Thank you all so much for your continued prayers for me! I love you all.
Things have been much more laid back than my first couple months here. Right now the kids here are on summer break and so that also means the Potter's Field Kids after school program is on break as well. I am excited for PFK to start back up again next month!
It's hard to believe my time here is over halfway done. Yesterday we made a trip to Nicaragua to get our visas renewed. Praise the Lord, we all got 90 days and so will not have to make another visa trip. It was neat to be able to see another country. We had to be out of Costa Rica for 3 hours in order to get our visas renewed, and so once in Nicaragua we took a taxi to Rivas, which isn't too far from the border. We spent time there, and then when it was time we took a taxi back to the border and crossed back into Costa Rica. Thankfully, the trip was uneventful for the most part, and it ended up costing a lot less than I had planned, which made me happy.
At Christmas time we had a couple weeks off of working at the church. We are now back to working there, which means spending most mornings there doing whatever may need to be done on that particular day, cleaning and what not. I talked to Corey today and asked him what we should be doing in the afternoons while PFK is on break, and he mentioned that he would like us go out and tell kids about PFK so that they can register for it, and for us to get out and do more evangelism. This will be good to help fill our time. I am thankful that we have time to rest and that I am not worn out (I was afraid I would be tired all the time here), but it is a struggle to have so much free time. I feel as though I am living in Costa Rica but not really doing anything of value, and my heart is to be sharing Jesus with others. The language barrier is so very hard for me and there are so many times I feel useless here because of it. Even when we go out evangelizing, I feel as though I am just following the others since I am not the one having the conversations. I have often felt that I would be so much more usable to the Lord if I were at home and working.
These have been some of my thoughts and struggles as I am here, and yet the Lord is so good and is faithful to encourage me and remind me to trust Him, and that His ways are not my ways. He doesn't ask me to understand His ways, only to trust Him. I know that it doesn't matter if I feel useful and effective, because that is just focusing on myself and how I feel. Maybe the Lord is using this in my life to keep me dependent on Him, to make me see that my adequacy and sufficiency is not in myself, but in Him. Even if I were at home and could speak the language, my adequacy and sufficiency would still all be in Him.
I need to trust the Lord with all my heart. I so desperately want my time here to be spent for God's glory and for His purpose. I want to live a life that brings Him glory and points others to Him. I don't want to merely live in Costa Rica, I want to live in Costa Rica for Jesus. I know that the Lord has called me here, I know that He has me here for this season of my life, and so I must trust that He will use this time for His glory, and in the way that He sees fit.
God is good, and He is faithful.
Thank you for continuing to pray for me!
"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given my in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Prayer requests:
Please pray for my health - that my lungs would be healthy and I would be faithful to do my treatments like I need to do them.
Please pray that I would trust the Lord with all my heart, and be content with where He has me and for what purpose He has me here.
Please pray for my team (Tandrian and Sydnie) and I, that we would be unified and serve well with one another.
Thank you!
