Aisha's Journey

 As many of you know, a couple of weeks ago my family and I got the sad news we tested positive for Covid. Thankfully, we had it relatively easier than many around the world, and for that we are so grateful. But it would be a lie to say that it was the easiest thing in the world. Apart from the chills, constant cough, and body aches, I believe the worst part was losing my sense of smell and taste. I remember eating a granola bar Thursday evening and asking if it was some kind of super protein, low sugar bar since it barely had any taste. Then Friday was officially the end, with my last taste being a Gatorade drink. I couldn’t believe it; in a span of 2 hours I had completely lost my sense of taste and smell. Soups, sandwiches, juice, coffee, none of it had any taste. With the loss of smell came the loss of appetite. Eating became another chore with the only optimistic part being a time to be together at the table with the whole family. Elias, my younger brother, also had lost h...

I love seeing the different ways people have found to show love and care for one another during these times of quarantine! As the weeks and months have passed by, it’s been exciting to see churches, institutions, and ministries develop new ways of celebrating or engaging its audience. As I look back at the month of May, my heart is full of gratefulness for the ministry work and ways the Holy Spirit spoke in my personal life. I started the month by attending a full day staff retreat with GBU Chile where we talked about mental health and team dynamics. After that I was able to enjoy a weeklong staff retreat with InterVarsity Florida in preparation for the student retreat that followed the week after. As we reflected on the academic year and remembering the things God did, I was surprised to read my list and see so much had happened beyond COVID 19, and to praise him for those things. This journey in raising support has brought some beautiful meetings and has reconnected me with friends...

Truthfully, this reflection should’ve been written a while ago. Yes, maybe it’s a combination of procrastination and trying to get used to this new reality of living under quarantine. But as I sit in front of my laptop and try to find the words to describe EFO, I realize that beyond it being a training event, EFO was a time of testing, polishing, resting, and finding comfort of living in the tension.  As many of you know, for the month of February I was in Colombia for a month long training called EFO. Every 3 years, IFES gathers new staff from all over Latin America for an intensive training equipped with 1 week of missions locally. To learn a little more click here to read my previous posts about EFO. Although coming from Miami means I have friends that come from all over Latin America and the world, there is something entirely new in being immersed in a foreign country. To be honest my first thought about Colombia was coffee, music, and warmth. And although I wasn’t e...

As I’ve mentioned to a few of you in person, the month of February I will be out in Colombia for a staff conference for staff from all over Latin America. This conference happens every 3 years with the aim of training staff with tools for starting groups on campus, pastoral care, and many other things. Interestingly enough, my mom went to a similar event many moons ago! Here’s a little interview I had to ask her about her experience. Although some things have changed, I am honored to have been invited to participate and learn in an event that has been important for me and my family. Mom: 1. You went to an EFO a few years ago, what year was it and why were you invited?  It was February 1994. Initially, it was only for Central America, but they made 2 exceptions, with me from Chile and Fanny from Argentina. They wanted to prepare me as a staff for the national office in Santiago and to be the administrator at the national level. 2. What are some similarities and difference...

Did you miss the news? Kyrios-Soter Scientific is celebrating 13 years and as a form of celebration, they are giving a matching grant of $3,000. That means, every dollar you give will be matched up to $3,000 . Wow, that means twice the impact! Make the most of this opportunity and give today, the campaign ends February 15 . *   If you aren't a monthly giver and become one, your gift will be matched considering the annual total. If not, the one-time gift will be matched as is. How to participate: 1. Give at:  https://donate.intervarsity.org/donate#d22949 2. Email kss.accounting@gmail.com with the amount given and your name. Don't forget to share with your family, friends, and churches about this opportunity!  Want to learn more about Kyrios-Soter Scientific? Click here!

Wow, time flies! Just a year ago I was walking through the streets of St. Louis, MO going to the different seminars and sessions for InterVarsity's Urbana Missions Conference. What an experience that was! Urbana is the largest student missions conference in North America which takes place every 3 years hosting more than 10,000 participants from all over the world. Apart from offering hundreds of different seminars on a variety of topics, there's a huge exhibit hall of missions organizations and Christian universities sharing opportunities and information. Although I had attended the previous Urbana in 2015 as a student, this Urbana I was going with both my sister and mom. It was so much fun to share with them an experience that had been crucial in my time as a student, I'm really grateful to have gone with them! Urbana offers different tracks, one being the business track. My mom and I signed up and enjoyed Bible studies and seminars focused on business and entreprene...

This month has flown by, so many things have happened, it's impressive to spend time and reflect on it all. For those of you just joining us, please take a few minutes to read this post . It explains a little on what I am preparing for and might answer some of your questions. FIU Volunteering It's been exciting to be back on campus and volunteer with the InterVarsity Chapter at FIU! As expected, the beginning of the semester was hectic and full of meeting and talking with new students on campus. We were able to do tabling for freshman students before the semester began and took a few hours during the first week of classes to prayer walk around campus.  We had initially wanted to schedule a table and show our IV pictures and gifts but weren't able to find an open spot. What at first seemed like a limitation, became our gateway to more personal conversations and to gain a new perspective on a campus we can easily overlook. Thank you God for the time we prayed for our...

Hard to believe it’s been a month since my time in South Africa for the IFES World Assembly! As many of you may know, InterVarsity USA is one of many chapters under the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students . With over 170 countries represented at this once-every-four-years event, it’s been a blessing to go over notes and videos of our time together. It was exciting to go as a delegate for GBU Chile and receive materials and training that will be useful for my time there. Even though I went representing Chile, it was great to be included in the debriefs and information for the USA team as well as reflecting with national staff and reconnecting with my Link family. Every day was packed with devotional, worship, seminars, plenaries, etc. However, my favorite time by far was small groups and meal times. Now you might be wondering, was the food that amazing? Yes it was, but beyond the tasty flavors, the conversations that happened around the table are ones I will cheri...

After facing the computer for a good 5 minutes trying to figure out a short and concise title for this post, I figured that there couldn’t be a word to describe this trip. I’ve realized that for many, this is madness. For those that know me for a while, this is also a bit out of character. So apart from doing a little bit of reflecting on my time here in Chile, I will also answer some commonly asked questions. Why 3 months? Well, 3 months seemed like a good start at staying somewhere internationally on my own. Also, it was the maximum amount of time allotted for a tourist. Why Chile? As many of you know, my parents are from Chile. Throughout my childhood we came every 4-5 years to visit family and friends. This time though, I would be coming on my own. Thankfully I have stayed with family and friends, but it’s been exciting to interact with them first-hand, see and learn from the culture through a different lens, and improve my Spanish (although some might disagree,...

I named this post "thoughts" because I just want to share some of the things I have been processing and reflecting on lately. This past weekend was very interesting and a new experience for me. Both my roommates were gone, one left Wednesday and the other on Thursday. They had both shared with me previously and were caring in terms of finding different options of how I could spend the next 3 days well. I didn't know what to expect. I began to worry that I would lose track of time and daydream or resort to trivial activities to keep me from boredom. I thought I would become increasingly homesick and have a horrible weekend thinking of my family and the different things they would be doing instead. I am glad none of the above were the outcome! I not only had a very productive weekend, but a much needed time alone. I was not bored at all because there was so much I had to do, but I was also given time to reflect and think in times where I would regularl...