This time has gone by so fast. It is hard to believe that I have been in Costa Rica for over 3 months. This past tri-mester at ILE has been incredible, glory be to God. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived here, but I can tell you for certain that this experience is no where close to anything that I could have imagined. God is so amazing. You know I wanted to wrap up with this tri with a blog about how much I have learned when it comes to language learning, but there is so much more to ILE than learning Spanish. Don't get me wrong I have learned a ton when it comes to the Spanish language and Costa Rican culture, but in my 3 months at ILE I have grown so much in my understanding and relationship with Christ. All I can do is praise God. Some of my favorite and most difficult moments from this past tri took place in the solitude of my room, just me and my God. I am not really sure how to explain everything that God has put on my heart, but let me share with you a song that God has continually been placing into my life.
In the quiet
In the stillness
I know that you are God
In the secret of your presence
I know there I am restored
When you call I won't refuse
Each new day again I'll choose
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring him praise
In the chaos in confusion
I know you are sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do your will
When you call I won't delay
This my song through all my days
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring him praise
All my delight is in you
All of my hope
All of my strength
All of my delight is in you
Forever more
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring him praise
(None but Jesus by: Hillsong United)
P.S.
Please lift up ILE, the administration, and the teachers in your prayers tonight and tomorrow. This past week/month has been hard for the teachers because the school is having to lay off some of the teachers, because of financial reasons and the declining student enrollment. Tomorrow there will be a meeting for the staff, and the administration will be announcing who will be laid off. Please lift up the school and the teachers who will be laid off tomorrow in your prayers.
August 10, 2011
August 09, 2011
My Dad arrives in 4 days..
On Saturday, my daddy Mike is going to be visiting me in Costa Rica. I am super excited and I can't wait to see him. I also can't wait to show him around. My dad means so much to me, and to be able to share this wonderful experience in Costa Rica with him makes me so happy.
My dad is one of the best human beings I know. I am not saying that just because I am his daughter. I am saying that because I know him. If you want to meet someone who is honest, caring, kind, and genuine then look no farther than my dad. I have had the privilege of being his daughter and I am so blessed to have him in my life.
I grew up watching him and my mom serving others and dedicating their lives to helping others. If there was ever a problem I knew I could always go to my dad no matter what, and he would understand. While growing up, it didn't take me long to see that others could see this in him too. People would call him in the middle of the night with their issues or he would go out of his way to help those in need. My parents showed me what it meant to serve and love others through their actions.
I remember asking my mom when I was little, "Mom how does everyone know dad?". We couldn't go out without someone talking to him or my mom, even my friends would stop us in the store to talk to my dad. That always made me smile, I knew I had the best dad.
My dad and I have always had this special connection. He gets some of the humor that my mom just doesn't understand (she can testify to this). Some of my favorite memories are of him and I going out to a movie by ourselves or going fishing. I remember even having fun eating at McDonald's with him, I loved hanging out with my daddy.
If it hadn't been for my dad's help in elementary school, I don't think I would have made it out. He would spend hours working with me on an assignment that should have lasted 10 minutes, I have always been an excellent procrastinator. I would asks for a cup of water or something to eat to get out of doing homework, and if all else failed I remember saying, "why don't we just talk?". My dad is very patient.
He is a man that doesn't ask for anything, but gives everything. He is a simple man, it doesn't take much to make him happy or content. He has dedicated his life to not only helping others, but also to his family. While growing up, my dad and my mom included my brother and I in everything. As they would tell you, we are their lives. When I could or wanted to, I would go to work with my dad and my mom. I also remember waiting at home for my dad to get off work and hiding behind the door waiting to scare him when he walked in. I successfully scared him the majority of the time.
All of our vacations were as a family. The thought of doing something without my brother or me was a strange concept for them. We would always do things together as a family. However when it came to nature, my mom was never really a big fan so my dad and I would go fishing by ourselves (my brother was a mama's boy growing up so he would stay with her). My favorite times were my dad and I's camping trips to Yogi Bear park. We would play in the pool for hours, go fishing, catch frogs, play minature golf, and candy bar bingo. That was one of my favorite places to be. Every time I smell something cooking out on a grill or over a fire, I always think of my dad cooking our food at Yogi Bear. We had the best breakfasts. People would come over from other camp sites or cabins because they could smell our food. When it comes to a grill or an open fire my dad is a great cook.
