Lately

I've been here over 5 months now and sometimes it feels like longer and sometimes like it has been only a brief time.  I try to make this blog about my journey and the adventure that God has me on, and I would be lying to say that every day is full of excitement and sunshine.  Sometimes it resembles more closely the rain that is literally falling from the sky as I type this.  I guess in order to keep it real, I thought I would name some of the things and people that I have been missing lately.

Dad and Mom, Peter Toni and Baby Kate, and Aaron

My grandparents, especially Grandpa Roger who is with Jesus

Visalia and all the friends that are there

Neighborhood Church, especially the youth group students

California in general and friends spread out from San Diego up to Manteca

Target, WinCo, Healthy Japan and Chipotle

My Mazda

Malaga School and my "family" there

I knew coming here that I was leaving all of these special people and places behind, and I am so thankful for the Internet as a way to keep in communication quite easily most days, but that doesn't mean that I don't wish some days I had my girlfriends to go to dinner with or could go over and hold my niece.  I'd ask that you'd pray for me in this, that I would continue to feel the Lord's peace and contentment on a daily basis.  And also that I would continue to grow and strenghten the relationships that I'm building here, with my fellow SI teammates and with the kids that I work with in Los Guido.  I also pray that God would bring new friends into my life that I could spend time with and invest in as well.

On the flipside, we had an SI family dinner at my house last night and had a great time together!  I am thankful for what a fun and godly group of people they are.  Here are a few pictures from our "stripes" themed party.

The Least of These

Today was a difficult day for me emotionally.  Some days it hits me more than others, and today was one of those days.  I would like to share my journal entry from the morning and some of the other related thoughts I had today.

 

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

This verse comes to mind as I sit up here on my window sill and watch a man digging through trash and bags of clothes that my neighbors have discarded on this trash pick up day.  What has happened in his life that brought him to this place, to be a trash digger?  It makes me sad, and yet I am reminded that he is your child as much as I am your child.  My kids at the tutoring center may or may not come from similar homes- I've seen where some of them live and it is hard to take in- but they are your children just like me.  I wonder if this mans feels valued by you, knows your love for him?  What could I do for him that wouldn't be something that would just make me feel better?  I don't have an answer for that.  

I am grateful for my chance to be here for this chapter of my life, to invest in some of the children that the world may overlook or forget about.  Desamparados, the city where I live, literally means "the forgotten ones" in Spanish.  That is not true though, they are not forgotten, and you, Lord, know that more than anyone else.  Jesus, give me your eyes to see your children as you do and to know you love them just as you love me.

I was further reminded of this as I saw a mom with an infant on the bus today.  No fancy baby toys or stroller or anything at all really, but just the love she had for her newborn child.  The man that I saw with the prosthetic leg as I got off the bus.  I could easily look at him and feel bad for him, but he was smiling and appeared to be loving the sun shining and talking with his friends.  And then there's my friend from Los Guido who is 15 and in 5th grade for the third time.  What do I have in common with this young woman and how can I show her that she is valued and precious?  I'm thankful that I am going to be here for the next few years so that I will have time to invest in her and continue to remind her every time I see her that God loves her and I do too.  

It is not easy seeing people who seem to be "forgotten" by society or social norms or what have you, but Jesus loves them so very much.  I'm thankful that he showed me a little glimpse of that today.

Two worlds collide

Since I moved here in March, everyone (with the exception of two of our summer interns) have been new friends and co-workers to get to know.  That means having to start from the beginning when it comes to sharing about myself and learning about them.  I've been able to keep in touch okay with friends and family from home, but it's just not the same as having loved ones here in the same place with me.

This past short term team that was here was the high schoolers from my home church, Neighborhood Church, in Visalia, along with three of my dear friends as leaders of the team.  What a crazy feeling to see all these familiar faces at the airport when I went to meet them!  The team was made up of 29 of them, with 11 of the students being my senior girls that I've known, loved, mentored, and lived life with since they were seventh graders.  Needless to say, it was a very special time to have them here with me for two weeks.

One of the highlights for me was to have co-leader and dear friend Jessica and our senior girls over to my house here in Desamparados for dinner and games.  I have missed spending time with them and hearing about their lives, and so I cherished the laughs we shared that evening.  I tried to make the most of walks to the bus stop, riding on the bus, lunch breaks, trip to the beach, etc. to connect with my girls as well as with the other students from Neighborhood.  To be honest, at times it was difficult for me emotionally because I really wanted to have special, meaningful time with all of them, and this was hard amidst the business of working and after work responsibilities.  But, at the end of the day, I am so thankful that they were here and got to be a part of my new life in Costa Rica.  It was really hard to say goodbye (for the second time) but this time I know that it will be Christmas vacation in a few short months and I'll be able to see them again.

Here are some highlights of my time spent with loved ones from Visalia:

Stephanie, who wasn't on the Costa Rica team, but was on the Peru team, so I got to see her while she had a layover in Costa Rica! :)

Dear friends Jessica and Noel who got to work with me everyday in the Tutoring Center.

My two senior girls Alisha and Alexis who were with me at the tutoring center.

Trying coffee at culture night

The Tutoring Center crew taking a walk around Los Guido

Loving the tres leches cake with Britley and Arianna

I loved seeing my sweet little blond friend Cecelia Grace Haynes again!

Senior girls dinner at my house

Some of my girls and I enjoying the beach together

The girls in the morning before we headed out to ministry sites

The entire Neighborhood Church team and Students International staff