Saturday consisted of: grocery shopping in the French Harbor, cleaning house, doing dishes, taking out the trash, going to the dolphin show, reading on the dock, and going to a concert at the cruise ship port. You know.. just another typical Saturday. Last night we got home to about 75 flying ants all over our apartment. We attacked them with cockroach spray then cleaned up the massacre this morning. We were going to kayak today, but it’s kind of cloudy - so next week we will try again! We took a colectivo (bus) to the French harbor this morning and spent way too much money at the grocery store. It was an “american style” grocery store and it was just so nice to buy recognizable food that we probably went overboard! 
On our way home we took a taxi . Here, you pay by the person, not the cab. This is because they will cram several other passengers into the cab with you on the way to your destination in order to get more money. On our way home the cab driver PAID the passenger he let out before us. She was questionable. Not sure what kind of exchange went on there. Again, the culture here is just very different, but I’m learning! It’s a fun experience for sure. And I’m so thankful for the other volunteers and my roommate!
On our way home we took a taxi . Here, you pay by the person, not the cab. This is because they will cram several other passengers into the cab with you on the way to your destination in order to get more money. On our way home the cab driver PAID the passenger he let out before us. She was questionable. Not sure what kind of exchange went on there. Again, the culture here is just very different, but I’m learning! It’s a fun experience for sure. And I’m so thankful for the other volunteers and my roommate!I am reading a book called “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan. I wanted to share a part that I read today that really just impacted me. He writes: “God assesses our lives based on how we love. But the word love is overused and worn out. What does God mean by love? He tells us,
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends… faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. -1 Cor 13_4-8
Then he says: “Even those words have grown tired and overly familiar.” So, he encourages you to take the phrases from that passage and insert your name everywhere you see the word “Love.” Do this for every phrase. When I read that passage as “Lacy is patient and kind; lacy does not envy or boast; is not arrogant or rude… ” You get the picture. I realized very quickly that this is not an accurate description of me. Even as hard as I try to love these people, there is still sin in my heart, still some cultural egotism. Still thoughts of “why do they do it this way, don’t they know there’s a better way?” Even though I know in my heart that this is what I’m called to do.. and I honestly desire to love these people (and even the people at home), I fail miserably at this every day. I needed this trip and this reminder that God’s love is not like mine. I feel sometimes like back home I have everything I could ever want or need, but I don’t. I still don’t have the kind of love God calls me to have. And I need reminders to keep working on htat kind of love even when my life seems comfortable, easy, and I feel like I “have it all.”
Thanks for reading. And thanks for your prayers.
Lace
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