Our First Outing - Success!

Well Tanner, Erin, Lindsey, and I all just got back from our first time on the streets without a guide. ¡Que emocionado! (How exciting!) We were going to go shopping for some little things that we needed, but we needed some pesos first. We walked to Tres Cruces, the nearby shopping mall. There's a cambio (money changer) and ATM across the corner that's open on Saturdays, so we each made sure we had enough money to buy what we needed. Lindsey even used both the ATM and the cambio because the ATM gave her a large bill, so she asked for "mas pequeño dinero" from the man at the cambio. He broke it up into smaller bills and we went into a store called TaTa (like a big Dollar General) to buy snacks, soap, shampoo, etc.

The only mix up we had was that we didn't know you're not supposed to walk into TaTa with bags, so we had to figure out how to get a locker at the front of the store. Other than that, it was a smooth trip to the store. We walked all the way there and back to the Casa without getting lost, and everything. I think Lindsey even knew where we were most of the time!

Well, I gotta go take pictures of the house, Chao!

Bienvenidos a Uruguay!

We're here! Everything is kind of surreal at this point but we're getting along just fine. I took pictures on the way there so enjoy!

Goodbye ACU...

Hello DFW!

"Nine hours on a plane? Are you sure this is worth it?"

Nil Santana taught us how to take pictures of the unsuspecting...

Heaven forbid one of them ask the other what time it is.

Waiting for the plane

They weren't very informative in Miami.

The view from outside our window

At this point, we've already spent quite a while walking around the streets and getting to know the city. The food is ASOMBROSO...that means amazing. And living expenses are pretty cheap. You can take a bus to just about anywhere for 13.50 peso uruguayos (which is about 70 cents).
Tonight, we went to Montevideo Shopping, which is pretty similar to any shopping mall in the US. We ate Uruguayan pizza for dinner, which is technically "muzzarella." If you order "pizza" down here, you'll still get a pizza, but it won't have cheese on it.
Speaking of which, this town eats LATE. Last night, we had dinner at 7:30 and the restaurant was empty except for us. Apparently, it's not uncommon for Uruguayans to eat at 10 or 11.
Some of my classes will be starting on Monday. I'm taking Intermediate Spanish at the Universito Católico and sitting in on Advanced Spanish Conversation. However, my Spanish is already better from living in it.
Tonight some of us made a friend who worked in one of the clothing stores at the mall. Between our bad Spanish and his bad English, we had quite a conversation. We stayed and talked for about half an hour.
All in all, its been an amazing first few days! I love you and already miss you all!
(P.S. - In the comments let me know what you want to see pictures of or what things you wonder about.)

The Pilgrimage Has Begun

Well it's official. I have left home and will not be going back until December. Thursday Dad and I drove to Arlington to hang out one last time. (We went to see "Swing Vote" at Studio Movie Grill. (AAAAmazing.)) Then Friday morning my friend Brandon Tripp picked me up and we came out to Abilene...an exhilarating journey which involved rocking out to Patrick Park and spilling a medium Dr. Pepper down my entire right leg.
So now I am enjoying my last days with the friends I have here who are helping with Welcome Week. Already we have played Apples to Apples, screamed at the TV when Michael Phelps was swimming, and played around in a big field of mud.

Several of you have asked just what exactly I will be doing in South America so let me tell you. Mostly, we'll just be living there. Sounds simple, but there's a lot to be learned about how the rest of the word thinks and lives. I will be taking 16 hours of classes (on paper) that are designed to enhance my experience abroad, like two intermediate Spanish courses, Intro to Global Studies, and Ministry in Latin America. While this isn't a mission trip or internship, I will have the chance to work closely with the Church of Christ connected to the ACU campus. I mean, it is physically attached to Casa ACU, the building where we live, eat, and have class. So we will no doubt get to know our Family there well.

My homework for the semester is already in full swing. In fact, I have several short papers about Uruguay and intentions for taking this trip to complete before we leave. I also have some special vocabulary to learn, mostly the things that are different from what we learned in high school or picked up in Texas. For example, since Uruguay is not Mexico, they do not have Mexican food. (I know, I know, it came as a shocker to me, too.) That being said, if you were to ask for a "tortilla" you would not get a round, flat bread. Instead you would get an omelette. And whatever you do, DO NOT ask for a "taco" because then you will not even receive food...just funny looks. Because in this dialect, "taco" means heel.

Why The Name

Hey everyone! If you're reading this it probably means that you're either family or considered family. In either case, I'm glad you were able to find this site and hope you'll check back often to learn about my adventures throughout my time in South America.

I have a lot of things to explain, including what I've been doing this summer and how I've been getting ready to leave, as well as all the plans we have for the next four months.

But for my first post on this blog, I think I should explain the name I chose for the site. "Jehová Provee" is a Spanish phrase that comes from Genesis 22 when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.

"Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham called the name of that place the LORD Will Provide."
~ Genesis 22:13-14a

If you look closely in the title picture, you can see Hebrew text behind the Spanish phrase. This is the Hebrew of the name Abraham used for that place. In the KJV, it's transliterated Jehovahjireh.

God has had me endure some really confusing times but He has not failed to give me everything I need and more. Because of His rich blessings, and them alone, am I preparing to leave for Uruguay for an unforgettable semester. If it wasn't for His provision, I wouldn't even be at ACU at all. For these reasons, the words Abraham used to remember how God stepped in there on the mountain have really come to be a theme in my life. It's just so applicable. So real. So true. "Jehová Provee" means God provides. Because that's really all I need to know.

"Those who know your name trust you, O LORD, because you have never deserted those who seek your help."
~ Psalm 9:10