The Cost of Bravery

Me and my friend, Dave Lackey, who died of terminal brain cancer.

Just this last weekend Brittany Maynard ended her own life through voluntary euthanasia. What she did was not "dying with dignity" she committed suicide. For those of you who do not know to whom I am referring, here is a link to clue you in, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/10/08/this-woman-will-die-november-1-but-is-her-choice-to-end-her-life-a-suicide/. As a pro-life Christian I cannot be okay with this because her life is precious and she is not God, therefore, she is not the judge of who can live and who can die, including herself. From a human stand point who is also afraid of suffering, to a certain extent, I can somewhat sympathize; however, like I said, she is not God and she cannot play God. Now, as someone who has seen close friends and family members die of cancer, and one of them dying from brain cancer, I find it VERY offensive to hear people calling this a "brave choice."

My dear friend, Dave Lackey for example, he had brain cancer. I'm not sure of what type, but I know dying for him was a slow and not painless process. He lived with his cancer for over 10 years, and like Brittany, the doctors only gave him months to live when it all started as well. Unfortunately, I do not think Brittany realized that doctors can in fact be very wrong sometimes. For my friend, it never got severe until the last three years of his life, even then he still traveled and did ministry in telling people about Jesus! Now that, my friends, is brave! He lived everyday like it was his last, he did not go around feeling sorry for his situation, he went out and actually lived! He loved people who were not very easy to love, he told everyone and anyone he came into contact with about the love of Jesus. Why is his story not shouted from the roof tops?! He fought, yes it was hard, but he held onto the fact that God was going to keep him here as long as He wanted him to be here. When he died, he did die with dignity, he died as a fighter, he died and went on into glory to be with his Jesus. Now, THAT is courageous.

Of course I pray that God will keep me well and not ever be diagnosed with cancer; unfortunately after watching my own grandmother be diagnosed with cancer and go through chemo, I know how unexpected life really can be. However, I pray God will give me the strength to endure whatever He puts before me to face with real courage and bravery.

Okay, so I know that speaking your mind can get you lots of ignorant backlash from lots of ignorant people. I am in no way saying that Brittany's decision to commit suicide was an easy choice. All that I am asking is for people to stop calling her brave and strong, because honestly she was not. She looked into what she thought would be her future and said "I give up." That was her decision to make, I'm not saying I agree with it, but I am recognizing that it was her irreversible decision.

The dictionary's definition of the words brave and courage.
Brave: Ready to face and endure danger or pain
Courage: Ready to face and endure danger or pain
The dictionary's example of the word "courage" in a sentence literally says "He fought his illness with great courage."

So before you go off calling Brittany brave, or telling me I'm a bigot, or some other inaccurate insult, think of all the loved ones you have that are either fighting for their lives or fought valiantly until the end.

Summer Recap!

I know I've not written much since returning from Costa Rica, life has been rather crazy this summer! I doesn't even feel like I've been home for 3 months, but at the same time I feel like my GAP experience was a million years ago. I miss my GAP and Costa Rica family so very much! I cannot express how excited I am for the 2014-2015 GAP class! I'm so jealous (the good kind) of the interns that get to witness and be a part of the spiritual growth of these students. So friends and family here in the states, be in prayer for my friends and these new students as they embark on this grand adventure! After my summer of working in my church's youth department, having the time of my life ministering to and being ministered by these students, I am going to continue on with my plans to pursue a degree in youth ministry! This summer, and I never expected this, but I've really fallen in love with teenagers and working in a youth department. This hasn't even really felt like a job, except days the copier wouldn't work. Sure, there have been days that I would go home and just crash, there were moments I did mess up, but this has been such a great experience! I have fantastic bosses, Bro. Ryan and Bro. Bill who have been great in building me up and helping me get a handle on inner church ministry. One huge reason why I was looking forward to this position was because I've done every kind of ministry except this kind. I've worked with kids, grown up in street ministry, spent a year looking at missions work but I had no idea what went into behind the scenes work to keep a church up and running! It has really given me more of a passion for the Bride of Christ and love for others. One thing I know for sure about myself, I really don't love people without the love of Christ teaching me how to love. The highlight of summer was definitely Youth Alive. It was such a wonder to sit back and let God do His God-things and move in our teenagers! There were so many walls knocked down, there were so many hearts turned back to where they need to be, there were so many life changing decisions and I'm so blessed to have been a part of it! That one week was what my job for the summer had been for, and the fruit from it was so abundant that we are still seeing the after glow! I love how our youth department is slowly becoming more and more unified, God is so good and His blessings are so wonderful. To be quite honest, I was scared of this position. Isn't it funny how satan makes us afraid of the biggest blessings of our lives? I mean, think about it. What in your life were you first afraid of once that later became your passion? What ministry have you held back from because you thought "Oh, I'll never be any good at that" or "The people in that ministry do a good enough job without me." What a bunch of baloney! If God has put it on your heart to pursue something, go after it! He's given you the vision, watch Him take care of it becoming a reality through you! I promise, nothing will bless your heart more than when you allow yourself to be used by God.

