Tears

An interesting title I know, but there have been quite a bit more tears shed these past months than in the past.  And the tears have come as a result of different events, but I was realizing tonight that they all are stemming from the same thing.  And that thing happens to be the life-changing time of my life that I'm preparing to transition into.  Thus the tears.  Unfortunately, some of the tears have triggered by less than important things: watching the end of Gone With the Wind and wishing Scarlett and Rhett could figure it out, listening to Harry Potter on my way home from work and feeling so excited and proud when Ron returns to Harry and Hermoine...  And being unable to sing in church on Sunday because of the hot tears that won't leave me alone every time we sing "In Christ Alone."  I supposed being moved during a song about Christ's death and resurrection is a "tear-worthy" event.  :)

Today was a first for me and that was that tears came flooding to my eyes and spilling out onto my face when I shared the news with my first graders that I was going to be moving and that they would be getting a new teacher.  They were so sweet and had a variety of different responses.  One of them told me that he and his friend in our class were also going to be moving to Costa Rica when they turned ten.  Another told me that she thinks I should give them all a picture of me and then we can take pictures together for me to take with me and remember them.  One asked me if I was going to live in a hotel there.  Several of them chimed in that they were going to miss me.  And the majority of them just kind of looked at me, unsure of what to do because they saw their teacher crying and they hadn't experienced that before.  In hindsight, I'm glad there were tears because I think that demonstrated to them how much I care about them and that it is going to be hard to say goodbye.  These will not be the last tears to be shed in my classroom I am quite certain.

All in all, I'm thankful for the tears and the reminder of the fact that this is a very important time in my life; to begin letting go of things and people here, and to be okay with the knowledge that it is not going to be easy.  More than the tears, there is an overwhelming sense of calling, purpose, and joy about where the Lord is leading me.  So bring them on, as long as they have a good reason for gracing me with their presence.  :)

Giving Thanks

Just to change it up a bit, I thought I'd post some pictures of what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving day.

Sweet drawings from my students

Amazing adventures around the world

My fun and supportive family

Entertaining friends who live here, there and everywhere...

This precious group of kiddos I am preparing to work with in Costa Rica!

And so many other things that I don't have pictures of:
my warm home
my reliable car
my fantastic extended family
my job for the past five and a half years
always having plenty of food
my church family
the beautiful fall colors on the trees
my health
all the generous friends and family joining my support team
and above all, our Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally

Let's give thanks today!

Rainy Sunday

It's been dreary and raining most of today and it's got me thinking about the rain ahead for me in Costa Rica.  My mom bought me a really unique and stylish pair of rain boots, so I'm set to be the gringa with the loud rain boots tromping through the rain of San Jose.  :)  With the rain comes life and beauty, and those are two things that Costa Rica is known for.  As much as I love the Central Valley of California, I will not miss the yucky air quality and the days where I know the mountains are so close but I'm unable to see them because of pollution.  Bring on the rain!

I've been reading a book called "Funding Your Ministry" and it has been really insightful in what the Bible says about fundraising and support raising.  There was a chapter in there called "Just for single women" and it made me laugh, wondering what the author could have to say to me that wouldn't apply to my friends who are married or who are male and going through this process.  Essentially it was discussing the fact that it can be more difficult for a single woman to fundraise and it may take longer for her support to come in for various reasons.  All that to say, I am SO THANKFUL that this has not been the case for me and my journey to be fully funded.  As I type this, I am only needing one or two more monthly supporters at $50 a month and I will have met my goal!!!  Wow!!  The fact that I am still a few months out from the big move and I am practically there with my goal being met is just such an affirmation to me that this is where I need to be and the path I need to be on.  It's an overwhelming feeling to know that I'm right where God wants me and I can't really describe it beyond saying that it is a place of contentment and joy and of faith.  

I am on the countdown for days left working at my school.  There are 16 1/2 teaching days left for me.  That's not very many.  And within those 16 1/2 days I need to fill my students in on my plans.  I'm not really looking forward to that to be honest.  On Tuesday I had a young lady spend the day in my classroom to see if she was interested in taking over my class for the rest of the school year.  I came to find out that she is a Christian and we have some mutual friends!  I would be thrilled if I knew I was leaving my group of kiddos in the hands of a dedicated Jesus-follower like her.  That's something to be praying about, as well as for the conversation that needs to be had with my students and their families.

Two days of work this week and then a five day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving!  This is hands down the best meal of the year (thanks, Grandma!) and I'm looking forward to spending time with family and friends.  :) So much to be thankful for.

It's all becoming more and more real

It's becoming a tradition for me to blog on Sundays with my most recent updates.  This week was action packed!  Monday was the day I officially put in my letter of resignation with my principal, school and district.  At staff meeting on Wednesday it was announced that I will be leaving at Christmas and I was touched by the kind words and support expressed to me.  I'm not going to pretend like it isn't hard to look around at our close knit staff and see tears in the eyes of the people I have grown close with over the past five and a half years.  It is such a blessing to be told that they are proud of me and excited for me in this next chapter of life the Lord is leading me through. 

On Thursday evening when I checked my financial support on I was thrilled to see that I was only $300 away from being 100% fully funded each month, and then by the end of Friday I was $150 shy of the goal!  Praise God!  Needless to say, all of the aforementioned action that happened at work and now seeing that my funding is SO CLOSE to being completed have made my going to Costa Rica very real to me. 

Some next steps for me are to start the process of getting a visa, and that involves a lot of paperwork, a visit to the Costa Rican consulute, and I'm sure a lot of waiting and being patient.  Getting prayer cards designed and printed to send out to all my wonderful supporters needs to happen in the next month or so as well.  

This weekend also made me realize how much I care about my group of junior girls from church and how much I'm going to miss them.  Many of these girls have been in my small group (along with my fabulous co-leader and friend Jessica :) since they were in seventh grade.  We have seen them go through junior high and all it's drama, entering high school, changes in friendships and boyfriends, and now getting their licenses and thinking about college.  I am so thrilled that a good chunk of them are going to be on the youth team that is coming down to work with me and the rest of the SI Costa Rica staff in July.  It was be so special to see how God works in and through them at the ministry sites and through the experiences in the Costa Rican culture.

                         Jessica and me with our beautiful high schoolers :)