Loving the Rain...

                                                            All I Need - JJ Heller

As I have gone back through and reread some of my postings, I have realized how depressing they have sounded lately so as a result I have made a new rule when it comes to blogging starting tomorrow I am only going to blog before 5pm. I had a professor in college tell me that your mind thinks more clearly in the afternoon than at any other time during the day. My blogs lately have been based off of my emotions but not all of my emotions, just mostly the ones that have formed at night when I am tired. Those moments of exhaustion or sadness take up only a small portion of my day.

I am an optimist and for the most part I am a happy person, because I know that I can trust in the Lord and that everything is going to be okay. Homesickness is just a part of life and a part of growing-up, it is a normal process to go through and everyone goes through it differently. For me, it has been crying and admitting that I miss the ones that I love. However, now that I have spent time crying and that I have realized my struggle things are starting to look up.

I noticed the past couple weeks that there has been some things that I have been neglecting...1. my devotion and prayer time and 2. my alone time. Both of those things are essential for me. Today, the best part of the day was when I went for a walk. This afternoon, I walked in the rain and talked with God and it was great. I talked to Him about everything that has been on my heart and my mind lately, and I also listened for His response and truth.  It was wonderful, I loved it.

Everyone has their ups and their downs, and for the past few days I have shared mostly my downs, but what you haven't seen in those blogs is how much fun I am having with the new students and how much I am laughing. I have laughed so hard these past few weeks with friends and family, it has been great. I have also got to try new things and explore with new friends, which has been a lot of fun. I am also starting to come into my "element" as am taking on new leadership roles and becoming more involved in ministry here in Costa Rica.

Yesterday, I went to Valle del Sol with Candace, a new ILE student, and it was great. I love working with those kiddos and seeing their smiling faces. We also had a few new children come which is always nice to see. The ministry has really been growing (thank you God). Even though, Steve (the director/leader) is the States, the classroom with the younger kids has been doing good. Karla, the lead teacher, has really been doing a good job in leading the classroom. As the tri-mester starts, I am looking forward to getting more involved in helping with the behind the scenes preparations for Saturdays and doing some teaching as my Spanish continues to improve.

God is good all the time. Thank you all for your prayers and continued support.