See you laters and new beginnings

Well my friends, I am now back in the States and jumping back into "normal" life. Lots of things are changing and I'm getting some clarity on what God has for me! But first, how about a last few weeks recap on Costa Rica? Testing went well, some things were harder than I expected, but I survived! The week before finals I had the opportunity to go to a Saprissa Fútbol game! Oh that was so exciting, and so fun cause I went with my best friends, Hope and JT.

 

Me and Hota Te

The Saprissa Dragon!!

JT, me and Hope after the game

The week of finals we went to the beach one last time before parents got there. It was some really good hang out time. I actually almost did not go, but I was, and still am, so glad I went!!

 LeAnn, my roommate who left early, came back for graduation! That was so exciting to see her and have Marcos (our room) back together again! The night she got home we went to our favorite café together for one last roomie date. We got all dressed up, like usual, and had a fantastic time! 

Paige, Sarah, LeAnn & me

The day parents got in we did one last (sort of) Battle Cry. My parents did not get in till later that evening so I had a lot of time to be up in the pool room and pray on my own. I loved getting to pray, thank God for my new friends, pray for my new friends, write them notes, and just sing praises to God. Some days I wish I could trade places with Kari Jobe just so I could lead thousands of people in worship. Anyway, I had one last game of volleyball shared with our Torchbearer friends as a final hoorah with them. I was so excited for my parents to get into the country! We had a great time, Tuesday I took them into downtown San José, had Costa Rica Coca Cola, and went to El Sabor (the best place ever) for dinner! The next morning we went to Punta Leona and had a fun time at the beach. Mom and I got stung by jellyfish then dad and I went snorkeling. That wasn't much to brag about, but it was good daddy daughter time! Thursday morning we headed out to Arenal for two days. We did cliff jumping Thursday afternoon and went to hot springs at a super fancy resort on Friday. Friday night my roommates and I really started the packing process. That was my last night to sleep in my Costa Rica bed. Saturday morning I took my parents to Cosechas and our bread store one last time then the rest of the day was preparation for graduation that night! I had to say bye to all of my Tica friends, who I love dearly! I will see them all again one day, either on earth or in eternity. Life will never be the same because of this fantastic experience I had! God taught me so much this year. Not just about Him, but about myself. He showed me what it really means "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". He showed me that through Him, I can love. He showed me how to love others. I mean REALLY love others. The kind of love that looks past faults, extends forgiveness to the fullest, calls out sin in Christian love. Jesus' love. I read my Bible all the way through for the second time. The first time was to make myself look good, this time I hungered to know Jesus. After my conversion this summer, this year at GAP has been the best thing for me! Everything I already knew in my head became real in my heart. It was so fun really discovering who Jesus is! One way God has really spoken to me is showing me where my heart lies, and it's definitely in ministry in the States. I have NO idea what that could possibly look like, but I'm just taking it day by day. One thing I do know for sure is what God has for me this summer. I have applied and received a job at my home church in Texas as a youth intern! In the last few months God has really put the kids in my youth group on my heart. For some time now my youth group has been without a consistent youth pastor. People who invested in my life during that time without a youth pastor really impacted my life. I want nothing more than to give back and really impact lives for Christ! So this is where I am for now, as for next year it is all still up in the air. I am just praying that God will show me what He wants and make it all happen! For everyone out there who has supported me the last nine months, thank you so much! Thank you for your prayers, your sweet notes of encouragement, and your financial support! This last year could not have happened the way it did without y'all! I love you and thank God for you! 

