Patience has never been an incredible gift of mine...
Right now, I am being forced to learn it the hard way.
(Or, more accurately, learn it yet again...isn't it funny how God works like that? I'm pretty sure He's tried to get this one through my thick skull before.)
I leave for Antigua, Guatemala in 67 days. (Okay, more specifically, I will be meeting my group to board the plane in 67 days, 14 hours, and 45 minutes, but who's counting, right?)
This fact both excites and terrifies me.
I am so ready to go in some respects.
I'm ready to leave the United States behind for awhile.
I'm ready to learn the Spanish Language through tutorial and immersion.
I'm ready to be on a plane and flying internationally again.
I'm ready to get to know my group and to make new friends.
I'm ready for this semester to be over and done.
I'm ready for this adventure and experience that my life's next chapter has in store!
And yet...
I'm still waiting on a scholarship, which I won't know about until mid/late November.
(This is a HUGE prayer request right now...my chances are fairly good, but nothing is set in stone at this point yet, so we're stepping out in faith.)
I still have a lot of stuff to buy and things to acquire in my packing.
I still have half a semester... and exams... and a chaotic holiday season with my family... and packing... and goodbyes... and preparation... and so much other 'stuff' to get through before January 6.
So right now it's a lesson in patience.
AND a perfect opportunity for a Spanish lesson.
There's not just one word in this beautiful language for patience, there are two that apply specifically to this kind of situation, to my attempted patient waiting.
the noun form of patience, also meaning tolerance, is : paciencia.
It's a forced waiting, a thing, an idea.
the verb form of patience, like waiting for an event, is : espera.
Espera is very closely related to the verb esperar, meaning to hope (for).
I think that these two words together explain better than simply 'patience' this process of waiting time for me. It's a toleration of the days and tasks that first need to get done, but it's also a hopeful waiting, a knowing that adventure is coming in only a matter of time.
Right now, I am being forced to learn it the hard way.
(Or, more accurately, learn it yet again...isn't it funny how God works like that? I'm pretty sure He's tried to get this one through my thick skull before.)
I leave for Antigua, Guatemala in 67 days. (Okay, more specifically, I will be meeting my group to board the plane in 67 days, 14 hours, and 45 minutes, but who's counting, right?)
This fact both excites and terrifies me.
I am so ready to go in some respects.
I'm ready to leave the United States behind for awhile.
I'm ready to learn the Spanish Language through tutorial and immersion.
I'm ready to be on a plane and flying internationally again.
I'm ready to get to know my group and to make new friends.
I'm ready for this semester to be over and done.
I'm ready for this adventure and experience that my life's next chapter has in store!
And yet...
I'm still waiting on a scholarship, which I won't know about until mid/late November.
(This is a HUGE prayer request right now...my chances are fairly good, but nothing is set in stone at this point yet, so we're stepping out in faith.)
I still have a lot of stuff to buy and things to acquire in my packing.
I still have half a semester... and exams... and a chaotic holiday season with my family... and packing... and goodbyes... and preparation... and so much other 'stuff' to get through before January 6.
So right now it's a lesson in patience.
AND a perfect opportunity for a Spanish lesson.
There's not just one word in this beautiful language for patience, there are two that apply specifically to this kind of situation, to my attempted patient waiting.
the noun form of patience, also meaning tolerance, is : paciencia.
It's a forced waiting, a thing, an idea.
the verb form of patience, like waiting for an event, is : espera.
Espera is very closely related to the verb esperar, meaning to hope (for).
I think that these two words together explain better than simply 'patience' this process of waiting time for me. It's a toleration of the days and tasks that first need to get done, but it's also a hopeful waiting, a knowing that adventure is coming in only a matter of time.