The Beginning

Wow I can’t believe it’s been 3 weeks already. Things sure did pick up into high speed last week! Boredom is an idea that is long gone. This past week we had a group from Asbury come work with us. It was a group of kids and their parents. We did several projects, mostly working with the children here in Calle Blancos. We had an amazing opportunity to visit the local elementary school and do the children’s program for 2 days. This was the first time they have allowed a religious group to present something in their school. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a relationship between the school and the church. We also took the group to do house visits, and also to visit a squatter town to evangelize. This was such a great experience for the team to see how so many families live here. We ended the week by having a birthday party for the children in the community and over 200 people came. I believe the word to describe that day was a chaotic blessing. Anything we had planned went out of the window with that many people, however God provided and we had enough food and birthday cake to serve everyone. I’m so glad I got to share that time with the team who came!

Speaking of birthdays, I got to spend my 23^rd birthday here in Costa Rica. Saturday night at the youth group they surprised me with a cake and also surprised my by putting my face in the cake. However that was better than the alternative. I was told to be truly welcomed to Costa Rica; I had to do the tradition birthday wish. At home birthdays are accompanied by a spanking for how many years you are… Here they smash one egg on your head for each year!! I walked on eggshells (pun intended) the whole weekend. Thank goodness they decided to have the whole church sing to me instead! I ended my birthday by going to eat Pizza with Carlos and Karla. It was so great to just sit and enjoy each other’s company and not talk about things we need to do.

This week will be more routine like. I started teaching English classes at the church. I am teaching one beginner’s class, one children’s class and one advanced class. I am so excited to start teaching again! I have truly missed it. I am so excited to have another group of students, because I have missed my students from Auburn so much.

I finally feel like things are starting here and I can’t wait to see God at work in each aspect.

"We already are what we're becoming"

Wow I can’t believe I am finally here in Costa Rica! It seems surreal that what I have been waiting for and preparing for a year and a half now is actually a reality. The road here has been long, but its purpose in my life has proven to be indispensable. I have met so many people this past year who have become part of my family, and that I can’t imagine myself making it here without them. God has really taught me about the body of Christ and how important it is to come together as a united front to accomplish His mission in the world. We were not created to walk alone and I can see this every time I think about all the people who are praying for me on this journey. I always say that my favorite name for God is Jehovah Jirah, which means The Lord Provides. God has been providing people in my life ever since I can remember to help disciple me and show me what His love looks like in this world. And I can already attest that he is continuing to provide people here in Costa Rica. 

Last night in a meeting, we talked about Philippians 3:12-16.

      12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained. 

 

When reading this, I found it so encouraging that even though we have not obtained perfection, and in our imperfection, God still uses us and for that I am thankful. Though we have not obtained our goal, we press on seeking God and His will. I am so thankful that God values the process just as must as the destination or the goal. I have learned so much about growth and going through the process to maturity this past year. I know that in life we will never stop processing and growing. In the process we will fail and things won’t be perfect. I am also reminded of a verse in a song my friends wrote called “Hallelujah” (by The Riverside Worship Project) that says, “We already are what were becoming”. And it makes so much sense in my life right now because of what Paul tells us in verse 16, we only have to live up to what we have attained. Though we are not perfect now, if we strive and seek sanctification, the Lord will honor the process. 

I pray that we never stop striving for the goal that Paul talks about and in the process, we grow and mature in Christ. I know this next year is going to be filled with trials of many kinds, but I also know that through the growing pains, there will be many lessons learned. I am excited about the blessings this year will bring, and I am also excited about the struggles that it brings because in the end, I will be closer to the goal that Christ has set before us.