Peace and Blessin's

Allysa

Resurrction Day with a New Heart

So, as most everyone knows, I was converted this summer. That means a lot of things are really coming alive to me on a spiritual level like they never did before. One of those things is definitely Easter! It's even more different being in a foreign country, but such a blessing at the same time to spend it with spiritual family. Saturday night we had an Easter dinner here at the Villa, we played games, had an Easter egg hunt, ate a big meal and watched The Passion of the Christ. This was the first time I had seen this movie in awhile, and definitely the first time since my conversion. Everything about it was so real, it put a beautiful image in my mind of what my Jesus, my Redeemer, my First Love, went through. A piece of my heart broke with each slap, each punch, each drop of blood. I really did not believe I would cry because I never cry in movies, there were times when I had tears streaming down my face. I guess it goes to show He took my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh, huh? All I could think about when the nails were being driven into his hands was how that was supposed to be me. While He cried out for His Father, that was to be me. He did that all, because He loves me. I was in His mind while He was hanging on that cross. You see, this is where the story really picks up, the grave did not hold Him. He's not still in the tomb. At the very end of the movie you see the character who played satan in what I suppose is hell, screaming this blood curdling scream. In the next scene you see the stone being rolled away, the burial garments, for lack of a better term, deflating, with Jesus sitting next to them with the sun shining on His face. When He stood up the camera got a shot of His nail pierced hand. Okay, I know that was just the movie, but this actually happened! For a disclaimer, this blog is not a post about how you should "turn or burn" so please, do not get that idea. I will say, this is my experience, this is what Jesus has done for me. Before I was a self-centered, angry, broken, unhappy mess. Now I, at least try more often, to think of others, I have the joy of the Lord, and have a new whole heart. It is not even because He died, obviously that had a huge part of it, but it is because HE LIVES. He saw what awful messes we were, so he put on, not even figuratively, but physically looked like our sin. Historical reports say that He did not even look like a man when they got done beating Him. He looked like my sin. Like your sin. That is what sin does, it makes the things that were once whole, beautiful and perfect and completely destroys it. Do you remember what I said about how at the end of the movie Jesus was back to His perfect state with the sun shining on His face? Yeah, that my friend is a picture of what His payment of sin did and still does. I know because I am living proof. This is what Jesus does. This is what He did. This is the work He has started in me.

Blessings,
Allysa

Turrialba, Elections, and eventful trips to San José!!!

We have only a few weeks left of GAP 2014! I absolutely cannot believe it. I’ve waited for this year for so long, I cannot believe it’s actually almost done. I have been so blessed with many once in a lifetime opportunities through this year. One of them being I’ve been blessed to be a (Very) small part of Primera Batista Iglesia de Turrialba! I love that church and community so much, I cannot imagine life without knowing them at this point! They are so sweet and growing and anointed, I cannot wait to see what other amazing things happen through them in that community. This last weekend I was allowed to go on my last trip there, it was sad, but oh so joyful. I got to visit friends I made back in January. Maryellen and I stayed with Lynn and Manfred in their apartment. We had such a good time visiting with and getting to know them. They educated us on the election that just took place on Sunday, the day we left. Now Maryellen and I really want Luis Guillermo t-shirts, so if any Ticos reading this would like to donate a couple, or even if you want to sell a couple, let me know! Anyway, that was a lot of fun. Also, Sunday morning at church I learned SIX completely new songs in Spanish and sang them with Joy and Ruben. That was helpful to my Spanish, but really made my brain hurt! That night, back in San Jose, after GGP (Our Sunday night English church) the ENTIRE country had a huge party, and being in the capital I think we got to see the best of it. I was going to go downtown with some Tico friends and join the party, but that fell through. Which was okay because on the way home from church we walked home waving Luis Guillermo flags and yelling “Pura Vida!” “Costa Rica” and other Costa Rican slang. That kind of made up for not going out, and I still got to bed at a decent time, win-win. Monday was a good relaxing day that ended with a four hour very eventful trip to San José. A group of us went downtown to film a video for graduation, however as soon as we stepped off the bus it started raining. We squeezed in a few shots before it started pouring. Some people left but some of us stayed and got dinner in San José. We found our other group of GAP students and took some more shots for the video because it had stopped raining. When we got done with that, Danita, Hope, Zack and I stayed in downtown a little longer and stumbled upon a reggae concert. THAT was interesting. I am fairly positive that I got a second hand high from that, not sure how I feel about that, but in the city not much you can do about it. How many people can say they’ve lived in Costa Rica and been to a legit reggae concert where everyone around you is high as kites? Let’s be real here, it will not be a night I easily forget. So that was my weekend, I only have about three more here to spend with my GAP family. Keep praying for us so that we might finish strong with our studies, with our devotions, and with each other. I can already see some people getting that end of the semester itch, living with people for nine months starts to wear on you after a bit. Pray that we remember that we have a short time here to be with each other and that we enjoy every moment of it. As far as an update on plans for summer and next year, I am getting some answers, but waiting on some more before I can really talk about them. If you’re in serious suspense pray harder! ;)

