Picture Blog! I wanna share with y’all just a few of my favorite pictures and how I’ve seen the Lords hands in every moment.
These are Q squads community hammocks, from morning devos to late night talks and countless naps they seem to be in use all hours of the day. I would say on average I spend at least an hour in one of these hammocks every day. Here is where the lord finds me and loves on me through his word and the beauty of his creation.
Costa Rican coffee is a work of art! And let me tell you it tastes even better than it looks. On most weekends you’ll find a cluster of Q squad in coffee shops writing blogs and facetiming with family. I’m not kidding when I tell you even at the Mc’Donalds here you can find masterpieces like these.
One day Kenzi and I decided to hop on a bus not knowing where it was going! We ended up stumbling upon Café del Jardín. This has quickly become one of my favorite spots in Costa Rica. On days when we just need to get out of the crazy house we find ourselves here filling our time with delicious coffee and even better conversation.
Here’s a little sneak into my room (well bunk). This is pretty much the only space in our house that is actually mine and I’ve covered the wall in letters and encouraging notes from people back home and the family I’ve made here. My clothes litter the rails of my bunk acting as hanging racks. This is my favorite place to invite friends in and drink tea, watch movies, and have meaningful one on ones. The Lord has blessed me with this bed and I’ve loved waking up every morning and running to him before my feet even touch the floor.
Bus rides and beautiful views have become a constant in my life that will be so hard to leave behind. Watching this stunning city fly by from my window every morning has become an essential part of my day where I worship. I find myself on this bumpy ride glorifying the Lord, speechless at the unbelievable life I’m living and the future that I know He’s holding.
Here’s a glimpse of the challenging and captivating ministry I’ve fallen in love with. Every day we come here and are greeted by the sweetest group of kids. Most mornings I spend at least an hour in the kitchen helping to prepare the meal that feeds a village worth of children. Then the rest of the day is filled with laughs, games, and teaching the little ones how to write. On rainy days we’re stuck inside but when the suns out so are all the kids. We will spend hours on the near by soccer field, I have been given the name “portero” meaning goalie in Spanish. Every game they put me in the goal and are amazed that I can manage to score from one end of the field to the other.
San Jose! I’m not a city girl but i’ve loved seeing Costa Rican culture through this beautiful city. Graffiti murals like this are out across a lot of the city. This picture was from our first adventure day in San Jose. When we got off the bus we headed in the opposite direction of the city (on accident) but ended up finding this stunning wall.We ended our adventure day with a huge slice of pizza and a bag of what they call “fresca”.
Parks have been a small sanctuary I’ve found here, they’re like little jungles popping out of the bustling city. On one of our sabbath days we hopped on a bus to a park in San Jose where we spent time worshiping the Lord through journaling, painting, and drawing amongst the park performers and homeless.
These were taken on our adventure day to the jungle. We were caught in the freezing, pouring rain but hiked it anyway. The diversity of this area brings into focus the magnificence of God’s creation and the truth in how all of creation truly cries out for His glory.
Birthday trip to Manueal Antonio! Another day in the jungle where we saw sloths, monkeys, iguanas, and macaws was a birthday wish come true. I was absolutely in aww of the Lord’s creation as we took in this paradise. At the. end of the night some of my squad took me out for my birthday and it showed me how we can truly be a family of Christ away from our families at home.
Debrief, how can I describe it. A month one break down of culture shock, spiritual renewal, adventure, and rest. In this place I found out what it means to let God fill me up through the beauty and power of His creation. I took risks and tried my hand at surfing, rock climbing, and making new friends at our hostel. The Lord reminded me again what it means to live life on mission and as I finish out my last month in Costa Rica I am learning what it means to fully invest and surrender to the Lord.
