It's Been A While...

Gosh, September really got away from me, and now we're more than half way through October! How did this happen?! It's definitely time for an update post!

New and old: Naturally, I still love the Spurs! I'm relatively positive that isn't ever changing, but it's way cool to talk to and form relationships with others who care about pre-season as much as I do! I mean, one guy has a Spurs tattoo he loves it so much! GO SPURS GO! Welcome to Texas, the world of paletas! I didn't realize what a wonderful gift to creation they were until Danielle (our site coordinator) brought some over. Disclaimer: I've never tried the Pickle flavor... An adventure for another day?

Some of the highlights from the past few weeks have been attending 1) the Austin Gay Pride Festival, which is something I've never participated in. It was wonderful to attend as an ally and walk alongside those who have been struggling with this issue their whole lives simply because it is made a big deal of. 2) Eric, my boyfriend, came to visit two weeks ago as part of his Fall Break from school! It was an absolutely wonderful weekend, to finally show him around and introduce him to people who he's only heard about over the phone was amazing. The only down-side was that I finally had a piece of home here, and it reminded me of how much I actually miss home. I'll definitely be glad to visit when Christmas rolls around!

For three weeks, one our own was in the hospital after getting a cold, but with his pre-existing aplastic anemia, it resulted in four blood transfusions and some chemotherapy to help his blood platelets along. He finally got out a week ago Friday with full expectations of "coming home," which he specified as the YAV house, but has been at his mom's house all week, and we're all beginning to worry if he'll be coming back at all... Any prayers for his return would be greatly appreciated. It feels a little like we're missing a piece to our puzzle here.

This past weekend, the entire house went to the HEB Retreat with our church, Divine Redeemer Presbyterian. For those of you who aren't aware, HEB is our local grocery store, but what sets them apart from others that I've noticed, HEB actually takes an interest in the communities it serves, and to help them accomplish this, they set up an entire retreat area in the middle of nowhere (literally... There's no service for 15 miles on either side!) And let us all stay there free of charge once a year as long as we provided our own food! It was such a fabulous weekend to spend getting to know our community.

I helped lead music with Los Holy Boys, which at first was a little difficult because ALL the songs were in Spanish, but by the end of the weekend, I was so much more confident about singing in a language I barely know how to speak! And on the plus side, I feel like it's helping me read and understand Spanish, which is getting me closer to my goal. I also got to hang out with House of Teens kids outside of program, which was important and helped me develop relationships in another setting. The time I spent here was amazing, and it was good to have a relaxing time with my housemates.

All in all, life in San Antonio, TX is a wonderful thing, and I am so grateful for this opportunity to be developing my relationship with God by serving others and learning more about myself. Thank you for all who are supporting me! I can feel your love all the way in Texas!