Love & Rockets,
Allysa

Weird Girly Things I'm learning...

Not a whole lot of things have happened since I last blogged, except God has been teaching me some cool things. So, with my personality I love to have control of situations and know what is going on for the most part. I like spontaneous, but only if I can still do what I want to do. Selfish and self-centered? Yep. Just a bit. I also worry too much about my future and, let's just be real here, who I will marry. Coming to GAP I have had quite a bit of marriage prep courses... So it really gets a girl thinking. Another key thing about me, when I start liking a guy I fall fast and hard then eventually wake up and realize how ridiculous I had just been. All this being said I recently realized I have a problem. My problem is refusing to give things to God and taking them into my own hands and figuring it out on my own. You see, people have told me to "give your feelings for _________ to God." Every time I was ever told that I nodded my head and would say "Yeah, I'll do that" and not have a clue how to do that or even what that means. So this last week while I was struggling with giving my emotions up, again trying to figure out how to do it on my own, it hit me. The first step to giving things to God is sometimes letting Him show you how to give things up to Him. At this realization I called out to God to show me how to start this process, and guess what?! He answered with a big fat yes. I can only imagine His joy over knowing that I am finally getting the picture. The best part, that night I was already being tested. I guess He really wanted to see how serious I was about this new change. I'm not sure I passed with flying colors exactly, but getting through was so much easier with His help and calling out to Him in my weakness. So girls, moral of the story, when someone tells you "give your feelings for ______ to God" nod your head, smile, then PRAY. Tell God what you're feeling, thinking, that you need His help and just ask Him to give you a hand in how to figure it out. I promise He will, and you will feel a lot better about it! Eventually I started looking at John Doe as a buddy and it makes being around him less weird and tense (completely on my part). So give things to God and it will be easier to not care about what others, especially guys, think about you.

Love & Rockets
Allysa<3

Current Villa Life and Mission Trip to Nicaragua

Hey friends! Things are going great here in sunny Costa Rica. Spanish classes are going along and our Bible teacher taught his last class with us before leaving for Nicaragua. He and his wife and their two little boys will be leaving for the States in about two weeks. Things at the orphanage are going really good, the kids are really getting into the Bible stories we are doing with them! The last two weeks the oldest boy has been reading the Bible stories. Next week another boy is going to read as well! It is so exciting to see how God is working in their lives! One of the new boys does not seem to like the Bible stories though. Be praying for him that God will soften his heart, heal his hurt and really let us help and love on him. The interns for next year have been decided, I am so excited for them! Three girls, Marissa, Abby and Stacey and one guy, Zack. They are some really good friends of mine here and I am so excited God has put this together for them! With momma Sonya not coming back next year the four interns are going to have quite a few new responsibilities compared to past interns, so really keep them in your prayers as well. I’m not quite sure what is in store for me next year, but I know it’s going to be great! I think God still has things to teach me here before showing me what I need to do next year. I really want to serve somewhere but I’m not sure where. Last Monday morning we got up around 4 AM to leave by 5 AM so we could get to the border somewhat early. Fourteen hours we arrived at the camp we were staying at for the week. Tuesday morning we had a really good time to sit and read Bible until lunch. After lunch we had an hour of free time which we spent in the pool before the kids arrived. For three days we held a little two hour camp for kids who are supported by Compassion International. The kids showed up at 3 and we did different water games, shared testimonies, and sang songs before finishing in the pool. The pool time was probably the craziest part of the whole trip. You have about 100 kids in an Olympic sized pool all jumping in, climbing on you, begging you to swim with them, let’s just say we were ready for them to leave at 5 every day. Wednesday was different, we went to a town called Granada and took a water boat tour to “Monkey Island.” That was interesting… It was not quite what we were expecting, there were only four monkeys on this little rock with trees. When we got back to the main land we went into the town and took a carriage ride tour! It was really neat to see what all the old buildings were, the architecture in the town was so beautiful! We had a little bit of time to spend walking in the town to buy souvenirs and explore. So, here’s a tip if you’re ever here in Central America, do not ever take the bamboo flowers the kids make for you. Even if they say it’s free, it never is and they will follow you around begging for a dollar. You can try to give them the flower back and they will still say no and ask for money. I guess you learn something new every day. After that adventure we went back to the camp and ate lunch. We were looking forward to the pool because the kids wouldn’t come for two hours, or so we thought. As I was walking back to my cabin I heard the laughter of kids and thought to myself “Oh no, please let me be hearing things” but nope, the kids were definitely there two hours early. They were also planning on staying until five like all the other groups too. However, it was a really fun time with the kids! We started a whirlpool that turned into a conga line. The next day the kids came at 9 in the morning so we could have the afternoon to pack and rest before the long drive home. Last year when going back into Costa Rica it took them 5 hours at the border, sometimes the border patrol likes to give problems just because they can. This year it only took us two hours, which meant we were able to make it back to San Jose before 4 which is when traffic gets bad. We were expecting to be home super late but we were home around 3:30 in the afternoon. With that early arrival, Christy, Amy and I were able to go to my Bible teacher’s house and hang out with his wife Bekah and their two boys. John was in Dominican Republic teaching this week so I think Bekah was rather lonely, she said she missed us a lot. We missed them and it really made me think of how hard it’s going to be when they leave for good. So this is what is happening here in beautiful Costa Rica! We're getting really close to the end, keep us in your prayers that we may finish strong!
XOXO,
Allysa 

