Obessed

Of course I have lots of stories for you, but I'll try to refrain from rambling (but I'm not making any promises!) I'll start with some funny stories just so you can get the gist of my Mexican life through the past week!

Firstly, I have had some crazy dreams here the past few nights, from Lizzy having a house party while my dad went to Foodlion, taking the metro to "universidad de Richmond" instead of the usual commute towards the "Universidad" metro stop every morning, and protecting One Direction from crazy fans by hiding them in a refrigerator. (I blame the last one on my siblings, since they took Canaan and I on a "tour"of their refrigerator to learn more words in Spanish). 

From Father's Day adventures, trying raw fish, going to Six Flags, prayer walks in the rain, and dancing with Ian (my four year old cousin) in the car to Madonna, I think that I've learned a lot from the Lord and how He provides (experiences, finances, opportunities, and laughter) in crazy ways!

Yesterday I finished this book called Crazy Love by Frances Chan. I couldn't have imagined a better place and time for me to read such an amazing book. The entire book pushes the reader to be crazy in love with Christ, no matter how weird that may be. He said "Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy. Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers." Called. Out. Wow... Then he proceeds to say "He calls us to trust him so COMPLETELY that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if he doesn't come through." Feel free to read that last quote again and again. I had to.

Then, there is this chapter about being obsessed. Yes. Obsessed. "Obsessed people are more concerned with obeying God then doing what is expected...a person who is obsessed with Jesus will 

do things that don't always make sense..." That means that being a Christian means to be crazy in love (or obsessed) with our Maker. What a commitment!

With this crazy love in my heart, I will try my hardest to serve the people in Mexico for the next six weeks. My ministries will hopefully include some form of discipleship with the young people in my church, reading the Bible in English with friends who want to learn English, home visits with my pastor, childrens' ministries, and cross-denominational worship and evangelism. Some of these have already started, but that is just a rough update about what's to come!

Please continue to pray for my heart and emotional strength throughout this time of transition. Please also keep my team and their health in your prayers. Colds and stomach bugs have started circulating, so prayers would be much appreciated. Also, since we are starting our third week in Mexico, culture shock is starting to set in for a lot of us! Pray that we can really set our hearts and minds solely on Christ. He has control and we just have to endure the changes that come with letting go of the things we know.

My prayer is that you become obsessed with God this week by loving more and finding joy and peace in the chaos.

:) Abrazos

Untitled

Hello all you lovely people! Well.. I literally can't think of one perfect title for my first blog post in Mexico, so here you go.. you get multiple!

- Hostels, Highways, and Hallelujahs
- ¿Ke$ha?
- I Should Have Studied More
- Having a Popular Dad Has Its Perks

Obviously, you might not get the gist of what my time has been like with these titles, so I will try to elaborate.

Hostels, Highways, and Hallelujahs
As soon as I landed in Atlanta, I met up with another girl doing the same two programs that I am, named Lizzie. She is incredible, and we talked the ENTIRE flight.. yes. We were "those girls."As soon as we landed and met up with some LAM leaders, tons of girls flooded the gates.. We didn't know who was coming, but it must be a Mexican celebrity, right? Needless to say, we were pumped. All of the sudden they started singing...in English. We were incredibly confused-Maybe it was a Mexican bilingual celebrity? What? We didn't know, but acted like little girls excited for ice cream. After a couple minutes they started chanting "Uno Dirección, Uno Dirección, Uno Dirección" YEP! You guessed it. One Direction was in the airport! Haha! Apparently, they had a couple concerts this weekend in Mexico City? ¡Que bueno! (How cool). We didn't end up sticking around to see if they were actually there, but you get the picture of my first memory in Mexico. Hallelujah for friends, laughter, and immediate conversation starters! Then, we headed to the hostel where we had orientation for a few days. Public transportation could have it's own blog post, but long story short, 20 million people in one city... highways, metros, buses, etc. are constantly packed! Lizzie and I braved the chaos and rode the metro to the hostel with my leaders. (I'm still not sure if that was the best idea yet). It was incredible getting to know the other 11 team members though, and I think we are going to work incredibly well together! More stories to come for sure.

¿Ke$ha?
Culture in Mexico City is quite unique. I didn't realize how much of an impact Americans and the U.S. have on Mexico, especially Mexico City. One of the first songs I heard was Ke$ha's, and I'm not too sure if that reflects our home in the greatest light. But, I absolutely love being able to connect with my host family over our love for iphones, music, and food, but it is still super interesting!

I Should Have Studied More
Spanish. Is. Hard. Even though I've taken 7 college level Spanish classes, been in three Spanish speaking countries, and have international friends, does not mean that I know Spanish. Class is tough at times, and I definitely struggle to understand my family. And, side conversations in the metro? Forget about it! I should have studied more. I'm obviously picking up a ton of slang and vocabulary, but there is still so much to learn. One thing I know is that I should have spoken, studied, and written more for my Spanish classes. So, for all you students out there who are taking their language class for a general requirement, watch out-you might move there for 14 months...


