One Semester In... and it's Christmas!

I'm sitting at my dear friend Peggy's house tonight for our weekly Glee watching party. It's something that she has been working to establish as a norm. As an event that will, without a doubt, happen every Tuesday night. It's a sweet time where our extremely varied group of friends get together, talk about our weeks, eat grilled cheese and eventually, watch Glee. As we're wrapping up our first semester of Young Life clubs and I'm thinking back on the past 3 months, that is my prayer for YL club here in Puerto Rico. That it will truly become part of the culture; an event that will, without a doubt, happen every Monday night at 7:27 p.m. An event where high school students from different backgrounds and different stories can come, have a blast and feel comfortable just being a kid. This past semester was a huge step in getting there, and the hope of what God is going to do through Young Life here is what drives me each day as we hang out with students or run campaigners and club.

Puerto Rico Young Life Club!!

Mario and Jaycob dressed as Christmas trees!

We had our final club of the semester last night, and I think it was my favorite so far. It was Christmas themed (obviously) and students had a blast getting high quality white elephant gifts (if by high quality you mean it cost 25 cents at Party City), dressing up their friends as Christmas trees and eating pizza!

The students also got to hear the story of Mary and Martha, and how Jesus just wants to be with them... no matter how many things they think they need to "clean up" first. I love that they heard that truth about Jesus last night. I love that I was reminded of it. And I love that my life is filled with opportunities to remind kids of that as well.

My reaction after Milton (our skit character) asks me on a date

Christmas season has finally started in Puerto Rico. Ok, that's a lie. Christmas season started before Halloween happened. Yes... hard to believe, but very true. Last year during this season, thoughts of how amazing and incredible it is that God actually put on human flesh and walked around, that he hung out with ordinary people, dominated my thoughts. Lately, those thoughts have resurfaced and I was reminded Monday at club how incredible it is that  after Jesus left earth and couldn't physically hang out with us anymore, he sent us as ambassadors in his place. We walk around with the Holy Spirit inside us; we get to go and be in the flesh with people, to share truth with them and be a physical picture of Christ's love for them. That is at the same time a huge responsibility and a huge honor. God loves us so deeply... so passionately that he didn't just stop with the incredible gift of his son Jesus, but gave us the ability to be his ambassadors because we are his beloved children. 

I'm going to be honest. The past couple of weeks it has been hard to live here. I miss my family. I miss my 1509 Enfield roommates. I miss Austin and the way the sunset looks on the city as you're crossing the bridge over Town Lake. I miss cold weather. I miss watching football all day on Saturday. I miss good barbeque and Mexican food. My life would be easier if I didn't have to worry about money, work at making new friends, or try to live life in another language. But, I get to walk in to high schools with the Holy Spirit in me and show students Christ's love in the flesh. I get to watch Glee with a mixed-up group of friends and learn how to live life with them. And knowing that I get to do that simply because I belong to the King... simply because I'm his beloved child... is enough to make all the hard things worth it. 

So as the first semester of Young Life is wrapping up, I just want to thank you for all your support and prayers. God has done and will continue to do incredible things here. So thank you for your love and prayers. 

And God... Daddy, thank you... for loving us enough to come in the flesh and be with us.