Coke Super Bowl Ad 2014

Okay, so being in Costa Rica, I'm kinda behind on some of the media and such back home. Here at the villa we got to watch the Super Bowl but didn't get to see any ads. However, from what I'm seeing on Facebook and various social media I'm thinking I didn't miss much. I saw the most about an ad that Coke came out with, so to be better informed, I decided to watch it on Youtube. At first I loved the little girls singing America the Beautiful, and the imagery of various people was stimulating. In fact up until a certain point I didn't see what the problem was. I found the music and imagery, on an artistic level, to be quite lovely. Some of the activities shown were things that I've done with my family growing up, it was rather heartwarming. I really don't see how people can possibly be offended by the different races and cultures represented due to the fact that we are all immigrants deep in our roots. My close blood line is not from a different country, but I do have friends who's families are, so I understand how beautiful those cultures are. As a millennial, I happen to love diversity in the sense that we are all from different backgrounds and made differently. However, the heartwarming feelings started to stop once I noticed some things that were slipped in that my diversity loving self could not appreciate because it got in the way of my Biblical world view. (That is actually the only time I would actually dislike something) It starts off beautiful, a cowboy on his horse in the mountains, a family in a movie theater, a family going on a vacation to what looks like Arizona or the Grand Canyon, some kids on the street break dancing, (just go watch it). Then you see three different sets of homosexual male couples throughout the rest of the video. Not one, but three. Do you think the LGBT got their point across? Yes, America is beautiful. Yes, America is diverse. However, as we see in scripture (and in history) any nation as a whole that accepts homosexuality as okay slowly but surely crumbles. This post is not about that though, so I'll save the Bible thumping for another time. I do want to address the people who would call me a "bigot" and "racist" for disliking it. For starters, I am not a bigot. I have homosexual friends, they're sweet friendly people. I'm not a racist because I love the different people groups shown in the commercial. I disliked the flagrant homosexuality and homosexuals are not a race. So like I said, as far as Christians are concerned the only thing to actually dislike is the homosexuality proudly promoted in the video. So yeah, that's all I got ;)
Allysa

Turrialba!!!

