biebs in costa!

I think I found my calling. Soccer this go round was very successful. I am officially a keeper and apparently im pretty darn good at it. We played for 2 hours and that was a long go round. So the first hour and 15 minutes I was doing great….saving all sorts of shots, which was so fun. Friends in the states: when I get back I want to play soccer. But like I said, one hour and 15 minutes in I was doing great, but then Brian, pastor’s son made a wicked shot, and I saved it alright, with my face. Ouch. I got hit in the nose and mouth (no blood) but my head was hurting bad. I played for another 5 minutes, took a water break, tried playing again then I just needed to be out for the rest of it. My head hurt real bad in my forehead and slightly in the back of my head….dont worry mom, im doing great now. One good nights sleep does the trick, every time.

Today we went to the fourth church for another round of VBS. This time the kids were so freaking great. We watched a movie with them, did a bible story then for real had a dance party. yep, true life: we had a dance party at the church and those kids were out of control. And the one song that we got them all hyped up for was Justin Bieber's Baby. So i wanted to let everyone know that Biebs has arrived in costa rica and my heart was so happy to hear that. Another fun things about today was all the games that we played that would never work in the States...like throwing a rope over the rafters and letting the kids play Tarzan. Pictures to come on that one I promise, i just left my cord at the house while im here (once again) at the mall typing this up.

Tonight we are going for another round of VIP movie style, to see "Killers". Sis and Rooms: Eclipse was sold out and i was quite sad. And with that being said, the movie starts at 8 so i have to get on the run.

Love you guys. Thanks for reading :)

just a peek at my heart.

The past couple of days have been VBS kinds of things at 5 local churches that Conexion are involved with. It has been a lot of fun, but takes so much energy. Playing with kids is so fun, but holy cow, they are like energizer bunnies. At one church I made the mistake of picking up one kid and spinning him around and after that, they ALL wanted it. So lets just say I came up with a way to take a break. So I would spin a couple of kids then pretend to fall over and would lay there with my tongue sticking out. They would then follow to try and tickle me...and we know im not ticklish so I would lay there for a little bit, then all of the sudden sit up and make funny faces and sounds. They would get scared, and I would get up and run away. Smart girl right? No. Because then they proceeded to chase after me and I would basically be carrying 10 kids on my legs and arms to walk back into the building. Lets just say I slept real good that night.

One of the nights after VBS we played a little indoor soccer. Yall know I have never played soccer in my entire life, but the World Cup and possibly two girls that decorated their whole house and call each other rooms (cough cough Kadrienne) have gotten me fired up for it. So with that being said, I have been watching amazing players that are capable of the craziest things, and I thought, yeaaa I can do that. False. I could not be a more awful person at soccer. But we played 5 on 5 and it was so fun. Oh but I may have forgotten to tell you, Jherson was recruited to be on the National Columbian team quite some time ago but got injured...so needless to say, the boy can play some soccer. He was on the other team. But my team was doing great...pastor’s son was playing with us and he always gave me a chance…”jaime, a ti, vaya!” Eventually I found my calling on the defensive end, and found a sweet spot as a goalie. I blocked one of Jherson’s shots and it left a circle on my shin. Yep, we play real hard. And Friday is round two :)

One of the Carolina girls left Friday morning, so the night before, all 6 girls cooked everyone a huge dinner just to say thanks to the fam for hosting us and preparing everything. First we had this incredible dip and chips, then a salad with fresh strawberries and walnuts, lasagna and the best American dessert in the world...PAZOOKI! We all sat around the table (about 20 of us) and dug into this dessert...máma and conrado included! So great.

Okay, real talk now: I have been in Costa Rica for over a week now and I honestly have a broken heart for the people here. When I was journaling today, I truly realized my passion for these people and how badly I want to be involved in their lives...not necessarily to feed them or put on a fun day for the kids, but a heart to see them grow in the Lord. In my entire life I feel like I have never prayed so hard or passionately for a group of people and I have only been here a week. I cant understand why they are here living in tin houses with hardly anything, depending on churches for every meal, having no means of transportation, and really no way to bring themselves out of this lifestyle, which is why countries like this are not going to be even seen as a developing nation for a long time. I have tears in my eyes trying to share with yall how I feel about this. They have the brightest smiles and are so wonderful, but why is it that they materialistically are struggling in every way? I just dont understand how Americans can have so many of the things that we do but people here have nothing. So with that being said, a huge prayer request for me right now would be for me not to feel sorry for these great people I am surrounded by, and that I would trust that the Lord has placed everyone where they are for a reason, including my eyes being opened to this. I dont really know how to form these thoughts, but please just be praying for this time I am here and how I can share the love the Lord has given with incredible people I feel so blessed to have met.

Time for another round of soccer, love yall and miss yall!

Love.

