One Week More

Saturday marked 14 weeks of Costa Rican goodness, and tomorrow marks 1 week until we fly home to the people we deeply love and miss.

The emotions are mixed... there is a certain sadness to saying goodbye to our new families and wonderful friends, but an certain joy in returning home to our loved ones.

Herein lies a beautiful truth- the love of God transcends space and time. He is above all that goes on here, all that we do and hope for and wait for. God was here before we were in Costa Rica, and will be here long after we have gone. It is the same in our homes in the US. We will return to the arms of our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and dearest friends- a homecoming that has long been anticipated and will be a sweet reunion.

One of the truest blessings of this experience is that we have grown to learn how truly we appreciate the people we have spent the first part of our lives with. And now, our families have expanded to include the people of Costa Rica- an incredible breed that God created with the most loving of Spirits.

The question has been continually ask in the last few weeks- "What is the first thing you're going to do when you return?"

my response:

run into the arms of my mother and Trevor.

take my shoes off and dig my toes into the carpet in my bedroom.

then eat a frosty with my mom.

GO TO CHURCH and worship the Lord.

lindsay jo's response:

i'm going to hug my parents!

and go to church.

cole's response:

eat chik-fil-a.

after i hug my family (of course).

we would also like to point out that it does NOT feel like Christmas! The weather here is still 80-85 degrees everyday, even though it is very windy. Cole pointed out that he never realized until we got here how much cold weather makes it feel like Christmas time.

we're looking forward to sweaters ("yay sweaters!" says Lindsay), scarves, fireplaces and coldness. lindsay commented earlier that Christmas is going to smack us in the face when we get back- it definitely has NOT sunk in yet. however, my tico family has decorated the house, Christmas trees in every home and icicle lights all around the outside of my house. i'll be sure to take a picture. Christmas is a very extravagant holiday for them as far as decorating, but they're crazy about using the same decorations every year and they take really good care of them. at the same time though, they don't do tree ornaments the way we do. the ornaments are all the same and everything on the tree matches and looks beautiful.

i would just like to point out that we are currently listening to Whitney Houston belt out Christmas music, as we sit outside together. cole is playing "air tambourine" and lindsay and belting it. we're having a good time :]

so maybe we should stop taking for granted the people we spend everyday with?!

THAT is what i have learned.

after 3 and a half months away from my parents, brothers and sisters, friends and boyfriend, i have never appreciated them more. and while sometimes it takes going away for awhile to appreciate what you had all along, i will never see my life in the States the same way.

God has shown me the beauty of everyday being a new day.

My way of life has changed- everyday is a chance to live and love.

Thank you Costa Rica, it's been real.

The Adventure of a Lifetime

After 12 weeks of time here, 3 whole months of Costa Rica, I experienced for the first time something about this country that I will never forget-

the rainforest.

Saturday morning Cole, Lindsay and I met at my house at 5:15 am to catch 3 buses with our friend Eliecer who works with Cole, to Sarapiqui a small little place in the southern part of the country. We arrived there mid morning and bought groceries then headed out the a Refuge, in the middle of the rainforest.

This place is like nothing else I've seen in real life. It's a two story open style house of sorts, with the traditional stove and everything is made of wood. This is Costa Rica. It literally sits smack in the middle of the rainforest, surrounded by ever kind of wildlife you can imagine. On the second level are rooms with bunkbeds, but everything is open to the air, the bugs and everything.

Saturday day we made lunch and then spent some time relaxing after the almost hour walk to get to the place, carrying really heavy bags of groceries.

The man who built this place is Joani, the Costa Rican version of a mountain man... except he's like "rainforest man". The spirit in this man is absolutely incredible. He lives there alone and takes care of the forest. He can tell you the call of every bird, frog, animal, tree species, and everything. But the most unique thing about him is his incredible conviction for taking care of the earth- his spirit is connected to everything he lives with and they live with the mindset that every resource is usable to it's fullest extent. Waste not, want not. They use every little last bit of what they have, and waste nothing. Fruit and vegetable rinds are organic and get thrown back into the words to be eaten by the animals and the birds... bags and bottles are reused, and there is one light bulb in the place- and candles.

Can you imagine what our world would look like if we all lived in a way that conserved the earth and all the resources we have been given?

