May prayer letter

It’s hard to believe that it’s already June— the time has gone so incredibly fast here! The summer project has arrived, and co-leading it has kept me busier than I have been the whole rest of the year. They’re a great group of 13 students from all over the US, full of energy and enthusiasm that has been an encouragement to us all. The project has split into 2 campus groups— I lead one of these groups to Andres Bello La Casona campus, where we are beginning a Vida Estudiantil movement from scratch. It’s been very difficult at times, but we have been able to see God working in amazing ways. Last Friday I was feeling discouraged about what we were doing, but God turned it into the best day we’ve had so far! An English major we had met earlier invited us to lunch, introduced us to her English speaking friends, and then they invited us to their classroom to meet more classmates! We’ve also started an English club there. The other half of the project is with Nathan, my co-leader, at another campus, UMCE. It’s been exhausting trying to balance my time between them, my STINT team, and my roommates, but at the same time, one of the most rewarding things I’ve done all year.

Chile Facts

San Cristobal is a famous large hill in Chile right by my apartment. You can ride a ski-lift type thing to the top or walk. At the top is a huge statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the city— you can see the statue for miles around. Below her, on the side, is a small Jesus, about as tall as me. This is very telling of Chilean culture.

Casey and Nathan with Antonio, a student at UMCE.

All Good Things...

Life is changing quickly here. My roommate and now close friend, Esther, returned to the United States last week. I miss her a lot! I’m going to Korea at the end of June for 2 weeks, and when I return, my whole Stint team, except for one person, will be back in the States as well. As I prepare to return to the States as well, on the 19th of July, it causes me to reflect a lot on the year and what God has taught me and how I’ve grown. I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned is how utterly dependent I am on him. And that with him, I can do things that I in my own strength and personality cannot do. I’ve seen that many times this year– through leading the project, planning the retreat, just talking to students and sharing the gospel with them in Spanish! I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. Next month I will share more with you about what I’ve learned this year, as well as my hopes for next year in pharmacy school.

Prayer Requests

· The summer project— for unity and Chilean students hearts to be open

· Wisdom and strength for Nathan and I as we lead it

· For the students going to korea –for encouragement and to trust God to provide the $2500 for the Plane Ticket

· Wisdom for how to share Christ with the students– that it would not just come across as religion, but as something relevant and real

· For God to show us students who will be leaders in this movement– we truly want it to be a Chilean, and not an American, ministry

Thank you for all your prayers and support— you have all been amazing this year and made me feel very loved.

In Him,
Julie Sorensen