Costa Rican Independence Day and Freedom

I am so excited that I arrived here before Costa Rican Independence Day this year--September 15th!  It was great learning about some of the Costa Rican history and traditions at language school and I got to go to the Sojourn Academy children's festivities!  Sojourn is the K-12 school that my language school also runs.  I've included some pictures below :)

I don't want to write too much here about the last Wyldlife Club, because I'm getting ready to send out a newsletter about it--but suffice it to say, it was AWESOME and God showed up in a big way.  It was just one of those times where you are completely overwhelmed by His palpable presence.

The next day (last Saturday) I went to a Vida Joven event.  (Vida Joven, again, is the Costa Rican Young Life run by Costa Ricans for Costa Rican in local neighborhoods/public schools.  I am a part of Vida Joven, but our programming in international schools looks very different than what they do.)  The event was a concert, which was also used as a fundraiser for Vida Joven camp, which will be in January.  There were 4-5 awesome Christian bands and I knew about half of the songs, which was super fun for me.

God brought the weekend full circle as we sang about how awesome He is, how good He is and how faithful He is.  I turned to Jessie with tears in my eyes and just told her how overwhelmed I felt to know that God has brought me here for a purpose, to be seeing Him fulfilling that purpose, to have such peace that I am exactly where He wants me and to feel His immense love and goodness in accomplishing all of this in spite of me.  Months of trying to discern what God's next step for me was, and then months of fundraising that seemed like it would never end, and finally I'm here!

I think right now, more than ever, I feel the power of this verse:  "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1).  I spoke with a friend just this week and was describing to her how over the last few years I've felt "trapped" is several situations--completely powerless to change the situation and fairly miserable in it.  And all along, God wasn't calling me out of those situations because He wants me (and YOU!) to experience and know this:


"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."  -Phillipians 4:11-13


Live in freedom today!