Saturday night we took a little walk... to go fishing. We ended up in the area that looked like a fairy tale... lots of little colored trees planted nicely, a fishing pond, a hillside pasture of cows and another outdoor kitchen, clean as it could be, with costa rican women preparing dinner. It was wild. We used coke bottle as fishing rods to catch the tilapia living in the pond, to eat for dinner. After the sun went down, and we'd been fishing for hours, Eliecer came to get us to eat dinner and I cast my line one more time... and I caught a fish. It was awesome.

If you've never had TRULY fresh, fried fish before, you won't understand how delicious this was, especially in the middle of the Costa Rican rainforest, prepared by Costa Rican women that were born with a perfect sense for cooking. It was SOOO good. Fried tilapia, fresh salad, platanos and yuca. Yum! We sat after dinner and talked for a long time with Joani, his brother Henri and Eliecer, about protecting resources and about God. It is incredible to me how the Lord just opens door to share His Word and to share our stories. He certainly was working.

We spent the night just hanging out and talking and then off to bed... with bats and cockroaches the size of our hands. wow. It is definitely an adventure!

Sunday morning we got up, fixed breakfast and then headed into the forest for a hike of sorts. It was breathtaking. There is no way to describe how beautiful and green everything is and how REAL it is. You are really in the rainforest. wow. It's always raining there and so mud is inevitable, and we had a great time laughing as we all kept sliding. You HAVE to wear mud boots here. Have to. and we did. The Sarapiqui River runs through the forest and it's beautiful. After a couple hours of hiking and adventuring, we headed back to camp, grabbed some kayaks and went back down to the river.

Needless to say, I'm not the worlds best kayaker... but we laughed so hard that the whole experience was worth it. Trying to paddle up-stream is not exactly my forte. We floated down the river a-ways, but Cole was too big for his kayak and was loosing circulation in his legs, and none of us were crazy about the idea of paddling all the way back up-stream, so we stopped to pull the kayaks out. However, this was a different place from where we entered the water, with a very steep and muddy slope. We were laughing so hard as we each tried to climb up and kept sliding right back down the slope, it was great, and our socks are ruined forever. Haha.

Lindsay and I were carrying one kayak together, Eliecer had the two smallest one, and Cole was pulling his, and it was like one steep hill after another, with so much mud, and people slipping... what a sight! But somehow here in Costa Rica, everything always works out and we got back to camp in no time- covered in mud. We washed everything then started making lunch and were joined by Joani and a couple of his friends. it was a great time- costa rican food, music and people. All in all we saw poison dart frogs, green tree frogs, monkeys and tons of birds. It was unreal.

The reality is that everyday is a gift- a precious opportunity to share everything that we have, for the Glory of God, because HE alone deserves our very best.

These are people I will never forget- unbreakable bonds, and a place that I will be returning to someday. Praise God for His glorious creation and how we are a part of it... we need to start taking better care of it though.

Think today about the things you use on a regular basis-

water

electricity/ energy

packaging

paper

food

cleaning products

clothing/ linens

How can we live in a way that takes care of the things we have and doesn't completely waste them? Ultimately, what we do today affects the rest of the world for the rest of eternity- it all builds on itself. Take fewer showers, use less toilet paper, eat more vegetables and buy fewer pre-packaged products (they're bad for you anyway!). Drink water instead of buying bottled drinks- and use a re-usable water bottle instead of always buying one. When you travel- take things with you like a fork and spoon and biodegradable soap.

Be conscious of the world around you, and thankful for all that we have.

Praise God from whom all blessings truly flow.

A Revelation of Sorts... 11/16/09

I wrote this on Monday of this week as an email that I sent to many of my friends and family. I felt like it should be put here as well and further shared, to inspire conversation and personal thought...

Having perused facebook today, there is an inundation of people talking about the meteor shower tonight... and i sat here thinking about it, and wether or not it will be visible from Costa Rica, God slammed me in the face with this:

what if the Spirit of God was as overwhelming and overtaking as the meteor shower that's supposed to happen tonight? what if everyone's facebook statuses said "going to worship the Lord" or "Look what our God can do" or "Christ is life" or "I'll never be the same"?

what's amazing is that the Spirit of God is already doing that, and He doesn't need our help- but He just created us to be that way. We were created solely to share our testimonies with the world- how we have been changed, redeemed, convicted, pursued and BOUGHT WITH A PRICE. We are here to glorify, forgive, humble ourselves, and LOVE.

what if we started living like Christ was as "cool" and important as that meteor shower that everyone is staying awake for tonight, that will only last for less that ONE DAY- and actually made a big deal about living with life-changing faith. We were created by and live for a God that conquered the grave, daily has VICTORY over death, and will reign for ETERNITY.

