School begins... yipee

thanks to all who left encouraging comments on my lasts post! I can't tell you just how meaningful it is to know that people are praying for me and care enough to read my blog. MUCHAS GRACIAS! :)

Wow what a week! Church has definitely been my favorites time here so far. The worship is always so genuine and challenges me to lay everything out before God. Even though most of the time I have no idea what they are saying, I love just watching people and knowing that God is so real and present at the time. Today we sang three songs that i know in English: "I am a friend of God- Eres me amigo fiel," "You are good- Eres fiel," and "Breathe" by Michael W. Smith. I love talking with the people there as well. It's also the best place for me to practice mi español! I am already developing some friendships with the youth there but i also am connecting with old friends from 7 years ago! I just like how people are so close.... I don't know... pretty much i love Venezuela. :)
Tonight we also got to eat at La Fogata. Let me tell you about this wonderful restaurant that is so special to me. This restaurant is the same one that my family would take each of the work teams to after church whenever they came it. To sum it all up they that have the best roasted chicken and yucca (a root that is eaten here) and fruit drinks. So if anyone ever comes to Venezuela I will take you there! After that we (David and Donna- my aunt and uncle and I) went to watch some of the guys from church play softball against another church. I really enjoyed watching them play softball because i miss watching the White Sox with my dad and i also knew a bunch of guys on the team. So to wrap it up it has been a great day but the coolest thing that happen today was who came to church with us. Dionna has been playing soccer here in Venezuela for three years and has been praying ever since she started playing that someone on her team would come to church with her. Well today God faithfully answered that prayer as one of her friends joined us at church! Please pray that God continues to work through Dionna on her soccer team and also work on the girl who came today. Also one of our neighbors named Bertí came with us to church. She made a decision for the Lord after Donna invited her to come to camp a week ago. I think she is truly genuine about a relationship with the Lord but it won't be easy and she has been learning a lot. Praise God for another member of the family. Please pray for her to continue to surrender her whole life and be courageous with her family because she doesn't get support from them about her recent decision. Like i said earlier- its been a GREAT day!

And then there is this week.... school starting- my favorite haha. No actually it has not been that bad! There are a lot of changes: wearing a uniform, being in a class of 7 (including me), being with so many Koreans, and having block schedule. But i think so far i have handled everything pretty well thanks to God. This semester i am only taking English, U.S. History, Human Anatomy and Physiology, and Bible. SO next semester i will be taking Pre-Cal and Spanish and still have Bible. Kinda weird how it all works out. But if you know me you know that i have my hardest classes this semester- english and history. But at least i am getting them out of the way! To be honest i kind of miss having a math class.. it kind of keeps me sane in school. haha (some of you probably think i am crazy!-except my dad and Grandpa Smith!) But anyway.. I love Bible class! Its going to be super hard but super challenging at the same time! I think i will learn a lot! Please pray that I will develop strong relationships at school and be able to grow spiritually with kids my age there!
Along with this week i was battling a cold i developed at camp 2 weeks ago. I carried around toilet paper this week to sustain my running nose. It was running so much that i went through 5 rolls of toilet paper! yeah it was that bad! haha but i am finally getting over it. But i have to say it was quite fun to have that cold while meeting people for the first time at school! Great first impressions!

Well Venezuela so far has been incredible! Its really been a putting my relationship with God to the test by testing its authenticity. I just want to be so close to Him and continue to live more and more by faith and not for myself. A Scripture that i have been thinking about a bit is Psalms 86: 11-13 (compliments of Just1Word.com)

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

I am praying to God for that undivided heart. For Him to have ALL of my heart. I have to stop living by my legalistic and selfish ways. Overall i need to continually be sanctified and transformed to be more like Christ.

Lately I have been missing my friends because they are ones i love talking to about faith and what not. But i need to keep praying for friends here to connect with and i also know that will take time! Its been good to try and keep up with them on facebook though!

The most frustrating thing for me right now has been my spanish.. I KNOW its going to take time but i wish it could come easier. I am at the point where i cant study anymore- i need to just go out and talk to people! Thats another reason i love being with church people- because they are the best to practice with! One guy today was teaching me some spanish slang! He kept calling it the language of the jovenes (which means the young people). I almost feel like i can not be myself at church because i cant say everything i want to. But then again maybe that just a way of humbling myself before Christ. Oh how awesome it will be when the day comes when i can say that i can officially speak Spanish!

Love you all, thanks for reading these ridiculously long notes!
Unworthy servant,
Mariah Brooke

It all starts....

