Today is the Day

At the end of our 4th week here, it's time to stop and reflect and then look forward.

It hardly seems that almost a month ago we arrived here in Costa Rica. My goodness the time has flown by! Every week has seemed to be a different stage in adjusting to and learning to love and appreciate this new life, not to mention learn more spanish and experience this country.

Every week we do something different, meet someone new, speak new words, grow and learn about love. It seems that no matter how much time you spend around someone, if you are daily making the effort to run after Christ, He will work through them in some way or another. I can't help but love these people more everyday.

So, in light of that... I seem to be asking myself- What have I learned so far that will affect how I spend the rest of my time here? Will I continue to make a conscious effort to live in the moment everyday and live to be a blessing in the lives of others?

It seems so easy to remain caught up in ourselves and focused on OUR daily needs, instead of the needs of those around us. I am no exception to that statement, especially in a place like this where there always seems to be a long list of things to focus on besides making the best of every moment. We live in a culture driven by the future, and we live in our tomorrows, and not in our todays. Think though how much we miss by doing this! We miss the beauty of being exactly where we are, glorifying God, and giving 100% of ourselves to the people around us, which is indeed what we were created to do.

God uses all things and all circumstances for HIS glory... and here is something else that is vitally important- we are reminded in the Word that even when life seems full to the fullest of difficult circumstances, we are encouraged, IN all things give thanks, even when we're not thankful FOR all the things going on. There is a difference. Just as happiness is temporary, while joy remains through all things.

Our joy increases daily, and God's sovereignty becomes our saving grace and our hiding place.

In light of that, today is the day to embrace living in the view of eternity, right now in this moment, loving others unconditionally and honoring God through all things.

A Week of Joy

It has been several days since I've had the time to stop and write and there is lots to share! God is faithful!...

The month of September here is the month that they celebrate their independence, and Tuesday was "Dia de Independencia". Myself and some of my family went to Heredia which is one of the bigger cities near where we live in Barrio Jesus. We got really lucky and got on the bus right before a huge crowd of students... it was insane, the buses were so packed! Usually in Costa Rica the celebrate Independence Day with lots of parades and parties, but this year the government cancelled everything to prevent the spread of the flu. BUT, it wouldn't be Costa Rica if they didn't have the parades anyway... When we got to Heredia, there were people everywhere. It was crazy!!! I really didn't know what to expect, but we started to walk toward the parades and began to hear the sound of music. There were children walking down the street carrying flags, playing drums, dancing, or playing bells. It was SO beautiful and reminded me of all the parades we marched in, in high school. I really enjoyed being able to see people in another country, participate in something that I have only even seen in my own country. The people here love their "mother land" (if you will) and they are all about celebrating extravagantly. The people of Costa Rica are also very passionate and it shows in the way they play, talk, drink, walk, everything.

I think the most interesting part of the day was trying to maneuver through the crowd. Insanity! There are some great pictures on facebook that will enhance what little I have tried to explain here.

Then on Wednesday morning, I had my second week of volunteering at the Elderly Home. It was my first day taking the bus by myself and I caught the first bus to Santa Barbara at 7:00. Needless to say, I was a little freaked out about going by myself, especially because I didn't know which bus I needed to take from Santa B. to San Juan. But as always, God is incredibly faithful and I found a nice bus driver that knew where I was going and reminded me when I needed to get off. I definitely looked like the white "gringo" girl, at 7 in the morning. When I got to the home, I helped the cook, Carmen, wash the dishes from breakfast and then we began to prepare lunch. I am learning to peel potatoes with a VERY large (sharp) knife. The first time I tried this, I got laughed at, but i'm finally getting the hang of it, and I haven't cut any of my fingers off (yet!) Just joking.

