Well, there is nothing like a 14 page paper and another 8 pager to make you want to write on your blog. I am still painfully aware of how terrible I am at updating this thing. I simply am not gifted at being in something and doing another thing (i.e. taking photos, writing on a blog, etc.). However, I this post is mostly for my own mental sanity. I need to remember what I am doing with my life…so I'll tell you.
I only have five days left in this beautiful country of Costa Rica. All of the students moved back to campus on Saturday with a big farewell party to our families. I spent my last night with my mom and sister at Quiznos at 10 pm…what else right? I am sure I will have another post in the near future describing my love for those two women. Also, going back way far, my parents came to visit for a week. We went to the hot springs, ate typical Costa Rican meals with my host family, went to a Catholic and Protestant church service on Easter, and spent some time relaxing on the beaches of Guanacaste. Then, I went to Nicaragua the next day for 8 days. Yet another post. A day later I went to the Caribbean for three days to live in hippieville. I learned a lot there and thrived on the delicious plants we ate. A day after that Hannah came to visit again! My time with her was very special and much needed for the both of us. Definitely restored my soul and got me excited to see other people who mean the world to me. Throughout all of this I have been slammed with homework and trying to finish up these classes. At the same time I have been processing a lot and trying to make some new decisions for my life…kind of overwhelming to do it all right now. Anyways, I will have two days here without classes to try and organize my thoughts. I get back to the US on Friday at midnight and leave for Lost Canyon Sunday afternoon. ROLLERCOASTER.
Alright, must burrow myself back into this study hole.
Chao.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Respirar
Yesterday I finished my Spanish Woman Writers course and finally have some time to breath! We celebrated with cidra y uvas. Then, last night I went out for pizza with my mom and sister. After, my mom insisted we go to McDonald's and get an ice cream cone. Surprisingly delicious. We drove around Heredia, blasting Spanish worship music and laughing all the way…ha ha ha…too much? The night ended in the ultimate climax of my mother running around screaming because Naty had waxed her mustache. Oh dear, I am definitely feeling like a part of the family now.
Today I went la piscina with my mom and swam some laps in the beautiful sunshine. Now I am at campus hoping to write some letters.
Also in the last week or so…
I ran a 10k in the sand with my sister on the beach.
We had a huge celebration for the dedication of the Whitworth Costa Rica campus with the wind symphony, board members, President Beck and all the students and families. The place was craaazzzy. There was lots of dancing and laughing and eating:)
I went to la FIA, a huge music festival, and danced to a Spanish band and then a Cuban band (planning on heading there tomorrow again).
Got really sick and watched movies for a day straight…oops.
Got really excited that my parents were coming in a week and then realized it was actually two weeks:(
Anyways, life is good. God is good. I am still learning a ton. I suspect that won't stop anytime while I am down here.
Que Dios les bendiga a todos Uds.
Today I went la piscina with my mom and swam some laps in the beautiful sunshine. Now I am at campus hoping to write some letters.
Also in the last week or so…
I ran a 10k in the sand with my sister on the beach.
We had a huge celebration for the dedication of the Whitworth Costa Rica campus with the wind symphony, board members, President Beck and all the students and families. The place was craaazzzy. There was lots of dancing and laughing and eating:)
I went to la FIA, a huge music festival, and danced to a Spanish band and then a Cuban band (planning on heading there tomorrow again).
Got really sick and watched movies for a day straight…oops.
Got really excited that my parents were coming in a week and then realized it was actually two weeks:(
Anyways, life is good. God is good. I am still learning a ton. I suspect that won't stop anytime while I am down here.
Que Dios les bendiga a todos Uds.
Monday, March 12, 2012
¡Estoy viva!
