most wonderful time of the year!

December. Christmas. I love this time of year! Everything about it is wonderful, from the cheerful music and decorations to that crisp feeling in the air. It's a wonderful time to savor friends, family...and life.
As I ponder this year and all the changes and new experiences that I have had, I cannot help but stand in awe of the joy that comes from being alive. There are such wonders in the small experiences of drinking a dr. pepper, eating a hamburger, and being with friends. Things we aren't always conscious of, but that fill our lives. Life can be so complex and overwhelming, but then it's so simple...just live! I remain convinced that it's the litte things that make it worth the living.
I feel so grateful to be where I am today, learning new things, meeting new people, being able to look back and see how my Heavenly Father is shaping my life for His glory.
I guess there's something about this season that makes me so reflective, and maybe that's what makes this the most wonderful time of the year!

utterly amazing

well the two month marker has now been officially reached. it feels more like three or four with all that's happened. God has opened so many amazing doors that i have no idea what's going on! not that i had much of one anyway...a small glimpse...the first week i arrived He put me in touch with a family that got me a two month pass onto a university campus (usually you have to be a student to be on campus) the school is one of the most prestigious in the country and the dean of the theological department came out to meet me and give me their latest text books. they also invited me to use their theological library. this same family has loved and adopted me as i learn this new place with all it's new ways.

that same week a girl from the church i'm attending invited me to a university Bible study lead by a organization whose prime focus is university students. a few weeks ago this same ministry asked to partner with me in ministry!

God has also given me the opportunity to, alongside my supervisors, teach two english classes for university students. we've been going strong for a month now. we started with two students and now have eight and growing. we are using a bilengual Bible as part of the class. most of the students either aren't believers or are ashamed to admit so to their peers. one of the guys who openly told us he wasn't a Christian has loved reading through the first chapters of John and seeing how beautiful the gospel story is! he told us he had no idea what the Bible said or that this is what it really meant to believe.

it is utterly amazing to see all these things and be a small part of them. it would be a lie for anyone to believe this has all been smooth sailing or that i have anything to do with any of it...it is a daily battle of seeking the Father and His will...and it is never easy. one thing is certain though, He remains faithful and He hears the prayers of His children! blessed be His name!

life in colombia

Well, I've been in Colombia a month now and am still trying to find my way around this HUGE city! It has been a hard adjustment for me, living alone, but God has shown Himself faithful in so many ways. He has given me wonderful friends that are like family, as well as put me in contact with a university! Woo-hoo! So much has happened so fast that I can hardly process it all. I still feel confused as to how God is going to use me here, but He is obviously working in so many ways. It's an exciting and scary time...life is definitely an adventure...and I'm so thankful that His mercies are fresh every day!

ya me voy

panamanian playa


sketchy border crossing bridge


bocas del toro isla (yes it translates mouths of the bull and I have no idea why)


proudly showing off the visa

Well, after two months and six visits to the Embassy I now have my Colombian visa and leave a week from Friday! Woo-hoo! It's hard to believe how quickly these four months have passed and that I'm going to be leaving soon. God has blessed in so many ways. My visa is just one of the many. I'm once again flooded with mixed emotions as I pack-up and leave a place that has just begun to feel like home. I'm trying to prepare my mind to face a world of newness and unknowns once again. I feel like a child at Christmas...I've waited so long to leave for Colombia and now that it's here I hardly know what to do with myself. Having the opportunity to come to Costa Rica, meet the people, learn the culture and see the sights has been a blessing too great for words.
I had the chance to visit Panama and renew my Costa Rican visa, and what a beautiful country! The whole border crossing was an adventure in and of itself, but thankfully we made it safely both ways. I don't know about inland, but the beaches of Panama are amazing. It's almost like a clip from a movie...unbelievably blue water, palm trees, white sand...absolutely gorgeous. I continue to be blown away by the beauty that our God has made and allows us to enjoy. What goodness!

las tres cruzes

a beautiful view of the central valley


jessica, me and mandi enjoying the view from the top


us at the first cross

tengo calor

So yesterday I got to do some hiking with some of the language students on a local mountain. The nationals call it the hike to las tres cruzes, because there are actually three crosses that you hike to. There were seven of us in all and we left early so we could avoid some of the crowd to catch the bus that would drop us off at the foot of the mountain. This would not only be a physical adverture for me but a great language learning opportunity.
As we started out I could tell this was not going to be the average hike. The mountain had a pretty steep incline that didn't level off very often. We had to hike up a road to get to the actual trail head. At the trail we stopped for a break and I was already feeling a little winded, the sun was shinning brightly and I was hot. I had been sick the week before and could tell that I was still weak. Our guide, a local national, asked me if I was ok. My reply, "Si, estaba emferma la semana pasada y estoy caliente." As soon as I made the final remark I realized my mistake. I quickly attempted to correct myself by saying "No, no. Yo tengo calor." Too late. My guide had already given me an odd look and begun to explain my HUGE mistake. In Spanish "Tengo calor" means "I'm hot." as in from the eliments of your surroundings. "Estoy caliente" in a nice translation means "I'm turned on." Needless to say it is not a good connotation, and my face was not merely red from the heat. Fortunately, the guide had a good sense of humor and we were able to laugh through my VERY embarrassing moment. I don't think that'll be a mistake I make again!

still learning

It's been a while since I've felt the inspiration to blog. A lot has transpired in that time, but as I reflect back even futher on this year, that we are rapidly approaching the middle of, I see how quickly and vastly my life has changed. God has stripped me of many comforts, and through this He has soften my heart. He is, I believe, not forcing me, but rather inviting me to lean more fully on Him, in a reckless abandon I cannot fathom. As you know I'm in a strange place, with strange people, who speak a strange language. I've commited to do something that I know is above my head and out of my hands. I am often tempted to feel alone and forgotten, helpless and at times a little hopeless of ever feeling competent at anything again. I am acquainted with the overseas illness that brings out the little girl cry deep within for mom to come and make it better. I have been humbled by seeing how prideful and arrogant I truly am. I have often felt confusion, the painful awkardness of being different, and at times even shunned. Yet greater than all this I have been absolutely AWED at the glorious, beautiful, capable, unchanging, unmeasureablely loving, LIVING GOD I serve! I can't remember a time in my life when I have been more grateful and aware of the faithfulness of His presence. I am learning and unlearning much. I pray that through the entirity of this journey I remain sheltered in the ming-boggling peace that He supplies.

Lately this familar and, often for me, easily forgotten verse has been on my heart,

Galatians 2:20 ~ "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."