I left my heart in Valle del Sol...

I didn't want to leave. If I could have stayed there all night playing with those kids I would have. We had a great time. Thank you Lord for all of the children who came today and for blessing our time together.

This week we also had three added blessings to our group. Three volunteers came and helped out with the ministry, two of which were guys who coordinated a game of fútbol for the guys in Valle del Sol. One guy is named Walter, he is currently homeless but he is working on trying to get his life together. If you are praying please add Walter to your prayers. He use to be a professional fútbol player for one of the top teams in Costa Rica until he became an alcoholic. Currently, Steve works with Him in the homeless ministry and is helping Walter find ways to fill his time during the day. Walter will not accept money and doesn't have any money because he is afraid of falling back into his bad habits. Please pray for him.

God also continues to bless this ministry with new children. This week we had a few new children. One little boy named Welmey, stole my heart. He is a tough kid but he also still has some of his childish innocence, he is in that in-between stage.

After the lesson, English word of the day, and coloring, we played a game of fútbol. It was great. The kids loved it and even though we didn't have a lot of room or even real goals, we used the resources God has given us and had a great game. Our two coloring tables turned into goals and we used the only ball we had to play with. We played for over an hour. I have never seen the kids play a game with such excitement and interest, it was great. I am going to have to buy a new ball for next week, our ball popped because of the nails in the wall, but we still had fun. The kids grabbed the ball even though it was flat and started playing a strange mix of basketball and fútbol. It was funny. In the States, the game would have ended when the ball went flat and kids would have complained, but not here they just picked it up and kept on playing.

I know God is with me always, but the joy and peace that I get when serving the Lord through working with children, is indescrible. Those four hours every week are some of my favorite. Serving the Lord is not burdensome or an obligation when you love Him, and have a love for His children. I can't wait til next Saturday!

The Annexation of Guanacaste

This weekend in Costa Rica, we are celebrating the annexation of Guanacaste! The day that the people of Guanacaste decided that they wanted to be apart of Costa Rica instead of Nicaragua, July 25th. So in honor of this day, we had a celebration at school and we have a three day weekend. At our celebration, we ate tomales, drank horchata, and danced. For the past two months, some students and teachers have been practicing some traditional Costa Rican dances and they had a performance at the school today and yesterday. It was quite a show and a lot of fun. I love watching people dance, especially my teacher Graciela because she has a passion for dancing. (I have uploaded some of these pictures on Facebook along with some from Canada Day and from the La Paz waterfall garden.)

This week has been a great week and it continues on getting better. This weekend I get to relax a bit and study. I need to go back and review some nouns and verbs. I also get to work with the kids on Saturday, babysit on Sunday, and hang out with some friends throughout the weekend.

This week, I have had two exams: one in language class and the other in grammar, both of which went well. At least I hope so, I will find out next week what my scores are. I also have an update on my health. I have been feeling uneasy for quite some time now so I finally decided to go to the doctor yesterday. Turns out that I have an intestinal parasite, but I have some medication now so everything will be good in 4 to 5 days. Also, the prayers of all my friends and family have been helping tremendously I have not had very much pain and I have been more at peace, so thank you all so much.

I have been really enjoying my past couple of weeks here and God has been so good to me. I have little things here and there that try to distract me or get in the way of way I am here, but I love that every morning I can wake up and thank God that I am where He wants me to be. Since my arrival in Costa Rica, I have been able to experience God in ways that I never have before and it has been wonderful. I have had to be dependent on God and it feels so good to lean on Him. His love for me and others, continues to amaze me.

