This evening I got to Skype with my mother and my grandma Pastirik. This picture seems to be one of my family's favorites so this is for them. This is also one of my favorite pictures from the beach because that to me was an almost perfect morning. My dad was visiting and I spent the morning watching the sunrise, walking the beach with my new doggy friend, drinking coffee, and I got to sit and talk with my Dad. I loved that morning.

Today has also been really good. I woke up this morning full of energy and I was excited to go to the Feria. I love open fresh markets. I really enjoy cooking so that is why I find the market so much fun. I also like getting to talk to new people, there is never a dull morning at the market. I watched the movie "Julie and Julia" last night and decided this morning that I was going to make bruschetta to go along with our lunch. Yum, it made think of home. I miss cooking so I decided I am going to start making little treats every now and then. I am also going to make a meal soon for my host family once I create a menu that has something everyone will enjoy.

This afternoon, I went to Valle del Sol. Seriously, it feels like every time I leave there part of my heart stays behind. I love those kids so much. Our lesson today was based around the topic: God cares for me. One of my favorite moments of the day is when we pray together. I love hearing all of their voices praying. Today, I brought a surprise for them (thanks to my mom). My mom gave me a kickball to take to Valle del Sol and give to the ministry. We had so much fun playing with that ball today. We attempted to play soccer with it and ended up playing monkey in the middle inside the house, because of the rain. The kids had so much fun. Next to hearing them pray my other favorite sound is laughter, specifically a child's laugh. Oh those kids laughed so much today, it was great. I didn't want to leave. I came home dirty, smelly (because the road we play near is covered with burning trash), and with sparkle glue all over my pants, and I loved it. When I came home, I tried to scrub some of the sparkle glue off of my pants and I just smiled because I love those kids. I also love the fact that we had to stay a bit longer today because the older kids were so involved in their Bible lesson. I can't wait to go back next week and see their lovely faces.

My day of rest...

 Today at school we had the new student fiesta. It was fun. There was traditional Costa Rican dancing and of course food, which was delicious. Afterwards, everyone just hung out and talked. I really love when we have parties at school because I love the environment and the fellowship. I really enjoyed getting to know some new people and spending some time with friends.

After school, I started working on somethings that I thought I had to do. However, my attempts to be "productive" were short lived because I was exhausted. My nights of staying up late caught up to me and I literally could not keep my eyes open or focus on what I was trying to do so I took a nap. When I woke up, I felt ready to go, but I decided not to start to working and instead I had an afternoon/evening of relaxation. You see the things that I thought I had to do today I didn't actually have to do at all, so I said, "no, I am going to relax". My attempts to relax this week haven't been very good because my mind was constantly focused on the things I that I really did need to do, but now everything is done for this week and now I can kick back and relax.

Having time to relax and taking a break from work is important, I have to admit I don't do this nearly as much as I should. I was reading about the Sabbath the other day in the Old Testament and thanks to a friend I have been reading about what it means to rest. That time with God and that time of rest is so crucial in our lives, I don't think many people realize that. Having day of rest, a Sabbath, was not a suggestion, it was a command.

Thank you Lord for this day of rest and relaxation.

So happy!

I just finished doing a happy dance and ran out of room saying, "we have a hotel"! Yay! For the past week, I have been planning a trip to Panama for students who need to get their visas renewed before the end of September and everything has come together today! Gracias a Dios! We will be going Bocas del Toro Province, Panama in 2 weeks. The Bed and Breakfast that we will be staying at is literally on the water, how cool is that. We will also have hammocks and the free use of kayaks, I am so excited. We were also able to receive a discount on our rooms, thank you Lord!

Also, school went very well today. I was a bit more tired today than the past couple of days, but I know I will be able to rest tonight. In class, we are still reviewing material from the last tri-mester and then tomorrow we will be starting new material for this tri-mester. I know I have said this before, but I love school. After school, I came home and started planning the trip to Panama because I knew I wouldn't be able to relax until I found a hotel. Then at 2pm, I went over to a friend's house and practiced my Spanish with her Tica mom and in return I helped her practice her English. That was a lot of fun, I think we are going to make our meetings  a weekly thing.