This last week me and some other GAP students went to a city called Turrialba to help First Baptist Church of Turrialba with their Vacation Bible School. Turrialba, I found out, is about 2 hours Southeast of San Jose. Words cannot describe how much fun this week was. Going in, I was absolutely terrified. The fact that I was possibly going to be staying in a Tico's house by myself really had me stressed. However, I was super surprised because I got to stay at a house with my roommate LeAnn! Joke of the week for us was "compañeras de cuarto por siempre!" Me and LeAnn had a really good time together. She’s in a higher Spanish class than I am but by the end of the week I was interpreting for her! (Exhaustion was setting in on all of us by the end of the week in different ways) We had a really wonderful host named Mareya. She had a hard time understanding my Spanish at the first start of the week but by the end she understood me! The first couple days we didn’t do a whole lot besides pass out flyers to let people know about the VBS for the week. Sunday morning my friends, Lisa, Josh, JT, Kelsey and I lead the church in worship to a song in Spanish. I cannot describe how much I love singing in Spanish! Spanish is such a beautiful language and the songs are so gorgeous and more fun to sing. In the mornings we had some serious down time because the activities didn’t start till the afternoon, so basically I got a lot of Bible reading done! We spent a lot of time at the local Cosechas, which was literally down the street from the church we worked with. Our group had the Cosechas addicts, so if we were not there at the church or at our host homes you knew where we were going. *Side note* Cosechas is the most incredible smoothie place in the entire world. There is not one place in the States that can compare. Anyway, the first two days of VBS I did not help with the program but went and helped Pastor Noe with going out and playing basketball at local parks with teens in the community and inviting them to youth group. Every night we were there we had youth group, two nights we had a typical youth group with games, music, and a message. The third night we had more of a solemn time of worship and prayer, the fourth we watched Facing the Giants in Spanish (with English subtitles) and the last night we had a party. I really miss the church in Turrialba, it was such fun getting to know them and working for the Kingdom with them! The three days I helped with the kids in VBS I was really confused. I worked with the little four year olds and younger so the only ones who knew good Spanish in the class were the three Tico leaders. However, it was fun getting to hold the few babies that were in the class! On Saturday we woke up, had breakfast, and drove up to an old lodge in the mountains overlooking the town and surrounding countryside. That was an amazing view! I have decided if I have a destination wedding, Turrialba is where it is going to be, more specifically, that mountain side. Saying goodbye was so extremely hard, we were holding back tears, our new friends were tearing up, we were all just emotional messes. That was the scariest and best week of my life. I’m so grateful for everything I learned from the Spanish to the things God was telling me in my quiet time. With every trip I go on here the more he shows me, it is really wonderful! With this trip He basically told me not right now for global missions but to go back to the States and do work there. God knows the States really needs it, and that’s where He’s putting me. While I am absolutely terrified of that, I know my God will bless me and keep me as long as I am in His will and doing what He wants me to. Very soon I will have to make decisions about my future, I would very much appreciate and covet your prayers that I will hear clearly the word of the Lord and stay in His will. I have several options laid out before me that I am prayerfully considering. I would also love prayers for the rest of my finances for this year to be paid, I have plenty of spending money to finish out the year, but I believe I still have around $500 more to raise for the year. It’s not much and I know that God will supply all my needs, so if you would like to donate to help keep me here I would love to tell you how! For those who have already donated whether financially or through prayer, thank you so much I would never be here without your help! If my new Turrialba family is reading this, love and miss you guys a ton!

Con Amor,
Allysa

Christmas Re-cap

Hey everyone! So I haven't made a post in awhile, so sorry. It has been super crazy around here! Let's go all the way back to Thanksgiving, shall we? It was overall a really good day. Rather emotional for most all of us, but we a lot of internet time that morning and early afternoon so that gave a lot of time to be with family! Not much happened after that until finals week. That was a scary week, we were all really nervous and extremely anxious to get home! The morning we left was a very long morning, my flight was delayed almost an hour. When I landed and said hi to my family we went straight to Chickfila. I had never been so happy... Chicken never tasted so good! For two and a half weeks I ate yummy food, saw good friends, and ate SO MUCH frozen yogurt. I also came down with the flu, which was super unfortunate because it really messed up plans with people. I'm doing a lot better now, except I still sort of have a cough. It was really good to see friends and family! Even though I was sick I saw pretty much all my family, which was a huge blessing. Coming back was a little scary and exciting. Before I left I was afraid of not wanting to come back to Costa Rica, now I'm afraid of never wanting to leave! I miss my family, but I am very excited to be back with my GAP family! Our first weekend back was super tiring, mostly because of jetlag though. We are done with our first day of Spanish class, (as of right this second) we're waiting for our first Bible class to start. Keep praying for unity in the group and God's will for our lives to be revealed.

Love,
Allysa