A Christmas Conspiracy

I am writing in order to post a Christmas special.

The Real Story

This past Sunday, I was listening to the Pastor paint a very interesting picture of the Christmas story. A story that has been commercialized by both the media and the church. There  is a a pregnant young woman who is with a man who is not the father of her unborn child. In fact, the couple is on the run due to a somewhat corrupt regime. As though the situation is not bad enough, in the midst of labor pains, the couple is unable to find a place for the woman to have her child. Finally, they come upon a stable that smells of animals and dung. The peaceful Nativity scenes we buy from the store are false. It would not be hard to imagine that there was a decent amount of noise from the animals especially once Mary began the pushing process free from epidural. The arrival of random wise men and shepherds only contributed to the dysfunction.

An Important Realization 
  
Every time I ask someone what they love the most about the holiday season, they tell me they love getting to spend time with family. They talk about the joys of going home and spending time with their brothers/sisters, seeing long lost relatives, going to the Christmas Eve candelight service on occasion, and we must not forget...the food.

Hearing this answer over and over, I always feel like the odd one out. I dread the holidays. I can't tell if this Scrooge-season began after I found out there was no Santa or after the death of my grandma. Either way, for me, Christmas is synonymous with stress. When the Halloween decorations are replaced with Christmas paraphernalia on November, all I can think is, "Oh great, here we go."
Ariel, what do you want for Christmas? Are you going to come home? There never fails to be family drama of some sort. Sometimes, when the season begins, I feel like I might as well be in that overcrowded and uncomfortable stable. 

So there I was in church Sunday, listening to the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph, and seeing how similar it was to my Christmas.  That's when I realized,

Christmas is not about family...

...otherwise it would be called Family-mas. All of these people came together despite discomfort, and rumors of infidelity in order to see Jesus. The birth of Jesus was the main event, not some side show for gift giving, singing carols, and decorations. 

Although there is evidence that Jesus was not even born in December, this season is all about Him. Don't pass through all of December 25th without thanking God for sending his son. Remembering this beautiful act of love is why I will have a smile on my face today.



Merry Christmas,
Ariel

“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”: Part One

Greetings from Houston, Texas! I am currently staying with my eldest brother’s family for Thanksgiving break. Last year, I remember spending Thanksgiving in Guanajuato, México while on the Fulbright. Although my dad came to visit me, I desperately missed soul food! This year, I was not disappointed. My brother’s wife outdid herself, and I finally contributed my own dish—no-bake Oreo truffles. They were a hit!

Now, a couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about Contentment. After listening to a sermon by the pastor of my church in Austin, I was motivated to make specific changes in the way that I live. I realized that I was allowing discontentment to eat at the joy that I have in Jesus Christ. I ended the post saying,

“From now until Thanksgiving, I will actively take steps to make knowing Christ the food that I consume and the Truth of the Gospel the clothes that I wear. Daily, I must remind myself...My money is God’s. Christ is at the center of my relationships. The Holy Spirit guides my time.”

The truth is, I am still in the process of making God the center of my life. I did, however, say no to going out with friends, so that I could be a better steward of my money. I read the Word of God when I would have normally convinced myself that I was “too tired”. Undoubtedly small, these are definitely steps in the right direction.

A recent discussion in my Nature of the International Systems course through my Master’s program raised important questions in my heart. One of my classmates said that every human on Earth has inalienable rights that are stated in the US Declaration of Independence, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” For some reason, this stuck with me. After looking up this important Declaration, I saw that two values that I hold dearly were listed before, God and Equality. If our God (Creator) formed each of us equally with these rights, shouldn’t it be important to know what exactly these words mean? We live in a day and age where words have become seemingly unimportant. We shorten them, we avoid them, and we use them purposelessly. 

What is Life?

• According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, life is the period between birth and death.
• According to Biology, life is defined by the following characteristics: Movement, Reproduction, Sensitivity, Nutrition, Excretion, Excretion, Respiration, and Growth, also known as Mrs. Nerg.
• According to Psychology: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs says every human being must have food, water, air, homeostasis, sleep, excretion, clothing, and sex (not for pleasure, but rather the continuation of the human race) in order to survive.

