Gifts Through All Seasons

"Take my yoke upon you...."

It's been an interesting month and a half.  I decided to share with you some of the many gifts God blessed me with throughout it all.  Our year long interns left and the school year is ending... So it's been another huge season of transition and God's using to really work in my heart.  

God continues to call me to Him for fulfillment and contentment.  He's really pruning and digging at my heart right now which isn't the easiest process, but well worth it in the end, we say here "vale la pena," kinda like it's worth the pain.  I am learning to see Him in the midst of tough circumstances or the fog and unknowns of life.  This week He's really calling me to just wait in Him.  I listened to a sermon this weekend and it discussed Job's trials and how in James 5 God puts in difficult situations or unknowns to build our character: patience and endurance.  

So I wrote a while back about the book 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp and it's changed my life.  I keep a daily list of gifts from God no matter how my day goes and it's so life giving and joyful to have a thankful heart in the midst of whatever is going on.  So here are a few snapshots of the joys He's blessed me with in the midst of all the transition and pruning.  I hope that this blog will encourage you wherever you are in life to look for the good, the blessings, God's gifts in the midst of life whether its joyful, confusing, sad, or frustrating.  

Wild Calalily on the trail 

Cooking Patacones with Sydders at my house! 

Spontaneous beach trip before Nicki left with gringo and tico friends! 

Cooking and hosting hangouts at my new casita!! 

Last team dinner at a nice Peruvian Restaurant 

Last cooking of Patacones at Sydder's house the night she packed up to leave.... 

My 1st Surf Competition with Migue, YL leader friend, to have fun the day after the girls left.... 

Vida Joven friend, Nati, took Jessie and I to a new beach to love us knowing that we were sad our friends had just left

Wofford Professors in Costa Rica!!! 

Team Bonding last week together!!!

Life is an adventure and sometimes we know what's going on and sometimes we don't but I am learning more and more with everyday that as long as you are sure of what you trust and hope in the rest doesn't really matter.  I am learning more daily what it means to truly trust and hope in the Lord.  Hope beyond the now and even what we can fathom as the future but be rooted in the security that He is our inheritance and our future.  I pray that you can find some encouragement and hope in seeking to see the gifts in your everyday life.  Some of my most resent gifts have been
1356 Old Golden Retrievers
1359 Water's off... need to shower
1362 Full house!
1393 tough truth
1410 Stuck in rain
1422 Then there were 2...
1423 Tears parting
1427 laundry and cleaning casa
1450 Painting :)
1454 Harry wide open arms
1456 taxi full of groceries
1462 Laughing with Mere
1500 Horses clunking down the street
1516 carrying groceries and hand weights on bus
1538 sharing stories hiking down mountain
1541 WAIT on the Lord- TCAT sermon
1546 Matthew 11L28-30 Take my yoke... after just seeing 5 yokes and oxen!
1549 Laundry 8 step process
1564 Day with Olga and Oswall

Mr. Bean seeking in randomly and "hiding"

2 hour Skype with my bro Rog!

"I pray that God the source of hope will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13