Thank you all so much for your continued support and prayers! It has been such a blessing and a privilege to be at language school. I will be sending out a newsletter update soon in the mail so be on the lookout. If you would like to receive my newsletter and are currently not on my mailing list, please send me your address at cd_0687@yahoo.com 

Also, I would like to share with you something that has been on my heart. God willing I would love to stay here longer, but only if it is in His will. This is something that I have been praying about for quite a while now, almost since my arrival. There is something about being here at language school that seems so right. I know that God has planned for me to be here at this specific point in time so I know that He will provide the funds for me to stay til December and possibly longer, as long as it His will. I don´t want to make this decision lightly and frankly this decision is not mine to make, because my life is not my own. This why I am asking if you would prayfully consider supporting me financially, in a one-time donation or even a monthly donation from now until _______. I am currently still in need of $1,600 in order to stay in language school til December 2011, but my prayer goal is $4,900 because I would love to stay in language school till the end of April 2012. (For those of you reading who are unsure of how my financial support works, all support is not tax-deductible because I am an independent missionary, this means that I am not associated with any organization. Financial giving should be done only through prayful consideration.) Out of faith and love I came to Costa Rica and God provided, I know that if this is His desire for my life He will provide again. If God is calling you to support me financially, please mail a check to:

Chelsea Davis
1309 South Park
Streator, IL 61364

All checks should be made out to: Chelsea Davis

(Also, please indicate if this is a one-time donation or if you would like to give a monthly donation of a certain amount (Also please indicate the months. For example from August 2011 til December 2011). For those of you receiving my newsletter I will have a slip with my newsletter that indicates whether you would like to donate one-time or monthly.) 


I would also appreciate any and all prayers, regarding my continuation with language school and my financial needs.  Thank you.

Jesus said what?

"He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Luke 9:59-62

Wow, really? I read those verses and thought, okay Jesus that is kind of strict don't you think? How come you wouldn't let the man go say good-bye to his family? Then I thought that even though those words may at first sound harsh, there is something more important going on here. I can't look at these verses based off of my first human instinct.

Imagine that Jesus Christ, the Lord, shows up while you are at work and is standing in front of you saying, "Come follow me": not in an hour, not in a few minutes, but right now in this very second. Leave everything you know and everything you have, and just follow me. How many of you would go? Forget calling your family, forget saying good-bye, and forget packing, there is no time. Jesus is standing in front of you now saying, "Come follow me". Would you go?

Well this is what Jesus did to His disciples. He met them where they were at and offered them the opportunity to come and follow Him. In Luke 9, He sends them out and says, "take nothing for the journey - no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic". That is right nothing.

Jesus wanted His disciples to be completely dependent on Him, and He wants the same for us. He wants us to be completely dependent on Him. He wants us to trust Him. You see God would have to take care of His disciples and followers, because they had nothing else to cling to.

We have to faith, like the disciples, that Jesus will come through. We have to trust in the Lord. The disciples did not have anything to cling to for comfort or safety, except for God. They had to put all their trust in Him.

"This place of trust isn't a comfortable place to be; in fact, it flies against everything we've been taught about proper planning. We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide. But when Christ says to count the cost of following Him, it means we must surrender everything. It means being willing..."to go without an extra pair of shoes, without money, without a place to sleep, and sometimes without knowing where we are going. (Crazy Love, p. 123)

We need to trust God completely with everything. This will not make sense to an unbeliever, but to the one who loves the Lord, there is no other way than to trust and obey.

What words would you use to describe you?

Be honest now. Seriously think about this question. What words would you use to describe you? Don't go ask your friend or co-worker to describe who they think you are, but look at yourself and describe you. Our thoughts and our actions don't always line-up with what or who people think we are. Some people might describe you as patient, but that is just because they don't know you that well. Some people might describe you as caring, but that is because they don't see your selfish motives. Some people might describe you as a good husband or wife, but that is only because they don't know about the affair.


The only person who really knows you is you and God. I already asked you to describe yourself so take a moment and think about those words that really describe you. Be honest. We all know you can't fool God so there is no point in trying to fool yourself. I would encourage you to write those words down and look at them for a moment.


Do any of those words that you used to describe you, describe God? If not, then why not?


No one is perfect, except for God, but there is a way to be made new through Christ. Think about the words on your list and how they apply to God and how they apply to you. If you see a word that does not describe God then pray about it, ask for forgiveness. Repent and confess to the Lord your sins. "For all have sinned..." you are not alone in this.


"Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God," 2 Corinthians 7:1


After you have prayed and repented, think about the changes you need to make in your life so that you won't fall back into those words again. What needs to change? Then thank God for His forgiveness and grace, and throw that paper away because those words do not define you. Your identity is in Christ. 

Eternity

Today, I was not a people-person and I spent much of the day wishing I could just be alone with God. During the break at school, I looked for a place that I could claim as my own. I looked for a room or a bench that I could sit and pray and think without any interruptions. Instead of finding a room, I found a corner in the back of one of the buildings where I could hide from everyone. I really like that little corner.

My time of prayer did not last very long because I was at a lost for words. I didn't know what I wanted to say so I just sat there listening. Then after a while I decided to go find a book that I have been wanting to read. Instead, I found a book that was completely unexpected. I opened the first page and the book was dedicated to "that solitary individual". I immediately thought that's me.

I have been thinking since yesterday about living with an eternal perspective. "Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter" (Tim Kizziar). This made me think that as individuals and a church if we lived with eternity in the front of our minds, we would never succeed at things that don't matter in life because God would always be our focus.

"What is man without Thee! What if all he knows, vast accumulation though it be, but a chipped fragment if he does not know Thee! What is all his striving, could it even encompass a world, but a half-finished work if he does not know Thee: Thee the One, who art one thing and who art all!" (Soren Kierkegaard, "Purity of Heart" p. 1)

Many of us just live day by day, but how many of us actually think about eternity on a daily basis? This thought of eternity makes me both happy and sad. I am happy because I know what eternity has holds for those who know the Lord, but it also makes me deeply saddened for those who don't and for those who think that they are Christians, but don't follow the Lord. 

God says that He has given us eternal life through Christ so "if there is, then, something eternal in a man the discussion of it must have a different ring. It must be said that there is something that shall always have its time, something that man should always do" (Purity of Heart, p. 7). Eternity should always be in the front of our minds and in our lives, because God has made us new in Him, and through Christ we have eternal life. Therefore, if we have eternal life then how can we go on living without an enternal perspective. "For in relation to the Eternal, age gives no justification for speaking absurdly, and youth does not exclude one from being able to grasp what is true"(p.8).

We are without excuses. If we call ourselves Christians then our lives need to reflect God, the Eternal. Everything matters to the person whose eyes are fixed the Eternal.

"God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men,"Ecclesiastes 3:11a (NIV).

.......

My testimony, this is the story of how God has worked in my life and how God is faithful.

Before I was born, my parents were separated and after I was born they tried to make it work, but still it ended in divorce. My mother remarried when I was 2 years old to a wonderful man named Mike (who I refer to as my dad). I have grown up in a Christian home with my mom and dad and my little brother, Trey. My mom and dad always went to church and made sure that my brother and I went as well. I first learned about God by watching my mother's life and also through a nice old lady named Blanche, she took me under her wing at church and helped me memorize some of my first bible verses.

I went to church every year growing up, but I didn't really understand why everyone, Christians, did some of the things they did. I praise God that my parents allowed me try to discover God on my own while at the same time being godly examples. My parents not only talked about their faith but more importantly they lived it out.

Like most children, I rebelled against my parents teachings and God. For a short while in Junior High I struggled believing in God. I couldn't understand why God would prohibit me from doing some of the things that I wanted to do. I didn't understand why my parents wouldn't let me do what I wanted to do or why they always seemed more protective or strict than the other parents. I did not like having a curfew or checking in with them and constantly letting them know where I was at. Later on in life, this becomes one of the things that I love the most about my parents, because now I understand that it was out of their love for me that they disciplined me and tried to protect me.

My parents noticed my rebelling behavior and started making me go to church with them. I groaned for a while about going to church, because we had just switched to a new church and I was just not happy about being at church. I didn't give God a chance because I stubborn and wanted to live life my way.

