First Group, Riverside from MN

The first group has come and gone. A group from the great state of MINNESOTA! The group was WONDERFUL, I could not have asked for a better group of people to start my summer working with teams. Now, every group will have a lot to live up to.

What stood out most in this team, was their flexibility and willingness for whatever, a great missionary attitute! Normally in every group there is at least 1 (usually 2 or 3) person who refuses to try new food because it may look/smell funny and there are usually people who start complaining if the work is done differently or gets to be too much or when the schedule changes too often. However, GRACIAS A DIOS, I did not have these issues with this group! Everyone enjoyed trying new food and looked at that as an adventure. When the work got difficult (as it frequently was due to the hard HARD dirt - more like rock) they continued to push through. And talk about flexibility with the schedule! They were willing to push back their free day to help get the job done! They were a huge blessing to me, not to mention the Peruvian church of Nor Oeste where they served!

The work was mostly construction, digging footings for the foundation of the church. The group was, as mentioned before, SUPER hard. It took many hours to get through little bits of dirt. But with the team´s energy, we were never short on laughs. We also visited small groups a few nights during their week here. This was a great time to get to know people from the church and community better.

If you would like to read more about the week, and through different eyes, check out the team´s blog at http://noroestechurchintrujilloperu.blogspot.com/

Enjoy a quick recap via pictures!

In Peru Once More!

well, I am currently waiting to get on the plane, so after a couple hard days of saying goodbye, I am gone... It doesn't feel real yet... It was a good (if not extremely busy) last couple days. My emocions are all out of wack... I am sad to leave, however excited to go to Peru.

Since starting this blog, I have arrived in Peru. It is definitely good to be back. I always enjoy being with the Peruvian people and in the Peruvian churches. I was able to rest a bit, which has definitely helped! (Since I didn´t sleep the night before coming, it was over 48 hours since I had slept by the time I got to Pastor Marco´s house and was able to sleep!) Then I was able to tour the church I will be working at. We started clearing the lot last year, and in the last couple weeks, they have been able to start construction. They have the foundation dug and quite a few columns put up. They are not real sure what exactly the team will be doing as the foundation is a more exact project (we don´t want the church to clapse on top of people). But it is definitely exciting to watch a church being built and know that what I am helping build has the potential to change people´s lives and affect a change so much bigger than myself!

Today, 2 of my good friends from Trujillo also stopped by for a visit. It was so good to see them again after a year away! It also helps me to be more excited about being here...friends always have a way of making someone feel at home! (and also fill holes in the heart!)

I look forward to filling you in as the progress continues on the church at Nor Oeste, as well as the other projects I will be helping with!!!

Roblealto

For 6 days I went to help out at a Daycare for underprivileged families. I was assigned to work in the nursery. I will admit that I did not have the best attitude about it...what good would it do for me to go for 6 days? Just when I would get comfortable with the people and the children, it would be time to leave, was it going to be worth filling 6 full days with Roblealto when I could be packing and getting things taken care of????

As it turned out, I really enjoyed it. I learned about the children within the first day. I connected really well the teacher of the nursery. One or two of the children and I bonded really well. It was good to know that I was able to relieve some of the work for the teacher for those 6 days. I do know if I am able to come back to Costa Rica for another extended time period, I will definitely look up working with Roblealto again. It was definitely a special place for me!

Last Beach Trip

I have been meaning to get this written for a week, sorry I am a little slow...

Late on Saturday night (a week ago) my friends asked if I would accompany them on a trip to the beach the following day (yes, I was a bad missionary and skipped church to go with friends to the beach, but it was good fellowship!!). We left at 6:30am and arrived at the beach around 9am. One never knows what they will get these days going to the beach because we are currently entering the rainy season. Fortunately God was smiling on us, for we had a very WARM and SUNNY day. The waves were a bit more violent than normal with double the currents...not only the normal undercurrent that takes people more toward the sea, but we there was also a cross undercurrent which took us down the beach. However, despite it all, it was probably the best beach experience I have had here!

We wanted to leave early so we could get home at an early hour, so we left around 6pm or so. It should only have taken aobut 2 hours to get home...I did not step into my house until 11pm! Two of my friends rode on a motorcycle, we the wheel lost air twice, but when the rest of us in the van were 15 minutes and 30 minutes ahead of them, so both times we had to go back to get them. After the second return, we decided to put the motocycle in the back of the van and squish everyone in the van. Well, by this time, the van needed to be refilled with gas. I guess, this type of van is normally filled with disel, however, not this particular van. Since here in Costa Rica, there are gas station attendents, they just started filling the van up, only to find out that it needed gas. So we had to get the disel drained, not an easy task late at night when the garage part is closed and the boss is not around. After getting the disel out, there was the discussion over who would pay for what (disel and gas) and who would take responsibility if there was some problem with the van due to the disel. It was a somewhat stressful situation (as the legal system is a bit different in CR than in the USA...not to say it would not have been stressful back home). The cops even showed up, more for our sake in case something happened to the van, we would have the cops say, not just our own.