I have a few problems with defining life by Merriam, biology, and psychology.

1. If life is just the time between birth and death, then why do we strive to respect the dead? What is the purpose of a funeral? Why do Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead? Why do we seek to distribute their items according to a document (will) that they wrote?
2. To say that we have a right to life is to say that we are entitled. To be entitled is to qualify or deserve something. How could a newborn earn the right to live if they have lived for a moment? How does anyone that has ever done something wrong earn the right to life? Let me be the first to admit that I have not done anything to earn the right to breath, eat, or move. If you have ever done something wrong against your neighbor, how can you deserve something as precious as life?
3. It is obvious that we as humans have tried to determine who is deserving of life (abortion and death penalty laws). We have even created inequality by deciding who gets food and clean air.  

Now, I find the definition of Life according to God to be most persuasive: John 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The him John is referring to is Jesus. So, verses 4-5 could be read as this, “In Jesus was life, and Jesus was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome Jesus.” Therefore, we have the right to Life which is Jesus Christ. This right was not something that we earned, but something that our Creator gave to us as a gift (grace). 
Unfortunately, our culture has distorted Christianity. We have turned Christianity into a religion of privilege. We have made it rich and we have made it white. Paul on the other hand, tells us in Galatians 3, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Jesus is God's ultimate reflection of Life and Equality.
Do not mistake my words. Just because we have Jesus does not mean we have some supernatural ability to go without food. In fact, in the Book of Matthew, Jesus said that our Heavenly Father cares for the sparrows and the flowers, so of course he will provide us with food and clothing. It was not until I experienced this provision in my own life that I truly believed it.
 
In conclusion, I would like to you think about the following:   

• If you think Life is just physiological, I encourage you think about whether or not you have earned the right to life.   
• If you believe that Jesus is Life and have not been forced to rely on him for food and clothing, thank God for his constant Provision.
• If you were able to read this post, you are in the 34% of people that has internet. You probably are in the 88% that has food, and nearly half of the deaths of children under age five occur because you and I have been too self-absorbed to care and make change.

I personally choose to believe that God has given me the right to know who Jesus is. I believe that God provides me with food on the table, and that He wants me to tell others that He can feed them spiritually and physically as well.

Rich Person Problems

Since moving to Austin, I have been in a very interesting season. I have found myself struggling to figure out what it means to be a Christian as a single adult off the college campus. I do not have roommates asking me about what God is teaching me. I do not have a mentor that I know is committed to praying for me weekly. So, I guess you could say I am experiencing some sort of wilderness period in my spiritual life.

                 

Now, when we undergo spiritual wildernesses, there are two ways to deal with them. One way is to embrace it. We can be confident that God works all things for the good of those he loves according to his purpose. We can commit to considering it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds like it says in James. Then there is the second, much easier, route. We can complain and struggle through the wilderness. We can grit our teeth and merely bear the trials that are thrown our way.

  

Today, at Christ Community Church, Pastor Morgan gave a convicting, yet edifying sermon. Using 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19 as a lens, he talked about greed. Many know of the famous Twitter saying #firstworldproblems, well he changed it to #richpersonproblems. Our inclination is to use first world as a euphemism. We do not willingly admit that the daily problems that we experience are blessings in disguise. To be American is to have much. Additionally, he pointed out how the Bible does not say "Money is the root of all evil". 1 Timothy 6:10 says that "The LOVE of Money is the root of all kinds of evil." Therefore, we must not preach a prosperity gospel, nor a poverty gospel. We must stand against loving money first and foremost, for it can breed many evils. We often forget how much we have. My most recent complaints screamed out at me in church this morning.

“My graduate program is so…”

“I talk to my parents three times a day.”

“This website took like thirty seconds to load.”

