First-Year Student Journals : Matthew : Journal 10

6 March 2003

It seems that so much has happened in these past couple weeks of school. First of all, I cannot go on without briefly mentioning the very unordinary day here at the university. Last Monday night, my friend Stephanie and I were just hanging out in my room when we heard shouts outside. We peeked through the blinds to see tons of people throwing snowballs and running around in the snow-covered courtyard. I quickly grabbed my gloves and called 10 to 15 of our friends to come out and play (and sled) in the snow with us. Anywhere else, this probably would not have been such a big deal, but here in Texas we were in awe of this heavy sleet, which we call snow. To top it off, school was canceled the next day.

Other than those unusual days, my schedule has been busy with many extracurricular activities. For the past few weeks, I have been training for the Mexico Missions trip I will be going on this spring break. More than 100 people from my church, Hope in the City, will travel to Monterrey, Mexico, and serve the people in the cities and villages we’ll visit. We have had two full-day training sessions on Saturdays in which we learn and grow comfortable in knowing our team goals as well as practicing our individual roles on the trip.

As part of the Children's Ministry and Evangelism team, I will have the most organized time with the children of the villages. My team has been preparing by practicing our Spanish conversational skills, memorizing phrases, learning dramas for children, working with crafts and much more. I absolutely love playing and getting to interact with kids, so I am really looking forward to spending time with and speaking to the children in my broken Spanish. Despite my lack of eloquence in speaking a different language and inability to verbally communicate exactly what I am thinking at all times, I feel it is so much more important to just love them. As those who have worked with small children know, actions are more valuable than words.

For many days now, I have carried an English-Spanish packet inside my wallet in my back pocket. Every time I get the chance, I pull it out and try to learn and memorize a few more words and phrases. I am so excited to be able to go to Mexico to serve the people, play with the children and share my faith in a different cultural background. In my next journal, I hope to have updates on how my trip went, and maybe I will be able to share some memorable experiences. Until then, have a great spring break. ¡Dios te bendiga!

Thanks for reading my Web journals. Please send me an e-mail message if you have any comments or questions.



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	6 March 2003 It seems that so much has happened in these past couple weeks of school. First of all, I cannot go on without briefly mentioning the very unordinary day here at the university. Last Monday night, my friend Stephanie and I were just hanging out in my room when we heard shouts outside. We peeked through the blinds to see tons of people throwing snowballs and running around in the snow-covered courtyard. I quickly grabbed my gloves and called 10 to 15 of our friends to come out and play (and sled) in the snow with us. Anywhere else, this probably would not have been such a big deal, but here in Texas we were in awe of this heavy sleet, which we call snow. To top it off, school was canceled the next day. Other than those unusual days, my schedule has been busy with many extracurricular activities. For the past few weeks, I have been training for the Mexico Missions trip I will be going on this spring break. More than 100 people from my church, Hope in the City, will travel to Monterrey, Mexico, and serve the people in the cities and villages we’ll visit. We have had two full-day training sessions on Saturdays in which we learn and grow comfortable in knowing our team goals as well as practicing our individual roles on the trip. As part of the Children's Ministry and Evangelism team, I will have the most organized time with the children of the villages. My team has been preparing by practicing our Spanish conversational skills, memorizing phrases, learning dramas for children, working with crafts and much more. I absolutely love playing and getting to interact with kids, so I am really looking forward to spending time with and speaking to the children in my broken Spanish. Despite my lack of eloquence in speaking a different language and inability to verbally communicate exactly what I am thinking at all times, I feel it is so much more important to just love them. As those who have worked with small children know, actions are more valuable than words. For many days now, I have carried an English-Spanish packet inside my wallet in my back pocket. Every time I get the chance, I pull it out and try to learn and memorize a few more words and phrases. I am so excited to be able to go to Mexico to serve the people, play with the children and share my faith in a different cultural background. In my next journal, I hope to have updates on how my trip went, and maybe I will be able to share some memorable experiences. Until then, have a great spring break. ¡Dios te bendiga! Thanks for reading my Web journals. Please send me an e-mail message if you have any comments or questions.