Panama Bound

At 10:00 tonight I will be jumping on a bus with 25 other American students as we make our way to the beautiful country of Panama. I'm sure we will know each other very well at the end of our cozy 16(ish) hour bus ride. Actually by that time we may come to know too much about each other. We are going to be helping out with another Word of Life camp- I assume it will be very similar to the one here in Costa Rica. We will end our trip with a little sight seeing- and a lot of memories I'm sure.

Prayer Requests:
-Safety as we travel
-Prayer that everything goes smoothly when we cross the border
-Prayer that our group, and me personally, can be a blessing to the people we will be working with in Panama
-Prayer that we will see hearts changed for the Lord!

I will be back March 3- hopefully with lots of pictures and good stories to tell! Thanks friends
Hasta Luego

Moco means Booger

These past couple weeks I have been helping out at Sojourn- the bilingual Christian school that the Theis girls go to. It has been a big help for my Spanish learning and I've enjoyed working with the kindergarten class. However, I can't say God is leading me to work with 5 year olds for the rest of my life, but it has been fun. Above is a picture 3 of my students at our Valentine's Day party.














This past weekend my family went to visit a volcano called Irazu. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very welcoming once we reached the top, but we all enjoyed ourselves anyway.
This coming Sunday I will be heading to Panama with a group from Score International. I have to leave the country in order to renew my Passport, so we will be staying at the Word of Life camp in Panama for a week. It is going to be a enjoyable 18 hour bus ride, so please pray for our safety and smooth sailing through customs once we get there! Also, keep the kids that will be going to camp in your prayers; that many eyes will be opened to the love and salvation of Christ.
Language school starts as soon as I return- which I'm so excited about! And I'm sure the Ticos (natives of Costa Rica) will be happy I'm going to learn some proper grammar :] There are not many people signed up for the intensive course which may result in me having tutoring rather than classes. However, this would increase the cost and shorten the hours because it is one on one. Please pray God will allow whichever situation will be most profitable for my language learning.
Thanks again for your prayers! I miss you all!

My Epiphany

This past Sunday we had a pastor from the States come and preach. He told the congregation that the reason why people get so emotional when they visit another country is because in the midst of a place where the food is different, the language is different, and the culture is different, in the midst of all these unfamiliar things, we find the same God. When I heard that, the pentecostal in me wanted to shout "Amen!" There is something about being in a place that is foreign in almost every way, yet being together with a group of believers and worshiping God, or seeing someone come to Christ, that is something I can't describe! It doesn't matter what part of the world you are in, the feeling is the same. It's an excitement that encourages you and strengthens you to get through the hard days, or motivates you to work harder, and comforts you in a way that makes you feel at home even thousands of miles away. There is something about experiencing the work of the Lord in a place other than your own that can open your eyes to the power of God.

Back in San Jose

January is over- and it went so fast! I worked at a camp for the past 3 1/2 weeks and got back to San Jose Sunday night. Camp was a wonderful experience- and super tiring. We had a good turn out each of the weeks and many gave their lives to Christ. It is so satisfying to see kids making decisions for Christ. I can't explain it. You know their lives will never be the same! I made some good friends with the staff while I was there. I think the most frustrating part was that it was hard to build on the relationships I made because of my lack of Spanish. You can only say "hey, how are you" so many times before people start avoiding you. I did start to pick up some things and understanding a lot more than when I arrived. However, it is very possible that I made up my own message based on the words that I recognized in the sermon. Later to find out that he had preached on a totally different topic. But, nonetheless, God was still speaking to my heart. I made some decisions as well and I can say that this past month has been personally, spiritually uplifting.
Life back in San Jose is much slower, but I'm not complaining after a month of non-stop activities! Marissol and I started an art class on Tuesday mornings. We made the agreement that I'm not allowed to speak any English while I'm there. My first class was this past Tuesday. It's a 3 hours class...I didn't say too much. Most of my time was spent listening to another woman ramble on about her children and every now and then she would ask me a question. I can't say for sure if my Spanish is getting better, but I bet I could take anybody on in charades. At least my facial expressions and hand gestures are constantly improving?
I start working at the bilingual school next Monday. I am thankful for so many opportunities to practice my Spanish. It is usually very uncomfortable, but very helpful.
Thank you all so much for your prayers. The Lord is good and reminds me of that every day. I appreciate all of you and your support while I'm here!