Yes, I am alive. I am sorry that I have not written on here in about a month. Oh gosh, maybe more? Anyways, this life is just so full that writing on my blog becomes intimidating…there is just no way to put everything into words. So I am not going to. From now on I am going to write short blog posts with simple thoughts or updates and maybe some pictures. This should take some pressure off…
A few highlights from the last month…
1. Finishing my first class…a nice 4 hour final of writing about a 10 page essay.
2. Loving my time with my mom and sister. They are the best!
3. Going to lots of different churches and continuously being reminded that the Lord is everywhere!
4. Walks on our beautiful campus with the horses and cows.
5. Watching one of our fellow students spear a fish with a bamboo stick…and then watching him eat it.
6. Having my best friend HANNAH BERVE here with me for a weekend…even though she almost died. However, we did dance the night away in a Tican club before we were aware of her internal deterioration.
7. A long day at the "country club" with my family swimming and turning into a lobster.
8. The wind…oh my gosh. IT NEVER STOPS.
9. My new class: reading Spanish literature. Poetry is hard in English but Spanish!?
10. Yep, the food is still incredible. I probably eat a mango every day.
The list could go on forever. The only negative thing is that I miss my friends and family at home a lot. Skype is a beautiful thing.
Most of all I am learning how to slow down my life when everything around me is fast. The culture here is laid back but when you want to experience all of it, it can get busy. I spend a lot of time doing homework but I am very aware of how much I need the Lord here. One of my friends wrote me a letter and she said that "right now the Word of God is like water to her". It is really becoming the same to me here. I just finished reading through Leviticus in Spanish and let me tell you, that book is challenging and heavy. It was even heavier in another language but God spoke truth to me through it. His grace is sufficient. Through Jesus Christ we no longer have the burden of earning our salvation with sacrifices. Instead He desires a broken and contrite spirit. He wants us to give up trying so hard. He wants us to live in the constant peace that we are saved by the Cross and Resurrection. So now it becomes a joy to sacrifice our lives because we know that through Him we have full life. He is the Lord our God who has rescued us from "la esclavitud" de Egypt and the dryness of the dessert. He invites us into a land of milk and honey.
So here is my proposal. As we rest in our salvation, let us joyfully give everything we have. That really means DOING things for the people around us. Loving our neighbors. And our neighbors are people all over the world…we wanted globalization so now we have the responsibility to love our neighbors all across the globe…that means Central and South America too!!!
ok…now some pictures.
A few highlights from the last month…
1. Finishing my first class…a nice 4 hour final of writing about a 10 page essay.
2. Loving my time with my mom and sister. They are the best!
3. Going to lots of different churches and continuously being reminded that the Lord is everywhere!
4. Walks on our beautiful campus with the horses and cows.
5. Watching one of our fellow students spear a fish with a bamboo stick…and then watching him eat it.
6. Having my best friend HANNAH BERVE here with me for a weekend…even though she almost died. However, we did dance the night away in a Tican club before we were aware of her internal deterioration.
7. A long day at the "country club" with my family swimming and turning into a lobster.
8. The wind…oh my gosh. IT NEVER STOPS.
9. My new class: reading Spanish literature. Poetry is hard in English but Spanish!?
10. Yep, the food is still incredible. I probably eat a mango every day.
The list could go on forever. The only negative thing is that I miss my friends and family at home a lot. Skype is a beautiful thing.
Most of all I am learning how to slow down my life when everything around me is fast. The culture here is laid back but when you want to experience all of it, it can get busy. I spend a lot of time doing homework but I am very aware of how much I need the Lord here. One of my friends wrote me a letter and she said that "right now the Word of God is like water to her". It is really becoming the same to me here. I just finished reading through Leviticus in Spanish and let me tell you, that book is challenging and heavy. It was even heavier in another language but God spoke truth to me through it. His grace is sufficient. Through Jesus Christ we no longer have the burden of earning our salvation with sacrifices. Instead He desires a broken and contrite spirit. He wants us to give up trying so hard. He wants us to live in the constant peace that we are saved by the Cross and Resurrection. So now it becomes a joy to sacrifice our lives because we know that through Him we have full life. He is the Lord our God who has rescued us from "la esclavitud" de Egypt and the dryness of the dessert. He invites us into a land of milk and honey.