While growing up, he has taught me about the importance of communication and working through your issues instead of around them. He has not only told me about the importance of being a hard worker, but he has showed me what it really means through his life. My dad is one of the hardest workers I know, and he does his work with excellence. He has a teachable heart and loves learning about new things. He is also a great storyteller. While growing up, I would always have him tell me stories about when he was young or I would ask him to tell me funny stories.
I could go on forever, I love my dad.
My dad is one of the best human beings I know. I am not saying that just because I am his daughter. I am saying that because I know him. If you want to meet someone who is honest, caring, kind, and genuine then look no farther than my dad. I have had the privilege of being his daughter and I am so blessed to have him in my life.
I grew up watching him and my mom serving others and dedicating their lives to helping others. If there was ever a problem I knew I could always go to my dad no matter what, and he would understand. While growing up, it didn't take me long to see that others could see this in him too. People would call him in the middle of the night with their issues or he would go out of his way to help those in need. My parents showed me what it meant to serve and love others through their actions.
I remember asking my mom when I was little, "Mom how does everyone know dad?". We couldn't go out without someone talking to him or my mom, even my friends would stop us in the store to talk to my dad. That always made me smile, I knew I had the best dad.
My dad and I have always had this special connection. He gets some of the humor that my mom just doesn't understand (she can testify to this). Some of my favorite memories are of him and I going out to a movie by ourselves or going fishing. I remember even having fun eating at McDonald's with him, I loved hanging out with my daddy.
If it hadn't been for my dad's help in elementary school, I don't think I would have made it out. He would spend hours working with me on an assignment that should have lasted 10 minutes, I have always been an excellent procrastinator. I would asks for a cup of water or something to eat to get out of doing homework, and if all else failed I remember saying, "why don't we just talk?". My dad is very patient.
He is a man that doesn't ask for anything, but gives everything. He is a simple man, it doesn't take much to make him happy or content. He has dedicated his life to not only helping others, but also to his family. While growing up, my dad and my mom included my brother and I in everything. As they would tell you, we are their lives. When I could or wanted to, I would go to work with my dad and my mom. I also remember waiting at home for my dad to get off work and hiding behind the door waiting to scare him when he walked in. I successfully scared him the majority of the time.
All of our vacations were as a family. The thought of doing something without my brother or me was a strange concept for them. We would always do things together as a family. However when it came to nature, my mom was never really a big fan so my dad and I would go fishing by ourselves (my brother was a mama's boy growing up so he would stay with her). My favorite times were my dad and I's camping trips to Yogi Bear park. We would play in the pool for hours, go fishing, catch frogs, play minature golf, and candy bar bingo. That was one of my favorite places to be. Every time I smell something cooking out on a grill or over a fire, I always think of my dad cooking our food at Yogi Bear. We had the best breakfasts. People would come over from other camp sites or cabins because they could smell our food. When it comes to a grill or an open fire my dad is a great cook.
While growing up, he has taught me about the importance of communication and working through your issues instead of around them. He has not only told me about the importance of being a hard worker, but he has showed me what it really means through his life. My dad is one of the hardest workers I know, and he does his work with excellence. He has a teachable heart and loves learning about new things. He is also a great storyteller. While growing up, I would always have him tell me stories about when he was young or I would ask him to tell me funny stories.
I could go on forever, I love my dad.
August 08, 2011
Come to me...
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." - John 10:27-30
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."- Psalm 23:1-4
When faced with danger or stress the sheep's first response is to panic and flee, which can make the shepherd's job hard. They have a natural gregarious instint, which means they are fond of the company of others, but when faced with danger they scatter. This is where the shepherd comes in, he helps guide his sheep and keeps watch over the flock.
We, as humans, are also fearful of many things. We have as some call it "a fear of the unknown". We worry about our lives and panic when things don't go as planned. We can start to feel so overwhelmed and burdened by the things in our lives that we start can start to lose hope or become distracted. However, God tells us...
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7
"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us.." - Hebrews 12:1
Just as a shepherd keeps watch over his flock, the same is true for the Lord. He keeps watch over us, guides us, and is always with us. He cares for us and wants us to rest in Him. He wants us to cast all our anxieties and worries on Him and rest in knowing that He is Lord, nothing is hidden from His sight. He sees you.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."- Psalm 23:1-4
When faced with danger or stress the sheep's first response is to panic and flee, which can make the shepherd's job hard. They have a natural gregarious instint, which means they are fond of the company of others, but when faced with danger they scatter. This is where the shepherd comes in, he helps guide his sheep and keeps watch over the flock.
