Driving Through A Rainbow...

So I've been here for almost three weeks now and I think that it is finally starting to hit me that I actually live in PUERTO RICO! I think that it was solidified this past weekend when we drove around the corner and saw this breathtaking view of the ocean open up before us and my friend Peggy says, "WE LIVE HERE!" I thought this couldn't have been a more perfect thing to say because I don't think there was a single day of my childhood, in the mountains of Western NC, when my mom didn't say these exact words. I'm learning to find the comfort and strength in the ocean that I have found my whole life from my mountains. (The picture below does no justice to the actual beauty)

Lately I've been going through a constant, almost everyday, cycle. It starts by me realizing how I don't know how to love people. At all. And also, how my vanity and pride rules my life. But then comes the good part. I am reminded of what Jesus did on the cross for me. And everyday this becomes more and more (I had to look in a thesaurus to get this word and it doesn't even come close) wondrous because of my growing realization of how messed up I am.

I've been working on memorizing some scripture and have started with Philippians 2. Paul says, "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, and being one in spirit and purpose." And this is really what these crazy wonderful people that I live in community with are trying to do. And through them God is showing me how to love people. The Lindsey kids are finally no longer asking me when I'm going to go back to "my home" and have accepted that I live with them and will for a long while. I love when I come back to the house from being out for a while and the kids (esp. Brielle) run up to me and give me a big hug.  

Until now I haven't gotten a whole lot of opportunity to practice Spanish, but this past weekend I went on a retreat with a Christian college ministry, and everything was in Spanish! It was pretty hard to comprehend a lot of it, especially since I'm still getting used to the Puerto Rican accent. But it was really good to be able to speak it a little and to be completely surrounded by it.

The weather here has been so great! Real warm, but not too hot. It will rain real hard randomly, then stop suddenly. On the way to the retreat this past weekend we saw and amazing rainbow that we followed for a long while. And then it happened. We came to this bridge over water and the rainbow was right on top of the bridge. Before we knew what was happening we drove right through the rainbow! There was no leprechauns or a pot of gold, but still it was a magical moment. And just like God was faithful in His promise to Noah, so He has been faithful to draw me closer to Himself in Puerto Rico.