Hello everyone, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted a blog that isn’t very formal so I’m going to catch y’all up a little bit. Really quick, I am taking a class through Truett McConnell University and as a requirement for the class we have to post a blog on different topics that we learn about. This is why my past couple of posts have been very essay-like. Feel free to read through them as God has taught me a lot from the lessons, but just know that is not how I normally write!
Anyways, whats been going on:
I have been in Costa Rica for a month and a half and the time is flying by. I live in San Jose at the Adventures in Missions base, and we do ministry at a place called Abraham’s Project. Monday through Thursday we would go to ministry, taking Friday off and then going back on Saturday’s to do evangelism in town. Sunday’s were rest days, but we would go out and explore or do fun stuff as well. This was how life was for the first month of the Race. Two weeks ago we went to what is called Debrief, a week of rest, processing, and teaching that helps us to understand just what the heck we got ourselves into.
DEBRIEF:
Our debrief was in Jaco, a small surfing town on the Pacific Coast. We stayed in a nice hostel that was less than a minutes walk from the beach. This week consisted of sessions, worship, and designated processing times to organize all the God has done/is doing in our lives. Every day I would wake up, drink about 6 cups of the free coffee, eat a taco pancake, and get to spend time with the Lord on top of the roof in a hammock. Just writing it out makes me think of how blessed I was, it was amazing. We would go to the beach in the day, try to surf, and then start working on the tan when we got tired. Night times were made up of worship, sessions, topped off with some Netflix in the A/C (missed this a lot, truly a blessing). So this week was a much needed time of rest during which I really got to step back and see all that God had done in my life and the lives of my squad mates.
Coming home:
It’s funny because I now refer to the base as home. I never thought that I would be happy to return to this crowded space with 52 people, ice cold showers, and a jot room full of bunk beds. However, we did not stay home long but after just one night we turned around and went to Camp La Montana for a week of ministry.
Camp:
This place was amazing. It was in the beautiful mountains of Costa Rica, had some awesome people working there, and was filled with cool stuff and great food. Speaking of the food, on our first day there we were very hungry from traveling. They fed us a great lunch, but portion size here in Costa is a little different than in Texas. I saw one of the ladies that we were eating with didn’t finish her lettuce, and me in my hunger asked the awkward question: Are you going to finish that? She looked at me like I was crazy and then gave me her lettuce. After eating it, we were informed that we could go back for more food, to which started a spree of chowing down on some bomb Costa Rican cuisine. All week we were fed so well, I was in my element. Onto the other side of things, we were able to serve the camp by laying gravel on a muddy path up the mountain. This was very fun, but very difficult as we would slip every now and then and spoil the gravel all over the place. On the weekend, we helped run the camp for some campers and get to be apart of their staff. All in all it was an awesome week away, with just the guys, to which the Lord did some cool things in my life.
Coming home pt. 2:
When we returned home, we were greeted with an awesome welcome to the girls and the house exploded into a party. They had cleaned our rooms/bathrooms for us, and done a bunch of other preparations to make sure we came home to a clean house. These ladies are awesome, praise God for them. So, I’ve been “home” for about a week now and it has been good to step back into our ministry at Abraham’s Project. We have a renewed passion and energy, along with new found knowledge and discernment from God.
Hope all is well back in the States, thank you to all who continue to pray for and support me it really has been helping so do not cease! My challenge to all of you back home is to pursue the Lord in everything you do, whether it be making breakfast, going to work in the day, or even relaxing at night, seek our Father in everything. God bless, pure vida!
