Dear Father,
Wow. 3 whole months living in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. I will miss the majestic mountains and lush backgrounds. I will miss the bright flowers that decorated the fences on our way to ministry. The cool breeze and bouts of pouring rain became something so familiar and sweet. I grew to love beans and rice in a new way and I will miss the simplicity of my meals. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to meet our sweet cook Xinea and enjoy her yummy meals. We wouldn’t have survived without her and by the end she was so much more than the woman that made our dinners, she was family. Thank you for Alfredo and the opportunity to experience the hectic roads of Costa Rica with him behind the wheel. I will never be able to look at a yellow bus without thinking of him. He loved us like we were his own daughters and his smile will never be forgotten. Thank you for a wonderful group of base staff that loved us and cared for us with all of their hearts. They are doing big things in your Kingdom and it was an honor to be a part of it.
Thank you for the ministries I got to be a part of. Although kids ministry was tiring at times, I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything. Those kids have some of the biggest, most welcoming hearts. We were sent to love them but the love we received in exchange was invaluable. Three months of sweet smiles, contagious laughter, lots of spinning, piggy back rides, and memories that will last forever. Babies hold a special place in my heart and you knew that. So thank you for the opportunity to hold lots of sweet babies at ministry. The children in Costa Rica left their fingerprints on my heart and I pray I was able to do the same. Thank you for teaching me that ministry doesn’t look the same everyday, no matter how much I wanted it to. Thank you for the slow days and the hectic, fast-paced days because I saw you in every one of them.
I learned that you are always available and you never put me on hold. But rather you love me so deeply you are constantly chasing me even when I’m in my own little world. Thank you for always welcoming me at your table and for showing me that through my squad. At the beginning we were still getting used to each other and honestly I didn’t know how it was going to be. But you gave me the second family you promised at training camp. My team has become my sisters and their love is like no other. My squad is one that laughs, celebrates, and mourns together. Thank you for our dinner table and the laughs and stories that were shared each night. Thank you for a kitchen that was made for dance parties and quesadillas.
I will miss our late night, mid-afternoon, and early morning Fresh Market runs. It broke our bank but it filled our bellies. The hot chocolate was something special. Costa Rica had lots of cute coffee shops and although we didn’t visit all of them, I am thankful for the frozen chai lattes and conversations back home that were shared there.
Thank you for the parts that weren’t as pretty. I got to become very familiar with Costa Rican doctors after going three times. That panic attack was something fierce, projectile vomiting in my bed was quite the experience, and the cough I had for over a month was definitely from hell. I didn’t love not sleeping through the night that month but I grew to appreciate my teammates in a new way after they continued to love me when I would wake them up during a coughing fit. I learned to trust your timing when it comes to healing and eventually I got better. I learned that my body is fragile and needs rest. Thank you for teaching me that it is okay to ask for it.
The weekends were a time filled with rest and adventure. From early morning market runs to trips to the beach I was able to see more of your creation with your creations. Sundays were our time of rest with you and I had some of the sweetest moments with you on our sabbaths. Thank you for giving us a home church away from home and for the ability to find so much peace and joy in a place speaking a different language. Only you could do that.
You are doing a great work in Costa Rica and I can’t actually put into words how much I loved being a part of it. The country is beautiful and the people are some of the most kind-hearted, welcoming, tender-loving people I have ever met. I learned what a joy it is to be loved by you and by your children in Costa Rica. I pray I was able to love them just as well. Thank you for Costa Rica and the memories that are held there. Until next time.