We, as humans, are also fearful of many things. We have as some call it "a fear of the unknown". We worry about our lives and panic when things don't go as planned. We can start to feel so overwhelmed and burdened by the things in our lives that we start can start to lose hope or become distracted. However, God tells us...
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7
"Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us.." - Hebrews 12:1
Just as a shepherd keeps watch over his flock, the same is true for the Lord. He keeps watch over us, guides us, and is always with us. He cares for us and wants us to rest in Him. He wants us to cast all our anxieties and worries on Him and rest in knowing that He is Lord, nothing is hidden from His sight. He sees you.
August 07, 2011
Glory be to God...
"Take my life and let it be, all for you and for your glory" -Fee
God has and continues to be so faithful. His love for me continues to amaze me. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come.
Today was fun and interesting. I woke up this morning exhausted because I stayed up too late last night, but I pulled myself out of bed and went to church. I really enjoyed church. In addition to being filled with God's truth, going to church has also become a great way for me to practice Spanish by: listening, singing, and talking with people. I have realized that it is hard for me to actually listen when people are speaking in Spanish, because it is easy to zone out or become so flustered about putting together a response that it is hard to actually understand what the other person is saying. I am trying to work on this by speaking more Spanish and by being intentional in surrounding myself with Ticos or other Spanish speakers.
After church, I went downtown to have lunch. My plan was to go to the restaurant, where I had that great meal the other day, but sadly enough they are not open on Sundays. So, I settled on fast food, but the best part of my lunchtime was the fact that my table was by the windows that looked out towards one of the parks. So as I ate lunch, I was able to people watch.
After lunch, I walked around and did some more people watching and a little shopping. I found two more street musicians that I really enjoy listening to. Also as I walked around, I noticed something was different today...there was police everywhere. Seriously every corner I turned there would be two cops, I started to wonder if there is more crime during the day on Sundays than on other days. From my observation today, I would say yes. Today, I witnessed a large group of teenagers starting a riot near one of the parks in less than a minute the police arrived and jumped out of trucks like a swat team. The police broke it up and the teenagers went their separate ways. Then after I left the park, on one street I witnessed an arrest (a guy tried to steal another guy's bag), on another street a woman was making a complaint about some guys bothering her, and on another street a guy was being patted down by an officer.
My walk around downtown ended up being a prayer walk for the teenagers, prostitutes, and police officers in the city. Today, I decided that I am going to start doing an intentional weekly prayer walk downtown.
God has and continues to be so faithful. His love for me continues to amaze me. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come.
Today was fun and interesting. I woke up this morning exhausted because I stayed up too late last night, but I pulled myself out of bed and went to church. I really enjoyed church. In addition to being filled with God's truth, going to church has also become a great way for me to practice Spanish by: listening, singing, and talking with people. I have realized that it is hard for me to actually listen when people are speaking in Spanish, because it is easy to zone out or become so flustered about putting together a response that it is hard to actually understand what the other person is saying. I am trying to work on this by speaking more Spanish and by being intentional in surrounding myself with Ticos or other Spanish speakers.
After church, I went downtown to have lunch. My plan was to go to the restaurant, where I had that great meal the other day, but sadly enough they are not open on Sundays. So, I settled on fast food, but the best part of my lunchtime was the fact that my table was by the windows that looked out towards one of the parks. So as I ate lunch, I was able to people watch.
After lunch, I walked around and did some more people watching and a little shopping. I found two more street musicians that I really enjoy listening to. Also as I walked around, I noticed something was different today...there was police everywhere. Seriously every corner I turned there would be two cops, I started to wonder if there is more crime during the day on Sundays than on other days. From my observation today, I would say yes. Today, I witnessed a large group of teenagers starting a riot near one of the parks in less than a minute the police arrived and jumped out of trucks like a swat team. The police broke it up and the teenagers went their separate ways. Then after I left the park, on one street I witnessed an arrest (a guy tried to steal another guy's bag), on another street a woman was making a complaint about some guys bothering her, and on another street a guy was being patted down by an officer.
