2 bits of news

Hola!

Today I had class all day, and everything went fine. Just another full day of thinking and being challenged. It’s kind of weird to think that today was a normal day when there were so many difficult questions that were addressed and so many challenging topics to discuss. Such is my life right now :)

One person visited our class today and her name was Katie. She is a former student in this program and is one year older than me. She now is doing an 8 month internship in a place called “La Carpio.” This is a program with “Christ for the City.” I found out today that my internship in March is going to be here at this organization. It was really good to get to talk to her in person about what I’m going to be doing, and she was really sweet. I definitely felt like I had a good connection with her, and we have very similar personalities.

Here’s a little bit about La Carpio. It is one of the worst slums in San Jose, and it aims to help women who have been in difficult situations. There are different programs that are run here, and one of them is a high school. I will probably spend some time teaching math and English to these girls (there are 20 girls enrolled). These girls are in this type of program because they are not allowed in the public system. Either they dropped out because they had a baby, or cannot pay for uniforms, or have a learning disability.  There is also a daycare center that takes care of the children. Part of it is like an activity center where the boys play soccer. And my favorite part…there is part that is a clinic. I have no idea for sure what I will be doing, but I am under the impression that I will get to spend time here too. Tomorrow I am actually going to visit La Carpio to see more about what it is and to meet the different people I will be working with. Overall, I am so excited for this opportunity. I know it is going to be extremely challenging, but I think it will be a really growing experience.

One thing to mention is safety. This is a slum…so it’s really not safe. I will not be living in the slum, but I will have a host family in a nearby neighborhood. From my house, Katie said that you can see La Carpio. But there are transportation and safety issues, so I have to take a bus for an hour (one way) to get there. I guess there is a ravine that I would have to cross, and it is controlled by a gang. Therefore, I have to take a bus for an hour to get there. I say this just to ask for your prayers for safety during this time. I will hopefully know more tomorrow after I see the area and get a feel for safety here, but I know it is a significant thing that I’m asking for prayers on.

The second piece of news that I would like to share with you is this: I got an email last night informing me that I was accepted into the doctoral program of Clinical Psychology at Wheaton College! I am so excited about this and truly relieved. I feel like God has led me to this place, and I am definitely going to accept this offer. In fact, I declined an interview at Fuller Theological Seminary because I am so certain that this is where I want to be. Praise God for his faithfulness and for this new open door that is ahead of me! This program is 5 years long (full-fime with 6 weeks off in the summer), so this is definitely a significant decision. I have been waiting for this moment of confirmation since October, so I’m just really relieved to have this news! Praise God!