Costa Rica was one of my favorite months yet. It definitely was my favorite location with some of the best people I’ve met on the race. We partnered with Ocean’s Edge in Jaco. We got to hear the vision that they have and come alongside them to help. We did a lot of cleaning and construction type work around the property. They also partner with local churches so we would go and help them clean or do whatever they needed done around the churches. We taught Sunday school to kids on. We babysat. We did weekly prayer/worship with the church we went to. We did a whole bunch of prayer walks to help with the prayer initiative they are starting with all the businesses in Jaco. AND WE GOT TO HELP WITH SURF CLUB. The community of people there invited us in and included us like we lived there and truly represented the body of Christ. It’s was an incredibly inviting group of people, and I was honored to be a part of it. I honestly will miss them a lot. They just became our friends, especially the wonderful women that stayed on the property with us. We also made friends around town at places like local smoothie and coffee shops. It was all so much fun and honestly felt incredibly normal. We cooked for ourselves all month, which is the first time I’ve gotten to do that on the race. And it meant we didn’t have to eat carbs! Thanks, Jesus. (I can’t wait to choose what I eat forever after the race.) We also rented bikes and got to ride them around Jaco for the month. We did morning stretch and devotionals. We had mentors (that just doesn’t happen on the race). We did girls nights at our friends houses. W H A T ? ! I got to surf…as much as I wanted. And see the beach, every. single. day. It was all more than I could’ve dreamed. There was so much freedom. That’s something that doesn’t always happen. Our freedom often comes within the confines of what our hosts want. So we are free as long as xyz, which I completely respect. However, it was amazing to get a tiny bit of the freedom I haven’t had since I’d been in the states.
With all that being said I’m gonna let you guys in on how I’m feeling here in Panama. Month 9 has hit hard. We are back in the middle of nowhere, which I was excited about because I would spend less money and I was excited to not be in a town and experience less busyness and more quiet. However, I’m having a hard time going back to what it looks like to do life on the race. So if you guys would join me in praying that I’m here open handed and that I fully embrace life in Panama. I have 3 months left on the race, and I don’t want to check out and just wait to be home. Because I am missing home a lot. I’m excited to get back to the US but the Lord wants to use me here and I want to give it all to Him. So if you guys would pray I give up what I call freedom (my desire for independence) and trust the Lord for the last 3 months to do what He wants through me I’d really appreciate that.
I love you all a lot. SEE YOU IN 3 SHORT MONTHS!!
PS Here’s some of my favorite pictures from Costa Rica:
Biiikkkkkeeeesssss 🙂
S U R F C L U B !
MY SWEET TEAM (left to right: Abby, Cae, me, Amanda, Malysa, Hannah (our host), Ris, Caitlin)
Morning stretch and devo with Steph!!!
GIRLS NIGHT with Steph, Alyssa, & Sarah aka Rita
Prayer walks through Jaco. We met incredible people and spent time praying for the darkness (prostitution & addiction) and businesses in this city we came to love so so so much.
And that was our sweet sweet time in Costa Rica + more life giving things not pictured!
