A few reflections

So I just finished my delicious lunch (ham, cheese, and egg quesadilla, an avocado, and hot sauce) and am watching the rain on our front porch. Today is the 6th straight day of rain and it's pretty cool outside, maybe 68. I heard it's been unseasobably cold in VA so 68 probably sounds pretty nice. I thought I'd share a few random reflections I've had in our first 5 weeks here.

"It's stange to..."

1. ...live in a place with a climate totally different from everything I've ever known. My body is really confused...my brain cells tell the rest of my body that today's date is November 24th, while my eyes are seeing nothing but thriving, green vegetation, and my skin is content in shorts and a tshirt most of the time. My stomach is thinking thanksgiving but my nose is confused as to why there hasn't been even a hint of pumpkin, or anything orange and brown for that matter. Hopefully I don't have a revolt on my hands...wait is that a pun, I don't even know.
2. ...be a minority (or more maybe accurately...an immigrant). It's one of those things I've always thought about as probably being tough...and it really is. Either people really are staring at me, or I'm just paranoid that they are because I know I stick out. It sort of feels like my privacy is being invaded while I'm in public because I don't blend in. I was thinking...is part of the reason that races in the US often settle together because they don't want to feel like that all the time?
3. ...be assumed to be rich because I'm white. First, White and American are the same thing, and second American means rich. The funny thing is that we're probably average middle class here. Now they don't have a big middle class, but that's where we'd fit. My thought is this...It feels uncomfortable and even a little hurtful when people assume we're rich, I bet it's way worse to be assumed to be poor.

Prayer Requests

1. Spanish. We've been searching for a tutor we can afford for Caroline and have come up empty. Pray that the right person comes along.
2. Dec 8th-19th. Caroline's co-leader will be gone and Caroline will be leading the site on her own. Pray that attendance is still good and that this can be a time for Caroline to really connect with the women.
3. Adjustments. There's tons of little things with life here and being confronted with them all at once can be stressful if we let it. We need to be able to take these in stride and not let them affect our ministry or our marriage.
4. Microfinance Site. I've been praying to meet a Dominican to join me in my efforts. Also, Pray that God would show me how to connect with the community in little ways over the next several weeks as I try to build their trust. I need boldness to do this.