So here is my proposal. As we rest in our salvation, let us joyfully give everything we have. That really means DOING things for the people around us. Loving our neighbors. And our neighbors are people all over the world…we wanted globalization so now we have the responsibility to love our neighbors all across the globe…that means Central and South America too!!!
ok…now some pictures.
Monday, February 6, 2012
¡Dios me ha bendecido!
Today is the third day in my new family and I am really at a loss for words when I think about how the Lord is working in my heart here. I am finding Him everywhere! The people, the language, the churches, the colors, the food, my new room, friend's stories, and the list goes on. I am immediately reaping the benefits that God convinced me of at Tall Timber: He promises us that if we give up OUR lives we will find TRUE life exactly where we are in each moment. I am so grateful for this season of discovering what it means to give up control…mostly because I have no choice.
First: the people. Family here is incredible. I am so envious of how much effort they put into building strong families. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are picture perfect families. In fact, one of the things I first noticed was how broken the homes are. Most of the women I have met with children do not have a father present. But the cousins, grandparents, uncles, ants, etc. poor their love into each other. My "madre" has eleven siblings that all basically live on the same street and the women work in a flower shop. I also have a 29 year old sister named Natalia but she goes by Nati. (Nah-tee) This is often confusing because my mom cannot pronounce my name and she calls me Kati (Kah-tee). Anyways, my sister works for Dos Pinos which is the big ice cream, yogurt, milk product producer in Costa Rica. She is very kind and fun to talk to. We went running at 4 am this morning which was….well, early. Very fun nonetheless.
I had a flashback to elementary school today and I vividly remember talking "fake Spanish" to my friends on the playground. They believed me. I guess that God has given me a special gift to fake it which I am very thankful for here because I have to a lot! I am in a difficult Spanish class learning university level vocabulary and concepts but I am thankful for it because I have to push myself a lot. I am understanding way more than I expected and just starting to feel more comfortable talking. But I definitely still have a long way to go considering the fact that I have to be staring at the person's mouth when they are talking to me. Clearly, eavesdropping is out of the question.
On Sunday, I went to church with my professors and some students. It was a Protestant church, which they call "evangélico" and there were definitely tambourines and dancing. Very fun! However, all in all it was not my favorite experience at a church but I am going to be working there and I am praying that as I get to know people, God will change my heart. In two weeks, I am going with some Whitworth friends to do a missions trip on the beach with the churches jovénes (ages 13-30). I have absolutely no idea what it is going to look like but I never do here so "sea lo que sea". Also, I am going to be working with a house church of about 30 people called Casa Adobe. My internship with them is to go around this community and ask people what they would like this church to look like in the context of serving, gathering, praying, teaching, etc. in their neighborhood. I cannot wait for this! I am taking an independent study of Latin American Theology and I am finding myself more and more fascinated with what I am learning as I see it firsthand. More to come on this I am sure.
Finally, my senses are exploding here. There are incredible rainbows almost every day that show themselves all the way to the ground on each side, colorful houses lining the streets, fresh rain mixed with the smell of hot bread, honking cars and roosters, and of course the delicious smells of my mom's kitchen. She makes me three meals each day and she likes to cook healthy but very tasty food. So far we have had steak, mashed potatoes, best tomato soup ever, fresh avacado (spelled for you fam), fruity frescos, gallo pinto, and a lot of rice and beans. I am in heaven here.
Most of all I am feeling so rested in the Lord. I have had hardly any anxiety here as I just relax in the Lord's presence even here all the way in Costa Rica. I just finished reading through Genesis in Spanish and it is funny how when you can't understand a lot of things the things you do understand stick out. In particular, one phrase I have become very familiar with is "el Señor estaba con él y no dejó de mostrarle su amor". It means roughly, and God was with him and never stopped showing him His love. He loves beautifully and wholly. In every moment of every day. I pray that we all may let Him mold our eyes so that we may see Him clearly.
