Life to the FULL...

Started the year out telling students that Jesus came so we could "have life to the full" or "a rich and satisfying life"  little did I know how literal that was going to be this semester.  I have been so blessed to see God move in so many ways in so many lives the past month and this is the best way to capture a glimpse of it all.  

I've been blessed to see God bring new students and old ones back to YL club this semester so they can experience this "life to the full" and hear about Jesus's great love for them. 

 Another neat thing I was able to go to the Dominican Republic in October on our International Schools Staff retreat.  It was so rejuvenating and special to be back with all these people who really get what my job and daily life is like by being on International Schools staff.  I am so thankful for each of them and the special time we shared together.  

Then less than 24 hours after returning to Costa Rica I headed to Nicaragua with our interns to do their visa run up to Leon, Nicaragua.  We stayed at El Ayudante, the child protection and family enrichment center, where I have spent extended amounts of time before.  It was wonderful to see the kids and how well they are doing.  We also got to do a little Nica style adventuring that always makes life "Rich and satisfying."  And one of the best things is I got to see my best friend Megan who I've traveled to Nica with before while she was there for a board meeting visit.  To learn more about El Ayudante click here: http://eanicaragua.com/ 

Please pray for these kids that they would know the hope of Jesus and for this city that it would be freed and released from the chains of its past and the harsh governmental power.  

 After a 12 hour bus ride we got to hope off and head immediately to YL Karaoke night and see these lovely ladies enjoy themselves.  It was a wonderful night to see our kids really experience the freedom to be themselves and know they were accepted and loved.  

 Here's a snapshot and the joy of Dona y Dona the donut sister at YL Donut Club!! 

 Then we loaded the buses with 70 kids and leaders and headed to the mountains for Wyldlife Camp this past week.  It was a wonderful weekend packed full.  One of my favorite parts was seeing all the high school leaders, volunteer leaders, and staff come together to be an incredible team to love kids.  

 I lead the Work Crew with Kaylee, one of our interns, and it was a special group of 3 students that didn't know each other prior to the weekend, but ended up being such a wonderful team.  One of the things we got to do was help run Wyldlife club throughout the weekend and what a joy it was to see kids living life to the full and experiencing deep joy.  

Meet the Work Crew!! We had such sweet time with these students really diving into scripture and our lives discussing what it means to truly be a servant of Christ.  We spent some time in John 13 discussing Jesus's foot washing of the disciples and how humble and radical that type of love was.  It was so great to see these students really desire to live their lives for Christ and wrestle with how to do that back home outside of this perfect camp setting. 

What a joy this month has been living life with all these special people and experiencing His love and joy as my strength to do it all.  Here are a few of my Cross Country girls that I will be loading a plane with this Wednesday to head to Guatemala!! Manuela is model and was named Miss Tu, a local magazine.  Please pray for opportunities to share the love and joy of Christ with these students.  

Please pray for safety and a special time with these 13 runners and the Athletic Director as we compete against other Central American teams this week.  

Here's a fun video one of them made about life in Costa Rica! I think you'll enjoy it!