Many of the people that live there are very very old and unable to move very much. Because of this they sit for most of the day in the same spot, which just breaks my heart. There is one little lady in particular, named Luisa, that I just adore. She is 92 years old and sits in wheel chair, eyes closed and unable to move on her own. I had the absolute delight of sitting with her for a little while and holding a carton of apple juice for her to drink. As I looked at her and smiled, it was a though God was trying to remind me to love her the way I would love my own grandmother. It was beautiful. She was able to talk to me, which absolutely made my day, and I could tell that the longer we talked, the livelier she got. Praise God! Sharing joy is so humbling and God burdened my heart for these people before I even got to Costa Rica... I pray continuously for an avenue into their lives, and God has given me a peace that He is there and as my heart is opened up to love them, their hearts receive that love.

Yesterday (Friday) we spent the day in the capital city of San Jose, learning about the churches, the parks, and the homes, and shopping in the street markets. It was a lot of fun to be on our own in such a busy city and we enjoyed finding all sorts of neat things! For lunch though we decided we needed some American eatin' and so we ate at Pizza Hut. I'm not sure I've ever enjoyed the taste of pizza so much. Ha! We were starving after a 4 hour tour and so it just hit the spot. Tomorrow (Sunday) we're going back to San Jose for a production of "Romeo y Julieta" at the Teatro Nacional. It's going to be wonderful!

On the way home last night I had a beautiful encounter on the bus with a woman named Annie who sat down next to me with her two-year old son Stewart. She and I talked for the 25 minutes that we were on the bus together, and as we were riding, she told me about her life, and about her child. Stewart, who is 2 years and 7 months old, looks like he's about a year old. He was born at 6 months and has lots of health issues. I realized as I sat there that I needed to tell this woman that I would be praying for her and her son, and I didn't know how. Wow. Somehow we managed to communicate that and there was such a joy between us. It's amazing to me that when God calls us to share with someone, He always provides the right words, even in another language. She really ministered to my heart and for one of the first times I felt like I was really doing what God sent me here to do- to love the people of Costa Rica and pray. I can't really explain why this situation was different from any of the other encounters I've had... but it really touched my heart.

I am reminded again this week that our purpose here is to glorify God, whether through cutting up potatoes, walking through the streets of a busy city, or taking the time to speak a few words of kindness to the people around us, we are called to quiet our hearts and listen to the voice of a God that wants to use us to love the world. If we would only just slow down long enough to stop and realize that HE is Lord of all and we exist to glorify.

Let Us Stop and Pray

Let us stop today, and pray for the people around the world that daily live for the good of others, that give of themselves in service to our country but seem to remain forgotten to most of our world. These people are soldiers, mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, friends, and our family in Christ.

We believe in a God of restoration and love, who is above all things and able to do more than we could ever imagine. His power among our nations is unfathomable

"God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah"

-Psalm 146:1, 7-11

Don't forget about our men and women overseas. Don't forget about the people around the world that God created in His image that don't know Him. Don't forget that God loves YOU more than anything and that His son died as a ransom for your life.

Stop and pray today, and marvel at God's faithfulness when we lift others up to Him in prayer.

Abuelo ha regresado! (Abuelo has returned!)

When I got here two weeks ago (I can hardly believe that it has been two weeks!) the grandfather of our family was not here because he was in New York with one of his daughters. He had been gone for 3 months when I arrived here. However, Thursday he came back to Costa Rica! What excitement there was in my house for his return. However, the same day he arrived, was the last day that our friend Rob from England was going to be here. He has lived in my house for a year and is part of this family! Rob left Friday morning, and so Thursday night was full of mixed emotions.

In Costa Rica they celebrate everything with a "fiesta", especially when someone is leaving, or when someone is returning. Abuela made the same soup that she made for Rob's birthday, the day I got here, and they grilled meat. The soup is made with white beans, carrots, meat, and potatoes. It's quite good.

So because of all of this, we had upwards of 20 some people in our house, with lots of music and talking. It was great to finally meet Abuelo, and when he arrived, Abuela was instantly a million times happier than she had been for all the time I had been here. They still love each other so much and what a beautiful thing it is to see them together!

