I’m in San Jose, Costa Rica, right now!! We made it to our new and last place on the race this past Saturday, and it’s really hitting me how little time I have left. About 6 weeks left of living with these people in this place. 6 weeks left to push myself to continue to grow and learn and to make the most of every single opportunity that’s put in front of me. 6 weeks feels like no time at all, but I’m glad that my God isn’t really limited to time the way we are. So excited to see what these last weeks hold, and every single week of life after.
Something I’ve been thinking a lot about is going home. Makes sense. Because home is a reality that’s getting closer and closer every day. I’m so excited to go back to my family and friends and the city that I love. I’m excited to see how I’ve grown and changed and to see what life looks like for me now. I’m excited about the possibilities that the next months hold and I’m praying and dreaming a lot about what my next steps are. All of these things waiting for me are exciting in so many ways, but there’s also a really real fear of going home too. I’ve learned a lot in the past 8 months and I’ve grown a lot too. My desires have changed and it’s a real fear of mine that I’ll return to the life that was normal to me before the race, and just go back to my old patterns and habits. Most of those things weren’t all that negative, but I’ve walked in so much more freedom, joy, and real life through whatI’ve made normal for myself on the race, and I don’t want to lose that. So yes there’s a real fear about going home, but also a real excitement and desire to continue in so many of the things that are normal to me right now.
So a lot of my time is spent getting ready to go home. Obviously I’m still fighting to remain present, but I’m also preparing my mind and heart for home! For me, this looks like starting to learn how this normal can translate over into life at home. Seeking out opportunities that I’d find at home, and setting up habits that are sustainable at home. Really this means opening up my eyes and heart to not just love and serve during “ministry hours”. Training myself to look for opportunities to share His love and truth in the daily sometimes mundane moments because that’s what’s going to stick when I’m at home without scheduled and structured ministry.
This week is Holy Week and since Costa Rica is mostly catholic, most of the city is shut down including our ministries for the month. That means we’ve gotten to have a lot of freedom in our ministry this week and we’ve gotten to do ATL which is basically my favorite thing ever. ATL means ask the Lord, and it’s basically just being in tune with Him and going where He wants and talking to who He wants and saying what He wants. The whole day just led by His desires. It’s sometimes weird or uncomfortable but always full of opportunities to step out in boldness and faith, and some of my favorite God moments so far have been during ATL ministry.
Yesterday during ATL my whole team felt the sense that God wanted us to encourage and love people by having fun and sharing joy with them. We also felt like He was highlighting the community that we live in. So we went to the park right down the street from our house with a volleyball and some chalk, and started to play with kids there and talk to the people sitting in the park. I had some cool conversations and got to pray for a few people when God gave me a really strong urge to go over to a group of teenagers that were sitting in the grass. Turns out they all had special needs and all live in this neighborhood with an amazing woman who cares for them. So the rest of our afternoon was spent just laughing and playing volleyball and hugging and dancing. We’re meeting up again today to do Zumba and paint! How cool that God put those people right in front of me to love and be loved by, and all it took was slowing down enough and getting the courage to just say hi.
When I was thinking about yesterday I was so encouraged because it was such a natural and normal thing. Just going up to a group of people my age in a park and saying hello. And it led to some awesome friendships and sweet moments that were encouraging to everyone! Moments like this really help me realize that this is what I want my life to look like, and I’m realizing just how simple it can be. It’s really just taking time to listen to God, look for the opportunities He puts in front of you every day, and be obedient.
So anyways, 6 more weeks in Costa Rica, but so much more after that!
