Hello! It has been almost four months since I've posted on here, oops. It seems that the craziness of life caught me off guard. I know you all are just dying to read about my life and have been refreshing your news feeds waiting for a new post from me, so this one is for you. Here is a little update on what's been happening in the land of Costa. It's all very exciting/thrilling so you may want to sit down while you read.
- Young Life. This semester is in full swing. We are continuing with club on Fridays where we share a meal with our friends, talk about Jesus, and play some games (mostly Uno, which I'm thankful for because there is no strategy involved). Coming up, we have YL Service Project, which is our version of YL camp here. We will be headed to serve one of the indigenous villages of Costa Rica by building something long lasting for their community. This provides an opportunity for our high school friends to work really hard and serve others while learning more about Jesus. I can't wait. There has also been a lot happening with the national ministry here that we've had the chance to be a part of. In January, my fellow interns and I served on work crew for the national camp here. It was incredibly different than a stateside camping experience. There was no ropes course or fancy cabins or blob, but the campers legitimately had the best week of their lives. They were engaged in everything that was happening and it was evident that they truly respected and admired their leaders; I truly respect and admire their leaders. I walked away from camp exhausted, with much more knowledge on how to chop vegetables, and with an extremely full heart. Young lives/Vida Jovenes is a part of the ministry that reaches teen moms. They will be going to camp in just a few weeks and my team and I will be there serving as childcare. I'm stoked to hold some babies for 2 straight days. Yesterday we had a Mega Fiesta that brought together all of the YL clubs of Costa Rica. They danced and I "danced" and laughed at myself a lot (my hips lie). It was a blast. I'm learning more and more every week about what it means to be a YL leader but mostly what it means to be a follower of Jesus. He is good and I am forever grateful to be a part of this ministry. Below are some pics from Young life club, work crew, and the Mega fiesta last night!
- Community. One of the many things I've learned in my time here is that ministry can't exist without community. What good would we be if we stayed in our little YL bubble and never invited others into the work God is letting us do. We are broadening our horizons and not just trying to reach high school kids, but also reach their parents and teachers and administrators. These relationships matter. People matter. With that being said, our hope this semester is to build a solid community, or at least start that process, relationships take time. We are looking for opportunities to just know people. No angles, no agendas. One thing I'm really excited about is the possibility of "working" (actually volunteering, legally I can't paid) at a coffee shop in the city I live in. Even if just for a short period of time, I think it would be a great way to serve while also meeting people within the community. And I'm over the moon about being able to make coffee again, truly. I've missed my hair smelling like espresso everyday.
- Life. If I'm being completely honest, this season of life has probably been the weirdest, most confusing, challenging season thus far in my short 22 years. I have no clue what I'm doing when I leave Costa Rica. And it terrifies me. I also tend to focus so much on what's next that I lose sight of all thats happening right now, today. I want so badly to say with 100 percent certainty that I am A-okay with not knowing what I'm doing with my life, or tomorrow. And that Jesus loves me so thats enough. And that since I have carpe diem tattooed on my wrist (a tattoo that some of my friends **cough cough Hayley Schaefer** make fun of me for), I'm going to do just that; seize every moment and live in the now. But if I'm continuing on this honesty train, I say thats all a bunch of crap. Life is hard. Period. It's confusing, and frustrating and scary. I feel under qualified for any and every job. I feel like I'm not good enough. I feel like I have no sense of direction and I don't know what I want to do or what I'm passionate about anymore. I feel a lot of things, let me tell you. I am overwhelmed by these feelings. But I am also encouraged. I'm encouraged by my friends and family speaking words of life into me. I'm encouraged by the immense amount of hope we find in Jesus. And I'm encouraged by the fact that life is hard to endure but not impossible, and feelings WILL pass. I don't have any answers to my major life questions, but Jesus does. So I'm learning how to listen to His voice and not the voice of fear. I'm learning what true, confident faith is. And I'm learning that you can't have faith with a but. "I have faith that Jesus is going to show up in my life, but." No no no, thats not how it works. There is no but. That completely rejects the whole essence of what faith is. So I will continue to learn these things and try hard to listen to Jesus and not fear. But that doesn't mean its gonna be easy.
If you've made it this far, it means you've made through my ranting and also that you really love me. Thank you for reading this and loving me and laughing with me/at me. I am, as I like to say, hasthtag blessed.
Becca
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