process = progress?

I sit this morning with my Dominican coffee in hand, wondering what was my life like this time last year? The word "process" has been resurfacing it's head since I got back and I find myself wanting a tangible representation of "proccess". Now, I don't know if that really exists, but I'm out to find it. This morning I decide that process works over time and if you want to see process then I need to go back in my journals and see where I was this time last year. Here is what I came up with...a then and now chart if you will.

2010 Revelations	2011 Revelations
Church is alive and active and the teaching spurred several of my journal entries	Church is still alive and active; Spanish worship still cuts to my core with the lyrics
The Lord was speaking loud and clearly in my life through my small group, creation, and His Word.	I find myself listening more to my devotional by Oswald Chambers than I do digging straight into Scripture. Good thing our small group is doing an inductive bible study over Matthew!
I cried out to the Lord for I felt my time with Him was getting pushed aside because business.	I still struggle with business and balancing it ALL. I don’t know if we are supposed to balance it ALL, but I do know that time with Him is a priority.
I wrote a lot about my family and relationships; I analyzed, thought about my friendships, and prayed those would match to Christ.	I see growth in my family and relationships; I see growth on my part and others; I praise God for relationships that keep me anchored to Christ.

So, my question is does process = progress? I like to think so, but I know that we do have seasons of digressions, but if we are constantly choosing Christ first, then I hope I am always progressing towards Him. This is becoming a theme in my life and for this semester at hand. STAY IN THE PROCESS...DON'T RUN FROM THE PROCESS. Sometimes the process is really hard and requires a lot from us. Sometimes the process changes everything we know to be true around us. Sometimes the process is just to stay the course. Whatever your process is at the moment, stick with it!

And we're back in the game!!

I have been back in the country now for four days and does it feel so right. Seriously I came back to the states this summer and yes it was filled with people and foods and smells of growing up years but not like life for me right now. Yet I step off the plane in Miami and already the Spanish is filling my ears. Then I get off in Santiago and somehow this is home too and just feels right. Yes, I'm saying that crazy driving, rice and beans and nonstop music is home for me now. Slightly weird but oh so good. Here is a list of things I've been remembering about this place this week:

-Dominicans are proud of their graduation from college here and receive a gold ring to prove it similar to a little known thing called the Aggie ring:) Man do I feel at home with that!!

-Motos make everything better!! No we haven't gone on the usual organized rides just yet, but morning rides to school are so much more enjoyable with the cool morning breeze in your face!!

-Reunions are FABULOUS!! Our first day back was buenismo (really great) to see familiar faces!! Our school community has deeply rooted connections with each other and it was quite wowonderful to be reminded of that again!!

-It's good and hard to be surrounded by Spanish again. Good bc it's the heart of the culture and so rich, but hard bc I feel I should be much farther along than I am.

-Spanish worship...nothing like it!!!

-Doulos is necessary! At the beginning of every year we teachers are asked to remove our "teacher" hats and put on "student" hats as we all participate in a mini expedition. 2 years ago we learned about coffee, last year we learned about sugar and this year it's education. So good to see research and stats about DR education, how the government plays a part and contrasting that with Doulos. What a perfect way to start our year knowing our purpose and why we exist.