Just imagine what this world would look like.

God created awesome things like meteor showers to display His glory... but we so often see the stars and not the Majesty.

so what's the big deal about a meteor shower... tell me about how JESUS is daily changing your life.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15

thoughts anyone? What has God done for YOU?

Praise God, worship His name, Glorify the Giver of Life and Salvation. Surely HE is worthy.

Unify.

I find myself again, in complete awe of the love of Christ.

Let's just soak that in for a second... we believe in a God that loves us and pours His joy out into our lives everyday. We serve THAT God! Hallelujah!

There is a song by Hillsong United called "Unify" and it just describes it exactly:

"The whole earth falls to it's knees at the sound of Your Beautiful Name, and all the voices in the world unify today to bring You this song of praise!

This weekend was one of the most pivotal times I have had here. In my volunteer work at the Comedor, I met a family that goes to an evangelical church in Santa Barbara, really close to here. They invited me to come with them and so Sunday morning I got up, got ready and then took the bus into S.B. I was supposed to meet them on the bus, but they weren't there, and so when I got to the city I just stood and waited for a loooong time. I was standing next to the Catholic Church, thinking to myself "Well, I guess I could just go to the Catholic Church, but I'm not Catholic... Dear God, please help me find Jorge!"

No less than 6 seconds later, Jorge comes walking across the street. My goodness God is good.

We walked to the church and he introduced me to a mountain of wonderful, Costa Rican people that were just beaming. There is a spirit of hospitality here that is just amazing.

The service started and I was glad to see a praise band made up of young people. I was reminded of all the time I spent in praise band and it was neat to be lead in worship by people my own age. The first chords of the first song started and I almost began to cry, they were playing "Come Now Is The Time To Worship", in Spanish. If that's not a call to open up your heart, I don't know what is. It was in that moment as if God had just reached down His arms and wrapped them around me... I knew the song and I could worship. They also played "Trading My Sorrows" and "Open the Eyes of My Heart", songs I've known since I was a child.

Whats amazing is that I have prayed, before I got here, and for the 9 weeks we have been here, to find a church family, and while we only have a very short time here, God provided in an incredible way. I then spent the morning in a young adult sunday school class, talking about Matthew 28, the Great Commission. The youth pastor is a young guy with a wonderful gift for presenting the truth of the gospel to young people in a way that makes so much sense and restores hope for this generation. We had a great talk about what it means to live for Christ, to share Him with others and to know the truth.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. He is an amazing God, loving toward all He has made and jealous for our hearts. In HIS time, HE provides.

Please be encouraged and in whatever you're going through, wherever you are, however you feel, nothing can steal your joy because "the Lord is near." (phillipians 4:5) and "if God is for us, who can be against us?" We truly are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (romans 8)

I am praying for the revelation of Christ in this generation, in this place.

thank you for your prayers and for believing that God is faithful to do the things He has promised. Oh how He loves us... that is amazing.

His named be praised for how awesome He is!

Be humble and give thanks.

Today is quite possibly one of the most beautiful days we have had here, despite the heat. As we move from winter to summer here, the sunshine changes, it's golden hue becoming more brilliant and filling every nook and cranny of this tropical wonderland. We just spent the morning in the "Inbioparque" or the "Bio Park" and it was one of the best experiences here to date. We spent time with butterflies, frogs, fish and beautiful green tropical forest... and on a day like today, life doesn't get much better.

And now for some insight into a somewhat common problem here in Costa Rica, that as Americans we have little to no concept of...

It is near impossible for the people here to get visas and because of that, many of the ticos have a negative view of American's. Why is it so difficult to visit our country? First we have the issue of illegal immigration, and foreigners simply wanting the visa to get into our country and then put down roots. But what about for a 5 year old little girl who wants to go visit her family and our government refuses to grant her a visa? This happened in my family today, and the anger and disappointment was stifling.

We have no clue how easy life is for us. Absolutely no clue. As Americans we can travel practically anywhere with only having to wait a (relatively) very short time to get a passport that costs us roughly $100. To even apply for a visa to visit our country, without any guarantee that it will be granted to you, costs $200- and thats a lot of money here in Costa Rica.

Just be grateful.

Stop and tell people you love them.

Rebuild your burnt bridges.

Find ways to bless others daily.

Take those fleeting moments to reach out your hand and help someone else.

Be a part of our world.

