It has been a little over one month since I flew out of the U.S and started month one of my Race!! The Lord grew me SOOOO MUCH in Panama and blessed me SOOOO BIG! One thing God revealed to me this month is the privilege that dwells in my heart. I don’t believe that privilege should be viewed as a “bad thing”, because I have been crazy blessed in life and I am so so so so thankful for it all. It’s when we expect, or believe we are entitled to things and forgetting to humble ourselves and be grateful for what we have rather than what we don’t.
With that being said, here are 11 blessings from month 1 and a little 1 second a day video of our time in Panama!! (Spoiler Alert! – It’s like 50 some seconds long because some days were hard to choose just one moment to share!!) Enjoy!!!!!!
1) Flushing Toilets:
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Man, we were so blessed with plumbing this month! If anything, it has taught me to take advantage of them/be so thankful for them because they are a luxury, especially ones you can flush toilet paper down because spoiler alert, that’s not a common thing out of the U.S!
2) Hot Showers:
- Us girls were blessed with hot showers about a week or two into month one so for that first week and a half, it was freezing cold. I was pretty well informed prior to leaving for The Race that cold showers would be a norm, and I’m totally fine with that, but best believe ya girl is gonna love every second of a piping hot shower when it’s provided!
3) Loving Hosts:
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In case you didn’t read my other blogs, our host family that we stayed with was absolutely PHENOMENAL!!! They loved us so fiercely, prepared the most amazing meals, and showered so much wisdom, hospitality, and joy on us that we were heartbroken when leaving because we felt like we got a double dose of leaving our family all over again.
4) Car Rides:
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Most of our transportation this month consisted of riding in the back of a pickup truck; whether that be to and from working on the coffee farm, trips to town, and even church. Seeing how it’s the rainy season here in Central America, there were times we met some storm clouds mid ride, and sometimes without the relief of our rain jackets in our vicinity. Believe it or not, It was a huge blessing to have that because we could have been stuck without any mode of transportation so it was definitely a huge relief and not something I am going to take for granted when I get back to my 2003 Toyota Camry in the States!!
5) Washing Machines/Dryers:
- We were also blessed with a host who had a washer AND dryer in their home. Key word there is “and” because most people in the area we were in line dry their clothes.
6) ICE ICE BABY
- This one is more of a first world luxury but I’ve never missed ice so badly!! I get so giddy when it’s an option so when it’s ever an option, always take it!!!
7) Language Barriers
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Believe it or not, I grew from hating language barriers to loving them. I would say it is a luxury not to have them but a blessing to have them. They allowed us to listen and speak more intently and intentionally, and also allowed us to communicate with people through other mediums such as, hand gestures, facial expressions, even a little spanglish. It makes room for so much space that allows people to pour into you and you into them.
8) FOOOOOOD:
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Heck yeah food was a blessing! We had a host who not only cooked every meal for us but it was seriously delicious and my plate was never not emptied. The food was a comfort but mainly because it helped make the transition from home to The Race pretty easy. So many people have asked “what food are you missing?” I totally lie to their face and tell them I miss certain things when in truth, I haven’t missed a dang thing! (not even CFA……).
9) Bed
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Beds month one was AMAZING!! Everyone had their own bed which was so nice to come to after an 8 hour work day. Just like the toilets, beds may be a rarity so I know my tent pitching, sleeping pad days are coming but I will always be thankful for the days I have a bed.
10) Wifi
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Wifi can be a double edged sword on The Race because it’s an amazing blessing to have when you are wanting to share your journey via blogging with everyone back home, communicate with family and friends, or just stay up-to-date with what’s going on. However, there is a fine line between necessary/luxury. It can give you too much freedom to escape what’s in front of you and man come on, how entitled would I be if I chose into being sucked in to Instagram and Facebook when I’m on the adventure of a lifetime!! So for my peeps back home, if you ever feel I’m not touching base enough, know that I am thinking of you and praying for you always, I just have to be intentional with my time here and now.
11) MY TEAM:
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My team was an amazing blessing this month!! We chose into family so hard by giving and receiving encouragement as well as constructive feedback which allowed us to make space for the Holy Spirit to pour into us and grow us closer together as a team so we could better serve and glorify The Kingdom. We brought comfort and support to one another in times of trials and celebrated one another’s successes.
Month one in Panama was so awesome and now being in Costa Rica, there are some anxious feelings flying around, but I know God is going to move so much in this place and continue growing us as individuals as well as teams and as a squad! So stay tuned for Month 2!
Love you guys!!!!