                

Pastor Morgan informed us that the Father of rich person problems is DISCONTENTMENT. My instinct was to write off this conclusion. I had to ask myself, Am I truly discontent? A resounding YES was echoed in my thoughts. I am often discontent with my graduate school experience, my ability to teach, my relationship status, and many people in my life. Above all things, I am discontent with my walk with God. I thought back to my time in undergrad, when I was leading a house church. I remember hungering and thirsting for God. I remembered desperately needing to read my Bible for nourishment. Pastor Morgan said that discontentment is both an addiction and an appetite. Feeding into it does not satisfy its hunger. Complaining has becoming my way of temporarily satisfying my discontentment. At the end of the day it consumes my thoughts and interactions. It has created a negativity that I have never seen in myself before.

                 

In Luke 6, Jesus warns us to “Watch out for all kinds of greed.” Greed is a sneaky sin that will consume those who not vigilant. I realized that I am a victim to multiple types of greed in my life: greed with money, greed with my relationships, greed with my knowledge, and greed with my time. The only way to overcome this monster is to grow my appetite for something else. In 1 Timothy 6, Paul says that “godliness with contentment produces great gain.” In this context “great gain” means mega-wealth. I must begin to surrender each of these different “greeds” to God, knowing that he is sovereign.

                

The Truth is that there is nothing in this world that we can take with us. Being greedy with our money, relationships, knowledge, and time is our way of covering my spiritual nakedness. The only thing that can truly cover us is the grace that Jesus Christ gave us through his death on cross. In dying he said that we are his riches and his treasure. He showed us that he valued us through this sacrifice. But is Jesus your treasure? Is he worth your sacrifice? Is his grace your ruby? Is his love your diamond?

                 

From now until Thanksgiving, I will actively take steps to make knowing Christ the food that I consume and the Truth of the Gospel the clothes that I wear. Daily, I must remind myself...My money is God’s. Christ is at the center of my relationships. The Holy Spirit guides my time.

                Results will be posted on Thanksgiving!

More Than Conquerors

Pain and suffering. If I could choose any two words to remove from the dictionary, it would be those two. These are two words we know all too well. Our definitions may not be identical, but they all involve hurt. I have experienced the death of a grandma, cousin, fellow band member, and Sociology professor to sickness and a childhood friend to suicide. Rarely does a day go by that I do not think of one of them. Even as I write this post, I am at a very difficult point in my life. I am struggling through grad school, feeling the weight of singleness, and all while searching for a church home. Yet, I am faced with the realization that this does not compare with people that live in the ghettos of the United States. These are people that have to worry about how they are going to get home from school or work without getting shot. Or what about that suburban mom who goes home for fear of what her husband might do to her because she was two minutes later than he wanted her to be? It is no surprise that people all over the world are wondering how God could love them and care about their daily trials and tribulations.

No pain, no gain. What does that even mean? We often relate this cliché to losing weight or graduating from school. But could it be that there is more to it? If at first you don’t succeed try, try again. What about the little Engine that could? Let me tell you something. EVERYONE will be knocked down at some point in their life. However, your fall does not dictate who you are. It is whether or not you stand up again. Romans 5 says that suffering produces perseverance which yields character which generates hope. So, are you in the middle of suffering? Do you feel hopeless? You must persevere! In doing so, you will become a woman or man of character.  You are not born with character, but you must be resilient so that it may be grown in you.

Easier said than done. When someone is hurting, persevere is one of the last pieces of advice that they want to hear. No matter how much you tell yourself that everything will be alright, part of you still blames God. Let me paint the picture that gave me a reality check. Imagine that you are on your way to work and someone cuts you off. Later, you have the opportunity to let someone in front of you and notice that rude road rager was delayed and now wants to get over so that they can exit. What do you do? Let’s take it to the other extreme. You must choose between sacrificing your son and a known jewel thief. Who would you choose?  God said, “I choose my son.” In doing so, he was able to save the thief and all the criminals that come after him. In this case, you and I are the criminals. That is why we should persevere because God saved US while we were still sinners. We deserve death for the envy, anger, lust, and hatred that we have stored up in our hearts. But instead he showers us with love and gives us the Holy Spirit so we can feel how deep His love really is.