Remember that rainy days nourish our land and give us a deeper appreciation for the sunshiny ones.

Be humble and give thanks.

Week 9, here we come!

It was another week full of the glory of God, and I regret that I am only writing one blog a week. Free time here has become somewhat limited and when I do have time, I try to talk to my family!

We are at a point of convergence in our semester, where Brevard College and Costa Rica collide... time to sign up for Spring semester classes and figure out housing etc... Right now there are fall concerts at school, the fall school musical and the brilliant changing of seasons as we near the cool month of November, and the beautiful time of year where we come together with our families for a meal of Thanksgiving... my FAVORITE time of year. It seems to me that many people love autumn, but why? I think there is something in all of us that acknowledges the beauty of the world as the air gets cooler, we enjoy friday night football, hikes and hot chocolate, and the fact that we believe in a creative God, who displays His creativity in a completely different way through the changing of the seasons.

I think we love fall because we have just finished our hot and humid summers, and are looking forward to Christmas, but not there yet. It is indeed beautiful and rather inspiring.

However, let me explain to you what Costa Rica is like this time of year.

The months that are considered our "summer" in America, are their "winter" or "rainy season" months here in Costa Rica. It is much like a day in June, where the air is warm all day and slightly humid, and then in the afternoon we enjoy a nice downpour that cleanses everything and leaves the air cooler and more refreshing. I wake up to sunshine almost every single day, and enjoy breakfast with my Costa Rican grandparents and the 1 year old grandson, and I don't even have American grandparents. It's a true blessing. I walk to school in the morning heat, just warm enough to be comfortable in a t-shirt and jeans... and then watch as the day unfolds itself- more rays of sun and warmer air, perfect for swimming or playing outside. And it's like this everyday. Come 1 pm though, the rain appears and takes over everything, and depending on the day, it might rain until we go to bed and all night, or clear up just in time for a breathtaking sunset that we see right as we're walking home in the afternoon.

I have all but forgotten about winter clothes and Friday night football, but instead my head is full of the newest Spanish I learned today and the homework I have to do tomorrow... while playing with all the kids in the house and listening to the heated latino conversations going on in the living room.

And I realize, as I seem to always be remembering or realizing something, that no matter where you are or what time of year it is, God is working, He is alive, His Spirit is true and present and the life-changing power of the Gospel continues to inspire hearts.

Yesterday we went to a "First Communion" for one of the cousins in the family, and I was reminded of what it means to have a true relationship with Christ- one that is not based in tradition and the things we "have to do" but rather built and established in faith and love. God has burdened my heart for the children of this country, that they would have a different path than the generations before them, and grow to be men and women of righteousness and truth. This culture (as with many cultures) wants to teach them otherwise, but their potential is astounding. Children are the future of our world.

Just something that is on my heart.

Thank you for your prayers for this country and for reading. God be praised for His faithfulness and righteousness, and may He be with each one of you today in Spirit and in Truth.

"We stand and lift up our hands, for the JOY of the Lord, is our strength..."

I don't have many more radically different things to share, as we have now been here for 7 weeks and have established a routine, but I can say that...

I bungee jumped. twice.

Now, for those of you that have known me for any length of time, I probably don't seem like the bungee type, but somehow I have come to a place of "no fear", or so it seems. Walking up to the bridge and looking over the edge into the ravine below only propelled me further to wanting to do it... and the excitement, anticipation and adrenaline combined were enough to keep my mind from thinking too much about it. I jumped the first time frontwards, and just imagined I was a bird. The moment of ultimate panic sets in though about 2 seconds after your feet leave the platform, when your poor little body has the sudden realization that you are flying through the air with nothing around you... and then the bungee catches you. And you fly back up in the air. And down again. It's like a roller-coaster of sorts, but more dangerous? Don't really know. The second time I jumped was a complete surprise because the video didn't work the first time, so they "let" me jump again. ha. And to be a bit more daring, I jumped backwards. That is one of the most terrifying and exhilarating experiences. The sensation is definitely stronger when you can't see where you're falling!!! Took my heart a little longer to recover after that one...

Needless to say, the experience was one of a kind. The only thing I can liken it to is being on the back of a horse that is running a little faster than you want it to when you don't know exactly what you're doing and you're slipping out of the saddle. Excitement and panic at the same time.

But I have this theory that the things that we tell ourselves we can't do are indeed the very things we need to be doing, because when we push ourselves outside of our comfort zone, we GROW!