One day at church my cousin asked my if I would go to youth group with her. I had refused to go before when other people had asked me to go, but since it was her I decided to go. Well, she never showed up that night at youth group and I was stuck in a room with a bunch of people I didn't know. I thought they were weird honestly because the moment I walked in the door kids started greeting me, they had no idea who I was, but they made me feel welcomed. I made friends that night who would become my best friends throughout my childhood and teenage years, and some of them would stay for the rest of my life.

It was in that youth group that I learned about who God is, in a way that I could understand. I was introduced to teenagers that had something about them that I could not explain, they had God. I realized that this was the God my parents knew about too and I desired to know more about Him.

Well, it is over 11 years later and I still desire to know more about God. God has blessed me so much throughout my life. He didn't let me stay in my rebellion, but instead He persued me. He used my parents and new friends to help me know Him. I believe He knew how rebellious my heart really was and to save me from pain, He helped me learn about Him early on in life. This doesn't mean that I haven't made mistakes or rebelled since then, but I am constantly striving to know God and out of His love He never lets me stay in my rebellion for long. I always go back towards the truth and as I have matured in my faith that is the only place that I want to be, in His love and in His truth.

Once you had found something so good and so right, it is hard not to share that with others. God has transformed my life and I know He desires the same for others. This is why I share my testimony with you and why I became a missionary. I amazed by God's love for me and for others.

Talking with God....

Today was good. I was able to go to a new church with my friend, Elaine. (I am looking for a church to attend after my friend Kelly leaves so I am starting to check out different churches in the area. I do like the church I attend now but I want to see what else is out there. I never ventured out explored the other churches because I didn't feel comfortable doing it, but now I do.) After church, Elaine and I went out to lunch and then traveled to meet up with a team from her home church in the states.

While talking and waiting for a cab, she reminded me of something that I would like to share today. It has been over a year since I have wrote about prayer so I would like to explore this topic with you again.

Prayer is something that should be apart of our daily lives. It should be almost like breathing. In Scripture, we are told to pray continually and in the Spirit. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul tells the church to pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, and to pray for all the saints (God's people).


I believe God wants us to share with Him everything that is in our hearts, even our complaints. God knows everything that is in our minds anyways so why not just share everything with Him in prayer? I pray in private like God is sitting right next to me. I even pray out loud like I am having a conversation with God, if someone were to see or hear this they might think I am crazy. When I am not in the privacy of my room, I talk to God in my head or sometimes out loud as long as no one else can hear me. I like to say I have conversations with God because it helps me to see prayer as a two way street, this involves not only talking but also waiting for a response. Sometimes we can get so caught up in talking to God that we forget to or don't stop talking long enough to hear His response.

I share with God everything that is on my heart, but then I also listen, look, and wait for His response. They don't always come right away and sometimes I don't feel or see a response at all, but it is okay. God is in control and I know He is good. His response may not always be what you want but you have to trust in Him.

One of my favorite examples of prayer comes from the book "God is Closer than You Think" by John Ortberg. In this book, the author talks about a man named Brother Lawrence and how even though his job to wash dishes he would wash those dishes and talk with God. Brother Lawrence took an every day task and instead made it about God.

There are all different kinds of ways to pray but I think the most important thing to do is just pray. God wants you to share what is on your heart, even though He already knows. Isn't always better to hear what is going on in your friends' life directly from them instead of someone else? This is kind of how I feel when it comes to praying to God. He wants to talk with me, but He wants me to want to talk to Him. He doesn't force me to say anything to Him, but because I love Him I want to share everything with Him (the good and the bad, my ups and my downs).

I could go on forever about prayer but the point is to remember to just pray, talk with God. Talk about even the silly little things that you don't think matter, because it does matter to God. Then listen for His response to your prayers or requests. This is about having a deep personal relationship with God. You don't develop deep relationships by not talking or listening. You need to be willing to share with God what was on your heart and mind and listen for His response.