Oh my goodness. 

I am absolutely floored by the amount of support I have gotten since my last blog post. Thank you for all of the kind messages, the comments, and every page view (all of which make me feel a lot more popular and a lot cooler than I actually am). It all makes me realize how truly blessed I am, and I am grateful for every single one of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

On a related note, many of you have expressed sympathy and have asked me how I am dealing with Kory's death while I am away--the answer changes from time to time, but I think my heart is doing much better here than I would expect. I still think about Kory every day, and that hurt is still there. I know this is a wound that will never completely disappear; still, God has shown me the power of His love every single day. Thank you again for every prayer and every bit of support for my family. I love you all. 

Here in España, we have been doing a lot of training for our upcoming travels (in less than a month! Where has the time gone?! Seriously! This is insanity, I tell you). This includes everything from discussing creative evangelism strategies (I'm breaking out the napkin doodles, y'all!), learning about 
spiritual gifts, dancing and singing along to children's songs, and practicing a puppet show. That's right. A PUPPET SHOW. It's awesome. If I come back home and have amazing arm muscles, it's because I've been holding up a puppet for about seven minutes straight twice a week. 

It's a lot harder than it sounds, okay? 

To those of you wondering what the heck a puppet show and kid songs have anything to do with missionary work, the answer is simple: they're fun, creative ways to teach kids about Jesus. It's probably going to be my favorite part of the whole trip! Admittedly, some of the songs we sing aren't about God, but they're still super awesome. And yes, I am going to come home and be really annoying cool and sing these songs all the time.

As part of our travel team training, we were able to visit another church in a nearby town. Since it was our first time working with a new church, it was a little nerve-wracking, but everyone was so welcoming and I had a ton of fun. We sang a couple of worship songs as a team, and a few of us shared our testimonies. This time, we were able to share in English and have our leaders translate, but from now on, we'll have to rely on our own Spanish capabilities. That's a little intimidating, but it's all part of the experience, right? Luckily, we are able to do a lot of translating and practicing beforehand...I think I'm going to need it! 

In the midst of all this training, we've had time for some adventure, too. On Saturday, we visited the Castle of San Felipe (Castillo de San Felipe), and it was amazing! Wandering around an old castle in Spain? On one of the sunniest days we've had all month? By the WATER?! That's basically everything I love. 

Needless to say, I'd go back in a heartbeat. 


I've been pretty tired and scatter-brained lately, so I hope this entry gave you all a better idea of what life here is like--I suppose I could go into even more detail, but it's almost my bedtime and I have a busy week ahead of me. For now, I'll leave you with my new favorite song...

And yes, we do that dance. Are you jealous yet? You should be.