My first week in Costa Rica

Hello Everyone!

I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but this is the first time I've been able to spend any time on the internet. It has been an extremely full week, and I can't believe I got here just last Wednesday!

For a rundown on things I've been doing:
The project hosts short-term missions teams from the States, and one came down the same day I did. And because this month is very busy with teams, Candace, the intern coordinator, asked me to help out with them during this month. So I've been busy, busy, busy since day 1. We did construction on Thursday, half of Friday, and this Tuesday. From Friday through Monday, we went to the tico/gringo (Costa Ricans/Americans) camp that the youth group organizes every year. The city we were in, Orotina, is in the countryside and our first night there we saw a tarantulla! Talk about being worried about all the other rainforest creatures we might see! But we all warmed up to the place in the light of day. There was an outreach activity to kids and their parents in a community called Barrio de Jesus on Saturday. We had devotionals and teaching times every day. And we all built great friendships through hanging out in the pool; competing in games where we got sweaty, muddy, and wet; sharing testimonies; and participating in a talent show on Saturday night.

To share a fun story, we went hiking through the rainforest to go see a waterfall as the management of the camp had hacked a path through the brush just for us! The path went up and down steep hills, and I was wearing flip-flops because I didn't bring tennis shoes to camp. Well, of course it started pouring after we arrived almost at the end. I and another group decided to turn back, and it was quite the adventure trying to get up and down those slippery, muddy slopes in my flip-flops. We arrived soaked and muddy, but one of the men who keeps up the camp told us we were "muy valiente" (very brave/valient) and took our picture.

On another note, it has been a pretty smooth adjustment to my new diet, my host family, the culture, and language. I am staying with Doña Olga and Don Carlos. They have three children living with them: Jennifer, Gloriana, and Carlos--who we call Charlie. We have been getting along well, and Jennifer and Olga are both fantastic cooks! There have been only three meals, I think, where I have not eaten rice and/or beans. But I love them both so it has been quite alright with me.

Prayer Update

~I have many options for ministry opening up to me, and it has been wonderful to see where I may fit in here, but it is also difficult to decide where to invest my time. Please pray for discernment in this area.

~God has also been speaking to me a lot to invest more time in prayer. I wanted to, but was busy with other things and so used that as an excuse not to pray. I know that sounds strange, but prayer, especially intercession, is something that I just need to sit down and do sometimes, make a commitment to doing and not just sparsely throughout the day. During the camp I was convicted to make an intentional decision to pray.

~Also continue to pray for favor with the Ticos (Costa Ricans) as I continue to develop relationships and friendships with them.

I have much more to share, but hopefully I will be able to post more frequently in the future. Thank you for your prayers and continued support. May God bless you all richly and show Himself to you every day.