That only then reminds me of what it means to live in a "comfort zone" and for all of us that looks different. Comfort zones are those places where we live daily in this place of being content, around people we like and get along with, doing this that come easily or are obligations, like going to work or school, and then coming home to enjoy time with our families and friends... But I remember in my first days of college being challenged to live outside my comfort zone, expanding my view of the world and of myself by doing things and talking to people that pushed me to a place of uncertainty. Force yourself to grow!

But I think that reality in all of this is that as a person daily pursuing the Lord, He calls us to live in the uncomfortable places, because as soon as we get comfortable, we have lost our effectiveness as witnesses for the gospel. Our examples are men like Paul, who endured every kind of persecution, and King David, who devoted so much of himself to the Lord that even when he fell away, He was able to see how God was refining him, and His love of the Lord grew ever more fervently. Other examples include Ruth, who left her home land to follow the calling God had for her, Daniel in the Lion's den, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, Moses in challenging the Pharoah of Egypt, the Disciples and the list goes on..

And then we look to Jesus, who did everything that counteracted the "norm" of his time. He was truly one of a kind, and when He wasn't adored as a teacher or healer or leader, He was despised and hated, spat upon and persecuted. His example of living "outside the comfort zone" puts all of us to shame, but is the ultimate source of encouragement. He endured the cross, died as the atonement for all our sin, but then was raised from the dead. A life of being "uncomfortable" exchanged for the Crown of Glory.

Is there anything greater? I challenge you today, as I challenge myself, to make a new friend, listen to that urge in your heart when you see someone that needs help, spend more time finding ways to bless others because we have been tremendously blessed.

Also, Santiago, the little one living in my house, is one of the most incredible blessings in my life. He has learned to say "agua" (water), along with "mama" and "papa", and he's really good at pounding on my door first thing in the morning. It's adorable. He blows everyone kisses and gives the sweetest hugs. I love to watch as God is growing him up, it is truly a miraculous thing!

I also wrote about a month ago about a sweet elderly woman that I work with named Luisa. Two weeks ago, she passed away from a brain tumor. She was a delicate and beautiful woman, who had all but lost the ability to speak and spent most of her time in pain, sleeping in a rocking chair. I do however believe that God ordains all things for His purpose and I feel that I met her for no other reason than to love her and keep her memory alive. She left an imprint on my heart.

This is week 8, 7 more to go, halfway there. I miss you all and love you dearly! God has been incredibly faithful here, and at home, through the stories I have heard. Keep following hard after Him! I am praying and I covet your prayers.

Praise be to the Lord, our Great God.

"Today we remember to live and to love..."

At the end of another beautiful week, I can hardly believe that we have completed a month and a half of our journey here. I apologize again that is has been a long time since I have had time to write... I am spending less time on my computer and more time with the people that God has put in my life.

We had another great week of our regular schedule of class and volunteering and it's becoming obvious that we have grown exponentially in our language skills. Lindsay, Cole and I were talking the other day about how for the first time we can just listen and understand the conversation without having to intensely focus and hang on every word. There is a certain exhaustion that comes from working to understand and comprehend the Spanish language, 24-7.

This week 10 new German students arrived. Needless to say, of the 30 students already at the school, 27 of them are German and so 10 more Germans was just icing on the cake. I would just like everyone to know.... WE DON'T SPEAK GERMAN. Try being in another country, where you already don't quite speak the national language, and then hearing yet another language that makes NO sense. It's rather comical most days.

I give God the glory though for how He has allowed us to learn and grow and the incredible ways that He has answered prayers. My American house sister Rebecca and I have been spending a lot more time out every night, getting to know some of her friends better and God has opened some beautiful doors. We sat in our neighborhood bar "Malibu" the other night and God provided two opportunities to share Him with folks around me.

I am continuously amazed by His faithfulness. I have also learned that I daily forget and fail to look for the ways that He answers prayers, which only further propels me into this place that I don't need to be, and so when I finally open my eyes to the light that has been illuminating the outside my eyelids the whole time, I realize that God has been working His good and glory here all along and I chose to be blind to it. In praying for community the Lord has begun to bring people into our daily lives, people that challenge me to plant my feet even more firmly in the truth that grows daily in my heart. I am reminded that living "in" the world, means constantly fighting against living "of" the world, with the world. There is a dissonant harmony that exists because we are called to love, but not to settle, to be sowers of peace and righteousness, but not to succumb to the lies of sin and human nature.

