Truth

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is a truth that I have been constantly reminded of this week as I have been out sharing the Gospel everyday on campuses here in Montevideo. The truth is many of us are familiar with this verse and many of us may know it by memory, but what do we ever take the time to actually reflect on it? This week I have been taking time to reflect on it. God loved us so much that He gave His one and only son so that we could have eternal life. This reminds me of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross to pay the price for our sins. I've been thinking about it and I don't know many people who would be willing to sacrifice their lives for me. For me, this helps put it into perspective of how much God truly does love us.

God has been doing a lot in my heart this week. On Monday, I was at Catholic with my team sharing and I saw a young lady sitting by herself. I felt that I should go talk to her, but I wasn't sure why. I hesitated to be honest, but continued to walk her way anyways. I went through the Quest Survey with her which is a tool that Cru uses to initiate spiritual conversations that consists of 5 questions. I could sense that something was wrong. She explained to me that she had been going through a rough time and I asked her if she would be willing to share more if she felt comfortable. It turned out she had been in a really bad car accident 15 days ago with two younger girls and both of them died. She knew that God had been protecting her. She told me that she was not very religious before the accident. It reminded me of the importance of living in the present and it gave me a greater desire and sense of urgency to share the Gospel. It was such a blessing to be able to share the Gospel with her and I felt an unexplainable sense of joy when she prayed to receive Christ.

To be honest, I really do enjoy being able to be able to share my faith with the Uruguayan students here in Montevideo, but it is also hard. That's the reality. This week, I've also had moments when I just wanted to cry. So many Uruguayan students have no desire whatsoever in having a personal relationship with God. It just breaks my heart that they do not see their need for Jesus. I constantly have to remind myself that I just need to be a faithful servant of the Lord and preach the Gospel. I need to trust Him with the results. There is nothing that I can do or say to change their hearts. It is only God that changes hearts.

Prayer requests:
1. That God would continue working in the hearts of the Uruguayan students and for my team as we continue to go out preaching the Gospel. That we would be continue to be bold and courageous.
2. For physical and soul rest. At the end of this week, we will be going on our Mid-Project Retreat in Salto just that this time would be refreshing and relaxing.
3. Pray for my birthday. I will be turning 21 on Friday, June 7th while we are on Mid-Project Retreat in Salto. I'm sure it'll be great celebrating with my teammates, but my birthday in particular is very special day to me that I like to celebrate with family.

I just want to say that being here has made me realize how incredibly blessed I am. I'm so thankful for my family, friends, supporters, my education, and my health among so many other things. Tonight, I am thankful for the gentlemen on our team. They have really gone out of their way to love and care for the ladies on our Project. They made us the best dinner I've in Uruguay so far! A Cesar salad, stir fry, brownies, & apples! I've never missed veggies and fruits so much in my life! It's the little things you take for granted. The best part was being able to take Communion together tonight as a family and reflecting on the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross by dying for our sins. Besos all the way from Uruguay! :)