First: the people. Family here is incredible. I am so envious of how much effort they put into building strong families. This doesn't necessarily mean that they are picture perfect families. In fact, one of the things I first noticed was how broken the homes are. Most of the women I have met with children do not have a father present. But the cousins, grandparents, uncles, ants, etc. poor their love into each other. My "madre" has eleven siblings that all basically live on the same street and the women work in a flower shop. I also have a 29 year old sister named Natalia but she goes by Nati. (Nah-tee) This is often confusing because my mom cannot pronounce my name and she calls me Kati (Kah-tee). Anyways, my sister works for Dos Pinos which is the big ice cream, yogurt, milk product producer in Costa Rica. She is very kind and fun to talk to. We went running at 4 am this morning which was….well, early. Very fun nonetheless.
On Sunday, I went to church with my professors and some students. It was a Protestant church, which they call "evangélico" and there were definitely tambourines and dancing. Very fun! However, all in all it was not my favorite experience at a church but I am going to be working there and I am praying that as I get to know people, God will change my heart. In two weeks, I am going with some Whitworth friends to do a missions trip on the beach with the churches jovénes (ages 13-30). I have absolutely no idea what it is going to look like but I never do here so "sea lo que sea". Also, I am going to be working with a house church of about 30 people called Casa Adobe. My internship with them is to go around this community and ask people what they would like this church to look like in the context of serving, gathering, praying, teaching, etc. in their neighborhood. I cannot wait for this! I am taking an independent study of Latin American Theology and I am finding myself more and more fascinated with what I am learning as I see it firsthand. More to come on this I am sure.
This is the church at El Parque Central en San Rafael.
Most of all I am feeling so rested in the Lord. I have had hardly any anxiety here as I just relax in the Lord's presence even here all the way in Costa Rica. I just finished reading through Genesis in Spanish and it is funny how when you can't understand a lot of things the things you do understand stick out. In particular, one phrase I have become very familiar with is "el Señor estaba con él y no dejó de mostrarle su amor". It means roughly, and God was with him and never stopped showing him His love. He loves beautifully and wholly. In every moment of every day. I pray that we all may let Him mold our eyes so that we may see Him clearly.
Monday, January 30, 2012
¡El plunge!
¡Hola familia!
It is about 9 pm here and I am completely exhausted but in the best way possible. This is only the second full day here but it feels like a week. We spent the first night and yesterday at the Costa Rica center (which is beautiful) doing orientation things, exploring the campus, eating good food and enjoying our new family here. We are having a lot of fun together already. Also, there is a campus dog named Fei jao and everyone loves him but he is pretty stupid. Jaja.
Today was our first day of really experiencing Costa Rica. We woke up at 6:30 to get breakfast and catch the bus to Heredia. Then they sent us out in groups of three to find different things around la ciudad. We probably walked five miles going back and forth as people so generously gave us directions, even if they had no idea where they were sending us. Needless to say, we really know the el parque central de Heredia and all the things around it. Then we hopped on the bus to San José with all of us making all the local people very angry because we took up some twenty seats. When we got to San José we were sent off in our groups to find lunch and do another scavenger hunt. That did not actually happen because our group rebelled against the list and we did our own thing. We ate in el mercado central and there were endless little restaurants but we ended up eating arroz con pollo and casado and coca cola. I understood soooo much more spanish than I thought I would and had more confidence talking to people than I had expected. We went to the market (el mercado), a few churches, museums and all through the streets. This is my friend José from el mercado and I promised him that I would come back and buy some of his headbands. He showed me literally every single thing in his store and told me what they were called.
Anyways, I am in love with the culture and the people here. Los ticos are very friendly and willing to help with directions and spanish. The men are extremely fond of calling us blonde girls "bebé", "guapa", etc. I haven't had very many interactions with the women yet except for a few students at La Una. We start classes tomorrow and we meet our host families on Saturday. I think that I am going to be doing my internship with a youth group in a church and I might get to go on their retreat in a few weekends! My brain is completely dead and so are my legs.
