Hi friends! I’m on the side of a mountain in Nicaragua and have wifi for all of ten minutes, but here’s (finally) a bit about my first month in Costa Rica.
Life here is joyful. We are teaching first and second grade English and those kids scream (with joy) a whole lot and climb all over us. Worship is so, so filled with the Holy Spirit and I never want it to end. The incredible girls on my team make every small moment joyful and cooking dinner almost always turns into a dance party.
Life here is hard. I’m waking up at 5:30 am everyday to run; and if you know me, it’s a miracle that’s even happening. The language barrier is hard. The adults just stare at you and the children laugh when you mispronounce words. Showering while making sure the banana spiders don’t attack you is hard. Spiritual warfare is real, present, and draining. Leading a team through unknown situations and new emotions is difficult. I’m clearly struggling to write blogs and finding the words to describe one of the most impactful months of my life is hard.
It’s messy. Chaco stink is real and our clothes are never really clean. Ten girls sleeping on the floor with their belongings for nine months is really messy. I’m cooking for seven people and that means the inexplanable messes I make are being multiplied by seven. Being broken and rebuilt by the Lord is messy. And He’s showing me how messy I am inside and that’s such a good thing.
Life here is free. There is freedom in sharing your life story with people who you know will accept you at the end of it. The Lord is breaking lies I’ve believed my whole life and that freedom makes me take really deep breaths. I’m learning what it looks like to live in freedom and it’s quite a journey.
More stories to come, but watch this video made by my incredible teammate Janie.
Love you all lots; thank you for all the support and prayers!
In Christ,
Kate