We also journey out this week to the capital city of San Jose for the opening night of the National Guitar Festival in Costa Rica. It was one of my favorite experiences here so far... reminded me so much of being back at Brevard at a concert, or in Winston in the Steven's Center. As we sat down and waited before the concert began, the audience was asked to stand as the President of Costa Rica was seated. The President was there!!! He sat up in the front and he even got up to speak before the show started. That in itself was absolutely worth going to the concert. However, the music was nothing short of spectacular and brought me back to memories of watching my friends at school last spring. The performer was Jose Luis Martinez from Spain and he arranged or wrote all of the music that was played. Accompanied by an ensemble of brass and woodwinds, I was in heaven. One of the things I miss most here is being part of a group of musicians, and being able to worship God through music. What a blessing that opportunity was though.

To conclude...

Pray and pray big. God lives within us and we doubt His ability to move and work and reveal His glory. It's not the other way around... He doesn't refuse to hear our prayers and then life doesn't work out the way we want it to. Not it. The beautiful reality is that He is faithful, despite our resistance and laziness. Even when we fall down on the job, He arms firmly lift us back up, and then He walks beside us as we remember what it means to use our legs and walk, and then run, in the light of the glory of God.

In the words of Christian worship band Superchick in their song "We Live":

"We live, we love, we forgive and never give up, cause the days we are given are gifts from above and today we remember to live and to love."

How do we live... and who do we live for?

A jumble of things

The longer I'm here, the more time there seems to be between the time that I write. Sorry for that! Life just gets crazy busy and then before I know it I find myself with a mountain of things to write about and the realization that I can't remember the last thing I blogged about. I'm working on it!

First things first- THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed and is praying. Your prayers are felt here and God is working. He has opened some beautiful doors to share His gospel with the people here and He has strengthened my spirit, which I know is in part due to the prayers of the Body. I pray for you all as well and trust that God is working where you are. That is the absolute beauty of the body of Christ, no matter where we are, we are still able to function when we answer the call to "spur one another one towards love and good works" and pray.

And on to the recent news here...

We spent last weekend in Tortuguero, an island about four hours from here. Because it's an island, we had to take a boat to get there and I have never experienced anything quite like it. There are no vehicles in Tortuguero, only bicycles, and so the boat we took was only transporting people... it was so interesting. After about an hour and 20 minutes we got there and it was as though we had stepped into yet another world. Imagine a place with no automobiles, lots of adorable little children running around, beach, river, and turtles. Friday night we went with a guide to beach to "try" to see some turtles. I was told by my friends that had been there before that this activity was a waste of time because they didn't see any turtles... however, God blessed us with the gift of being able to see a huge momma turtle laying her eggs. It was absolutely fascinating. We had to wait until she had created her nest, because as soon as the turtles begin to lay their eggs, they go into a trance and are not disturbed by any outside noise or noisy white people :] haha. We also got to see another turtle return to the ocean after laying her eggs, and the grandeur of such a huge creature being swallowed back up into the ocean was remarkable.

After such an evening, I was even more in awe of the work of the Lord. The very same God that created each of us, created those beautiful sea turtles and He displays His glory through them.

Saturday we spent the day hanging out, having a "Pura Vida" day as well call it. We decided that we would make lunch together instead of going out to eat somewhere, and so Cole, Linds and I hit up the grocery store and bought stuff to make our very own tortillas and Pico de Gallo. Using corn flower, Cole and I made hand made tortillas while Lindsay cut up tomatoes, cilantro and lime for the Pico de Gallo. We also love avocado and so you can bet we had some of those too. In the end, we more than enjoyed a homemade lunch, using our "tico" knowledge of their food... it was delicious and one of the highlights of the weekend. We spent the rest of the day napping and then walking through all of the little stores there. The word in Costa Rica for "stuff" is "chunche" and so we call all the stores "chunche stores" because none of them seem to be selling anything specific, just stuff!

Sunday morning we went to breakfast and as we sat down to eat, we experienced a tremendous Costa Rican rainstorm. It was beautiful and entertaining to watch people running through the rain, until it was our turn to go back to the cabins where we were staying... needless to say, with a 4 hour bus ride in front of us, "soakin' wet" was the LAST thing I wanted to be, and so Cole ran the grocery store and bought big trash bags which my friend Franka and I put over our heads and made a dash for it. (see my current blog picture for a good laugh)

God also blessed us with a beautiful new friend in a two year old boy named Joshua. We ate two meals in the restaurant that his family owns, and he accompanied us both times, making himself at home at our table and adding an immense of joy to our hearts. He has the tiniest most adorable little voice, and the first night he had a toy Pinochio that was attached to a long spring and he was bouncing it around... hours of endless fun for such a child. Then the second time we at with him, he pretend that his hands were little ants walking on the table. We laughed and laughed and laughed. What a precious child! God certainly reminded me of what it means to have a child like faith, because without even knowing it, that little boy blessed our lives, as we are called to live in such a way that automatically blesses others.