            

           Non-Reciprocal love. Would you love someone that ignored you? Could you love someone that spit on you every time you gave them a gift? Should you love someone that says that he or she hates you whenever someone else wrongs them? We must stop trying to put God in a box that fits with what we think we need. We say we want free will, but we also beg God to stop people from sinning. At the end of the day, no matter neither how much you are suffering, nor how much pain you have experienced; God is waiting for you to say that you need him. He wants to reconcile, redeem, and restore what has been lost. That hole that you feel can be filled. And that hope that you lost will be found. You are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus.  

Written By: Ariel Anib

This was written after reading Romans 5:

Peace and Hope

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 

Dancing with God

Links:

*God is Everywhere* New music video that I made with my friend, Shon!

*FB album: Valentine’s Day*

*ITESG ECC FB page*

February 8 (Day 173)

I found out that I was accepted in to Webster University’s Global Masters of Arts in International Relations. Although Webster University is based in St. Louis, MO, that is not where I would be located. This program would allow me to complete a Masters degree in 11 months and travel to five different countries: the Netherlands, Austria, English, Switzerland, and China. I have not decided if that is what I am going to do, but it was a huge blessing! Thank you to Mary Tolar and Anita Cortez for writing the letters of recommendation. For more information about this program, click here.

February 9 (Day 174)

Today was the first day of English Classes at Trigo y Miel this year!

February 12 (Day 177)

I am not going to lie. I have missed baked goods tremendously! Due to this, I decided to make Chocolate Chip cookies and brownies for the ITESG Conversation Club. It was my first time making desserts without a professional baker standing right next to me! 

February 13 (Day 178)

After a dessert amount of hours next to an oven, I finally was able to have the students test the desserts. It was a huge hit! As a matter of fact, brownies and chocolate chip cookies were demolished in less than 20 minutes. News really traveled fast!

February 14 (Day 179)

-School: So, in Mexico, Valentine’s Day is known as the Day of Love and Friendship. I enjoyed telling the students about how Valentine’s Day in the States is better known as Singles Awareness Day. Although I am single, I absolutely love this day! I delivered little Valentine’s made by the Conversation Club exec to its members. It was fun J

-Singles Celebration: Notice the irony in the following statement. Every year, I have a singles’dinner with my friends back home. I did not want this tradition to die. So, I call my friend Raquel and we planned a little gathering of friends mostly from church (I also invited some of my students). I was surprised when about 15 people showed up! We ate sandwiches and played games. I tried to teach them signs, but they hated it! It was quite sad. :-/

-Karaoke/Dancing: It was not in my original plan, but I decided to go to the Centro with my students in the evening. I taught one of them what I knew about Salsa and we all had a blast! We got back at about 4 in the morning and two of the ladies crashed at my house because they lived pretty far from the town center.  

February 18 (Day 183)

-So, due to a complicated payment system that I do not feel obligated to explain…I found myself living for six months off of three months’ pay. As you may recall, I also took a pretty extravagant Winter Break trips. Since my funds were depleted, I had a somewhat “Forced” Sabbath. It ended up being a huge blessing in disguise. I stayed home all day, reading Redeeming Love. It was very good for my soul to lose myself in a book.

February 19 (Day 184)

-Got paid! Having limited funds really gave me an opportunity to see a new perspective. However, it was not very enjoyable at all!

My buddy from Chicago, Amanda, sent me a text saying that there is a free Salsa class in town. I was so excited! When we got there, the instructor gave us a huge schpeel about committing. He told us he was sick of starting at the basics because of the new people. I was so discouraged because when I did something wrong, he keeps yelling, “NO!” But halfway through the class, he stopped. He told me, “You have rhythm and dance very well. Once I teach you more complicated steps, you will be great.” Now, I just need to hunt for a good male dancer to travel with me wherever I go!

February 21 (Day 186)

The same day that I got paid, my friend Mabel, sent me a text saying that the price of airfare to go to Costa Rica went down! I hustled to the travel agency and bought it before I changed my mind. I am so excited to see missionaries that I met in Kansas City as well as my former Mission Adelante boss’ family (they are on Sabbatical). On top of that, I will be reunited with a girl named Laura, who was in my house church last year.

