SHINE ON!

Ok, so the theme for the summer is SHINE, not shrink. This is based off a medley of things:
-Matthew 5: ¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
-"Shine On" by Needtobreathe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqPGbGUlcjY
-Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
-quote by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Now is the time to shine! What if we really embraced the fact that we are created to shine, what then would be our excuse for not?! Exactly, there is none. Instead of shrinking in to familiarity, complacency, and comfort let us blaze through our families, friends, communities, and even nations to catch others on fire as well. As bugs are attracted to a simple lightbulb, we are attracted my more to the Ultimate Source of Light and the One Who Shines the Brightest. In Revelation 21 or 22, it John receives a revolutionary vision that we will no longer have the need for lights other than God because He will shine brightly enough (not just enough, but more than we could ever need or desire). Also, Jesus teaches us how to pray by saying "on earth as it is in heaven" ... so connect the dots! We can be that by letting our lights shine! How are you changing your city or people you come into contact with? This is not rhetorical: I want to know! When I come back from Mexico, what if I came back to a North Carolina, a Chapel Hill, a Raleigh different than I ever had known?

I was a bit uncomfortable in El Gusano for a few days because I felt ambiguous, nebulous, and hazy (the opposite of light, which illuminates and provides clarity). I am really trying to break into the group of muchachos (or boys my age) here and become friends with them. They are very solemn and proud to desconocidos (people they do not know). But this is where I am weakest, how can I be expressive, on-fire Jacob without being able to have easy conversation? Then I remembered, fire does not choose where it goes ... it blazes through wherever without asking questions or second-guessing itself. Light does not wait to feel completely comfortable to invade the darkness, it simply does at the fastest speed we can fathom!

Shine On!
Jacob

We are now in El Gusano! But I am actually in Dolores Hidalgo for the day to buy some stuff for the center. Dolores Hidalgo is the city of Mexican Independence from Spain. The priest, Miguel Hildalgo, shouted from the cathedral VIVA MEXICO! (long live Mexico) and called his laity to fight for independence.

Since the last time we talked much fun stuff has happened!
-played soccer at Ibero University with Kike! so much fun, but I was definitely not used to the altitude, so it was really hard to keep running without subs
-went to a concert in opposition to the Arizona law ... lots of funny roqueros (rocker kids). I had no idea that the law was getting international responses.
-it is day 3 in the communities, last night we got invited to Doña Cata s house for a catholic ceremony. they rocked a baby doll in a blanket, who was supposed to represent baby Jesus. It was to remind us why the Jesus came and the story of his coming. It was really cool experiencing the ceremony and Christianity in a different manner. Im hoping this will open the doors to talk about spiritual things with them. We at tomales (corn, meat, milk all ground up and then cooked in corn ears. we also had atole (ground up corn, sugar, chocolate, and cinnamon). This just reminded me of how important corn is to the rural Mexican communities, so it got me frustrated again that the US inadvertantly destroyed the corn market in Mexico by subsidizing American corn.
-Im staying with Don Jesus Garcia and Doña Matilde Alvarez. They have 11 children, some of whom have their own grandchildren). 11 is sort of large, but not outrageous for a number of kids. They have their own plot of land that they share with a few sons who live on the land with their families. I am staying in the house of one of their sons that is in the United States, Javier. Don Jesus loves to talk! Whenever I am on my way out of their plot of land with all their houses, he always asks me to stop and platicar (chat). Sometimes I do, and I love it. We talk about life and how he likes to live. He has been to the State of Mexico (yes, there is also a state in Mexico called Mexico) and he has been to Tamaulipas (where I used to go with Grace and where God developed my heart for Mexico and its issues and novelties). He said that he did not like living there and much preferred to live with his whole family where "podemos compartir todo entre nosotros" (we can share everything among eachother). I really want to live like this ... with family in friends all in the same place where the collective matters more than the individual. It reminded me a lot of days out in Knightdale where we could run up to Grandma and Papas really easily. And a lot of people in the town are related, so as Lupe (an amazing woman) told us, you never have to worry when you step outside because everyone is either you "hermano, primo, tio, sobrino, nuero, o quien sea" (brother, cousin, uncle, nephew, son-in-law, or whoever). I am going to have to write later specifically about Lupe ... so get ready!