25

25 things I have learned or loved about Costa Rica so far:

1. Bug bites dont itch until 4 days after you get them, and bug spray with only 7% deet is a complete joke

2. Car doors are to be closed MUY SUAVE.

3. Just because a car is 5 feet away doesnt mean you cant pull out in front of them.

4. Toilet paper does not go in the toilet, but in the trash beside the toilet.

5. Conrado: He may not speak a word of English but is by far the funniest person I have met in Costa Rica.

6. I do not look like a gringo. Confirmed by local children.

7. Rain on the tin roofs.

8. Pineapple.

9. Saying I am American or from America is rude...because technically everyone in the Western Hemisphere is American. Therefore on 4th of July I ran around not saying AMERICAAA, but LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS!

10. Do not pick up a child and swing him around. If you pick up one, you must pick up all.

11. Rush hour is not at 5, but whenever the rain starts.

12. We need VIP movies in the states. Recliners and waiters for everyone. Sushi is also an option on the menu.

13. YoungLife skits fly in Costa Rica. We did the movie theater and the house is on fire. “La casa esta en fuego”

14. Cuidado. Careful.

15. Máma is the nicest grandma you could ever meet.

16. When told a time to be ready...go ahead and give yourself that extra hour of sleep, its not necessary to “be on time”

17. Be like the boy scouts: always be prepared! (raincoats and long sleeve shirts, bug bite itch relief, sunscreen, etc).

18. Babies here are a lot easier to like.

19. Double dutch is still only for the cool kids.

20. Anyone who looks Asian is called a chino (aka intern Jonathan).

21. Watching world cup games during VBS.

22. “Dank” good food.

23. Singing the “la cucaracha” song while killing bugs ... “la cucaracha, la cucaracha, ya no puede caminar” and yes, they have an open invite to all houses

24. Kids go crazy for bouncy houses, and bouncy houses are not made for big kids.

25. Surprise trips to get a sweet snack :)

Hola amigos!

Sorry that I have not had a chance to blog yet, but we have not had internet in the house because the family I am living with moved like 2 days before I arrived. I am actually at a mall right now posting this because getting internet at the house soon isnt looking promising.

So I flew in on Wednesday the 30th and that was a long day. I started out having to get to RDU around 630 in the morning, and flew to Houston. Nothing exciting on that flight, but my next flight that took me to san josé, was great. I sat next to this little boy and his dad, and the rest of their family was in the row behind us (2 brothers and a mom that was about 8 months preggers). But we made small talk because I knew I would pretty much be distracted by this littler boy the whol

e flight that was asking me to watch baseball or soccer. I dont speak littler kid that well, so the dad kept repeating things for me...but small talk: where you from, what are you doing in costa rica...and I told

him about the organization and said I was basically doing mission work. And he loved hearing that. So excited for me and everything. So I asked the same to him and he said his family was actually on their flight to move to costa rica for the next 3 years as missionaries. I just thought tha

t it was the coolest thing to sit next to this family that was so encouraging and loved the lord so much. I want to look them up and some how contact them when I get back to the states :)

Anywho, I made it to CR and was greeted by Jherson (the director of the organization), Tiffany and Jonathan (who are interns like me). We hopped in the car and headed towards the house which took about an hour or so. And let me tell you, I had to bite my tongue so much to not say things while Jherson was driving….yall know I am a backseat driver. Sister, dont ever plan on coming here, since I know how you are.

The house I am living in is so great, but very small. We have a total of 14 people here right now and its quite tight. There is mamá y papí, jherson and his wife yolanda, jhosen (jherson’s brother), me, tiff and jon, and 6 girls who are on a project for the next week or so. The 6 girls are actually from UNC and I already knew one of them, which was so exciting. Evan Bell: your big is here - so fun! We eat every meal together, and the 3 of us interns are always on dishes duty. So far we have had a lot of rice and

beans, the best fruit in the world, random American meals mixed in (and mom: they DO eat chinese food here! haha) My stomach is adjusting well to the different food and I havent hated anything yet, which is really wonderful.

My first full day we went to a camp area and hosted around 85 6th graders. We split up into a few groups and played games that were all about team building. We had team leaders who could speak Spanish and the rest of us “gringos” (or white people) paired up. Lets be honest, we are useless in explaining games, because we may know Spanish, but not near enough to help out. After the games we had a talk from one of the local pastors in the area. And then we were done for the day...except in Costa Rican time that took form 7 in the morning until 4.

