November 29: Thanksgiving & Spider-Man

First of all, Go Bucks!

Jonathan headed home for Guatemala on Wednesday, so I am living alone! I definitely miss the conversation; I’ll probably start talking to myself more. It was great to work and live with him, he was a great blessing and I pray that he finishes seminary well and that God guides him as to where He wants him to serve!

I went with Bill and Linda Parker (they help with worship at Christ Church) out to the country on Thursday for Thanksgiving with some expats! Here are some pics of the beautiful property where we ate and relaxed from our busy schedules. There is a ton to thank God for, so Thanksgiving is a tradition from the US that I can be proud of.

On Friday nights, Bob, April and I (and Jonathan when he was here) have been having the newly formed high school-aged youth group (Club) here at our place. We’ve had some fun times and it’s been great to get to know these high-schoolers! The last couple weeks we’ve been talking about our desire for true justice and how we can tell between right and wrong, so last night we watched Spider-Man on the lawn. Pray for us as we continue the topic next week, discussing how we saw the theme played out in the movie.

Update on my health: I haven’t had sick-symptoms or continual chest pain since last Wednesday, but I noticed when jogging briefly to catch a bus that any running at all brings the pain back. So, unfortunately I still have to take it easy. I’d love your prayers for quick healing, I would love to be close to 100% before I leave!

Nathan Harley

“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.”

Psalm 95:2-3

November 18: Heart Check

Many of you have heard about and prayed about the chest pains that I started having on Saturday afternoon. Thank you so much! It means a ton that so many people in different places on the globe are all asking for God’s healing for me.

I was in Paysandú, a 5-hour bus ride from Montevideo, visiting the parents (José and María) of Alba who helped me learn some culture and language while I was still in Wooster. The chest pains got bad enough on Sunday that I decided it was better to be safe than sorry. After my first doctor’s visit (thank you María) I started getting extreme fatigue, fever, sore throat and headache. The bus ride back was pretty rough painwise, so when I got back to Montevideo at about 10:30 Sunday night, I was met by Sonia, Jonathan and Pastor John who saw that I got checked out again. The consensus seems to be that it is an infection or inflammation of the lining of the heart (pericardial/heart sac) probably brought on by a virus. Apparently, I just need to take ibuprofen to try to take the swelling down and rest…and God-willing I will be ready to roll and enjoy the last few weeks here in Uruguay.

I can’t say enough about how rapidly prayer for me spread among the body of Christ in the States and Uruguay! I have been treated like family through it, many people sacrificing their time and energy for me. Today, I am still feeling all of the symptoms, but to a lesser extent!

Despite all this, I did have a wonderful time in Paysandú. I enjoyed great conversation, swimming pool, asado and mate! (If you don’t know what the last two are, Google them and then come here and try them).

Nathan Harley

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

1 John 5:14-15 (NLT)

November 7: PTL

It's wild that it is November already! Thanks for your prayers for the fun-fest at the kids program! Praise the Lord for the turnout, the fun and the positive message that kids and parents heard about our Light from Jonathan. 

It's been great getting plugged into Christ Church. It's so much more than Sunday and Wednesday night church here. If there isn't a Bible study or group of some sort that meets every day, on a daily basis people are being cared for and loved by the body of Christ. There isn't any wonder if the Christians here live out their faith in kindness.

As you know, I've had the privilege of leading worship on Sundays in English and Wednesday in Spanish. It's been great to introduce some fresh music and to hear of its impact. Since I can only be here for a short time, it's vital that I leave the best footprint that I can. Please pray as we seek to involve more and more people in worship leading so they can build confidence and experience to continue leading their congregation in praising our Savior!

I've thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this Bible study on Tuesday nights. After talking about different attributes of God throughout the weeks, the leader, Jean Claude, had the creative idea to write a song together to remember the characteristics and accompanying verses! It may be on the Top 40 in a couple weeks!

Nathan Harley

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household."