Not really missing home at all. Sorry!
Buenas noches,
Kate
It is about 9 pm here and I am completely exhausted but in the best way possible. This is only the second full day here but it feels like a week. We spent the first night and yesterday at the Costa Rica center (which is beautiful) doing orientation things, exploring the campus, eating good food and enjoying our new family here. We are having a lot of fun together already. Also, there is a campus dog named Fei jao and everyone loves him but he is pretty stupid. Jaja.
Today was our first day of really experiencing Costa Rica. We woke up at 6:30 to get breakfast and catch the bus to Heredia. Then they sent us out in groups of three to find different things around la ciudad. We probably walked five miles going back and forth as people so generously gave us directions, even if they had no idea where they were sending us. Needless to say, we really know the el parque central de Heredia and all the things around it. Then we hopped on the bus to San José with all of us making all the local people very angry because we took up some twenty seats. When we got to San José we were sent off in our groups to find lunch and do another scavenger hunt. That did not actually happen because our group rebelled against the list and we did our own thing. We ate in el mercado central and there were endless little restaurants but we ended up eating arroz con pollo and casado and coca cola. I understood soooo much more spanish than I thought I would and had more confidence talking to people than I had expected. We went to the market (el mercado), a few churches, museums and all through the streets. This is my friend José from el mercado and I promised him that I would come back and buy some of his headbands. He showed me literally every single thing in his store and told me what they were called.
When we got really tired after our 10th mile of walking, we had to stop for our first legal drink. Cody got a Piña Colada and I got a Margarita. They were delicious but pretty expensive. We had a lot of fun eating chips, drinking our delicious drinks, and people watching.
Anyways, I am in love with the culture and the people here. Los ticos are very friendly and willing to help with directions and spanish. The men are extremely fond of calling us blonde girls "bebé", "guapa", etc. I haven't had very many interactions with the women yet except for a few students at La Una. We start classes tomorrow and we meet our host families on Saturday. I think that I am going to be doing my internship with a youth group in a church and I might get to go on their retreat in a few weekends! My brain is completely dead and so are my legs.
Not really missing home at all. Sorry!
Buenas noches,
Kate
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The Nun Life.
Jaclyn and I are on the plane to Costa Rica! Cody and Craig are a few rows behind us. Cody sent me a singing Justin Bieber toothbrush by way of a 15 year old French girl. Let's just say Jac and I are having a dance party up here. I thought I should write about my Tall Timber experience before I get to CR and have so many other things to share.
So, January 2nd we all circled up in the Whitworth parking lot where Jerry met us with his double-armed welcome that we really came to appreciate throughout the month (as well as the all flame!). The road trip was beautiful up into Leavenworth where we picked up Emily in our car. As we entered the 6 mile road to heaven, we started out the trip with a perfect 180 degree flip into a ditch. Thank the Lord for Jonathan's snow skills. As soon as we got all our stuff to our cabins the 20 days began.
Every day consisted of the same schedule. Wake up at 7:30. Worship at 8. Breakfast at 8:30. Personal Bible study 9-10:30. Group Bible study discussion 10:30-11:30. Jerry Lecture 11:30-12:30. Worship until 1. Lunch. 2 hours of free time. 2.5 hours of personal study (texts and Bible and reflections). Worship at 6:15. Dinner. Small groups. Free time. Worship. And finally the bedtime story from Jerry. (Of course, C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce and The Silver Chair)
This strict schedule seems like it may have been boring but it actually gave me more freedom than I have ever experienced. Not having to think about what I was going to be doing all day allowed me to really enter into where God had me at every moment. We developed a rhythm that brought peace and helped slow our minds down so that we could actually be present to what the Lord was doing in our lives. This is something that I have found to be hard to continue back home but I am fighting for it. Costa Rica should be a slower pace so I am hoping it will be a good place to practice. Also, it made for incredible times of laughter and adventure during our free times. We were so excited to talk with each other that we did not want to waste any of our time. Anna Irwin in cross country skiis to Napequa Falls=best day ever. We got to jump off the roof into 10 feet of snow (illegally of course), Skiik (no questions), have water wars in the dish room, play signs and catch phrase, snow shoe, talk with the adults, drink tea by the fire, eat endlessly, move in the new chef and his family, and the list goes on. Jerry and his wife Pat and his good friends Donna and Orv were the adults there and there wisdom was so life-giving and true. I think Donna and I may be kindred spirits.
