Most of the time when you hear people talk about the World Race, you hear stories about how racers have literally changed lives by sharing The Word with people in the nations. You hear about racers living in tents with no electricity and no running water. You hear about the “big things” the Lord does though the racers for other people, but you never really hear about the little daily blessings the Lord provides for the racers.
Something I’ve really learned just in the two weeks I’ve been here is how to appreciate literally everything the Lord gives me, and I want to share that with you. These are my ~daily blessings~ just from the past few weeks…
1. Our home. I wrote a little bit about our living conditions in my last blog, but it really is amazing how the Lord provided this home for us. Clean running water, hot showers, toilets that flush, electricity 24/7 are all things I have taken for granted back in the USA. However, I have truly learned to appreciate that we have these things here in Costa Rica because it really is something not a lot of people have.
2. Safe transportation. We are so blessed to have safe and reliable transportation to and from ministry every single day. The driving here is for real crazy, but the Lord has given us some pretty talented drivers who always make sure we’re on time.
3. Quiet time & Days off. I’ve always taken for granted “alone time.” However, living in a house with 52 other people has really made me realize how special it is actually be alone with myself and the Lord. Having free time and designated days off really is a blessing because it gives me the opportunity to grab a teammate, find a coffee shop, and just sit and be alone with the Lord.
4. Long ministry days. This has been a real struggle for myself and other people on my team. We leave our home at 7:30am and don’t get home from ministry until 7pm for 5 days in a row. That is a very long day where about 4 hours of it is just sitting on a bus driving back and forth. However, the Lord has really taught me to embrace this and use it as an opportunity. Spending 4 hours on the bus has become prime nap time. And because we get home so late, we don’t have to worry about having a bunch of downtime to just sit around or get on wifi and do nothing. It’s honestly so great to be busy and not have the distraction of having nothing to do.
5. Music. I know this one might seem basic, but honestly let me tell you music is so incredible for so many reasons. Music can turn a group hangout into an awesome impromptu worship session. Music can turn a long, boring bus ride into a throwback sing-a-long party. Music can turn doing the dishes into a dance party. Music can turn a sad mood into pure joy. Its honestly so great.
6. Rain. Its rainy season here in Costa Rica which means it rains literally everyday. And when it rains, it pours. At first I was really bummin’ about it because like I’m in Costa Rica I want it to be sunny and shiny 24/7. Plus, how are you ever supposed to do laundry have dry clothes if it rains everyday. However, after only two weeks being here, I’ve truly learned to love the rain. These rain storms make the hot hot days so much cooler. & I’ve started leaving my clothes out on the line and just letting the rain wash them, which makes it way easier for me(:
7. Community. Never in my life did I picture myself living in a house with 52 other people. It is overwhelming at times especially since I am pretty introverted, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s easy to feel lonely here even though you are constantly surrounded by so many people, just because you miss “your people” like your family and best friends. But personally, the Lord uses that feeling of loneliness to push me out of my comfort zone and engage with others even if I really just want to be sad. He constantly provides me with the opportunity to get to know so many different people and in that, be loved by them.
