MOM I’M ALIVE!!! I made it to Costa Rica! Time here is unreal. I feel like I’ve been here for 3 months, but I also feel like I’ve been here for 2 seconds. Ya know what I mean? Costa Rica is seriously so beautiful. We are surrounded by lush, green mountains at all times. This is my dream. God definitely spent a little extra time with this place & these people.
Throughout all of my blogs I want to be really authentic and real. It’s so easy to get caught up in posting the “cool” pictures and talking about the easy stuff. But I want to talk about the hard stuff too. I don’t want it to look like what we are doing is easy and fun all the time. Christ call us to the uncomfortable and that comes with pain and brokenness. Being a follower isn’t always the glamorous and easy. Being vulnerable with people that I don’t know well is very uncomfortable for me. So here we go. Welcome to my journey 🙂
Anywaaaaays…
My whole squad of around 50 people are staying in the same house outside of San Jose, and man are we blessed. We have working toilets, clean drinking water, {some} hot showers, a comfy bunk bed (it truly is very comfy), & a sweet lady to cook our meals. We are LIVING.
I just finished my first week of ministry and I’m in love. My team and I are working with a private christian school, called Love At Work, in a town nearby. Arturo, the founder of the school, has the purest heart of all. He started the school 5 years ago & didn’t really even have a vision. He didn’t have any classrooms or teachers, but God gave him a path and he was obedient. Every year the school has gotten bigger and bigger and now they have outgrown the building they are in. Arturo wanted to reach more kids, but there was no room to grow, and many kids couldn’t afford the tuition. He decided to open a place called The Life Center in the slums a couple blocks down. This allows the kids living there to receive a good education, but most importantly, the love of Jesus. So half of us stay at the school to help teach & the other half goes to The Life Center.
For the next 3 months I will be staying at the school and working with preschoolers. I had a choice of pre-k, grade school, or high school, and, honestly, my last choice were the preschoolers. Don’t get me wrong, I love kids, but I just thought I would have more fun with the older kids.
But God has a funny way of doing things.
While we were on our tour of the school I caught a small glimpse of the little tots & knew that’s where God wanted me. Boy am I glad that’s where I landed because I love my kiddos and the teachers. The teachers both speak perfect english and are working on teaching the littles english. All their lessons are taught in english & that’s where Brooke and I come in. We are there to, first, help contain the children (they are wild). Second, to speak english to them. It has been incredible working with the teachers, Tita & Jaja. They have more patience in their pinky toe than I have in my whole body. The way they love the kids is so inspiring. I know God placed me with them so I could learn from them, & let me tell ya, I’m already learnin. That’s right mom and dad, I’m learning patience.
As much as I love my ministry, it has been a little bit of a tough adjustment. The 11 hour days are long and exhausting. I have to remind myself every day when I wake up at 5:45 that my life is not mine. But I love it. I love waking up and dying to myself. It’s truly a choice and I get to make that every day. I definitely have my weak moments. Like when I get hit or kicked by a little kiddo. But that’s when I have to remind myself that I don’t know his story. I don’t know why he acts out or doesn’t know how to show affection. I feel for him. My heart hurts for him. I have the choice to get mad, but I don’t want to. I want to show him love. That’s what Jesus would do & every day I want to become more like Jesus. It’s a choice. Every day. It’s hard, but man, is it worth it.
God is already moving in Costa Rica. Not in huge ways like people would probably think, but in little ways. But if you think about it, aren’t those the big ways? I’ve been learning a lot about our purpose here. My squad and I aren’t here to change Costa Rica, but to help the long term missionaries change Costa Rica little by little. We are here to serve them so they are equipped to serve their community in the best way possible. When I changed my perspective on this all the pressure and expectations disappeared. Now I’m able to see everything God does as something so beautiful because I have no expectations of what I think He should do.
Sometimes I miss the comforts of home & the people. I miss my clothes a lot. I know that sounds weird, but if ya know ya know. I miss thrifting a lot too. Just materialistic things that I’ve been praying not to care so much about.
But I’m in love with this life I’m living. It’s the life I was made for.
Lastly, I have given up social media and talking to friends and family for the first month of the race. Just something I really felt God calling me to do. Butttttt I would love to hear from anyone and everyone. Even if I barely know you don’t feel weird, lets hang (over email). Honestly, I get way too excited about emails, so please email me!! [email protected]
I love you all.
Xoxo,
Han
