Some thoughts from Spain

This is one of my favorite pictures thus far in Barcelona!

So I started language school this past Monday...Yay!!! It really is great. I'm so thankful that we even started 3 weeks after arriving, because now I'm so familar with always hearing and speaking Spanish and it has actually been a great encouragment...I understand 97% of what my professor says. Praise the Lord!! Honestly it is only because of God that I am able to speak and understand the Spanish that I hear each day...all glory to His name for that blessing! With starting language school we have met quite a few more people. They all speak in English...which is a nice break for my brain. It is really exhausting each day trying to think and speak in a language that is not your "mother" language, my friend Karin would say. It has gotten more tiring these past few days, because we actually have some what of a schedule now ontop of what we were doing before school...so at the end of each day I'm in need of good nights rest. But I love it!!! I love the language...I want to forget English. No worries I still speak english...clearly, but I really am enjoying learning Spanish in a culture where I have to learn it...its soo much easier than sitting in a classroom in the states.

On top of language school I signed up and paid for art classes yesterday at Davinci escola d'art (Catalan), in other words Leonardo Davinci school of art. I'm going to be focusing on drawing (dibujando) and painting (pintando). I'm excited to get to learn from other people and be humbled as well. yesterday when I went to the school to sign up and fill out information...which was quite an adventure by the way, I felt like a lost puppy. I needed to show my teacher some of my work on the computer and well, I'm in Spain and the computers are in Spanish and on top of that is was a Mac...so I couldn't figure some things for the life of me. thankfully I remebered how to ask "can you help me" and some people assisted me in getting to my pictures. Well then I had to wait for the teacher...who was super busy. So I walked around the small school and admired the art on all the walls, I observed how focused everyone was and how tranquel and sereal that moment was. I looked out of a window and peered at all the busy shoppers under the gray sky. I felt like I was in a movie...it was a very romantic moment in that it dawned on me that I am in Barcelona, Spain for three months...how amazing. I am only here because God provided a way for me to be here. I have never been more out of my comfort zone, never more challenged or moved in my life. It is truly beautiful what God is doing.

One of the things that I am learning about is how precious time is. I am seeing how ridiculously busy I am in the states. I hate it. I have never been more at peace with life than I am now. We take so many moments for granted and we miss so many opportunities to truly love and develop relationships because of a meeting for this club or this event is going on, or we have to work or we are taking more hours than we should so we are studying all the time. is it worth it? For me...no. People deserve more time. Don't get me wrong...I definitely fit the mold of an overinvolved college student, but I pray that I when I return to the states that God will give me wisdom in how to have a less stressful life. I pray that we will all examine our lives and see where we spend most of our time. Is it things that really matter? How deep are our friendships? How much sleep do we get at night? Who are we living for?...are we living to be excepted by a job, our friends, family expectaions or whatever. What and who are we living for? These are challeging questions for me...I'm a people pleaser and I don't like when I upset someone or someone doesn't like me. Sad. Really it is sad. I want to choose each moment of each day to give to my God. The Lord of Lords, The King of Kings, The Prince of Peace, My Creator and giver of each day of life. If I give Him all things He makes life for me and I have to choose to say yes to His will for my life...and lets face it...who knows better than the one who created my inmost being, who knit me together in mother's womb, who laid out my days before me...the one who made me does. (Psalm 39)