My walk around downtown ended up being a prayer walk for the teenagers, prostitutes, and police officers in the city. Today, I decided that I am going to start doing an intentional weekly prayer walk downtown.
August 06, 2011
Oh how I love you so....
Today, I woke up wanting to be lazy so I just layed in bed for 3 hours listening to music and watching YouTube videos. I love just lying in bed on Saturday mornings.
Then I started to get hungry and realized it was getting late so I had to get ready and go get lunch (mamà usually makes lunch but something important came up today). I was planning on going downtown, but I didn't get ready in time so I settled on going to get some fast food. However, it turns out the closest place was closed and I ended up going to a restaurant. May I remind you I was by myself so this kind of freaked me out. I wasn't comfortable eating by myself, but then once I sat down and ordered it didn't seem that bad. I had brought my Bible and journal, and so I started journaling and eating lunch.
While I was eating lunch, I realized that I was actually enjoying being alone and eating out. I have never eaten in an actual restaurant by myself, I have eaten in fast food places by myself, but not a restaurant. I went to the movies by myself the other day and I do other things by myself, but eating out in a restaurant is not one of them until today. As I looked around the restaurant this thought occurred to me, "what if this was your life in another country forever, could you do this"? I smiled because I could honestly answer yes, I can do this.
I have a lot of fun going out alone (there are some moments that are not fun, but there are more good than bad moments) and it is great way to practice my Spanish, because I am more apt to speak Spanish on the streets when I am alone. If I mess up no one is there to see it and no one is watching me except the other person, who usually corrects me. I have also been having some good conversations with God while I am out and I love it. You can be alone without feeling lonely, God is always with us so we are never truly alone.
After lunch, I caught the bus to go to the school and then headed to Valle del Sol. Once I got in the car I knew something was wrong. Steve and I talked about some of the issues that have been taking place in Valle del Sol and in the church, where we hold our Saturday ministry for the kids. I have to admit I wanted to cry because there are so many issues in the Valle del Sol community and within the church that it breaks my heart. Well, our children's ministry was moved out of the church building because of the manipulation, pride, and selfishness of the "pastor" and owner of the building. I am not going to go into all the details, but if you could pray for her that would be great, and pray for the people within the church. The pastor deeply needs prayer, because there is a strong spiritual battle taking place in her life. It is hard for me to be upset with her because her struggles are so evident. I feel sorry for her.
Well, like I mentioned in a previous post we lost our main teacher because of some of the issues in church and the surrounding community. If you could still pray for Carla that would be great. I really want her to come back and so does everyone else, but her feelings have been deeply hurt by the pastor and others in the community. Not only have we lost our main teacher in the younger class, but today we showed up not knowing where we were going to hold all of the children.
God provided though and honestly I love our new building. It is a parking garage, without the cars, so the space is great. We had fewer children today because the pastor of the church decided to hold a party for the children in the community so that they wouldn't come (like I said before pray for her). However, the kids came. It was great seeing their smiling faces. I love those kids.
Since, Steve is leaving in a week to go to the USA to raise funds for the ministry I will be the lead teacher and student volunteer coordinator. I just found out I am teaching the class by myself until I find someone to help me. Please pray that someone, who is strong in their faith and loves kids, would come and help. Today, I led the class by myself, but really it was all God. I was amazed when I looked at the lesson and it was something I could actually explain in Spanish (the lesson is in English so I had to translate it and tell it to the kids), like I said it was all God. Everything went well. God is amazing.
This next tri-mester will be a great time of growth. I am not sure what God is preparing me for, but I am going to make the most of every opportunity and glorfiy Him. He is my rock. His love and faithfulness always amazes me. He is so good.
Then I started to get hungry and realized it was getting late so I had to get ready and go get lunch (mamà usually makes lunch but something important came up today). I was planning on going downtown, but I didn't get ready in time so I settled on going to get some fast food. However, it turns out the closest place was closed and I ended up going to a restaurant. May I remind you I was by myself so this kind of freaked me out. I wasn't comfortable eating by myself, but then once I sat down and ordered it didn't seem that bad. I had brought my Bible and journal, and so I started journaling and eating lunch.