The weekend in total was fabulous, Glory to God.

This week has also been interesting. We had so say goodbye to Cole for a couple of days on Monday, as he experienced a death in his family and had to go back to the States. Please remember the Altizer family this week. The Lord is faithful and true and losing someone you love is difficult.

Also, Monday night, Lindsay, Rebecca (my friend from CA) and I had a girls night out. We spent the evening in the mall in Heredia and enjoyed some much needed time of talking and laughing. I am blessed to have Rebecca here and it's like having a sister living in my house. I can see how God ordained our friendship and there are days where loneliness might get the best of me if I didn't have her to talk to. Thank you God for wonderful (new) friends!

Otherwise the week has been really calm and I've had some beautiful time with my family. Rebecca and I took the little kids to the pool on Tuesday afternoon, in the sweltering heat and had a great time. Volunteer work on Wednesday morning was great and I learned how to make Empanadas, my new favorite food here. SOOOO simple! I also got to know some of the elderly folks better and I am loving more than anything forming relationships with these precious people. It was my fourth week there and I'm really learning this place, thank you, Lord!

Last night we went out to some of the bars here with Lindsay and one of Rebecca's friends and enjoyed just hanging out. It was my first experience in a Costa Rican "bar", a place I've always been hesitant to be in, firstly because lots of people with lots of alcohol makes me uncomfortable and secondly because I don't drink. But one of the things that I have been shown is that to truly get to know some of these people here, you have to go to their comfort zone, and that is how God sometimes opens doors to share HIS story. I felt like we got to experience a little bit more of Costa Rica and really was lots of fun.

This morning I enjoyed my favorite breakfast of Gallo Pinto (rice and beans cooked together, yum!) with scrambled eggs, tortillas and natilla (like sour cream), with Abuelo and Abuela. We sat around and talked about food and Denny's restaurants. ha. It was great. Then Lindsay and I went to work at the Comedor and sorted recycling for a couple of hours.

My love for Costa Rica is growing... and my faith is being transformed and renewed. The one thing that is inevitable is growth. It would be impossible for me to be here and not grow spiritually, emotionally, (unfortunately not getting taller... haha), and mentally. This is a challenge and a test and God is molding me to His image!

be blessed today dear friends! Christ be with you, and may His love surround and protect your hearts as your follow Him. :]

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!

James 1:17

Here are the highlights of the day (because i'm exhausted and necesito dormir!)

1. orientation at the Institute with victor.

2. talked to mi mejor amigo on skype!

3. Lindsay, Colito and I explored the Insitute.

4. Found a river, bamboo forest, ants, trails, flowers, and fruit. was reminded of the spectacular ways in which God manifests His glory.

5. Made friends with a dog with purple spots, that likes lemons.

6. climbed a big tree to get to the treehouse, by myself! (i'm becoming a climber... mattie and kristen!)

7. climbed back down the tree, by myself. jajaja! it was a personal victory. gracias a Dios!

8. spent time with Rebecca (my new american friend) and Sebastian (one of the grandson's of my family) at Sebastian's house.

9. took a nap with Abby or Abbita (as i call her), the little puppy of Sebastian, who slept on me for the afternoon while it rained outside.

10. took my first (cold!) costa rican shower.

11. saw the Light of Christ in the eyes of mi "abuela" (grand mother) as she and Rebecca and I ate dinner together.

12. watched an english movie with spanish subtitles. (lo siento senora, pero, i did learn some new words!)

13. experienced the joy of the Lord when I met my two younger sisters, Danna (10) and Samantha (5). absolutely radiant children.

Every good and perfect gift comes from God. (james 1:17-18). let us give thanks for the ways that He continually blesses us with good and perfect things- dogs that like lemons, defeat of fear, wonderful friends, beautiful children, "birth through the word of truth", and the gift of Salvation. Our God truly is an AWESOME God. buenos noches! tomorrow is the first day of classes... more spanish!

be blessed, my dear friends and loved ones.

i love you all dearly and am praying for you now.

vaya con Dios!

