so love can live to tell the tale.

ive been playing teacher assistant the past 2 days at a local school to a kindergarten classroom and that has been quite interesting. tiffany and i have done every type of cutting out letter or organizing that is possible in two classrooms. but we also go to play with some really sweet kids.

so i want you guys to meet derrick. he stuck out to me almost immediately after i walked into that classroom. all the kids needed help getting into their snack, but he was the only one frustrated and getting fussy about things. so i came over and asked him if he needed and he basically ignored me until after i asked a few more times he gave it up. getting him his cookies made us best friends. from then on he was attached to my hip. if the kids were supposed to sit on the floor to sing a song or play a game, he was sitting in the chair beside me ignoring anyone calling his name. he didnt even pay attention to me, but felt the need to be there. out on the playground he didnt play with any of the other kids and had a funny habit of scratching his head and shaking his fingers through his hair. and i loved him. i dont know if he had some type of disability, but i felt like there was just by his actions. im no professional, but its just what i thought. if yall know, let me know please :)

anywho, meeting him and spending time with me just made me so happy. today when we went back he was right by my side still just in his own little world. even if nothing was wrong with him, it made me question how kids with disabilities are treated here. its so different here, because no one has anything and then if you cant add to help your family you are useless and really not wanted. like for instance, there was this man downtown that everyday faithfully, came and played his ukulele by this bull statue.

everyday, that is his life, and has been for sooooo many years. i know that in the states, people with disabilities get treated really bad, but here, in a country that can hardly fend for itself in some places, i dont know. at one of the churches we did VBS at, there were i think 3 kids that had some disability, and we just not treated good. i guess its just been eye opening to see these kinds of things. and hard, but in the same way, such a blessing to see all the different ways the lord creates people to show how crazy his love is if that makes sense.

i was listening to this song by needtobreathe called "garden" today and i love the lyrics in it and thought it would be a nice little ending to my blog for the day:

‎"give me strength to die myself so love can live to tell the tale.

let the songs i sing bring joy to You. let the words i say confess my love.

Father let my heart be after you."

love.

traveling and such

since i last blogged we have been all over the place. i have had two adventures in downtown san josé. lots and lots of walking around. we saw the national theater and we went to these great little market places to get some fun local things. best purchase i made: a hammock. yep, i totally bought a hammock in costa rica. and it folds up small so that i can take it home without taking up too much space in the suitcase. and i got something that i decided i wanted to start collecting :) my friend blaire last year gave me a beautiful cross from ethiopia when she went with the cherokee house. and i think i decided that i want to start getting them from all over the world...just seeing how different people from all over make the same thing look so incredible and to show their own culture in it. so the one i bought from the market is full of color and had like a costa rica scene with a church at the top and little feet. which made me think of serving, and being here. yep.

ok, so wednesday and thursday i got to see two different volcanos. the first one was irazu and the second was arenal. the first one we went to was more like a crater thing. jhonny and dayana took us and they were saying its going to be really cold so be prepared. well thanks to mom (love you) i only had a long sleeve tee and jeans. nothing warmer, which you would think would be fine in costa rica, but thats false. we have had some chilly nights. and on top of this volcano it was probably 50 degrees with 50 mph winds. FREEZING. but like isaid, this one was basically a big crater and it was freezing. jhonny is huddled up behind a wall thing to stay warm. costa ricans and cold weather mixed together is hilarious.

thursday morning was when we set forth on the big adventure and mini vacation. the volcano we saw this time was INCREDIBLE! Jherson said he has been coming here for 16 years and had never seen it this clear before. Words cannot describe what that sight was like and pictures do it no justice. That night we went to the hot springs and oh boy that was so great. We spent about and hour and a half just enjoying time there and discovered that the higher on the trail you went, the hotter the springs. we stayed at the top :)

the next day the clouds were back and you couldnt see hardly any of the volcano. we packed up and headed around the volcano and to la playa flamingo! yay for a beach day. it was rather cloudy the whole time, but still absolutely beautiful. we soaked up some rays and enjoy some solid time of r and r. we went out to eat at this one restaurant and i always forget that im in a country that has the best fruit in the world, but this go round i remember to order fruit juice. mango was the flavor of choice, as well as cos, and pineapple and mixed fruits. all kinds to have at every meal :) i love juice now and it will be close to the top of my list of things i will miss so much when i leave here.

we got back to the house saturday night and sunday morning we went to the fruit market. ohhh boy that was the most exciting thing just because you could try anything and everything you wanted, and it was so cheap! our fridge is full of fun things now for snacks. thats about all I know for now. hope everyone is doing well. miss you guys!

Love.

Yay we finally have internet at the house! Just a wonderful PTL so that I can get the chance to chat with some people.

So for now: meet Jherson and his wife Yolanda (left 2) and Jonathan (in the middle) and Tiffany (on the other side of me). Just so you can put some faces with names. This was the last night before Jonathan left. ¡Que triste!

Sunday was a good day of rest for all of us. Jonathan left and then the Carolina girls packed up and headed to the beach for their last few days in costa rica. Sad day, but me and Tiff have our own room now, and could finally unpack everything. And major unexpected plus side is that they put a little tv in our room. So now we can watch SOME US shows that just have Spanish subtitles. That has been a great way to learn new vocab words or phrases (like the times we have gone to the movies have been in English only with Spanish subtitles.)

So yesterday we watched the final World Cup game. Good job España. And moved around all of our stuff to the new room. I got a new bed and back to comfort in a twin size. I dont know why, but big beds are just too big for me. But after the game and moving, we were told that Pastor and his family w

anted to hangout with us and to be ready at 330. Just a taste of Costa Rican time...Pastor did not come get us until 5. But he came and picked us up and we went to His church for their evening service.

One really cool thing I have learned is their process of timing. Jherson told Tiff and I why they do church on Saturday nights most of the time (even though Pastor’s was a Sunday evening). But most people work 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday. And they have a lot of broken families and problems to where people simply dont have time to see one another. So they hold services on Saturday nights or Sunday nights because Sunday is the only time ot spend with family...that why they have the whole day to go to the beach or get things done around the house, together. They didnt want church to be a conflict with family time. I just thought that was really great.

So after church we went to Pastor and Bryan (his son’s) soccer game. That was real fun. So I dont think I told yall this, but they both love to call me “Chapa.” Its a costa rican name I guess, and its really hard to compare it to english...Its like saying you are worthless but wayyyyy less harsh. Its constantly used jokingly. So since they call me that, I call them it right back. Bryan is an all star soccer player and scores goals all the time, so this one time after he scored I yeld “Bien Chapa” except the whole place was quiet as I said it. Needless to say he laughed on the field and I was a tad bit embarrassed because I am this American girl yelling Chapa at players. So that was fun. We have a great relationship, I know.

After soccer we went over to Pastor and his wife, Lis’ house for dinner. Pastor was just up in the mountains with a group and caught a fish so thats what we had for dinner. Now I have never really had a fish that I liked so I was nervous because I didn’t want to be rude and not like it. But that fish was good! Accompanied by rice and beans of course. Bryan showed us some pictures and we all chatted for a bit, then He took us home.

Today was an official organize and clean up day for me and Tiff. Since the fam has just recently moved things had not been placed in order yet, but that was done today :) And dad, you would be so proud because your baby girl but 3 pc’s together in the office. Yep, thats right. THREE.

And as promised, these are some of the pictures of the rope game that would never be allowed in the States. Sorry they are kind of fuzzy.

Also, I want you to meet this little boy that I have no idea what his name was, but was by far the cutest kid in the world. Mainly because he loved to give hugs and kissed.

thats all for now.

love.

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.