And through all of this, I have discovered that the beauty of Costa Rica lies in the hearts of the people here and how deeply they value the relationships they have with the people around them. This was shown to me on Friday morning when we all got up at 5:30 am to say goodbye to Rob. It was like someone died... there were so many people in our house and everyone was crying. They love Rob as their own child, brother, and friend, and how sad it was that he had to leave!

What a blessing though to live with such a family and I look forward to the connection that I will form with this people and to the things that God has planned. It is sometimes difficult to know how to share Christ with these people, because I am still working on knowing their language, but God provides abundantly and I have been reminded to not worry. I also am reminded that sharing Christ with people doesn't always mean talking exactly about Christ, but is demonstrated in the way we live our lives, the way we love, forgive, and share of everything we have. This is a life lived on Christ's behalf, to bring Him glory and share His love.

How Great is our God

I had a small encounter yesterday that comforted my heart and left me in awe:

I have been feeling so strange for the last week or so, mostly because of the absence of a the body of Christ right now due to my change of locations, but also because I have not been in worship in almost two weeks. Worship is the time that I am able to really quiet my heart and sing and lay my heart before the Lord, be challenged, and be changed- and I have been missing that.

Yesterday though, Cole and I were working at the Soup Kitchen, recycling cans and I started to hear music coming from the kitchen that I recognized. I stopped what I was doing as I realized that it was the song "How Great is Our God" in Spanish. Tears just started to roll down my cheeks and at that moment it was like God just wrapped His arms around me and said "I am here, don't worry." I realized that I miss more than anything the feeling of surrender that I find in worship and my heart is so greatly longing to just cry out to God in song! But in that moment He reminded me that HE is NEVER far, He's always there, right by our side. And there is such a beauty and purity in hearing a familiar worship song in another language. Even if you don't the words or understand anything that they're saying, you know the tune of the song, and you know that they are worshipping, and for a few minutes I was able to stop and worship too.

We all worship God in different languages and in different ways, but we all speak one thing in common- LOVE. For me, God reveals His love for me through those small moments where He reaches into my heart and comforts me with His words.

"How great is our God, sing with me, how GREAT is our God, and ALL will see how Great, how Great is our God. Name above all names, worthy of all praise, my heart will sing how Great is our God!"

take some time today to be quiet and worship. surrender you heart to God and be amazed as he just wraps His arms around you and give you the exact kind of comfort and assurance that you are seeking. He truly is a great God.

There is LIFE in the WORD

"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

-Isaiah 40:28-31

I have been struggling over these last 4 or 5 days to not stumble. I have felt so drained and tired, partially from being sick this past weekend, but mostly from missing home and the fellowship of believers. I am trying to remember that the first weeks are the hardest, and God vividly brought those verses to my mind. I had not thought to them in a long time, and there were in my mind as soon as I began to pray the other day... I love how fresh the word of God is when HE places it in our minds and in our hearts. This then leads me to think of Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." And here stands the conviction in my mind- put the Word of God in your heart, commit it to your mind, because what goes into your head, goes into your heart... and the Word of God will guard you.

And I must share something amazing that just happened... Lindsay and I are sitting here at the Institute in the common area, and I have "God of Wonders" playing on my computer and Linds and I are singing to it, and this girl (from Germany) across the room says "I know that song! My friends in America listen to it very often!" So we start talking to her some more and it turns out that she lived for a year in Raleigh, and listened to a lot of Christian music. What an incredible encouragement and reminder from God that even when we least expect it, HE is there. Always.

How strong is the Word!

Today was the first day of our "real" volunteer projects and I must say I was scared out of my mind when we left the Institute this morning! Only to make matters worse, we were riding in the same car that I got horribly car sick in last week. Ha! Glory to God, we got there in one piece and I didn't get sick! I am working at the "Hogar de Ancianos" or the House for the Elderly. In Latin America the elders of the community are high regarded and admired and as a result of this, the grandparents ALWAYS live with their families. However, the people I am working with are those that don't have any family to care for them, or are too sick to live at home. It was almost culture shock all over again to walk into that place and see such sickness and sadness, especially in a country with much less wealth than the US and speaking a different language. Many of them have Alzheimer's or some brain degenerative disease.

