Carving My Name On Hearts...

The other day I came across the following quote by Charles Spurgeon and it stuck with me :
~ "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble."~
It was a good reminder for me : I have been given so many amazing opportunities to "carve my name on the hearts" of people who cross my path here in Mexico. Whether it's though taking blood pressure at Hoy en Tu Comunidad, playing hide and go seek with my host family's grandson, engaging in classroom discussions, or just smiling at the random people I pass on the street, I have great opportunities to be a light for Jesus right where I am! I am realizing that the more I die to myself, surrender my "rights" and desires, let God take control and use me as He desires, the He is able to shine. I love 1 Corinthians 1:28 and the way that God uses the "lowly" things of this world to fulfill His purposes! There have been so many moments here when I have felt like I have absolutely nothing left to give and am at "the end of my rope" and then God has stepped in and worked in ways I never would have imagined.
I am really looking forward to this next week. We have a week off of school and are using the time to do some traveling with our program. Tomorrow morning, we are taking off at 9 to go to a village (yaxunah-pronounced ya-shoe-na) about 2 hours from here and will be there until Tuesday. While there, we will be living with different families, sleeping in hammocks, hopefully learning a little bit of Maya, helping out with different service projects, and having the opportunity to see what everyday village life is like here in Mexico.
After returning to Merida for a day and a half, we will hop back on buses and head to Chiapas, a Mexican State about 8 hours from here. I am super excited to see Chiapas and learn more about the Zapatista movement there.
As for this past week, things have been pretty normal. I had my fist test in International Relations and felt like it went well. My homework load is starting to pick up and I find myself more and more thankful that I have a tutor to help check over my papers and give advice. I still love living with my host family and enjoy sitting around the table with them talking about anything and everything under the sun-our topics this week ranged from the Yankees game, gossip about the queen and princesses of England and Spain, our favorite telanovela, Rubi, to Day of the Dead traditions, and running. The other day my host sister and mom showed me how to make these really sweet scarves using a loom and a hook. They love doing crafts just about as much as I do so I feel right at home! :)
I think that's about it for my update. I have quite a bit of homework to tackle before tomorrow so I'd better get going. Love to all!