It is really hard to explain what the month was actually like other than the tangible things. I have never grown so much in the Lord in such a short time. But it was steady and sure. It was not based on feeling or emotion but genuine transformation that I am learning to actually change my life with. At first I (and my small group) was extremely aware of the sinful nature of people. This turned into realizing that we will never be good enough or have good enough motives to be with God. Then, grace finally made sense. God's grace rooted itself deep into my heart and I am so certain of His love for me. It is amazing to think that God made all of us individually just so we could love Him. Now the hard part is accepting this into every part of my life so I can actually love Him the way I want to. As a result of this renewed understanding, Scripture really came to life and I realized the opportunity I have to go into the depths of His heart as I study Him and practice His ways. I am excited to start a new life in Costa Rica and form my life around the way God calls me to live. Of course, this will need bold and persistent prayer from myself and the people around me. I am also praying that I will live this way so that others might want the same thing. He really wants every heart to come back to Him. Thank You Jesus!
Anyways, there is turquoise water out the window and I must look at it. Until Costa Rica!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
MALIBUUUUYAAAA!
BEST MONTH EVER. Seriously though, it was one of those months where you just feel the JOY of life in Christ every moment of every day. The people were too awesome. So many are from WA, which is so great and of course, my favorite southerners! We just had a blast. I was on the Harbour team working on the Outer Dock helping kids get destroyed on the caribe. It was great. The campers were so full of life and I was blessed to get to know a few of them and their stories and then to be able to pray for them throughout the week. Hundreds of campers joined the family of Christ and I got to watch it all unfold! I don’t even think I realized how cool that was until I just wrote that down. God taught me a lot throughout my time there; I need to learn how to experience God through thankfulness in my joy, I need to be content where I am, and I am worth everything to HIM! (Even those freaking big, beautiful mountains I got to stare at every day!!!) We had adventures on a yacht, at Chatterbox Falls, Beyond Malibu, WAKEBOARDING (I mean cleaning the blob), on the caribe, and under the blanket of stars and giant moon. One day we got to go to the Goff’s home around the corner from Malibu and be blessed by Bob’s stories and encouragement to make our own. Leaving there I realized there are some things that I just need to go for, be bold for, and trust God with the rest. One night we had an all camp worship and I got to dance on a table with my dear friend Kelsie singing praise to our BIG, RIGHTEOUS Father and I felt for the first time in a long time that ultimate freedom we are offered through Christ. I mean come on guys, what more could we want!? So coming home was a bit of an adjustment to say the least. To leave a place that kind of resembles what I imagine HEAVEN to be like and step out into the disgusting Phoenix weather and see nice cars, women dressed in their underwear, and everyone looking so hopeless was hard. Then I drove home with my mom and came back to a family that loves me so much and even better loves the Lord! I felt so overwhelmed again with the love of God and how much He wants to give us FULL LIFE! My dad and I had a great talk last night and we got to watch the sunset and remember together how we have been blessed by God and that the reason for our hope in making things new and better is Jesus. We sat there until the stars were covering us. It was from the Lord. No other way to say it. Also, I got to talk to my roommate from last year and my roommate for this year in the same day, which just got me so stoked for Whitworth. Kelsie is flying down here and we are road tripping to school together! I can’t even wait because we get to spend like four straight days together and I get to see Hannah Berve, my mom gets to see Kappy, and then Sara Collette, and then Gig Harbor friends, and just so much JOY! Life is good. Even when it is not though I remember that God is. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So I can’t wait to jump into this next part of His story and see where He takes us all.
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