haven´t or atleast not heat like this. This morning I went out, and at 930am it was already 35ºC. My spare time is filled with sitting under a fan, with my feet in a pail of coolish water and drinking terrerre. I am actually enjoying it though. As much as I want it to cool down, and to stop sweating for longer than the 10 min in a cold shower, I know that at the end of this I will be able to say I survived Paraguay. God has placed me here for a reason, and even though everyday I ask why me and why here, I know that there is a reason.