-yesterday: complete 180
I wanted to come home because I had no idea what we were doing here and I didnt feel like I am in any place to offer assistance to the residents of El Gusano, but then I realized that they are offering me so much as well. I have to remember to SHINE, not shrink! I am going to learn about their lives here, about tending to animals (hopefully), about rural Mexican living (maybe a possible magazine title like "Southern Living"), practice my Spanish, and basically be part of their community. In return I am bringing some capital into the community in the form of paying to stay with my awesome hosts and also by teaching them some computer skills and doing some handicrafts with the younger students. For computer skills, which they already have computers, we are going to show them how to use excel, word, and powerpoint, so that one day when they get internet, theyll be able to go to highschool and even university online!!! how awesome is that! To the younger kids, they already have fun, so we are just going to try and do fun activities with them: arts and crafts, movie nights, Kaylee and I are going to try and do some mini-gymnastics classes because self-confidence really develops in ALL kids when they learn how to do something new! We are going to paint some of the grey walls to add some color to the town and also clear out this ditch that would allow for better water flow instead of in clogging up! I just have to remind myself that it is Day 3 of 40-something, so we have lots of time to get to know everyone and accomplish our tasks.

theme for the summer: SHINE, not shrink! I am going to write a separate blog about this one too!

love

Mexico thus far!

Hello everyone! This is the first of hopefully many blogs for the summer :) We arrived safely in Mexico City and went straight to Puebla (a city about an hour away from D.F.) and we went to eat dinner at a tacos arabes (arab tacos). They are like normal tacos except you put strained cheese, a bacon type of meat, and onions. SOO Good! We are eating a lot of good food here. Then we went out to a cantina and a mariachi band came by ... it was so much fun. Our hostal isnt anything to write home about, so ill skip it.

The next day we wake up, and I went for a run around the city. I only went for about 15 minutes, but it was still fun to go. Then we went on a tour of the city of Puebla on a touristy bus ... that was OK, but I just listened to my iPod and looked over the side (because it was a double decker). Then we went and ate chilaquiles verdes at a nice restaurant, which is like fried tortilla, salsa verde (green sauce), shreaded chicken and cheese ... my favorite Mexican dish! We went to go for pasitas which are like gourmet shots that you sip slowly. I got a lime flavored one and it was really suave (smoothe). Then we saw IRON MAN DOS! It was a great movie and we also got Krispy Kreme donas (doughnuts). I asked Colleen (newest member of Project Guanajuato) if she forgot that she was in Mexico and she said yes! haha I did too.

Yesterday, we checked out of the hostal and headed for Cholula, a small town outside of Puebla, where one of Miguels friends lives. We visited some churches and visited the huge pyramid that is the base of the whole town. Once the Spanish came, they built a cathedral on the top of the pyramid and the rest of the town started to develop on top of the pyramid. Last night we went to a house party with some other Americans from Boston, French, Mexicans, and others. We had a lot of fun because there were so many languages all over the place!

Now we are up to date! We just woke up today and chilled at a friends house and now we are heading to Mexico City to meet up with the rest of our crew!

Hallo! I'm back and gonna try and update what's going on in life/Guanajuato! I have around 3 weeks until Mexico, but before then, I have to write like 50 pages :( I cannot wait for the summer!

The first week we're going to Mexico City and Puebla. We're gonna go to the Mexico City vs. Chile soccer game and just go out in the big city with some friends who stayed with me in March (Miguel, Karina, y Kike!)

hasta luego

the gym

The gym is where many people try to cover up their insecurities, but by doing so they emphasize them even more! We I got into the gym, I become a much calmer person, I don't like to really talk with anyone, and I just want to workout and leave. Everyone is so quiet and serious like their muscles are the most important issue in their lives. It's funny that people are less serious when it comes to classes and academia than in the gym. I think it is hilarious when you see really timid guys who obviously don't work out very much, so they aren't as directed and don't know what to do or even what they want to do (sometimes that's me), but good for them going at it. Then there are the guys whose whole sense of worth comes from how much they can lift ... they are the guys you see everyday in the gym that check themselves out, where cut-off shirts, and bring their protein powder to the gym because, let's face it, it is too much of a hassle to drink it before or after your workout! duh! Then once a week or so, I run into that guy who wants everyone to know that he is a doctor, so without fail he wears his scrubs. It's not the same guy every time, but it's the same role - almost the same identity. It is really interesting to see who wins the right of way and who yields. The bigger guys are used to the rest of us to ceding the way to them, but sometimes I am not paying attention or I just don't want to yield the way, and it throws a wrench in their whole workout caste system ... shakes them up a bit.

august!

So August:

Got back to the States and I haven't had any culture shock! At least when I went to Mexico, I would come back with some sort of transitioning time, but I was so prepared to be home, so I haven't had any weird emotional swings or anything from being gone! I really have just been catching up with friends and family since I have been back. We had our family birthday parties and then I've just been chilling at home and around Raleigh. We had cheerleading camp this past week and it was awesome being back! It was so tough because my skills have digressed a lot, so I just have to bust my tail over the next few weeks to get back to where I was. On the second day of camp though, I could tell that I got better than the first day of camp, so that's a plus! I have had the best time over the past few weeks catching up with all my friends at home (Jordan, Jordan, Kristy, Brandy, Matt, Matt, Joel, Anna, Amy, Ben, and Funder)! I'm not trying to name drop ... I just want to remember later in life :) I've been working out really hard this past week since camp and today was the worst! I went running with my friend Justice and I had to really push myself to keep up with him.