Wow! is all i can say about Venezuela!
I did not realize how much I wanted to come to Venezuela until I got here and felt a huge peace. I know for sure that this is where God wants me right now in my life. Thanks for praying for my (and Dawson's) travel because it could not have been any smoother! Thank God! I feel right at home with my family here but i still miss those at home. I like living the simpler life because it allows me to trust in God all the more!
Since I have been here i don't feel like i have enough time because i want to blog, journal, do my devotions/pray, be social, keep in touch with those on facebook and email, and simply take in the culture. The first few days I got all settled in and just started getting used to things. I have gone to the grocery store a few times to get food for dinner. One time i went with Dawson and we needed to buy some fruit juice. So he told me this one juice looked like strawberry juice even though it was a really dark fusia color. Well.... once we got back, we tried some and come-to-find-out it was BEET juice! ahhh that stuff will take your breath away! ha after drinking that i don't think i will ever have cancer! Dawson and i are getting along great, already like brother and sister!
Sunday was one of my favorite days yet, CHURCH! wow praise God for brothers and sisters around the world. For some reason singing praise to God in a different language is so touching! I got to see a whole bunch of people i have known for a long time as well as meet a lot of new friends. :) One of the songs was about "Manda el fuego" which means "Send the fire," the fire that refines us and makes us more like Christ. Oh and the preaching was just what i needed to hear. It was about a relationship with Christ like the one John had with him when John reclined on Jesus. (so close as to hear his heart beat). I have a feeling Sundays will be my favorite days while i am here!
On Tuesday it was David's birthday so we headed out to a beach called "Cata." (i kept thinking of my friend Kata!) That was the best beach experience i have ever had! It was seated in between rolling mountains with beacutiful blue waters. Dawson and I had fun boogy-boarding on the waves and Deshay and I were able to have some great conversation. God has placed Deshay in my life- she has challenged me so much in my faith and i see Jesus living in her heart :). She heads back for college tomorrow but i am glad to have a week with her before she leaves. At the beach Dionna, Deshay, Dawson and I went on a rough 30 minute hick in flip-flops and swimsuits to another cove where we got to snorkel. I have never done that before but i absolutely loved it! Ha it was nice to get a little tan before school starts as well! :)
The past few days we have all been at camp with the little kids. I have learned so much in the past few days about service, my pride, and simply lessons from little kids. But it has been a little frusterating for me because i could not speak to them- but i tried hard to simply love them from my heart and serve God with everything i have. All glory to Him and absolutely none for myself! Let me tell you an amazing miraculous story: Thursday night while a few guys were leading worship for the kids and all were singing "Romans 16:19 says," the power/lights went out. Ha- I laugh because following the power going out, the kids just screamed. What a sight! After the kids all got calmed down and some carlights were shown on them David got up to speak. He spoke about lions and how the devil is a like a lion looking for someone to devour. He said "Maybe this lion [devil] is the very one who tunred off the lights." My prayer at that point was- God you are in control ov everything, I trust you." Then Dawson (who was acting like the devil wearing a lion mask) came running in to chase David, but another kid named Abel came in to chase Dawson (Abel was like the Lion of Judah). As soon as Abel chased Dawson away, the power came back on! What a miracle! David then said "Who's the first lion? SATAN! But who is the second lion? THE LION OF JUDAH!" WOW WOW WOW! Praise the Lord! God had everything in control all along! He just keeps proving Himself over and over in my life- especially now!

Well thanks for reading this, I hope to keep in touch on here about once a week if I can! I have had some people ask how they could be praying for me- well here it is: please pray that God will comtinue to transform my life and change me. Pray that I would be able to share my faith with others and that i will learn spanish quickly. Also pray that i will develop an extremely intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. PRAISES for all God is doing here in Venezuela! Praise God that i can be here this year! thanks for caring for me!

One last thing, its funny because people keep asking me how long i am staying. And when i tell them a year they cant believe it and act really surprised! I am so glad i have the oppurtunity to be here this year. Being at the camp was so dear to me because that it what my family worked on 9 years ago! Its so good to be here! and the fruit absolutely delicous! :)

MIss you all at home but I am so glad to be here! (ha mom dont read into that too much!- i miss you a ton! haha)

Love,
Mariah Brooke

P.S. sorry i could not put pictures up... but feel free to look at my facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photos.php?id=503614515

Starting Off

Hey family and friends!
This is the blog i will be using to keep in contact with you all while i live in Venezuela. Today has been pretty stressful with it being the day before i leave. I hope you keep you all updated on pictures and stories that are going on in my life. Thanks to anyone who will ever read this!
LOVE YOU ALL!
mariah