While in the centro, I got a call from one of my first friends here in Guanajuato. We went out for coffee and she told me why I have not heard from her in a long time. She has been have family problems and I was excited hear that she was looking for the Lord. We then had a very long spiritual conversation and I left interested to see how the Lord was going to impact her life.

Guanajuato has had a mini fair over the last couple of weeks. I say “mini” because I was surprised to learn that there was NO food. I decided to go with my new friend, Paco. When we got there, he notified me that he is afraid of the rides. I couldn’t help but laugh…a lot. He pointed out a ride that was the equivalent to Cyclone Sam at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. I must admit that I judged him, until I got on it. About one minute in, it clicked that I was in México on an ANCIENT ride. Let’s be honest, I don’t even go on fair rides in the States. His fear was completed validated because I will not be doing that again…EVER.

Update:

**Conversation Club**

The last few weeks have not gone by too well. I need to figure out a way to spark a fire under the butts of the leaders as well as the students in the school. I can’t believe I have had more students at tutoring sessions than Conversation Club!

**Church**

I have been spending a lot of time at church recently. Finally, I have built a strong community (unfortunately, I only have 3 months left). This week we will start a Conversation Table on Thursdays and I am interested to see who shows up.

**My Birthday**

Originally, my goal was to get out of Guanajuato for my birthday. I had a fear that I would be stuck at home, with nothing to do. However, I have decided to have a little faith. So, on Friday, March 1^st, I will be here. However, just in case it is a bust, I already have plans to leave on Saturday!

Love you all lots,

Sirenita

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"Life is a dance toward God, I begin to think. And the dance is not so graceful as we might want. While we glide and swing our practiced sway, God crowds our feet, bumps our toes, and scuffs our shoes. So we learn to dance with the One who made us. And it is difficult dance to learn, because its steps are foreign." -Donald Miller 

Better Late Than Never

It has been a very looong time since I last updated my blog. As I am sure you would have guessed, I have been ridiculously busy. Nonetheless, I have neglected my duty as a representative of the United States. It is my role to update you all on what exactly is going on with me, here in México. That will be my last crazy-long hiatus. I will warn you, this post is either going to be too short without enough details OR a novel. Good luck :-P

November 28-December 13 (Days 101-116)

*Light Party* Instead of Halloween, the churches in Guanajuato had something called a Light Party. It pretty much was an opportunity to share the Gospel with young people in the city. They showed the famous Lighthouse skit along with the presentation of the message. I finally got to break out the Halloween costume and went as a Hip Hop Angel. It was great.

*Guadalajara* I needed a bit of a break, so I took a trip to Guadalajara by myself. It was cool because being alone allowed me to make friends with people from Mexico City that were staying in the same hostel. The best part of this trip was getting to see my ahijada Ana Saraí. I have been sponsoring her since high school. She is ten years old now, and so awesome! She loves to sing karaoke and dance, so we are pretty much a match made in heaven. She is one of five, each sibling has a sponsor. They kept telling me that I was the first to come and see her. I almost cried when I first got there and her three-year-old brother cried out, “Tia! (aunt).” All in all, I will be going back to visit for sure!

*Juguetón* Before closing out the school year, the tecnológico put on an event for kids from a nearby elementary school. Each of the professors/students brought a toy that we gave away to the kids at the end. In addition, one of my coworkers put on a weird spin of the Nativity Story with his drama club. Let’s just say Beyonce’s song Single Ladies was a part of the skit. I absolutely loved it!

*San Miguel de Allende* When my dad was in town, I met a girl from Chicago named Amanda. Well, for her birthday, I took her to a nearby city in the state of Guanajuato and surprised her with Horseback riding! She is a Midwest girl at heart and she loved every minute of it. We ended the day eating delicious Indian food. Even though it was her birthday gift, the day of relaxation was something we both needed.

