Who
Christa:
Who am I? Some of you know me very well, and could write this bit about myself way better than I could. Others of you reading this might not know me at all. Through this Uruguayan summer journey, though, I hope you will get to know me much better. Not simply for the sake of knowing me, but for the sake of knowing my Savior and King – Jesus – who is way more important than I am.
I am a tea-drinking, cloud-watching, bookworm kind of girl. I have completed my third year of college, and I look back on my time so far at CIU with fond memories. Graduation looms ahead in December, but before I can walk through that door I must be faithful in preparing for this summer. It’s always an adventure!
Alyssa:
I find introductions like this impossibly hard. Christa can testify that I have been struggling to write my portion of this post for weeks now.
Who am I? I am of French-Irish descent--dark-haired and freckled. I have lived in the same city for pretty much my entire life, but have traveled to a thousand places with my bookshelf and my imagination. I have been a student for almost two decades, but as of May 17th I retired from that career. Everyone in my family will tell you I am really bad at communicating; sometimes I don't even look at my phone all day. I am one of those people who is moderately good at many things, but not very excellent at any particular one. However, there are two things I have consistently desired for (almost) ever: to go to Egypt and to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ to the nations. Now I am on the cusp of the latter dream, and it is rather astounding!
What
We will be working with a team seeking to start a community of faith in the largest city in Uruguay. One of our biggest responsibilities will be to help them as they prepare for and offer a two-week English camp in July. We will also help with conversational English classes they teach, and will have the opportunity to formally study Spanish.
Where
Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay, is our destination. It is on the southern coast, and has a very European flair.
When
June 2 - July 23
Why
We are going to learn. And by that we mean more than just taking in new information. We want to take on the attitude and posture of humble learners.
We are going to serve. We want to make our lives about other people this summer (and everyday). We want to have humble attitudes--seeking to serve rather than to be served. This is easy to say, but hard to practice, and we will need God's strength for every moment.
We are going to be Christians. Christians are missional people. They are commissioned by Christ to represent Him both to their nearest neighbors and the most distant peoples. We pray that God uses us in some small way to represent Himself in Uruguay this summer.
How
The simple answer is: By being learners, servants and followers of Christ in our day-to-day life in Uruguay.
The complex answer is: We know some, but not all, of what it means to be learners, servants and Christ-followers in Uruguay. We know we can serve our hosts. We can serve other short-term volunteers who come during the summer. We can learn local culture and language. We can learn to lean on Christ’s strength when we are inexpressibly excited and desperately tired, when we are missing home and can’t bear the thought of leaving, when we are frustrated by our inability to communicate and thrilled to be making Uruguayan friends. We can rest in the fact that we belong to Christ no matter where we are.
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