Now, I am about to go study, relax, and then go to bed. I also started a new book this week called: "The Prodigal God" by: Timothy Keller, I am only in chapter one but so far it is good. Thank you Lord for another wonderful day. 

It's Wednesday

This morning I went to bed at 1:00am and woke up at 6:45am. Yesterday, I got to skype with my best friend Emily and early this morning I got to skype with my good friend John, who currently lives in Kenya. Even though, I didn't get a lot of sleep talking with them and seeing their faces was completely worth it. I love my friends.

I know I said I would write before 5pm, but today was very busy. However, even though I was busy all day today was a wonderful day. I was able to get a lot of things done that I have been putting off and I was able to cook, which I really enjoyed doing. When cooking, I love watching how all the ingredients come together. My least favorite part of cooking a meal is when I get to watch someone take their first bite. I don't like the anticipation of waiting to see if they like their food or not, but I love seeing someone's face when they really do enjoy their food.

Today, I made way too much chicken fettucini alfredo with mixed vegetables for a family at school so when my host brother, Oscar, came home from work I offered him some. I personally don't care for fettucini alfredo so I was nervous to see how he would react. After his first bite, he said he liked it a lot. Then I walked out of the room to put some towels away and I heard my host mom (who doesn't eat pasta) ask again if he liked it (to see if he really did), and he did. When I came back in, he said I should open my own restaurant in Costa Rica, that made me smile.

Thank you Lord for another wonderful day. 

Classes have begun!

Today was my first day back at school and I loved it! My new teachers are very nice and I know that I am going to really enjoy being in class with them, along with my wonderful classmates. Sarah, Mark, and I are all in the same class again this tri, which really makes me happy because I love laughing with them. We also have two additional students in each of our classes which is going to be good and add more diversity to the group.

I think I may be more excited about this tri-mester than I was my first tri-mester. I didn't know that could be possible because I was super excited about my first tri, but there is just something different about this tri-mester. I was nervous during my break from school because I thought I would be overwhelmed this tri, but now I am starting to get organized and delegating some activities and saying no to the things that I feel will make me feel overwhelmed.

Looking back on the past few weeks, I can see that God has been answering my unspoken prayers. A lot of things have come together that I didn't think would. Help has come even when I didn't ask for it out loud. I love how God places people and things in our lives at just the right moments. Thank you Lord. In the park, God didn't show me what I wanted to see or give me the answers I wanted to hear, but He was there with me just like He always is. He spoke the words that I needed to hear, "just be". I didn't understand those words at first, but now I am starting to. Those words to me are like those described in Proverbs 16:24, "...a honeycomb. Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones". Only my Lord could speak to me on such an intimate level with only two words, oh how I love Him. I am not going to describe what those words mean to me or how God is using them in my life for now, because those words are so wonderfully intimate that at this time I can't even articulate their meaning in such a way that could show you how much those words have touched my heart. The only thing I can do right now is praise God.

Being Content

Paul in Philippians wrote, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in" (4:11b).

When I was in the park, the words "just be" came to my mind, but I think that was almost like an unfinished sentence, what does that mean to just be? Well in Paul's life it meant just be content. Be content in all circumstances. Do you think being content is something that Paul just knew how to do? I don't think so, because he says, "I have learned to be content".

Transitions in life are not easy for someone who finds comfort in stability and routines, but being content in all circumstances is something that I am learning to do. Not being content in myself, but being content in the Lord and in knowing that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

Siempre fiel, always faithful. God is always faithful.

Today, I woke up this morning with a spring in my step. I am not a morning person by any means, but tomorrow school starts, yay! I know I sound like a little child, but I am very excited to be starting my second tri-mester at ILE. I have loved my first tri and I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for this upcoming tri.

This afternoon, I am going with a few students to pick up their new Costa Rican cellphones and then after that I will be heading downtown to do a prayer walk around the city. It has been a while since I have walked around downtown and prayed over the city and the people. I said before that I wanted to start doing a weekly prayer walk so today is going to start week one. 

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.