But thank you Jesus, after a week of driving around the van, there have not been any problems, and thank you Jesus that we were all kept safe in our travels!

Now, I have a GREAT story for my last trip to the beach...

Long weeks...

Sorry I have not written in a while, we have not had internet in our house for about 20 days! Luckily I do have friends who have let me use their computers, especially since the last 2 weeks have been a bit trying. My sister had surgery to remove a tumor. It was hard not being home with her and my parents, but I know God was in control and taking care of her, and my parents, much better than I could have done. Thanks to God, the tumor did not have cancer and she is now home recovering. I am so thankful to everyone who was/is praying for her, my family, and I during this time. I am also thankful to my friends who let me practically live at their house (and being as they are guys, who put up with my emotional female-wanting to be home with my family times :D God is so good!

Not much new is happening around here. I am just on the count down to my leaving Costa Rica and going to Peru. Please be praying for me through this. Every time I have left Costa Rica I have returned, this time I am not. Every other time, I was not overly excited about coming back (not that I was not excited, I just did not have many friends to come home to), now I have friends and I really want to return, but I am not. So the count down is a little bittersweet. I am SUPER excited to go to Peru again and see all my friends, but leaving Costa Rica means leaving the life I have lived for the last year and a half and the friends and family I have made here. Your prayers will be much appreciated during this transition time!

Celula en Guizaros

In the same neighborhood where I go Saturday mornings for El Comedor, Bible study and lunch for the kids, we have recently just started a celula (or Bible Study group) for the teenagers and young adults. This has been something on Cecilia's heart (Cecilia is the woman God gave the vision for the Comedor). The group has met for 3 weeks now, and I have participate in the last 2 meetings.

It has been a HUGE encouragement. There are roughly 20 people coming, and a number that has not diminished! When starting up something like this, especially in a neighborhood like Guizaros, one never knows what it will turn out like. So when 20 some people showed up the first week, it was a big deal (everyone thought there would be less people). Then one thinks, well maybe they are all just curious about what it's all about and after a week or 2, no one comes any more. But for 3 straight weeks we have had 20 some people, and the same 20 some people! The teens really seem interested and want to be a part of what is happening.

My first week there, Alejandra (the youth leader from my church) shared about the gift God gave us through Jesus's sacrifice. She presented it in a way that was new for me, but I liked it. She talked about a gift and how when someone gives another person a gift, that gift does not become useful until it is open. Once the person has their gift, it is theirs, but if they want to enjoy it, they MUST open it. In the same way, God has given each person a gift, it is theirs, but to enjoy it, they must first open it.

At the end of the night, she asked if anyone was ready to accept that gift and OPEN it, to pray with her...12 people prayed and accepted the gift of Salvation that night! What an encouragement!

The following week, Alejandra talked about trust. We need to trust that God is with us and guiding us. He gave a cloud of fire and a cloud of smoke to the Israelites when they left Egypt. The Israelites saw all kinds of miracles, yet they had a hard time trusting God. But that did not change the fact that God was there, that He was watching over them, protecting them, and guiding them. So...if God did that then, we know that He continues to do that now, with us.

Again, at the end of the night, Alejandra gave another opportunity to accept Christ for those who were not at the group the week before, or simply were not ready at that time. I did not get the number of people who accepted then, but I know Alejandra was talking with 2 girls when we finished!

So I ask that you please keep this youth in your prayers. They live in a poor neighborhood. Life is not easy there. And as a Christian, I imagine it will be even more difficult. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep these youth in your prayers. They meet every Tuesday night (13-17 years old) and Saturday afternoon (18+). Little by little I know that God will change this neighborhood. We started with the children, Cecilia meets with some women, and now, finally, the youth. One step at a time, one person at a time, change is possible!

Thank you for partnering with me, and through that, making this change possible!

Thanks for Your Prayers

I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has been praying for me during my time here. It has been a huge blessing to have you all with me in this way. I know that SO many things could have happened in the last 16 months that hasn't due to your prayers. And especially in the last month.

For those who are not aware, I was sick for about 2 weeks after my sister left. I lost weight (I have found out that since coming I have lost over 10lbs which is pretty exciting), did not have an appetite, and other, not so fun symptoms. After letting my parents know, who then passed on the word and many of you started praying, I started feeling better. It was probably the most obvious answer to prayer I have experienced...at least in a long time. I did go to the doctor to just make sure everything was ok, so when I go to Peru I do not have to worry about any more problems. It is likely that I had a parasite, but between the prayers (my real medicine) and the perscription the doctor gave me (just to make sure all the bad bacteria was dead) I am feeling much better!

So THANK YOU!!!!!