Helado en la Lluvia

I might be a bit crazy. Yesterday was a Monday. And it rained all day. And I loved yesterday for both reasons. Yesterday was a very good day. I am happy.

I suppose school wasn't that special yesterday. I was just glad to be back in the swing of things. And I was happy because it was Monday. Then right after lunch I went to the library. But on the way I decided to stop at McDonald's for a cheap ice cream cone. It was pouring rain, but I decided ice cream was a good way to celebrate a Monday. Eating an ice cream cone in the rain is an incredibly pleasant thing to do. I am of the opinion that everyone should do it at least once in their life. It's probably better if the rain is in Spain, but I suppose any old rain will do. The library wasn't quite as productive as I had hoped, but it was okay. Maybe I'll go back today!

I went to the nursing home again last night, and it was probably the best time so far. As I was walking there, I decided that I was going to be much more intentional about talking to people. And it worked! I had a pleasant conversation with a 91-year-old woman who warned me not to get sick when my feet are wet. And I also had a nice talk with some women who were sure I couldn't be older than 16. That really made me feel at home because some of the people at the Upland nursing home think I look like I'm 12. I guess this crazy time difference is good for one thing: it's helped me age 4 years!

It was so encouraging to be able to understand people more last night. I feel like I'm learning so much Spanish. There are still un monton (That's my new favorite Spanish word. It means "a whole ton" or "a bunch") of words I don't know...a lot of things I can't say, but I feel like I'm understanding more every day. That's a good thing. Sometimes in class I don't even realize that the professors are speaking in Spanish. I still have trouble understanding Carmen, though. Guess I can't have everything...

Another encouraging thing is the way that God provided a really good time at the convent last night. I feel like I'm learning to trust Him more. He is so good. I've been thinking back to last semester and all the times that I seriously considered not coming here. I'm so glad that Jesus didn't let me back out. This is not at all to say that things are perfect here. It's still hard. I still miss you all so much. So very very much. But I am glad to be here. God is good. And He is teaching me so much. I feel like last semester I had such a small view of life. I was so caught up in a lot of things that made life seem so small. But now I feel like God must have some sort of bigger plan. I don't know what it is. But He is good.