What is on my mind is that I am growing up (ish). I am officially moved into my HOUSE! I went grocery shopping tonight and I can decide everything I am doing ... when did this happen? Kristy Herrmann said that, "You know you're grown up when you have to pay for your own toilet paper." And that is the truth! I have my car here, I have a kitchen and living room! ahh it's so oddd being grown up, but it's so fun. All of my friends are getting legit places to stay instead of dorms like Matt and Kristy (theirs are the only I have seen), but it's so much fun going to someone's house instead of going to someone's dorm! I am going to try and keep this blog going during the year, so whoever wants to read about my life can!

Uruguay and Iguazú

So after Buenos Aires, we traveled to Colonia, Uruguay with a friend we met from Scotland! We were exhausted from going out the night before so we slept our whole day in Colonia and walked around a bit at night! We had a pretty good dinner at a local restaurant where many local women come play bridge every night. Then we went down to the shore of the Río de la Plata. A random group of uruguayos were hanging out nearby and playing music, and then came over for a bit and offered us pot! Ahh! We also had a great talk with Bob, a Englishman that hasn´t lived in England for over 20 years! We talked about religion and politics and all the stuff you aren´t supposed to. He was an atheist and he posed a question that I didn´t know how to answer: Why do you need God, or religion, or someone else telling you how to live your life?

I didn´t know how to answer this for a long time, but I just started praying about it and then I realized that I need God! I need him to tell me that my life isn´t just about living for myself but for pouring myself out and experiencing everything! I need him to tell me that I am free from my fears and insecurities. The whole concept that a relationship with God offers us freedom and a relationship with religion offers us rules and regulations has really sunk in this summer. That is why I got a tattoo last Thursday of the word libertad which means freedom or liberty in Spanish. Then, the pastor at the children´s home that we are at in Arequipa asked me to give my testimony in front of the whole church. I had no idea where to start or how to summarize my relationship with God over the past 8ish years. Then God led me to think about this question posed by the atheist in Uruguay. I posed the same question to the congregation: Why do you need God? Not why does the world need God, or this church, but why do YOU? What has He done for you in your life? The answer won´t be the same as anyone else because we are all different and have different relationships with God, ya?

Anyways, Colonia was beautiful and only had about 20,000 residents, so it was one of the most tranquil times of the trip! I want to go back someday ... maybe on my honeymoon? ¿quién sabe? So we headed to Montevideo for a bit and found out that there is not all that much to do there. We walked around the first day and bought some stuff from markets, but it was also a really chill place to be. We hung out mostly in the hostal, where we met a group of believers from Memphis. We went with them on Monday to do some service work! We started off by sorting cards for games for kids and then went to another site to paint a room in a community center. It was really cool meeting some good southern people all the way in Montevideo and getting to talk in English about God!

We left then for Iguazú, which took sooo long to get to. We had to take a 6-7 hour busride to Salto, where we had to sleep in the terminal that night. We then took a 1-2 hour busride to Corrientes, then to Posadas where we took a bus at 1:30 in the morning and it was late (5-6 hours), then to Puerto Iguazú! On our journey to Iguazú we met a girl named Dana who was from California! She traveled through Canada, went to London, and now is going to teach English in Antofogasta, Chile until November or December. It took her 5 or 6 years to do college, but she has 3 or 4 minors. This is amazing to me because it´s another example of how everyone´s path is different!

We dropped our bags off at the hostal and then headed for the falls. Andrew read in the travel book that there were swimming areas, so we all wore our bathing suits. Everyone else was wearing warm clothing, so we were like oh shoot! The falls were absolutely amazing and I can only describe them through the pictures and videos I took while we were there. There is an island that the falls created called La isla de San Martín. We went over to it and climbed off the pathway because we were determined to swim! We climbed up some little falls and found awesome swimming holes. It was by far the best part of the day! There were so many condors that petrified me, but thankfully Andrew went first and shooed them away! I got shivers everytime I saw them!

We were also trying to meet up with our Colombian friends who were following a similar route as us, and towards the end of the day it looked like we weren´t going to be able to find them at Iguazú! But after seeing the last and most amazing fall who should come along? Carolina and Johanna! It was awesome being able to see them one last time on our trip because now we know colombianas and have some people to know when I make my way to Colombia!

I would go on to talk about Salta and Arequipa again, but I want to write good posts, so I´ll write them once I get back to the States on FRIDAY! ahh locura