3 Months.... 2 Languages... 1....

3 Months

2 Languages

1 Life

1 Love

I 've been hiking up the mountain of transition for three months now speaking two languages everyday (well trying to speak the second one)!  It's been quite a hike, but God's showed me alot through this process.  One of the reoccuring themes He continues to show and teach me is love.  Love crosses all cultures and languages.  It is the only cross cultural way to live.  God's love is always present.  I know it sounds simple, but how often do we really take a look at the essence of love.   

"Love is patient.  Love is kind.  Love is NOT jealous or boastful or proud or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every cicumstance"  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

God's love is the only perfect love!  He continues to show me this and that I must allow Him to fill my every need with His love.  This has been a huge part of my transitioning and leaving everyone I know and .... love! God's shown me how much I rely on human's love, but really how unfulfilling it truly is as well.  God tells us that His love is the only perfect love that will always satisfy our souls.  I think God knows how much I try to depend on my family and friends for this love so He's pulled me away to show me how much I need to rely on Him alone.  

"Long ago, the Lord said to Israel, ' I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.  With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.  I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel.  You will again be happy and dance merrily with your tambourines."  Jeremiah 31: 3-4 

Another thing God's teaching me is how BIG His love is and the many ways His love is expressed.  I've been so blessed to live with my tico family and especially my mama Olga.  She has such a servant's heart and loves me like her own daughter.  My favorite part of my day is just sitting at the kitchen counter talking about life with Olga.  She not only cares for all of her family, but she also cares for foster children.  She's had her son, Josué, now for three years.  He was previously in and out of other homes that were abusive and violent, but since Josué has been in Olga's house her love through discipline has changed his life and he knows the love of God in a new way.  He knows that his mom and Heavenly Father loves him above all.  She is also receiving a 9 month old this week!  It will be a huge challenge for the family and she honestly did not want to accept the baby, but felt God calling her to love this abandoned baby, so at some point this week we will have a baby in the house.  

"Show deep love for one another" 1 Peter 4:8

I am also very blessed to be in language school in a wonderful community of missionaries that surround the place with love.  It's such a perfect picture of the family of God!  I've really learned what it means to be a family of God now that my real family can't be around. Many of you heard and prayed for my friends Mandi and Neil, who had surgery last week, well through their experiences I was really able to see how the family of God works.  Their daughters were cared for every day by different families when they had to go to the hospital.  Also, many of their meals were provided for by other families.  It was just a beautiful picture of how we are to hold each other up and love each other like Christ loves us.  

"Let us always meet each other with a smile for the smile is the beginning of love" -Mother Teresa

1 "We love each other because he loved us first.  If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister,that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters." 1 John 4:19-2

God has also convicted me of ways in which I need to learn to love better through the process of moving to Costa Rica.  God's showed me how I need to work on loving selflessly and putting other's needs above my own needs.  I've struggled with this alot through feeling homesick and needing love and attention from home, but realizing that just because I'm transitioning into another country doesn't mean my "needs" are more important than anyone elses.  He's still stretching me in this way, but He's shown me that there are people around me who need love just as much or probably more.  So God's really teaching me how to love selflessly without expectations of it being reciprocated. 

"I have loved you even as my Father has loved me.  Remain in my love.  This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." John 15:9 & 13

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

What an encouragement that no matter where we are God's love is always with us. No matter how we feel, what we're going through, God's love is present.  Nothing is ALL creation can separate us from the love of God!!  What a comfort!  Just like on my hike there were 3 crosses representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  I found it a wonderful metaphor for God's love and how it is always present with us at the beginning of the journey, in the middle difficult times, and at the end of the journey waiting with open arms to hug us!  Well done my child! 

I pray that you come to know the fullness of God's love.  I just wanted to share with you a little of what God's been showing and teaching me about His love.  Please join me in praying for our preparation for Young Life starting up in August, so middle and high school students can come to know this TRUE LOVE!  

"Love comes while we rest against our Father's chest. Joy comes when we catch the rhythms of His heart. Peace comes when we live in harmony with those rhythms" -Ken Gire

Praying for God to break my heart for this city with His BIG LOVE!! 

**Photos are from a hiking trip Las Tres Cruces (The three crosses) with other students from my language school. What a wonderful day! I have more stories to share if you'd like to hear!