Time Flies!

I honestly cannot fathom how quickly the past 2 months have gone.

It seems like just days ago that Jack and I were boarding our flight from IAH, so excited for this year abroad but having absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Looking back over the past 9 weeks, I see that so much of my life has changed since September 10. Though my time abroad has at times seemed overwhelming, I honestly could not be more thankful for each of the incredible experiences that has brought me here.

I have learned so much since coming to Buenos Aires, it is truly impossible to think of who I would be had I spent the past 2 months anywhere else. Experiencing life as as an "outsider" on the grandest scale -- a foreigner facing cultural differences on seemingly every front -- has taught me to treat those unfamiliar with American customs with respect and kindness, despite the frustration that inevitably arises from a language barrier. Being one of 54 students, all of us with different backgrounds and aspirations, has taught me to appreciate the individuality and diversity that each member can contribute to a group. Relying on public transportation has shown me the value of a solid mental map; likewise, riding Argentine buses and taxis on a daily basis has made me extremely grateful for American traffic laws! Staying with Inés and Gerardo has taught me the true nature of hospitality -- opening a home to someone with open arms, and authentically interacting as a family would. Consuming dulce de leche and empanadas on an almost-daily basis has made me appreciate the "healthy" trends of food in the States. Speaking Spanish on a daily basis has not only given me an incredible respect for the truly bilingual, but has also proven to me the truth behind the saying that "practice makes perfect."

Above all, though, living abroad has helped me understand the true, unfailing love of my God. Seeing His consistency in an ever-changing life has reminded me that it is solely He upon whom I can wholly depend, and solely He in whom I can wholly trust. I have never been more grateful for the constant nature of my Heavenly Father than in the times when seemingly everything is unfamiliar! By His grace, I have come to truly love this city, these people, this language. I feel so at home in Buenos Aires, and I treasure the time I have spent here already. Likewise, I am indescribably excited for the rest of my time abroad. As a new creation in Christ, I am allowed to reinvent myself, despite the flaws of my past, as often as I must. Learning to utilize this "newness," both externally and internally, and with great intentionality, is something I must enact on a daily basis. I look to the future, holding tight to the lessons I have already learned and seeking to fulfill the purpose of my time here with each situation I encounter.

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 3:10-14

I hope this finds each of you doing well, and I look forward to seeing y'all during my time home at Christmas. T-minus 30 days till I'm back in the States!

Abrazos from Abroad,
Margaret

P.S. Here are links to the pictures I've been promising since... well, Post #1? So sorry it's taken me eternity to post them. Y'all enjoy!

Pictures from Peru/Machu Picchu
Pictures from Buenos Aires and our EFT to Salta/Jujuy