Frio!

Believe it or not, the last few days have actually been chilly here. It's in the 60's this morning, which is a little frigid when you don't have a coat, as is my situation. But I have enjoyed the nights, as it is wonderful to actually use blankets and wake up warm and cozy, not sweltering. But I really hope it warms up at least a little in the next couple days...

In other news, I just saw a little ant floating in my coffee, because the sugar was a bit infested this morning. I'm not so sure that I have a problem with this little insect. Maybe I should, but I really want that coffee. Oh well.

I've been feeling a bit more homesick lately, as has been evidenced by dreaming about being at home, and the fact that I swear I heard Samson barking last night. So I have moments where I feel far from everything that is really comfortable to me, but other times, and perhaps more often, I feel like I never, ever want to leave here. I had a moment on the bus yesterday as I was coming home from WEBB, and I saw a painted advertisement on a cement wall on the side of the road. I realized that in the US, I would never see Portuguese...I worry a lot that all that I'm learning is going to fall right out of my head the moment I go back. And it just breaks my heart to think about being out of this culture. I really love Chicagoland, and sometimes I wish I could teleport just so I could go back for an hour or two every once in a while. It would be wonderful to just pop up there to say hi, to satisfy a craving for some random thing that I can't have here, to enjoy being home...
When I'm here, I miss home. I think about it, sometimes cry about it. But when I think about being home, for a LONG period of time, my heart aches to be back here.

I've been reading a book with my teacher Emilia, at the end of our lessons twice a week. It's called "Because God Answers Prayers" and is the testimony of a woman who was a missionary from Canada in China for 30 or 40 years. She asked God for even the smallest things, and He answered her in all of them. I need to learn a lot from that, because I have trouble trusting God with small things, let alone big things. I see more and more every day that I don't go to Him enough. Last night, I was looking through my journal from the months before I left and saw page after page of truly seeking God, spending time with Him, delighting in Him. I haven't done that enough since I've been here, and I'm starting to feel it. It's almost like when you go running on a regular basis, you feel great. If you stop for a couple days, or even a week, you may miss it, but you won't see too drastic of a change in your energy or in your body. But after a month, things may start to go down the tubes.

In slightly less philosophical news, I decided to accept the offer to teach 2 days a week at WEBB. So Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I will be an English teacher. Never saw that one coming. My Portuguese is coming very well, which is only by the grace of God, quite frankly. Yesterday I had an entire conversation with someone, and realized later that I had actually done that. It sort of blows my mind. How am I understanding these words which were so foreign to me only a few weeks ago?

This week is (thankfully) flying by, and yet I'm realizing that I have a LOT to do this weekend. The first round of Portuguese tests is coming my way, I know I have at least one on Tuesday. I need to plan again for teaching English to the teens at church on Saturday, which this week will include baking some chocolate chip cookies, I need to prepare to lead the OMS Missionary prayer meeting on Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday morning I am hoping to see my fairy godmother, so she can turn me into a teacher.