Mi primer dia en Costa Rica!

Yesterday was a crazy day! And I am fighting back the urge to write all of this in Spanish, but I know that will not be helpful to any of you, so I'll run back to my English, for a few minutes.

By the grace of God we got through the airport yesterday and made it here safely. The flight was roughly 3.5 hours long, and really nice. The sun was not shining when we got here, but that was to be expected because this is their "rainy season". However, Marco, the school director told us that they are experiencing the phenomenon of "El Nino" and because of that, there are rain clouds and dark skys, but no rain.

The airport was interesting, very very clean, and easy to get through. The craziest part was after passing through customs, we started to walk to try to find Marco who we were told would be waiting for us. Carrying our (really) heavy bags, we start walking towards these outside doors and there are TONS of people on the outside of the airport, looking in, with signs, trying to find their guests. It was the most overwhelming part of the day. All of these people and we had no clue who we were looking for. Cole was able to find Marco though, and we were off.

We talked to Marco through the drive from San Joaquin, where the airport is. (FUN FACT: The San Jose, SJO airport, IS NOT in San Jose.) We drove through Santa Barbara and then to Barrio Jesus, the neighborhood we'll be staying in. We dropped Lindsay off at her house and then Marco took me to my house.

I have the most wonderful new family in the whole world. When I arrived, I was greeted by 8-10 people just hanging out at the house, including my 1 year old little brother Santiago, who is more precious than anything. He reminds me of my kids at home that I will miss during my time here. God provides beautifully.

And here the blessings just multiply- in my house right how are Abuela, the matriarch of the family, Laura, the daughter of Abuela, Laura's children Danna, Samantha and Santiago. Another American exchange student, Rebecca, from CA, who is wonderful, Rob who is from England, and me.

Yesterday was Rob's birthday, and so the day was spent preparing for the Fiesta! Paula, Abuela's granddaughter that lives next door, was with me most of the day and we played with Santiago and talked to Laura. Laura is a hairdresser and we were sitting in her salon room at the house, she was cutting the hair of a young girl, and then she looked at me and said in spanish "You want your hair cut too?" I really wasn't sure. So she sat me down, and cut my hair! She cut like 2.5 inches off! I guess I needed it. WELCOME TO COSTA RICA! PURA VIDA!

The fiesta didn't start until about 8:30 their time, which was 10:30pm US time. I was exhausted. We had a huge cake and this wonderful white bean soup and there was lots and lots of loud music. There were probably 35 people in the house at one point. It was insane, but TONS of fun. We basically sat around together and talked and watched Victor (who is the dance teacher at the Insitute) and Yerlin (who is our neighbor and a granddaughter of the family i'm staying with) and her boyfriend dance the Cumbia, a dance that Victor began to teach me last night and that has a very unique rhythm to it. The are such good dancers!

After what seemed like hours, we finally cut the cake and to my surprise it was only 11:30 when I went to bed, although it felt much later than that. The party was still going full swing, but I slept like a rock.

God has provided in such tremendous ways already. It's like i'm a part of this family, and I've only been here for one day. The food is good, the people are friendly and wonderful, and I am speaking a language that I love. Gracias a Dios por todo!

God goes before us.

So I should be in bed, and our plane is supposed to lift off in exactly 11 hours, to the minute, but i'm still awake. It's weird to look around at this place I call "home", the place where I find comfort, and to realize that "home" has so many different definitions. In many ways the mountains are a place where I feel God's presence in incredible ways. But this is home too, the place where my family is, where I took my first steps, graduated high school, found Christ and began my journey with Him. Somehow I feel that I am soon to discover a new "home" in my life.

And the assurance He gave me tonight is this:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

A familiar verse, and one I had not thought to in a long time. God goes before us. He calls us to be people of courage, just as He called Joshua, and I believe that the call to courage, meaning the pursuit of something, without fear, is a call to joy. As we live in the view of eternity, and refuse to let ourselves be held back by fears and troubles, we must choose to live in a constant state of joy. And the beauty of that is that joy is not dependent on circumstances. It is not shaken by anxiety, or tears, or goodbyes, or FEAR, it is UNSHAKEABLE.

So I rest now in the knowledge that God has gone before us in Costa Rica. My heart is at peace and full to overflowing with a joy that surpasses all things- because it comes from the Lord. I am now only excited to see the work He has planned and to faithfully follow, as HE leads...