What words can express?

I have been preparing myself for this moment. For the moment when I have to say goodbye to the people and places I love. Well folks, that time is coming and it is coming fast and I still don't feel prepared to say goodbye. Little things throughout the past couple of weeks have been starting to make me cry because I realize that my time here is limited and my departure date is closing in.

I knew that when I arrived here I wouldn't be staying forever because my schooling only last a year but I can tell you that I never planned on losing my heart here or giving it away. I never planned on God transforming my heart and my mind, but all of this has taken place.

Somewhere between going to school, practicing Spanish, doing homework, going to church, making new friends, building relationships, learning about the culture, having coffee dates, working with children in ministry, studying the Bible, and walking until my legs felt like they were going to fall off...I have lost my heart. Pieces of my heart will forever be with the children in Valle del Sol, pieces of my heart will forever be at ILE and with the teachers I love, pieces of my heart will forever be on the beach where I spent time talking with God and the ones I love, pieces of my heart will forever be spread out across the world with my dear friends as they too continue to go where God is leading them, and pieces of my heart will forever be in the white two story house near Parque del Bosque with the Rojas Family.

I am not ready to write a reflection of what all of these people and places mean to me and how very grateful I am for being here because honestly it is just too hard to do right now and I am not even sure where to begin. I have started this blog about 3 times and each time I am at a lost for words. I never feel like anything I can say or do will express to all of you what my time here has meant to me. So please hear me when I say....

"God is good. He has made my time here more than I could have ever have asked for and He has blessed me far beyond what I deserve. He has and continues to break my heart for those who are in Latin America and He makes my heart long to serve Him and share His amazing story of love and grace with others. It has been an incredible privilege to live, minister, and study in Costa Rica. God has done amazing works not only in my life but also in the lives of others.

Thank you all for supporting me, loving me, and encouraging me. No words or actions can expression how truly grateful I am. Thank you for coming along side me in this journey and thank you for doing life together with me. I am deeply sadden to be leaving Costa Rica, but I am also extremely hopeful to see what plans God has next. For those of you in Costa Rica, I will miss you very very much and for those of you in the states, I will see you soon. God bless."

With love,
Chelsea

Weekend Retreat

This past weekend (thanks to my mother) I was able to go on a retreat to the beach. On Saturday, I headed off to Playa Jaco for one night . This retreat came at the perfect time and was a much needed break. I needed a weekend alone with just me and my God, and even after my retreat I can still say that was exactly what I needed. Sometimes there comes a time when you just need a break. Where the things in life start hitting you all at once (school, relationships, family, etc.) and this is where things can get complicated. You can make one decision to stay and let the things around you get the best of you or you can choose to try and combat the things around you on your own. However both of those options don´t sound very pleasant to me and they both can be very emotionally, spiritually, and physically draining, so there is yet another option you can choose to give everything over to the Lord and trust in Him. This is the option I choose.

I am a work in progress and as the things in life start hitting up against me like the waves in the ocean, I am continually looking to the Creator and clinging to His Word. For I know that no temptation has seized me except what is common to man. As I sat on the beach reading and praying, God continued to open my eyes to the ways of my heart and He continued to show me His divine sovereignty in my life. Oh how wide and deep is His is love for us, it is deeper than deepest sea and wider than the widest ocean. God is faithful. What seemed to be a bad week when given the right perspective was actually a blessed week with a blessed ending, while on this weekend retreat God was able to change my perspective and open my eyes to some of the things that often go unseen in the daily routine of life. God continues to amaze me and the more I learn about Him and the more I seek Him, the more my heart is content and at rest in Him. God is so good.

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It is hard to believe that there are only 7 weeks left of language school. This trimester has and continues to fly by! On April 27th, I will be on a flight back home, this just seems so crazy! With this in mind, I do need to make one of my prayer requests known, so far for this trimester I have paid 1/3 of my tuition ($500) and 3/4 of my rent for my time here ( $1,125). I am still in need of $1,425 to finish paying off my ILE tuition and my rent for April. If you would like to help answer my prayer and give financially please click the PayPal Donate link on the left hand side of this page or mail a check, made out to Chelsea Davis, to the following address:

Chelsea Davis
1309 South Park St.
Streator, IL 61364

Last but certainly not least thank you all for your continued prayers and support! You have all been such an encouragement to me, thank you for not only your partnership but also for your friendship and love.