Hola!

            I can’t believe it’s already my 3^rd day in Costa Rica. The time at the Ranch went by so fast. Costa Rica isn’t ANYTHING like Montana. It’s hot, and humid, but it’s beautiful. I’m so thankful to God because he brought me here with Meg and Josh, and I couldn’t imagine being here with anyone else.

            Wednesday was our travel day. The first leg of the journey was hard because I had just said goodbye to my parents, and it was my first airport experience without anyone with me. But, I made it to Houston, where I met up with Megan and Josh, and it was a sweet reunion. We got into Liberia a little after 8, and had a problem at customs (poor Megan…everything is going to work out though) and met up with Brooke and Matt outside the airport. They are the sweetest couple, and made us feel very welcome. We stopped at McDonalds to get some food before we drove an hour and 15 minutes to our apartment. When we got there, it was dark, and we found a couple cockroaches, which stirred up some fear. Needless to say, we didn’t sleep through the whole night on Wednesday.          

            Thursday we woke up really early because of jetlag, but enjoyed some time fellowshipping, and getting to know our surroundings. Around lunchtime, Matt came and picked us up so we could have lunch at their house, followed by orientation. After orientation, we had some time to rest, and then we went to Bible Club. It was awesome meeting Rebecca (Pastor Phil’s wife) and her children, and all the other workers and children that attend the club. It was a little scary because we don’t know the language, and the kids would be speaking to us, and I had no idea what they were saying. Please pray that God gives me an understanding of Spanish, so that I can use it to glorify His name.

            Friday morning we had a free day until 630. Our plan was to sleep in, but again, jetlag got the best of us. Doug, a guy that lives with Matt and Brooke, came over and brought us a jug of water, and then Megan and I walked to the fruit and vegetable stand. We bought tons of vegetables and fruits, for only 14$... 7,000 Colones. We came back, and we all took a nap. Megan and I slept from 10-2. It was exactly what the both of us needed. When we work up, Josh made us some sandwiches, and I made some homemade salsa, and we enjoyed our first meal together. Afterwards we played some cards, and then we went to La Roca, which is youth group. We met a guy named Eddy, and Daniel. We played game that was like Never Have I Ever mixed with Do You Like Your Neighbor, and we played a cool rendition of Hot Potato. Don Victor, taught the bible study, and it was on the story of Easter. Luckily, we had Ethan, Brooke and Matt’s son to translate for us. We ended the night playing worship in Spanish with Eddy and Daniel.

            Today, we woke up and I made eggs, and potatoes with toast, and Josh, Megan and I shared breakfast together. Doug brought us to the beach, and then bought us lunch at Subway and then shakes at this quaint little shack next door. We came back around 2, and I was able to talk with my parents and my brother. Now, we have the rest of the day off, so we’ll probably just hang out, and enjoy the time off. Tomorrow morning is our first church service here, so I’m really excited about that. On Monday our 40 hour work week starts, so from then on we’ll be really tired. It’s going to be amazing though.

Please keep the 3 of us in prayer, as we begin this journey in Costa Rica. That we would learn Spanish easily, that God would be glorified and that we would be safe and healthy through the whole experience.

God bless you all,

Caitie

This is the front of our apartment, disregard the sheet hanging ;)

The Grim Reaper

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” – Galatians 6:7

 Yesterday, we volunteered at Habit for Humanity. Along with Potter’s Field, there was another group of volunteers. This other group worked their butts off, and they attacked the job head on. As I was thinking about yesterday, and reading todays verse, they seemed almost parallel. These people were working so hard, even harder than some of us, but what were they sowing? Good works? And what do they harvest? Pride, self-worth, and a sense of decency. The hard work is all in vain. If only they knew that the soil was fertile, and if they chose the right seed to plant, the harvest would be plenty. It would exceed the small, bitter fruit they have been harvesting and would produce quenching, sweet fruit. So, then the responsibility is on me. I have the right seed. I need to share it with people, so they can taste the everlasting fruit.

Meg and I had the chance to talk to this girl named Bonnie. She is still on my heart, and I’m going to try and find her on Facebook. If I do, I want to keep in touch with her, and tell her about the gospel.

“But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.” Galatians 6:4

We always compare ourselves to others, don’t we?  Whether the way someone looks, or how good they are at something, or their possessions. It never ends well either. Pride creeps in, or we get discouraged with who we are. This is not the kind of attitude God wants us to have. What’s the remedy? Test your own work. Don’t worry about what other people are doing, saying, or receiving. God has given each person different gifts, callings, and physical appearances. What kind of progress as a body would we make if we were all hands or all eyes? Use the gifting’s, the calling and the physical appearances for the Glory of God and for the purposes He set out before you. If you do this, your boasting won’t be in yourself, or in your neighbor, because without God, you wouldn’t have the gifts or even life for that matter, but the boasting will be in the Lord God. 1 Corinthians 1:31 says ” so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

I find myself guilty of comparing myself with people on a daily basis. It has become a deep-rooted habit, which is not beneficial to me, the body of believers around me, or my relationship with the Lord. I don’t want to live my life comparing myself with others, I want to be thankful for what I have, and use it for the Lord. I know this will be a process, and I’m willing to make a commitment to be content with what I have, and not desire more or different gifting’s. I am going to make a list of gifts God has given me, and praise God for each one, and ask him to strengthen me in areas that I’m lacking.

Pride

“For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself” – Galatians 6:3

Unfortunately, I find myself guilty of this on occasion. At my church I was on the worship team. I started off, singing once a month; I couldn’t harmonize, sing a solo, and I was a nervous wreck. The more I was up there, the more comfortable I got. God was definitely the only source of confidence I had, but after a while, I figured I had it down to a science. I let pride creep in. I wouldn’t hit any wrong notes, and the song was in the perfect key, and people would come up and compliment me. Yeah, I’d say I thought I was something. In reality, I was absolutely nothing. The only reason  I was up there was because of God. I was deceiving myself into thinking I was doing it all in my own strength. Praise the Lord He humbled me in so many ways. He can take away the voice He gave me just as quickly as he gave it to me. Everything in my life came from Him, and I need to be using it to glorify Him.

Tomorrow I will lead worship, like I usually do, but I’m going to pray that God takes me out of it, and the worship is only about Him.

Magic Words

“Does he thank the servant because he did what he was commanded?” –Luke 17:9

Well, does he? Our culture seems to think so. We start teaching children the “magic words” as soon as they can form words. Is this our cultures way of wanting gratitude for the work they put into things, or is this just politeness? Most people do things with the intention of receiving a thank you, myself included. Without that form of acknowledgement I feel unworthy and underappreciated.  Mankind wants approval. It is engrained in us. We selfishly strive for success and work hard so that we’ll receive gratitude and praise.

 Lets bring it back to biblical times. Was it expected for a servant to be thanked for his work? Most likely not because it was his duty to do what he was commanded. He knew his place, did what he was told and was satisfied with that. So, when did this affirmation become vital to us? I don’t know the answer.

What I do know is this, whatever you do, do it for the glory of God, not for yourself.

Application: Today I will ask the Lord to give me opportunities to serve, and if I receive a thank you, I will give glory to God.