whirlwind.

What a whirlwind life has been these last couple of weeks. They have included…

1. A casual 36 hour trip to Managua, Nicaragua. 10 hours on a bus there, some exploring in Granada with my team mate and travel companion (fortunately both named Jen, which made my life easier for the weekend) and then another 8 hour bus ride back to Costa Rica. Got to drop off half of all the stuff I have accumulated over the past 9 months, which will make the OFFICIAL move on December 14th much smoothly. Until then Nica…

2. In order to fulfill my lifelong but never achieved dream of being on Student Council, I volunteered to be the representative for my trimesters group of students at my language school. This just in: during December the second trimester representative (aka me) is in charge of planning the Roble Alto Christmas Party. Roble Alto is a children's home here in Costa Rica that currently has about 150 kids from ages 2-18 in their many homes all over San Jose. So I had to put aside my rather strong feelings about not celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving to help put on this party last Wednesday, which consisted of a carnival (basically just stole a bunch of classic Young Life games, as you can see from the pics), food, piñatas and individual presents for all the kids. Needless to say, it was quite a lot to take on. But luckily planning and details is kind of my thing and the Lord was faithful to make sure everything ran about as seamlessly as could be here in Costa Rica. It was beautiful thing to watch kids just get to be kids. To play and laugh and be loved and eat and smile and open a present with their name on it. I believe it turned out to be more of a gift to all the students who helped run it and got to be a part of loving these kids then it was to the children who were there.

*pictures not mine - from a friend at school*

3. And this past weekend, a few of us loaded onto a bus on Friday after classes and took off to the beach for the weekend. We fed monkeys (lots and lots of monkeys…really too many if you ask me), saw raccoons (eeee!! my favs!), went to the beach in the National Park Manuel Antonio, ate good food and slept, slept, slept.

It was a nice weekend to get away, especially after all the craziness that has passed in the weeks past but upon my return it hit me: less then a month now of living in Costa Rica. W.O.W. And so my friends, I am fully declaring the potential to be considered a crazy person for the next two months, what with moving to another country (again), going home to Columbia for the first time in ten months, attending two different weeklong trainings in one month, seeing all my friends and family and then going back to a country to begin to re-learn how to live in another different culture…well, it's enough to make one's head spin. But alas, there is always grace. So I will open my hands and receive it over and over and over again. And this daily reminder will be my saving grace:

home.

The rain that began to pour was relentless. Big, wet drops falling around me. Attempting to take cover under my sorry excuse for an umbrella, it felt like I was only becoming more and more soaked. And I was only half way home.

Suddenly, the thought came: I’m going home. I will be dry there. I can change out of these wet, dirty clothes into dry, comfortable ones. I will be safe.

It’s okay to get wet right now.

As soon as this thought appeared, a new one followed right on its tail: Just like in life. The rains have come and will come: huge, overwhelming, life changing rains. Soaking me to the core of my soul. But I am walking Home. And there, one day, I will be safe. Stop trying to fight the trials. They too will pass.

I felt myself physically relax. Trust. Know. Believe. That soon I would in my house, safe and warm and dry. My shoulders loosened. The breath I did not realize I was holding, released. And I smiled.

Is not this how I should treat life? When the storm is upon me, to just allow the rain to fall. Stop trying to run or hide or protect or deny.

Because one day I will be safe and whole and new. Pain will be distant. Tears will be wiped from my eyes. Sadness will be a thing of the past.

And until then… just keep breathing. Relax into the arms of the only One who is strong enough to hold me. And watch as His graces fall around me…rentlessly.

Sometimes, I just have to let myself get caught in the rain.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes.

There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…"

-Revelation 21:4

it's a WYLD life...

Last weekend, the Young Life Costa Rica team took 53 middle school friends from Wyld Life and some number of leaders to camp in the mountains of Costa Rica called La Cumbre. And I am still attempting to recover from the weekend of craziness! It changes things a little when you get back from a Young Life weekend and have to wake up at 6 am the next day to be at school. Guess I'm not as young as I used to be…sigh.

Anyways, the weekend was a great one. The camp had so many different activities to do throughout the day, low ropes and high ropes courses. In the morning and at night, we got to have good old fashioned Wyld Life club. Through club, our middle school friends got the chance to dance, sing, play, laugh and hear the Gospel of Christ from a speaker who actually paid his own way down here to come speak for the weekend.

After club, I got the opportunity to have "cabin time" with my fellow leader, Lindsay, and four crazy fun middle school chicas. We got to spend about 30-45 minutes talking about what the speaker said and what it meant to each one of them in their own lives. What a sweet experience it is to watch as my middle school friends pondered some pretty tough questions about their own faith and a relationship with Jesus. It is weekends like this that I am reminded of how sweet these ministries of Young Life and Wyld Life are and how happy I am to be a part of it.

Here are some pictures for you guys to get to see what the weekend was all about…enjoy!

39 days left of pura vida.

Managua, Nicaragua...I'm coming for ya!

(click to enlarge)

vast unknown.

I stood at the ocean's edge, looking out into the vast unknown. Timid at first, with small waves running up the shore line to barely cover my toes. But as I stood there, staring into the immeasurable sea, fear began to subside.

My feet moved forward, unwillingly at first. And then another step. And another. And another. And with every step, the smile on my face grew and my soul filled. A song came to mind and escaped from my lips:

"If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking."

And I long to be sinking into His ocean of grace. So eyes closed, hands open, head back - I soak it in. The sea. The wind. The saltiness. The crashing. All this that is grace. I let it take over me.

I could feel the waves lapping up to my knees and I took a few more steps because I simply could not get enough of this gift. More waves came, stronger than before, and I struggled to keep my balance. But then I realized:

Shouldn't this sea of grace knock me to my knees?

Because knees are a place of worship and praise and submission and trust and tears and joys. And I can't truly live this life without this knees to ground position.

And so I stood at the ocean's edge, looking out into the vast unknown. The vast unknown of the ocean of grace. But instead of feeling fear - I feel whole.

"Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me." 

-Psalm 42:7

Cabarete Beach, Dominican Republic