So one of the real reasons I am here is because I need to learn me some Spanish. Yall, I am awful at it. To be completely honest the language barrier is super hard and its been encouraging to try and learn but discouraging at the same time because I really thought I knew I a lot more than I do. Like for instance...today we started our first day of the VBS. We are doing 2 day programs at all 5 churches that conexión is involved in. And I could not understand little kids simple Spanish. So with that being said, first prayer request of the trip...i need patience! I know it will take me a very long time to learn this language and be able to communicate with the locals, but its so hard because this is what I want to do with my life, but I really cant. On the bright side, the family I am living with wants to help me so much. They have had a lot of patience and I love them already. Máma is my favorite. She knows that my passion is to eventually teach spanish so she is starting with simple questions and things to keep me going and speaking in Spanish. Today was the sweetest conversation with her: she asked me what her name was so I responded with mamá and she had the biggest smile on her face, so I explained to her that she was my mom for the next 7 weeks, and she said, “¡no, soy tú mamá por siempre!” (im am your mom always). And that just made my heart happy.

We had church the other night and it was incredible. Pastor Allen spoke and to me its just amazing how the Lord can speak to you even in another language and not understanding things really. All of our worship songs were English songs, only in Spanish...which was helpful to learn some new vocabulary. And I am in love with the people that come. It was

a small group of couples and their children who all knew each other really. It reminded me of my parents Sunday school classes, with close friends who love each other and love the lord, laughing but hearing a good message. I ju

st loved the closeness of the community and how much respect for each other they had. I couldnt stop smiling even though understanding it was the hardest thing ever.

For the 4th of July ya girl had some USA pride. I wore red white and blue all day and waved those flags high. We worked with the kids and then had a pretty chill afternoon. That night we went to Jhonny’s apartment and had some pizza and poker. And his neighbor shot off two fireworks!! I was so excited to see at least one for the holiday, because this was a day I missed my family a lot. It was my first time not being at the lake with all the fam and out there late at night watching fireworks from Saunder’s Marina. I had a lot of fun with the other two interns on Jhonny and his girlfriend Dayana. And we had pizza :)

and sorry this is so long, but i will update more later :)

Love.

anxious.

i am officially down to the one week and one day mark. and holy cow this is insane to think about. im kind of getting into freak out mode, not for fear of going or anything like that, but just that i have SO much to get done. i know i can do it, and i know everything will fall into place, but yall know me. im a worrier. so literally written in my planner, beside my bed, bathroom mirror, everywhere, i have written "dont be anxious, the lord will provide." but funny how seeing words everyday still does not make them sink in. so i just thought i would send this to those of you who are checking up on this blog thing of mine to ask for prayers against anxiousness and worrying. thanks fam!

love.

pops.

happy dads day father mike.

thanks for always making me laugh with those looks, letting me play dj, really teaching me how to drive and always loving me. youre the best, simple as that. :)

love.

be obsessed

so ive been lame and not keeping keeping people posted, but summer school and life has just been keeping me so busy! i feel like i havent stopped at all. but its ok, because me staying busy has kept my thoughts in right here and right now, instead of allowing myself to be anxious about my trip. dont get me wrong, i am STOKEEEDDDD, but for me to prepare myself i cant let the excitement of this trip keep me from learning and growing in the right now state.

like i said, im in summer school taking two classes, and i have gotten into this great habit of waking up really early before class and starting my day off with some jesus time. normally i would just do it in the afternoons, but this has been so great for me. and i have been learning

so much by just starting at the beginning of the day instead of waiting until i had other things on my mind. so ive ben reading (via an online blog) oswald chambers "my utmost for his highest." and it has been incredible for me. every morning while i am eating my honey bunches of oats (with almonds - duh!) and reading what this guys thoughts are on scriptures and really great things he feels the world should know.

todays was titled "are you obsessed with something?" and we can all think of something we are truly obsessed with. for me, its my chapstick...a total necessity for my lips. others it may be burts bees or carmex, or even good ole vaseline. ok, but for real, we all have things that we eventually become obsessed with that control our life. maybe its the need to please everyone, make money, the strongest desire to be in a relationship, obsessed with the way you look, worrying or anything. its so easy in our society to become obsessed because its what we do. but in todays thoughts, he talks about how if we are obsessed with these things we become unbelieving in god. he is so much bigger than ALL of these things...so why do we doubt him? so this is when oswald here talks about becoming obsessed with god. if we become obsessed, nothing else can affect us. god is bigger than all, so if we become obsessed with him, we have no room for anything else, but to let him do what he does to create this life he designed for us!

[ to be obsessed by god is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy]

if we become obsessed with the lord we have far more abilities to turn over and stomp down the things the enemy has put in our life and in our heart...we have the ability to know the lord is all you need to please, money is not everything, we are his masterpiece! and no one can tell you that you are not beautiful because to the lord you are, his power can fulfill that desire for relationship because its all that he wants from us, he tells us not to worry and to see how he provides...so be obsessed in the lord. be OBSESSED!

ob.sess [uh b-ses]

-verb (used with object)

to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings or desires (of a person)

so ill leave ya with one more quote. just wanted to share what i have been learning. go and check this guy out... www.utmost.org its really great.

[god is out refuge...nothing can break through his shelter of protection]

love.