Im home! I had an awesome trip, but unfortunately I came home with some sort of virus...So in the next few days when Im feeling better, I'll post a little bit about my trip.

Peace and Love
Kristen

Here it goes.....

Im leaving Tuesday, May 19th at 6am (nice and early!) I should arrive in El Salvador by 1:11pm EST. Im very excited, but obviously a little bit nervous. Please be praying for me and the people of El Salvador that I come in contact with! Hopefully I'll be able to stop at an internet cafe and update you about whats going on!

Peace!
Kristen

Faithfulness

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 105:1

It is hard to believe that in 9 short days I will be boarding a plane and heading off to Nejapa, El Salvador! I've been talking to anybody and everybody who has been to El Salvador (and probably stalking their pictures as well,) and I must admit that with every picture I see and every conversation I have I get more excited, because I can't believe this actually happening!

I say that because I truly believe that you can't understand where you are today with out looking to the past...So here it goes. A month and a half (march 27th) Amber and Sarah opened up their home to the lifegroup leaders for a little fiesta. While I was there, Dean found out that I wasnt going to El Salvador and decided to remind me, in that special Dean way, that I need to go to El Salvador and stop making excuses. I left somewhat excited that the door for me to go to El Salvador had been re-opened. However, I was a month and a half out with no passport, no money, no support letters, no idea about anything....Over the next month and a half I continuously worried about the trip--I doubted God everystep of the way. There were nights after lifegroup that I would fall apart and my lifegroup would graciously remind me to trust, but it was always easier said than done and I continued to worry...Yet, God is God and some how a trip that should have taken a lot longer to plan came together perfectly.

Although I fail pretty miserably, I'm slowly learning to trust God, give up control (that I dont really have in the first place), and realize just how faithful he is. Slowly Im learning to stand with arms wide and arms abandoned in awe of the one who gave it all....

Its May!

In the next 18 days:

*I have 4 finals
*I will finish my sophomore year--3 more semesters to go!
*Pack up my life into boxes and move back home...I'm going to miss Exchange 346C (maybe not the fire alarms). Although, I am pretty excited about the house : )
*Work about 60 hours between EJ and SHC
*Spend a few days with a friend that I haven't seen in 5 years!!!
*Run a 10K (6.25 miles)
*Hopefully get my first passport before May 19th...They told me I could expect it in about 2 weeks, so I will be cutting it close!
*Pending on the previous statement, leave the country for the first time in my life : )

Psalm 57

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 57:9-11

I can't say enough about God's faithfulness! I have to admit that I really doubted that God would provide financially, and over the last several weeks I've spent a lot of time stressing about it. However, God is good....all the time! He is providing way beyond what I ever believed would be possible. Praise God!

May it all be to his glory!

Flights....

Well, it is official that I, Kristen, am going to El Salvador. I just purchased my airplane tickets!! Now, if only my passport would get here, I would feel sooo much better.....

In case anyone is wondering, my flight leaves on May 19th from Cleveland Hopkins at 6AM (ahh!!!) and I will arrive in San Salvador at about 11AM! June 3rd, sixteen days later I will be saying my goodbyes to my friends at Amor y Esperanza, and will head home to Cleveland...if weather is good I should be in about 10:30PM.

Im so eXcItEd!!!!!

Mauricio

Today, I went to Tertullia for Spanish class, which is basically an opportunity for people to talk in spanish. I randomly sat down with a 4 or 5 other people and was just started listening to their conversation. My friend Caitlin C, from the Chapel, asked me how my plans (referring to El Salvador) are going? I told her that everything is coming together really smoothly and that God has been so faithful to provide. Well, there happened to be a native speaker, Mauricio, sitting in the group and he asked where I was going...I told him El Salvador and he just looked at me and chuckled, so I figured that I'd ask and find out where he is from...and what do you know--Mauricio is from EL SALVADOR! Long story short--later in conversation we found out that Mauricio lives 10 minutes from Nejapa (the city to which Im traveling!) HOW CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!

This just reminds me that I serve a great God, and a God that really is involved in the little details.

All praise and Glory be to GOD!
Kristen