Ephesians 2:19

October 28: Worship & Halloween

Pastor John was away, so I was given the opportunity to bring the message on Sunday. I talked about how true worship is whole-life worship, focusing on Romans 12:1. Praise God for any impact He made on people’s hearts! Working on it throughout this week has really made me examine my own daily life - am I worshiping God in everything I do?

This Friday, the kids program is having a Halloween alternative fun-fest after normal activity. Right after that, Bob, April (leaders of the middle school-age group at Christ Church and my new neighbors) and I are initiating the new high school group with a “Fall” Kick-Off party. Please pray for a great turn-out for both of these events, excellence as we plan/prepare and that kids, parents and teens would get a great view of Jesus through His followers.

Nathan Harley

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship."

Romans 12:1

October 17: Time To Be Tourists

As part of my Intercultural Studies internship with Grace College, there is a list of cultural experiences I am to complete on my semester-long trip. These include things like going to a history museum, an art museum, a government building, a worship center of another religion, etc., in order to give me a better understanding of the culture I am living in. I took the opportunity to check out downtown Montevideo with my multi-national group of friends (Germany, Guatemala and U.S. represented) from the children’s program. Here are some pictures from our afternoon.

Catedral Metropolitana de Montevideo  

 Plaza Independencia

Puerta de la Ciudadela (Gateway of the Citadel)

José Artigas, national hero and founding father of Uruguay

The remains/memorial of Artigas under his statue

Palacio Salvo

Torre Ejecutiva (Executive Tower) where the president works

 Museo Torres García de Arte

My interpretation: So much reading, so little time. Title: "My Life"

October 10: Alive & Well

It has been a while since I posted last. If you were wondering – yes, I’m still alive…and well! We sprang forward on Sunday, so we're now 2 hours ahead of EST and in November when EST falls back, we'll be 3 hours ahead. My new roommate Jonathan and I moved into the apartment behind Andrés’ house where the Chinese family was living (they were able to move into their new house). So, we now are buying and cooking our own food. I’m getting more comfortable with doing more things on my own, so it feels good to be more independent than I was.

We are only staying here until the apartment meant for us is finished and then a couple from Christ Church will move into where we are living now. As most if not all people experience when living somewhere else, people do things and think about things differently. Logic, humor and values are all totally different between cultures. God has been teaching me dependence on Him, patience, and humility. I’m thankful for the training both at Grace College in my Intercultural Studies classes and the training I had with SIM. These have allowed me to be way better prepared for the differences and what to expect. One huge benefit to spending time in different cultures is that, with an open mind, you can analyze the pros and cons of your own. It makes me appreciate things in my culture, but it also causes me to adopt some attributes from others. I think this makes a well-rounded person. It’s easy to think the Christianity expressed in our own culture, our own church, and our own family is the best or only true form! Different cultures are uniquely suited to demonstrate certain parts of what Christ intended His Church to be better than others.

God is working in His perfect timing in this country (even though it may seem slow to us). It has been great to be a part of it so far. Jonathan, who was here last year working with the Atrévete a Soñar kids program, told me how he sees a huge change in many of the kids from last year to this year. God through His people is changing their lives – behavior, grades, respect – so much that it is having an interesting impact on their parents. They no doubt notice the change in their kids. Pray that this observation turns to curiosity about Jesus and that whole families would know Him.

This summer, I was blessed to find Alba, who is from Uruguay and goes to my church (Grace Church in Wooster). I met with her a few times to help me with my language and learn some culture. She insisted I meet her parents in Paysandú (about 5 hours north of where I am in Montevideo). It just so happened that I went with Andrés to Paysandú for a missions seminar and got to meet her dad. He showed me around the city, his beautiful place, and the overflowing Uruguay River which marks the border with Argentina. I also met some great people. I will hopefully meet her mom when she returns from the States soon!

As always thanks for prayers. I don’t eat McDonald’s much at all in the States, but I have eaten more  in the last month and a half than I probably do in 6 months normally, just because everyone takes me there – but it really is one of the few fast quality options here. It’s just funny to me!

Chau

Nathan Harley

“Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:24 (MSG)