I’m still alive!
The last couple weeks I have been very busy with both my squad debrief and a week at La Montana, but it was a BLAST!
Squad debrief is a week long time of rest, restoration, and vacation. My squad and I stayed at Room2Board (a beautiful hostel in Jaco, Costa Rica) and we were literally right on the beach! The 2 1/2 hour bus ride was WELL worth it! On the way to Jaco we stopped by the Crocodile Bridge and if you couldn’t guess already we got the opportunity to look at some massive crocodiles…it was WAY better than the zoo! Not too long after the bridge we arrived at hostel and then the fun began! Right away we were blown away because the hostel was more like a hotel, there was a pool with a slide and a projector screen, a bar and grille next to the pool with beach music playing, and a direct path right down to the beach.
We rushed up to our rooms and were even more surprised to find REALLY nice bunk beds and even better yet AIR CONDITIONING! We quickly tossed our stuff on our beds, threw on our bathing suits, and literally ran down to the beach. There was at least thirty of us in the water playing like children in the waves and I think I was literally laughing for the entire time we were in the water. The sky was bright, the sun was setting, the water was perfect, the waves were big, and I felt incredibly close to my Heavenly Father. I will never forget this moment…the scenery and the joy I felt that day in the water will forever be engrained in my memory. This was just in my first few hours in Jaco, HAHAHA GOD IS SO GOOD! Throughout the rest of the week I got the opportunity to really get to know my brothers and sisters on Q Squad while having an absolute blast!
I finally got to learn how to surf and shred the gnar! In my first lesson my instructor Wadi (a super chill dude and pro surfer) had us in the small white waves with huge boards to ensure we got up on some waves. My friends and I were picking it up pretty quick and absolutely loved it so we rented some boards after the lesson and headed back in the water. I was feeling pretty confident with the board I was using and the waves I was catching, however, I was quickly humbled when high tide came in and literally pounded me wave after wave (8-12 footers). After getting thrashed under water 20+ times I plopped on the beach and just smiled back at the waves…they won. I was in awe of the power of the ocean and quickly learned to respect it, but I was in even more awe that God created that and that the ocean isn’t even a glimpse of His mighty power!
A couple friends and myself decided we wanted to take another lesson so signed up for a 6:30 AM lesson with Wadi. This time he took us out deeper than the previous days and taught us how to read and catch some big ‘ole waves (green waves). He’d wade in the water next to us and tell us when/how hard to paddle and when to push up on the board, and he’d ALWAYS be cheering us on…an absolute bro! I’ll never forget catching that first big wave, all I heard was, “paddle, paddle, paddle hard, paddle hard, paddle HARDER!”, when all of a sudden I felt this massive swell of a wave begin to take me. I felt myself climb up as the wave peaked and I dropped in! I cannot even explain the overwhelming joy I felt riding that first REAL wave all the way into shore; the mass, the power, the speed, the sound, the feel. As I popped my head out of the water all I heard was Wadi cheering and holding up “hang loose” to me. I WAS ABSOLUTELY HOOKED!!! This was by far the closest I have ever felt to God in nature, this is definitely one of my pathways to Him and something that is now becoming a passion of mine. From the time I grabbed a board till the time I put it back I had the biggest smile on my face and was having the time of my life…thank you God for the ocean and surfing! Being able to enjoy God’s creation in the water and worship Him through surfing most definitely made my week and will forever be a highlight of this trip!
We also got the opportunity to meet a really stellar dude, his name is Jack. From the moment we arrived at the hostel he was very hospitable, intentional, kind, and just all around a really cool guy — he is 19 years old and is traveling the world! Jack and I got to chat about Jesus, surfing (he’s been surfing since he was 8), music, and all of our travels! Come to find out Jack will be in Thailand the same time my squad is…how cool is that! Praise God because that is no accident! Jack really connected with Q Squad, took us places, hung out with us, taught us, surfed with us, worshipped with us, and even wrote us a SUPER encouraging letter with all the potential he sees in us and the light we are to others. We got the opportunity to worship with Jack and pray for him. I absolutely love this dude and cannot wait to see Him in Thailand!! (Hopefully we’ll be able to surf together 😉 ).
Throughout the week we had a lot of squad sessions and worship services which were super encouraging and brought me much closer to God, this break was much needed! I also got the opportunity chat a lot with family back home, and finally got the opportunity to FaceTime my girlfriend! Mykayla is also on the World Race but is serving in Swaziland. At this time she was also on her debrief so we got the chance to catch up on all that God has been doing in our first couple months in the mission field. I miss her, my family, and my friends terribly; however, God had really been working in me and giving me peace that only He can provide. God is so Good!
To be continued…
Please stay tuned to my next blog so you can hear about my week at La Montana and how God moved through my time there!
God bless,
Tyler
