“Goodbye, Hello” is a blog series where I share brief highlights from my previous country while introducing you to my current country and work. Enjoy!
Goodbye Nicaragua
It’s hard to capture just how incredible month 2 was. I encountered some of the most lovely, generous, and caring people. From the staff at Vision Nicaragua to the children we saw every day. I saw the face of Jesus so clearly. I saw God’s heart vividly. I was challenged daily as I began to see how fickle my trust in God is compared to the people we met. I was challenged in the way I understand what it means to love others, both Christians and not. I was challenged in my understanding of poverty and what God wants me to do about it. All in all, it was a time of powerful growth as my perspective changed and my understanding of who I am, the character of God, and His heart for all was completely shaken.
Additionally, last month was so much fun. I noticed a big shift in the unity of my team and we enjoyed serving with team Whispered Revival. All I can say is that we laughed, screamed (there were many critters), sat in front of the fans, laughed, pranked each other, sat in front of the fans, and played VERY competitive rounds of Dutch Blitz and Phase 10 (Yes, I am the reigning champ!).
Sounds like a lot of fun? It was! But we also worked hard. Here are some highlights from our work last month:
- Spent 2 hours a day with children in the village of Bethel
- Created a program for adult men with a terminal illness and one for their children
- Shared my story of what God has done in my life at a Bible Study
- Led Vacation Bible School for the children in Bethel
- Performed a worship dance with youth..followed by an awesome bonfire (I never thought I would be part of a bonfire in Nicaragua!)
While I found the work we did both satisfying and fun, God blessed me last month through the people. People whom I have thought about every day since leaving and that I truly hope to see again. Below you’ll find a photo collage of some of those faces!
Hello Costa Rica!
We arrived in Costa Rica on Friday, November 1st. Gratefully it was only a 12 hour bus ride, with everything going according to schedule (well minus that time our bus ran out of gas, but we still made it to our destination on time)! Two days before Travel Day I joined the other Team Leaders in Grenada for a retreat led by our Squad Leaders. This was a much needed time of rest, reflection, and fun before we headed into month three. We are now in our second week in Costa Rica & I am so excited to tell you about it!
So far, this month has been really great. I am challenged every day to not settle in my relationship with God and others. I am also challenged every day to shower. Considering that our water feels like “sharp knives stabbing you repeatedly” (thanks Kristina for the words) it is very tempting to neglect this part of my life. That’s just one of many things that are uniting us all this month.
This month my team is serving alongside team Ubuntu. You can meet them here!
The organization we are working with is Zoe Future Leaders & Glory Christian School. We are located in San Pedro de Barva, Heredia. It’s beautiful here and it reminds me of the Pacific Northwest in that it is surrounded by mountains, is pretty overcast, and rains..a lot. Also, we live super close to a really awesome coffee shop!!! This is such a blessing considering that I’ve been missing Seattle a lot. What a gift to have familiar things this month:)
Our host, Ashli, is a former World Racer and has been so good to us. She actually just finished in July and moved to Costa Rica after coming here in month 11. She is so hospitable and knows exactly what we need including rest, hot showers, and opportunities for us to make sure we are being filled up as we are pouring out so much for others. As you can see she is so wonderful & I’m learning a lot from her about serving others selflessly, obedience, and enjoying life with God. Thank you Ashli for loving us so well!
So, what am I doing this month? Here’s an overview:
- Leading a morning devotional for the students (3rd-6th grade)
- Co-teaching a class on career development (7th-10th grade) & English
- Supporting the Youth Group at Zoe Church
- Working with Principal to establish processes to help with upcoming accreditation application
- Manual Labor
- Opportunities to do outreach with women who work as prostitutes, a detention center, and a prison
- Also, the organization we are working with hosts classes with World Bible College which we are able to sit in on! Can we say Nerd-Alert?!
Thank you all so much for your continued support on this journey. I really appreciate the random Facebook messages and emails. They are so encouraging and it’s great to hear what’s going on in your lives too! Please keep em’ comin’ 🙂 Know that I miss you and am thinking of you! Love you!
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MAKE A DONATION: I still need $4,217 to cover the cost for this trip. If you are able to support me financially, click SUPPORT ME” on the left to make a tax-deductible donation. Or, cut out the small online processing fee by mailing a check to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Checks should be made out to “Adventures in Missions”.
***Put “PERKINSSHATERIKA” in the memo line of the check!!!!!***
