Getting Wet

Michelle: Before coming to Costa Rica, my umbrella was up, up, up and I left home feeling anxious, nervous and unprepared. Gratefully though, these nerves were somewhat calmed by awesome friends who blessed me with encouragements and even prayers to stay bold in the Lord prior to boarding. (Thank you for those btw!) Even after we arrived, the first couple days were challenging because I thought God would reveal His purpose for me and our team here on Day ONE.

Slowly though, as 13 days have passed with only a few more hours left to go, God has shown me, in His own time, blessings only He could have written so beautifully into my life. I definitely got more drenched as I put my umbrella down. One way our team got "wet" was when we got a glimpse of just how much He loves His children during our two week painting extravaganza at the children's home. It was beautiful witnessing God's love for these children who came from different parents, but had one Tia who loved them all SO much. And yet, it was another story when we tried to equate that same love towards our own lives. "God loves me just as much as He loves them? Really?" It is simple yet so profound...and I'm only just beginning to really process what this means.

Thinking about leaving Costa Rica - who's beauty is indescribable in mere human words - I'll admit, is very hard. I'm not sure I'm ready to go back home. I am almost sure I will have Costa-Rica-time withdrawals. Although home emits a sense of calm, security, and peace, it also means going back to being busy with all the errands, appointments, applications, work, and life. It is exactly because of all those things and more that had me simmering all sorts of thoughts and issues on the back burner instead of letting them go while I was in the States. But with time slowed down here in Costa Rica, God really addressed each and every issue - like dealing with my youngest cousin's 1-yr anniversary since her passing, old and new relationships, and my father's illness. There is an ongoing list of praises and absolute gratitude towards God for the many blessings that I was showered with during our two week stay.

One amazing thing I am humbled by is the new relationship God has blessed me with in meeting a Christian counselor from Florida who is also in Costa Rica on a mission trip. After graduating from college, I had been seeking a Christian counselor and had miserably failed. God had other plans for me at the time - that being that I trust HIM alone and that I not depend on any one other than Him. But somehow, in His crazy loving plans for my life, He brought me an angel... who was willing to listen about my life and even more, to really love me, and to help me - because nothing in this world happens by chance.

From a book I read in high school to family illnesses to my experience here in Costa Rica, God has continued to provide affirmations to my future career and has even planted a desire to commit to a long-term relationship with some of the children here in Costa Rica. As we board a flight for home in about 13 hours, my prayers and hopes for my team are that we would use everything we have learned here to bless our friends, family, supporters, and complete strangers back at home for God's glory, and that our love for Costa Rica will continue to fuel our missionary lives wherever we may be.


Thank you for coming along with us in our journey and I hope that you have been blessed and encouraged through our blog.


Dios les bendigas~