I just want to be OK

Yay for beautiful weather! Thank you God for some sunlight (and no rain to destroy the house). Rebecca and Meredith left for Andalucia for the weekend Friday morning, so it is a little quieter around the apartment. I got some much needed housework done and working on getting the laundry done too! Koral, Kelly and I took a walk to enjoy the sunshine. We walked through town, down by the river and to the Salas Bajas (lower courts... sports fields and stuff). Then we went back into town in time to see the lights in the plaza come on for the night- My favorite! A nice, relaxing day that was really needed to improve my mood and spirit.

Thursday night was one of the "hang out" nights, but it also fell on University Carnival. (real Carnival is in like 2 weeks.... this one is basically made up for the bars and clubs to make more money.) We had 11 or 12 people come to meet us and we just went to a couple different places for drinks and tapas. It was a lot of fun to hang out with our new friends (and some of them brought friends with them!) But it was kinda sad and scary to see the other people that were out later, after they had been drinking... a lot. It made me realize even more how much we are really needed here. It also made me sad because most of the crazy drunk party people were americans. It is hard sometimes to overcome the stereotype of American exchange students here. The drinking age in Spain is 18, so many of the kids go crazy, with it being their first time away from home, in Europe and legal for them to buy alcohol.

We are having "cene & cine" tonight for Dia de San Valentin (dinner and a movie). We are all going to get dressed up and meet for a fancy dinner at Telepizza and then go to the house for movie night. :) Hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day! And Happy Birthday Mom! I love you and miss you so much every day.

Please just continue to pray for us and the ministry here. We are all working really hard, but sometimes it is mentally and physically tiring. After 6 weeks together, I am starting to feel the strain on our relationships. The past couple of days have been especially hard for me with exams and feeling frustrated on "Spanish Day". Please also continue to pray for my finances here in Spain and that God will provide so that I may be fully funded for the next couple of months!