Having a Popular Dad Has Its Perks
On Saturday, Canaan (my new roommate) and I met our family for the first time. We have a mom, dad, a brother (18), and a sister (20). They are incredible individuals and I am learning so much from them already. My neighborhood is so close and they all know each other. Well, at least that is what Canaan and I think. Maybe our dad is just super popular? One thing I really appreciate about Mexican culture is how relationships are more important than work. You might think "Well-duh!" But, let me prove you wrong. If you saw a friend walking by, would you just wave or would you literally drop everything, run to them and genuinely ask how they are doing? Would your pastor want you to interrupt them after church just so they can make sure you are well? Would you honk to one of your friends, pull over, have a 5 minute conversation with someone when you are over 30 minutes late to a meeting? Would you ride public transportation for 6 hours a day just to make sure your daughters got to school okay? Would you shake hands with everyone in a room full of over 20 people when saying bye, just to acknowledge the presence of each individual? Would you talk to the bus driver and brag about your new daughters while he meanders through the streets of Mexico City? Would you leave your work behind to spend hours upon hours watching tv, eating, and talking with your family? These are the incredible people I am living with this summer. Mexican culture is amazing-and my family has definitely shown me that over the past few days. Having a popular dad has it's perks.


Serving alongside the servant-hearted has been an incredible experience already. Although we've only been "downtown" a few times, been to church once (or multiple times in one day in my case), started Spanish classes, and just getting our feet wet with Mexican culture, I know that the next two months (and year) will be an incredible experience. In the next week I will hopefully write another post about the ministries that I will be helping with and more about my church family here, but I'm running out of time for tonight. Please know that I am safe, full (all the time), laughing, and learning. Please keep my team in your prayers with their health and culture shock, too! Thank you for your support, and check back soon.

Abrazos,
Amanda

June 5th

Tomorrow’s the day! Thank you for all your support. I am busy running last minute errands, but my bags are mostly packed! Remember that I will be in the States August 2^nd-September 17^th, so please let me know if I can come stop by. The Lord is so good.

Please pray that my family can adjust easily to me being away, for our safety, and  for the LAM leaders and staff that will be mentoring us throughout the summer. Also, please pray about my Spanish (or lack thereof). I will have an opportunity to take some Spanish classes while being immersed in the culture, and I know that those classes will be necessary! Pray for patience, confidence, and that the Lord can speak through me.

If you would like to receive more specific updates about my trip, please send me your email at Amanda.krzywicki@live.longwood.edu. Have a fantastic, safe, and blessed summer. I look forward to hearing from you!

With Love,

Amanda

Schedules, Schedules, Schedules

Happy June 1st!

That means it's only four days until I leave for the beautiful Mexico City! Many of you asked about my schedule and plans for the next few months, so here are all the answers (that I know so far)...We know how God changes our plans constantly, so I'm not too sure how accurate this will be five minutes from now.

The next four days are packed full of goodbyes, letter writing, studying/fasting/meditating on God's word, road trips, and cramming my belongings into a tiny suitcase. Then, the real adventure starts!

My flight leaves on Wednesday at 7am Virginia time. I have an hour layover in Atlanta, then fly into Mexico City! I arrive in Mexico at 12:30pm (Mexico City time-an hour behind VA).

That night starts a two day orientation where I will take Spanish placement tests, start classes, meet my team/team leaders, meet my host family, and be placed in a ministry. For two months I will be working in this ministry daily, venturing around Mexico, speaking Spanish constantly, and learning more about our Maker!! I'm excited to serve alongside 11 other individuals from all over Canada/United States for these two months! Don't worry, I will have plenty of incredible stories to share.

On the afternoon of August 2nd, I will leave Mexico City for six weeks and head back to Richmond. Starting August 3rd, I will be speaking at churches/youth groups, fundraising, visiting friends and family, and sharing my experiences. If your church or group would like to hear from me, please email me at amanda.krzywicki@live.longwood.edu. I would love to partner with you and your organization through Latin America Mission! I will be in the States August 3rd-September 17th.

On the morning of the 17th, I will go back to Mexico until August 2014 for the YearOut Program. I am fully funded for the Summer Immersion Program, but am actively searching for supporters for the YearOut Program. It is $1,100 a month starting in September that covers room and board, as well as any in-country expenses. If you would like to support me, whether that is one-time or monthly, it is greatly appreciated. I sincerely love each one of you and your generous spirits. Your prayers and support are necessary in this time in my life.

Please pray this week specifically for our safety, the other eleven participants, the LAM staff, our team leaders, and the people of Mexico City. As always, thank you for your kind words and inspiring hearts. I would not be here without you and what you have done in my life.

If I do not get a last chance to write on Tuesday, I will update once I arrive! It most likely will be in a couple weeks once I get settled!

Thanks for reading!

With lots of love,
Amanda