I was given a short tour of the place, and introduced to all of the residents. My heart just broke. I don't know that I have ever felt so saddened for such a group... I spent the morning in the kitchen there, chopping up star fruit that they made into juice (interesting...), and cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes for salad. i'm fairly certain the cook was laughing at me when i was peeling the cucumbers...I spent most of the time by myself actually because the cook kept leaving the room, which gave me time to process all of it. It is so interesting to be in a place like this, where I will only be for a limited amount of time, but with the knowledge that during that time, I will be forming relationships with all of these people. God really reminded me of the hope of His salvation in that each one of those elderly people was created perfectly in HIs image, He knows them, and He desires for me to work with them on His behalf. I was reminded also that even when peeling cucumbers, I should have the mindset that I am doing the task for God. I stand humbled, with this in mind "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" Colossians 3:17

God has begun a good work here, now I need to pray for the faith to carry out with the right attitude, trusting that He has the plan. Glory to God.

theres only Grace.

After a long weekend, I can't help but smile.

Despite everything, God's is so incredibly gracious, I can hardy believe it.

We went Friday morning to "The Canopy" where spent a couple of hours doing a zipline tour through part of the Costa Rican Rainforest. Our guides were ticos- Eliecer and Ricardo and it was the first time that I had been given instructions for an activity like that in spanish. I think some of the safety guidelines got lost in translation, but who cares! Pura Vida! (Lindsay and Cole poke fun at me because I remember names so easily, but names are important to me.)

*** A side note: Two common phrases here are "Pura Vida!" and "Tuanis". They both mean "anything goes" or "everything is great" or "whatever" and describe the way of life here. Time is not a concept here. People don't wear watches and being late for anything is almost expected. It's what they call "Tico time". They are more concerned about the people they're with and what they're doing than what time it is and if they're going to be late. Cole is obsessed however with saying "Pura Vida"! ***

The tour through the forest was beautiful and we learned so much about how the trees grow. There are even trees with roots that grow outside the tree, in the air, because many years ago, a bird planted the seeds in a nest at the top of the tree, and a new tree was born! How cool! That forest is like a secret world... green, precious, preserved, and free. Protected land is such a gift!

After we finished the tour, we came back to Barrio Jesus (our home) and got ready to leave for our weekend trip to Manuel Antonio National Park, about 4 hours South of where we live. Lindsay's tico dad drives a tour bus and he offered to take us, and four of the German girls that are studying here as well, to the Park. This is where the fun started.... I started to get really sick on the way back from the Canopy... due to the ride in a very small car on very windy roads... road sickness is not my friend. (The four hour drive to Manuel Antonio didn't help the situation!) Hence, by the time we got to Quepos, about 6 miles from the National Park, where were staying, I was not feeling good! But God's provision and timing just blow me away! After trying to translate the word "hostile" in spanish, which NO ONE understood (haha!) we finally found the hostile that our german friends knew about, called "The Wide Mouth Frog". This place turned out to be the most beautiful blessing in disguise.

We got our (super cheap and extremely clean!) rooms and I went to sleep with a fever... while Linsday and Cole when out and got some dinner. I prayed and prayed and prayed on the way to Quepos and once we got there that God would provide and that my body would heal quickly. All Glory to God! He did just that.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling a thousand times better, and we all left together for Manuel Antonio. The day was beautiful and we just marveled at our first sight of Costa Rican beach! Once we got to the park, we began walking and soaking it all in. Not even five minutes into the walk we saw two sloths, and how interesting it was! They look like big balls of fur, and it's almost impossible to see their faces and they move sooooooo slowly. We also saw these very quick crabs that disappeared before we could take pictures of them and then also a howler monkey.