While I was eating lunch, I realized that I was actually enjoying being alone and eating out. I have never eaten in an actual restaurant by myself, I have eaten in fast food places by myself, but not a restaurant. I went to the movies by myself the other day and I do other things by myself, but eating out in a restaurant is not one of them until today. As I looked around the restaurant this thought occurred to me, "what if this was your life in another country forever, could you do this"? I smiled because I could honestly answer yes, I can do this.
I have a lot of fun going out alone (there are some moments that are not fun, but there are more good than bad moments) and it is great way to practice my Spanish, because I am more apt to speak Spanish on the streets when I am alone. If I mess up no one is there to see it and no one is watching me except the other person, who usually corrects me. I have also been having some good conversations with God while I am out and I love it. You can be alone without feeling lonely, God is always with us so we are never truly alone.
After lunch, I caught the bus to go to the school and then headed to Valle del Sol. Once I got in the car I knew something was wrong. Steve and I talked about some of the issues that have been taking place in Valle del Sol and in the church, where we hold our Saturday ministry for the kids. I have to admit I wanted to cry because there are so many issues in the Valle del Sol community and within the church that it breaks my heart. Well, our children's ministry was moved out of the church building because of the manipulation, pride, and selfishness of the "pastor" and owner of the building. I am not going to go into all the details, but if you could pray for her that would be great, and pray for the people within the church. The pastor deeply needs prayer, because there is a strong spiritual battle taking place in her life. It is hard for me to be upset with her because her struggles are so evident. I feel sorry for her.
Well, like I mentioned in a previous post we lost our main teacher because of some of the issues in church and the surrounding community. If you could still pray for Carla that would be great. I really want her to come back and so does everyone else, but her feelings have been deeply hurt by the pastor and others in the community. Not only have we lost our main teacher in the younger class, but today we showed up not knowing where we were going to hold all of the children.
God provided though and honestly I love our new building. It is a parking garage, without the cars, so the space is great. We had fewer children today because the pastor of the church decided to hold a party for the children in the community so that they wouldn't come (like I said before pray for her). However, the kids came. It was great seeing their smiling faces. I love those kids.
Since, Steve is leaving in a week to go to the USA to raise funds for the ministry I will be the lead teacher and student volunteer coordinator. I just found out I am teaching the class by myself until I find someone to help me. Please pray that someone, who is strong in their faith and loves kids, would come and help. Today, I led the class by myself, but really it was all God. I was amazed when I looked at the lesson and it was something I could actually explain in Spanish (the lesson is in English so I had to translate it and tell it to the kids), like I said it was all God. Everything went well. God is amazing.
This next tri-mester will be a great time of growth. I am not sure what God is preparing me for, but I am going to make the most of every opportunity and glorfiy Him. He is my rock. His love and faithfulness always amazes me. He is so good.
August 05, 2011
What a day....
Today was a strange, sort of blah, day for me. I was excited and kind of hyper this morning, but later in the afternoon I started to get homesick. I started to miss some of my friends back home and I started wishing they were here. Sometimes you just want that person sitting next to you, who knows you so well that you don't have to say a thing and yet they understand what your feeling. I wanted those people here today.
As I was getting ready to start crying God comforted me. That voice deep inside me said, "You need to go lay down and rest". I laid in bed and prayed until I fell asleep. Once I woke up I wasn't really happy, but I felt comfort in knowing I wasn't alone. God is with me, and so I decided to go out and explore. I had fun and God taught me some lessons along the way.
"Without weakness you wouldn't know strength or feel compassion". This is the phrase that stuck out to me. After I heard this I thought, "without the recognition of my own weakness, I can not fully know God's strength". It is in my weakness that I do many things: fear, doubt, complain, question etc. You see what am I without God, I am weak. Once you see your own weakness, you can begin to see that it is only by His strength, love, and grace that you can stand. His strength holds you up.
The recognition of my weakness and God's
strength and love allows me to feel a deep compassion for others. What does compassion do? Compassion moves us to action. It is a deep feeling that requires movement. I know what it feels like to be broken and I know how weak I am and how strong God is, this is why I can identify with those who are broken and feel weak. I know God loves them as much as He loves me.
One of my favorite quotes is, "I know what God has done in my life and if He can save someone like me, than He can save anyone" (Ms. Pearl). There is a woman who recognized her own weakness and God's strength, and the compassion that she feels for single moms has moved her into helping hundreds and hundreds of people.
