Welcome to Uruguay

   Bienvenidos! (This is Alyssa.) We made it to Uruguay! Thankfully, we had very little trouble beyond a slight delay on one of our flights and a very long sleepless plane ride. The past three days have felt like two very long ones because we have essentially had just one night of sleep, plus we have seen and done so much already. 
  Yesterday we met most of the people we will be living and serving with throughout our seven weeks in Uruguay. This team meeting was also our first introduction to mate--a bitter herbal tea with a caffeine kick similar to coffee, as well as a fun social-cultural ceremony. (Don't touch the straw!)
  Today we began our tour of Montevideo. We began at the breakfast table with fresh carrot-orange juice and ham and cheese croissants. Meat and cheese are typically included in all four meals a day. Then we hit the streets, and what a lively beautiful city this is! Here are some of today's aquisitions: 

Our house keys were made at tiny key making shop. Here you can find a key stand every few blocks. 
We learned how to ride city buses, and both of us got to practice buying our tickets in Spanish.
We also learned how to exchange American dollars into Uruguayan pesos. And with an exchange rate of about twenty pesos to the dollar, something that costs five U.S. dollars looks like it costs $100. For that reason walking around a store is a little disorienting.

Two days here and we have already met a famous Uruguayan soccer player--Luis Suárez! Everyone here is eagerly awaiting the World Cup which starts in about a week, and apparently Uruguay has a good team. 

For lunch we ate chivitos, sandwiches made with beef, ham and bacon, topped with cheese and a bunch of other yummy stuff I can't remember. It was delicious and (don't let the picture deceive you) huge!

•••••

   This morning at the breakfast table we talked about prayer. Something that came up was how often we ask God to bless the plan we already have. No doubt we should be strategic and plan, but does our plan include waiting and depending on God? Does it include asking Him if He likes our plan, and listening when He answers? Do we plan to ultimately plan on only God rather than our plan? 

   These are questions I am beginning to ask myself, not because I don't know the "correct Christian" answer, but because my prayer life doesn't reflect the kind of abiding, urgent dependence upon God I desire.