8. His Word. Let me tell you, the Bible just has so many good words. This past week I have really been struggling with some stomach pain. There were about two nights in a row when I couldn’t fall asleep just because it hurt so badly. Normally when this happens back home, my mom always knows how to fix it, and I’ve relied on her for that a lot. However, when I’m laying in a bed in a room with 7 other girls & no wifi, I cant just pick up the phone and call my mom so she can make me feel better. So, I had to turn to the Lord, and it was hard. Those two night I laid in bed for hours praying to the Lord for the comfort my mom always provided me with. I prayed for healing and for Him to take my pain away so I could have a good night rest. Both nights I just prayed until I fell asleep, but I honestly didn’t feel any better the next morning. After that second night it was time for morning devo and I honestly wasn’t feelin’ it. I was upset that I didn’t feel well and I was upset that my mom couldn’t be there to help me. But then I opened my bible and not to be dramatic, but I have never heard the Lord more clearly than I did in that moment. I opened to Isaiah 66:13 and it says “as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” I immediately broke down into tears. Like literally for the past 48 hours all I had been praying about was for “comfort” especially from my mom and that is exactly the Lord told me he was going to give me. The next verse says “When you see this, you heart will rejoice,” and wow it really did!! But as if I didn’t hear the Lord through this, He confirmed that He was really speaking to me. Because in the same chapter, Isaiah 66: 19-20 says “I will set a sign among them, and I will send those who survive into the nations…they will proclaim my glory among the nations.” That is literally what we are doing! The Lord has sent me into the nations to proclaim His glory! I just have to be humble and hopeful that He is going to use me to make miracles happen. And in times of trouble, He will comfort me just as my own mother does because He ALWAYS delivers! And my heart can rejoice in that! The word is honestly just so so cool you guys. You should check it out(:
9. ATL – ATL stands for “Ask the Lord.” This is where you hear the most stories about how crazy the Lord works and how He changes lives through us. We’ve only been here for two weeks and I already have some pretty cool stories.
This past Saturday the Life Center was closed so we didn’t have ministry that day. However, since it was still technically a “ministry day” we decided to do ATL. My team and I gathered in the backyard of our house and started praying to the Lord asking Him what He wanted us to do today. However, it was really loud and busy in the house at that time and we couldn’t really focus, so we decided to leave and just started walking. After walking for about 5 minutes Avery had the idea to get trash bags and just start picking up trash along the street to make the community more beautiful. We went back to the house, got trash bags, and started picking up trash. We made it all the way down to the park at the end of our street and still nothing “big” happened. We decided to go into the park and pray again and ask the Lord one more time to use us to do something great. We kept walking back up the other side of the park and saw a huge pile of cigarets all over the sidewalk. We stopped and started picking them up when a lady walked up to us. She thanked us for picking up the trash and helping clean up the community. She spoke English so we were able to have an actual conversation with her. Her name was Maria and she told us about her family and her life. As she was about to walk away we asked if we could pray for her, and she got so excited. As we were praying she started to tear up and you could just see pure joy on her face. When we finished praying she hugged all of us and told us “Something told me I should go for a walk today.” wow. Thank you, Jesus. Like it was so clear that that whole encounter was Jesus putting us in that place at that time so we could pray for Maria. so cool!!
Something else really incredible happened last Friday. Another team had the opportunity to do to ATL. They started out with the Lord leading them to the Walmart down the street from our house. When they got there, one of the girls said that the Lord wanted to her to buy a toy to give to someone. So, they walked to the toy aisle, but they didn’t know which one to get. As they were standing there a doll fell off the shelf right in front of them, so they decided that was on the one to buy. After that they walked outside and asked the Lord who He wanted them to give this doll to, and He told them to give it to a mother and her little girl. So they started walking to find a girl with her mother. As they were walking a bus stopped right in front of them and the only people who got off the bus was a mother and her young daughter. They ran up to them and simply said “hey we just bought this doll and we want to give it to your daughter.” Immediately the mother burst into tears and told them that she was a single mother who had been praying that the Lord provide for her and her daughter, specifically with toys because her daughter had none. whoa. It is such a blessing that the Lord trusts us enough to use us to answer other people’s and our own prayers!!!
10. The Lord. He is truly, honestly the best blessing I could ever receive. I feel like it’s taken me a long time…too long… to recognize this, but now that I have I never want to stop pursing Him and allowing Him to use me to touch the lives of the people in Costa Rica.
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After the first month is over I will be posting pictures & videos all over social media so keep an eye out! (: thank you for your prayers and keeping my squad and I in your thoughts. We are truly thriving in Costa Rica!
& please please feel free to reach out to me with anything that is on your heart (I get way too excited about emails). And if you have any prayer requests my team and I would love to pray for you!!