As I was getting ready to start crying God comforted me. That voice deep inside me said, "You need to go lay down and rest". I laid in bed and prayed until I fell asleep. Once I woke up I wasn't really happy, but I felt comfort in knowing I wasn't alone. God is with me, and so I decided to go out and explore. I had fun and God taught me some lessons along the way.
"Without weakness you wouldn't know strength or feel compassion". This is the phrase that stuck out to me. After I heard this I thought, "without the recognition of my own weakness, I can not fully know God's strength". It is in my weakness that I do many things: fear, doubt, complain, question etc. You see what am I without God, I am weak. Once you see your own weakness, you can begin to see that it is only by His strength, love, and grace that you can stand. His strength holds you up.
The recognition of my weakness and God's
strength and love allows me to feel a deep compassion for others. What does compassion do? Compassion moves us to action. It is a deep feeling that requires movement. I know what it feels like to be broken and I know how weak I am and how strong God is, this is why I can identify with those who are broken and feel weak. I know God loves them as much as He loves me.
One of my favorite quotes is, "I know what God has done in my life and if He can save someone like me, than He can save anyone" (Ms. Pearl). There is a woman who recognized her own weakness and God's strength, and the compassion that she feels for single moms has moved her into helping hundreds and hundreds of people.
August 04, 2011
Thanks for the reminder.....
On our way home from the jazz concert and dinner, God reminded me that even though He is with me I still need to acknowledge the discernment He has given me, and listen to that voice deep down inside that tells me when something is not right. I have been gaining more confidence in going out, and I like it because it helps me to feel like I can do something by myself and just trust in God that everything will work out how He wants it. However, God reminded tonight that I do still need to be cautious when going out and use discernment, even though He is taking care of me.
God's blessed reminder came when I was debating walking a block by myself to go home. Two friends were walking with me and as we approached the corner, I got an uneasy feeling about a car on the side of the road, but I was going to ignore it and just cross to the other side of the street and walk home by myself. When a man then came running around the corner clutching a bag and yelling, "thieves " in English. Then two men came running around the corner and jumped inside the car on the side of the road. We, my friends, the man, and I, all started to run around the corner to the guard shack and my friends and I went to another friend's house who could walk us home. We all made it home safely.
All I have to say is thank you Lord for your persistence and protection, even though I ignored you the first time. Thank you for sending that man who spoke English running around the corner, who kept me from walking home by myself. Thank you for the reminder that you have given me this discernment for a reason, it is not only to recognize the bad from the good, but also to protect others and myself. Thank you for making me aware of the things around me and for each day making more self-aware.
That is something I was thinking about the other day. I feel like I am more aware of what goes on around me than I am self-aware. I feel like I understand more and see more in the lives of others than I can see in myself. God has been making me more self-aware and for what I don't know, but I know it is good and necessary.
All in all tonight was a blessed ending to a wonderful night. I spent the evening with friends downtown at a jazz concert and then went out to dinner, where I had one of the best meals since my arrival in Costa Rica. I got to laugh a lot and I had fun relaxing with friends.
God's blessed reminder came when I was debating walking a block by myself to go home. Two friends were walking with me and as we approached the corner, I got an uneasy feeling about a car on the side of the road, but I was going to ignore it and just cross to the other side of the street and walk home by myself. When a man then came running around the corner clutching a bag and yelling, "thieves " in English. Then two men came running around the corner and jumped inside the car on the side of the road. We, my friends, the man, and I, all started to run around the corner to the guard shack and my friends and I went to another friend's house who could walk us home. We all made it home safely.
All I have to say is thank you Lord for your persistence and protection, even though I ignored you the first time. Thank you for sending that man who spoke English running around the corner, who kept me from walking home by myself. Thank you for the reminder that you have given me this discernment for a reason, it is not only to recognize the bad from the good, but also to protect others and myself. Thank you for making me aware of the things around me and for each day making more self-aware.
That is something I was thinking about the other day. I feel like I am more aware of what goes on around me than I am self-aware. I feel like I understand more and see more in the lives of others than I can see in myself. God has been making me more self-aware and for what I don't know, but I know it is good and necessary.
All in all tonight was a blessed ending to a wonderful night. I spent the evening with friends downtown at a jazz concert and then went out to dinner, where I had one of the best meals since my arrival in Costa Rica. I got to laugh a lot and I had fun relaxing with friends.
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