RGBI thoughts...

Before more time passes and things fade further into my memory, I want to take the time to write down my thoughts on RGBI and our time there. This way I can go back and look at it again, too...

In general it seems we as people like to pick out negatives in situations...but right now I want to focus on what we were thankful for in our year at RGBI. There was much to be thankful for.

What we were thankful for and enjoyed...

1. Attending a school that is focused on following the Bible and making it obvious in everything they do
2. Living in close community with the other students...right next door to some and on campus with most of them. I especially enjoyed it as I like to know what everyone is doing :-)
3. The professors that showed interest in us and wanted to help us learn.
4. Meeting Bible students from all over Latin America and forming frienships with them
5. Meeting language students from North America. We became good friends with some of them and will miss them.
6. The closer friends we made there and the way God provided them for us, and also for the way He provided us to be friends to them while they were away from home.
7. The spanish church we attended and how they welcomed us in very easily.
8. Being able to get to know LeRoy and Faith and their kids that much better.
9. The daycare that Carter went to on campus. He loved it and had such great teachers. We appreciated them a lot, especially the way they wanted to help us in any way they could by helping out with Carter.
10. Being able to learn more spanish, we came away with much more than we knew before.
11. The warm weather - we loved sitting outside, playing with the kids, or visiting with neighbours.
12. Meeting the winter volunteers that were there in the winter months and for the way they helped us out - with food, visiting, or taking care of our kids.

I may think of more and I'm quite sure that Dallas would add to this list, too. There were ups and downs during our year in Texas - some having to do with the school experience itself and some having to do with other situations - but we saw the faithfulness of God. He provided us with friendships and support while we were there, while still having the frienships and support at home, and He brought us through situations with a stronger faith in Him. God has taught us things in ways we didn't always welcome! but we keep learning to trust in Him no matter where we are and no matter what happens in life.

And so...at the end of this year now... we've come away from Texas with joy and growing excitement for moving to Mexico! Thank you for all your prayers for that...we know that it is because of prayer and God that we are feeling excitement in serving in Mexico instead of Paraguay, and that God can place another country in our hearts alongside Paraguay. That is something we have prayed for this year.

I'm not sure how to end this :-) ... obviously we are not always all happy and go-lucky with moving to a new country!! there are times of feeling nervous and wondering what we're going to be getting into, all of that. But really, God really has shown Himself trustworthy to us. And that's what we're going on.