We spent most of the morning though at the beautiful beach. I guess it makes sense that because we're closer to the equator, the sun burns your skin more quickly, but I don't think any of us realized this... oh well! Pura Vida! The ocean was perfect, but the small waves were a little stronger than I realized... I got knocked over more than once! What a good laugh we had! hahaha! After a morning in the perfect water, we decided to go back through the park and eat lunch. This just began a series of unfortunate events that lead to us going back to the hostile and resting for the afternoon.

Earlier Saturday morning I had met four guys from Israel. Itay, Amit, Noy and Hagai (who was traveling with his fiance, Anat). The cool thing about a hostile is that there are many, many students and people from many different places but you can always seem to find someone of your same nationality. These guys met at the hostile and became friends. I spent the evening talking to them and learning about their culture, which fascinated me! There english was very good, but only Itay spoke spanish. What bright people!

There are two things that I absolutely love: people and languages, and there was no shortage of either at this place.

When it was time for dinner, we decided that we would just go down to the store and buy some soup and then come back to the hostile and make it. It is VERY American (according to the my Israelite friends... for some reason i don't like calling them Israelis) to go out to eat every night, and I learned that in many other cultures, it is better to make your own food every night when you are traveling. This way of living is so sustainable and creates a feeling of unity between people that have not know each other for very long. They taught me about their food "shakshuka" (not sure how to write that in Hebrew!) which consists of chopped up tomatoes, onions, red peppers, and eggs. I think it was pretty good!

All in all, the weekend was full of surprises, but God's grace was abundant. He provided fellowship and new friendship and sunshine through the rain. And I am reminded... there's only GRACE.

We exist to glorify... Days 5 and 6 (Wed and Thurs)

SOOOOO Sorry this is SO late! I actually started writing it last week (on Thurs) but haven't been able to post it until today (Mon)... I know it has been awhile since you've heard anything... please forgive me!

Hola mis amigos!

There is schedule here of how our classes go that is pretty different from what we're used to, but makes for really fun times at the end of the week! On Monday and Tuesday we have spanish classes, aka, "brain mush time" (hahaha). Then on Wednesdays and Thursdays we do volunteer work in the morning and have culture classes in the afternoon. Wednesday is cooking class, and Thursday is fruit class.

For our volunteer projects, I will be working at a center for the elderly, Lindsay will be working at the elementary school, and Cole will be giving tours at the Canopy. It's going to be great! We'll each work separately on Wednesday, and then on Thursday we're going to work together at the "Comedor de Ninos" or the Soup Kitchen that feeds many of the children around here.

All of that being said, at cooking class yesterday we made tortillas. They are made with corn flour and water and there is a kind of specific technique for making them round. The joke is that if you can make good tortillas, you can get married. We all can make perfect tortillas! hahaha!

Because our volunteers projects don't technically start until next week, we went together this morning to the soup kitchen. Our friend bryan that was here last semester, worked there, and it was great to see people that knew him. That is one of the most wonderful things here- we already have a connection with these people because they know our friends. We had a wonderful time recycling cans of this red energy drink and we made some wonderful new friends. The day would not have been complete though without our new friend Emmerson, who is 7 (I think) and crazy! He "taught" us his can-smashing technique and was certainly a reminder of joy! We couldn't stop laughing! It was great! We look forward to many more wonderful weeks working there and forming relationships with these new and beautiful people!

Thursday afternoon we had "La Clase De Frutas" in which we learned about and tasted many of the unique Costa Rican fruits. Victor, who also teaches the dance class, teaches this class and he is quite artistic. His fruit arrangements are gorgeous! We tried more than 13 fruits, most of which we did not know before. There were some that were extremely sweet, or sour, and other that were so bitter than one bite was MORE than enough. However, the pineapple here is the richest I have ever tasted. I wish you could taste it too!

Each day brings new and wonderful things, as well as new challenges and learning experiences.

GREAT is the Lord's faithfulness, and His mercies are new every morning! This has been shown to me over and over again, as I have seen God's provision in a new way everyday. From excited children, to humanitarian work, to the opportunity to learn about new food, God's provision is never-ending. Thursday evening we went back to Santa Barbara and ate at the same restaurant we had eaten at earlier in the week and we were talking about what it means to really live a life free of worry, and to recognize how God really does "give us this day our daily bread." Praying before meals has become something even MORE important to me here. Those short prayers are quite moments in my days and a reminder to my heart to always be thankful, no matter what the circumstance.