*Training/Teacher Party* So, at first I was kind of upset when I found out I would have to stay in town longer to go to a two-day teacher training. However, the first night I had a three-course meal, won an iPod shuffle, and danced the night away with my coworkers. The second day consisted of get to know you/team-building activities. It was very interesting for me to see leadership from the other side. It was hard trying to do challenge courses as the only non-native Spanish speaker. It was a good lesson for me to learn for sure.

December 14-January 11 (Days 117-145)

So, the truth is there is no way that I could describe all the wonderful things that occurred during Christmas Break. Check out the pictures and this video that Shon and I made. Here are the highlights:

• Went to: Acapulco, Hidalgo, Puebla, Mexico City, La Preciosita, Oaxaca, and Chiapas.
• Christmas: My friend Carlos was in Hidalgo, so Amanda and I went to spend Christmas with him and his wonderful family!
• New Year’s: We brought in New Years in my favorite spot, Mazunte Beach, located on the Oaxacan coast. The people are amazing and who doesn’t love the beach?

January 19 (Day 153)

Saturday morning, bright and early, I went to a place in Guanajuato called Los Picachos with friends from church, Raquel and Abraham. We climbed this crazy mountain in order to pray by a cross. The view was unbelievable and you can see all of Guanajuato (including the suburbs). The bad part was…when we got to the bottom, I realized that I had left my camera at the top! My friend, Abraham went back up, but he could not find it. I went up, but it was no use. The miracle happened when a family called down to me and said that they found my camera!

January 21-26 (Days 155-160)

Due to the scholarship program that I am a part of, I got to go to Mexico City and Cuernavaca, all expenses paid. On top of that, they put all of up in a master suites, not to mention buffets galore! It was really nice. Additionally, I got to reunite with the ABSOLUTELY amazing México ETAs. Who knew I would bond so much with people that I have only seen two or three separate occasions? We also got to meet the ETAs that were serving in the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. While in Cuernavaca, we all presented about our progress. Most of us had many cultural shock moments and it ended up being more like a therapy session. But everyone needs to complain every once in a while, right?

Getting back from my trip, I called my Pastor. I remember that the church talked about a conference that would take place in Celaya, GTO. Well, she told me to hop in a taxi and I could meet her. One thing I should probably mention is that I had not eaten for hours and had acquired a bit of a cold from the previous trip. Arriving to the conference center, I learned that we would actually be spending the night. I had nothing with me and I was incredibly moody. Looking back, I feel terrible for my bad attitude. I am still adjusting to the lax nature of the people here.

January 27-February 6-today (Days 161-171)

*Convo Club* It is a new year, and I was so pumped to see that we had members show up to our first meeting! We are so official now because we have a Facebook page! Please take the time to like it…if you have made it this far in the post. Currently, we are the process of planning for the Valentine’s Day party we going to have here at the Tec.

*Church* I have been attending Trigo y Miel and loving it. I am excited because the youth group is starting to form a deeper bond. Right now, we are reading the Making of a Leader which is intense! On a side note, I am preparing a sermon to share on a Sunday about discipleship and I am quite nervous about it. However, God is faithful!

*Social Life* This Saturday, I have planned a dancing/singing Karaoke extravaganza. It will be good because I have not done anything since vacation. I have realized through the planning that I have actually made friends here in Guanajuato. Which means that…I am going to miss people. A LOT.

*Travel* Unfortunately, I do not think I will be able to go to the Yucatan like I originally had planned. I, first of all, do not have the money. AND, I really want to go to Dallas and Costa Rica during our Two Week Spring Break (Holy Week is awesome).

All in all, I am blessed and continue learning more about God and his character. I will write again soon! I fly home May 24^th and have been in the process of deciding the next step. I am applying to jobs as well as grad schools and will keep you all updated as soon as I know what is in store in the near future.

Much love,

Sirenita

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"Let me have too deep a sense of humor to ever be proud. Let me know my absurdity before I act absurdly. Let me realize that when I am humble I am most human, most truthful, and most worthy of your consideration. Amen."

- A prayer by Daniel Lord, S.J.