I'll go where you want me to go

Hymn: I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go
By Mary Brown

It may not be on the mountain's hight,
Or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle's front
My Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice he calls
To paths I do not know,
I'll answer dear Lord with my hand in thine,
I'll go where you want me to go.

I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,
O'er mountain, or plain or sea;
I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord.
I'll be what you want me to be.

Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may now, in the paths of sin,
Some wanderer whom I should seek.
O Savior, if thou wilt be my Guide,
Tho' dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo the message sweet,
I'll say what you want me to say.

There's surely somewhere a lowly place
In earth's harvest fields so wide,
Where I may labor thro life's short day
For Jesus the Crucified.
So, trusting my all unto thy care,
I know thou lovest me!
I'll do thy will with a heart sincere,
I'll be what you want me to be.

I open my devotional to the week of June 26th and it is titled "The Cost of Servanthood." I read the hymn that goes with the week and thought that it couldn't be more fitting for my first week of missions.  I want to make that my prayer during my time in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic as well as the rest of my life.

On a lighter note, I absolutely love it here in Antigua.  I am living with a host family while at the school that is awesome.  There is the grandma, her son, two grand-daughters and two maids.  There is also one other student that lives at the house.  At the house I have my own room, and it is so big!  I have a table for my homework, a couch, two big chairs, two beds and a full bath.  They have electrical wires that go to the shower head to heat the water so you don't want to put your arms up while in the shower, that could be bad news.  Brent, you know what I'm talking about.

So during the week the days are pretty much identical.  I wake up at 6:30am.  Breakfast is at 7:15 sharp every morning.  I have school from 8-12 then head home. Lunch at 1pm and school again from 2-4. The only place I have internet is at the school, so I stay here till about 5 to talk to people and get stuff done (I am on skype weekdays between 4-5ish Mountain time.  If you want to talk then add me at rpauly2006).  I head home to study and dinner is at 7:15, then I study till about 10 and time for bed.  They are very particular about when they eat their meals and they are always within 5 min of those times.  Every meal is provided throughout the week except for Sunday.  It is sunday that I get to experience some of the restaurants and hope that I don't get sick.  The food at the house is absolutely amazing.  They eat black beans with bread at every meal.  Example: for breakfast we have scrambled eggs with tomatoes, beans, bread and papaya juice or cereal, beans and bread.  It is awesome!

I am learning so much at the school.  My teacher is pushing me so hard, but it is what I need.  After 1 week I have over 300 verbs and vocabulary that need to be memorized by Monday.  I have also completed about 40 pages of worksheets.  I didn't know that it was possible to learn a new language so fast.  Rosetta Stone has nothing on CSA!  I also get as much coffee that I can drink and it is so good.

I thank you all so much for your prayers and your support.  This first week has been so much better than I expected.  I love it down here.  I could use prayers for patience and health.  I have not gotten sick yet from the food but I know it will happen soon.  There are also times that I get so frustrated with not being able to understand a concept, and it doesn't help that my teacher can only explain it in spanish.  If I can't understand what she is saying then I will never understand the concept.  It has caused me to become frustrated and I need patience when learning this language.  God is so good and I thank him every day for this opportunity.  Dios te bendiga ("God bless you" for all of you non spanish speakers haha).