We exist to glorify and give thanks. Let us not forget the greatness of our God.

The first day of classes! My brain is mush!

Hola!

For a frame of reference, we are two hours behind all of you in the US. just so you know!

There was not time to write yesterday, because we went to Santa Barbara last night to get money and to eat dinner. We had to take the bus to get there which was interesting. If you stand on the right side of the street you are going to Santa Barbara, but if you stand on the left side, you are going to San Jose.

Cole and Lindsay tried to get money out of the ATM on Sunday, and it didn't work, so we went last night with my friend Rebecca, who is from California, and has been here for two months. Their ATM's are part of the bank and there is a separate door for each of them. So, Cole and Lindsay and I all went in together and Lindsay tried her card, and it worked, and she yelled "BINGO!!!!!" because she was so happy that it worked! It was HILARIOUS! The money here is the "colon" or "colones" and the number are in thousands. One dollar is worth about 580 colones.

After we got money, we went to a restaurant and ate dinner. Rebecca and I got this coconut milk drink that was SOOOO good, and a type of taco with chicken and cheese. It was really good, but it was pouring rain the whole time we were in the city! We all laugh SO much when we're together and we love to joke with each other about stuff. It was a wonderful first outing in the city and we had a great time!

Yesterday was all the first day of classes. In the morning we had an Advanced Grammar class with Majella, one of the professors there. It was a lot of review because it was the first day. But it was a great class, it was good to review, and the teacher is so patient and kind. The classes here are three hours long, but the time flies! They have two breaks in the day that they call "recreos", one is at 1o am, and the other at 4 pm. At these times they stop whatever they're doing and they drink coffee and eat cookies. Their coffee is AMAZING. No joke. I will bring some back! I normally don't drink coffee, but i LOVE this stuff!

In the afternoon we had a Costa Rican Spanish Class, to teach us their words. Costa Ricans refer to themselves as "ticos" and so we are learning all the "tico" words. Marco, the founder and director of the school, teaches this class, and we feel SO fortunate to have him as our teacher! It is only the three of us in all the classes, but that is perfect. However, the class with Marco was the most difficult thing in the world. We read a story about a bunny and a tiger (or jaguar) and all of the words were tico words. My brain was MUSH after that class. It is physically and mentally draining to try to translate everything from spanish to english in my head, 6 hours a day in class, and then also at my house.

Today we had a class about the Culture of Costa Rica with Marco's sister, Rebecca. She is a wonderful teacher and it was much easier to understand her and the material. On Tuesday afternoons we have dance class, and today we had a great time learning Salsa, and Pachato (?) and La Cumbia, traditional Costa Rican dances. They are taught by our friend Victor who is about our age and is a fantastic dancer.

Tonight there is another fiesta for Rob at the Institute, the english guy who has lived here for a year. He is going back to England in two weeks and tonight is his goodbye party. Tomorrow we start our volunteer projects. I will be working at the Elderly Care, Linsay will be working at the School or the Day Care, and Cole will be working at the Canopy, giving tours.

God continues to amaze us with His beauty in the creation here. The people are so beautiful, inside and out, and the land is breathtaking as well. Today we met our professor Rebecca's baby, and the Lord is SO evident in the sweet innocence of such a dear child. She is about 6 months old and is so precious.

Pray that there will be opportunities to share Christ with these people. It is evident that many of them do not know Christ, but it is also extremely hard to know what that means to them. I have to keep reminding myself that I have only been here for 4 days and it is necessary to forms relationships with these people and continue to pray.

Christ is alive and I trust that HE is working! How amazing is the power of GRACE. There is nothing like HIS love.

may the God of peace guard your hearts and minds today. Live changed lives!

bendiciones, mis amigos y familia!