So here’s a cool story for you…
It starts back in the DR, when one of my squad mates(who I barely knew at the time) wrote me a note. It read,
“Come, all who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy, and eat!…
Why do you spend money on what is not bread,
And your labor on what does
Not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat
What is good.
And your soul will delight in
The richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me,
Hear me, that your soul may live.” Isaiah 55:1-3
“You are precious in Gods eyes
And I want to encourage you to dive into the depths of Gods grace & love for you.
To hear his voice each morning knowing he is life & in that life you find all you need.”
So I received this letter month one and it was super encouraging and awesome because I absolutely love notes! So I put it in my bag of letters and went on with my life.
Then at the end of month 1, team changes happened, and the person who I hadn’t even known yet who wrote me that letter, was now my new team leader.
About a week or so in to month 3, I asked her to pray about a word to share with me. She did and later brought me this beautifully written note that just said, “dive into the depths of My love.”…
I read it again and it seemed strangely familiar so I went searching through my past notes to find the one I had received month one.
To my amazement, they literally stated the exact same thing…
The first one said “I want to encourage you to dive into the depths of Gods grace and love for you…”
The second one, “dive into the depths of my love for you”.
I hear you loud and clear God!
What makes this story even better is when I jumped up to go share with my team leader that she has shared the exact same truth with me twice now, she stated that she had totally forgotten what she had said in that first letter.
When God wants to speak to you, he will keep bringing it up until you get it. We serve a faithful and persistent God!
I’m so encouraged and I hope you are too!
On another note, I’m finally following this word from the lord. I’m tired of being content with where I’m at. I’m diving deep into what God has for me. I want more. I want to be more in love with Jesus, love people more and be a radical follower of Christ. There is so much more to learn and I’m going to learn it!
Costa Rica, Month 3
This month was not at all what I expected.
When I found out we were going to be living on a farm, I’m not gonna lie, I kinda freaked out a little.
If you know me at all, you know that I am a total city girl. Or at least I was. (I actually really loved being on a farm in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle)
The whole month we didn’t really do a whole lot. We had projects here and there but mostly just had a lot of down time. At first this was frustrating. This isn’t why I’m on the race. But as time went on, God showed me that this month was exactly what I needed.
I have grown up in church my whole life and always known about quiet time with Jesus. I kept hearing how important it was as a Christian and that I needed to make time for it. But it’s never been something I have been consistent in.
But this last month, I felt more desire for Jesus than I ever have.
In Haiti, God told me that I can want to grow closer to him all day but if I don’t actively pursue it, nothing is going to happen.
So in Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to practice what I was learning from the Lord.
We didn’t do a lot of outreach or ministry but I got so much closer to God than I have in a long time. Not only did I begin to seek him on a daily basis but I learned to crave Jesus like never before.
I’m no longer content with my relationship with God. I want more. I want to pursue Jesus everyday deeper and deeper just as he is also doing to me.
Month 3 was not at all what I expected. But God showed up and I am so excited for getting to know Jesus more each day for the rest of my life.
So the other day we hiked to a gorgeous River. Deep in the Costa Rican jungle. There were lots of rocks on the sides. So naturally we used them to jump off of. One time in particular, I climbed up at least 30 feet with every intention of jumping. But once I got up there, it seemed a lot scarier than I thought it would be. So terrified, I stood there, gazing down into the deep river beneath. To jump or not to jump…
It took me a while to work up the courage, I’m not gonna lie. But I did it, I jumped in. And once my feet left that rock, wether I liked it or not, I was all in. I quickly became completely immersed in the river water.
Gosh, so many things that apply to this. Let’s start here,
Someone very wise once told me, “Faith isn’t looking down from the diving board and praying for water. Faith is looking at the absence of water and jumping anyways, trusting that Jesus will catch you.” Thank goodness when I left that rock there was plenty of water to land in. But people, following God isn’t easy. But all it takes is faith. All it takes is us saying yes to him and his will for us. Sometimes it will be clear and easy, other times it will be difficult and terrifying. But are you willing to jump?
“Dive into the grace and love that God has for you” get fully submersed. Dive in head first. No holding back.
