November 20th

Hola!

Ah seriously, every time I go to start these, I am just overwhelmed with God’s goodness and faithfulness that I never know where to begin.

First, I would just like to thank you for your prayers and support. I can tell you that your prayers are not returning void. I know God is changing, breaking, stretching, and preparing me for whatever it is that He has lying ahead for me. Also, thank you for praying for my safety. I feel more healthy, pretty much better than ever! And I have not gotten injured, which is a huge step for me! Haha So, thank you thank you thank you!

As I said in my last post, God has given me this crazy hunger and passion for Spanish. I just want to learn and take everything in. I’ve been talking so much, asking a lot of questions and studying outside of classes. God has made it very clear to me that He is going to use Spanish somehow in my life and future ministry! So, knowing that I am going to be using Spanish for Him makes me even more passionate about learning! I am so excited! Please continue to pray for God to just expand my time, energy and knowledge!

I am coming home in 26 days! I feel like I just got here! But on the other hand, I feel like I’ve known everyone here for my whole life. It’s so awesome how the Holy Spirit in someone else brings you together and you have this common bond and unity that seriously only comes from God. My friends here are awesome. Everything about GAP and Costa Rica is awesome. It is so cool how much God has done in my life since I’ve been here. And after I go home for Christmas I will have even more time here! Ah!

So just some really awesome things:

Metro on Saturdays is awesome. We are making friendships which is allowing us to love on these kids more and more as we get to know them. God is really showing me how different long term and short term missions work is. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the trips that I have been on to the Dominican and would encourage anyone and everyone to go on a trip! However, being here in Costa Rica, living here, doing more “long term” missions work is really opening my eyes. Having the opportunity to be here for 9 months really helps in making friends, inviting people to church, or going and hanging out. Whereas short term is more like going into a village doing a few skits, sharing a testimony & the gospel, then hoping someone gets saved. Not taking anything away from this, God is just changing me to be a lot more relational minded and motivated. I’ve been able to hang out with some ticos and just build relationships and invite them to our Sunday night church. People want to be loved, everyone has a God-shaped void in their heart that can only be filled by God himself. We as Christians have accepted that gift, we are filled, and now have the opportunity to share it with others. And we share this by loving other people. Making friends. Being patient. Slow to anger. Listening. Not always talking about yourself. Not being competitive in conversations. Letting the Holy Spirit use you. Striving for everything you do, to bring glory and honor to the Only One who deserves glory and honor!

Trying to be like Jesus. Which for me, looks like waking up every morning and asking God to help me look more like His Son in everything I do that day. (Which is what God has laid on my heart to do).

“Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” - Jesus

This past week I had the opportunity to play and sing on the worship team at our English-Spanish church! God is so awesome and is stretching me so much. I am learning to rely on Him for my source of everything. God is stripping me of my pride and humbling me to realize I am truly empty without Him or when I try to do things apart from Him.

On a funny note: The Gathering Place (GGP) (Our English-Spanish church) is an old theater. The ceilings are high, with tiles and window type things, old wooden seats, and a stage. In the middle of the song “Yaveh” during worship a window type tile & a cat… Yes…. A cat…. fell from the ceiling. The window hit the piano I was playing, and the cat landed on it’s feet, ran up onto the stage and out the back. When I say this was one of the most bizarre things that has happened to me since I’ve been here, I am being completely serious. I was in shock. My first thought was that it was an earthquake. I wanted to run and scream. But it was one  of those things that you want to react to but your body is in shock that you just cannot move. It was so crazy.

We have been studying Apologetics in Bible for the past couple of weeks and it is amazing! Learning so much truth about God, the Bible, Salvation, other religions & beliefs, and how to refute or answer when we are presented with questions or arguments. God is constantly revealing himself to me and just how real and sovereign He is. I am definitely being tested, having to figure out truth, and why I believe what I do on my own. This is something kids who have grown up in the church and with Christian families often struggle with. Why they believe what they believe? Do they even really believe it? Is it just because their parents told them what to believe? Is what their parents told them truth? All of these things are coming to the surface for me. I’ve never really been one to just believe anything, but I am definitely being challenged, stretched and encouraged.

I just want to say thank you and hug all of you for your prayers. I will be home in 26 days! :)

Les amo mucho! Estoy muy agradecido para ustedes! Dios bendiga!

October 22

Hello beautiful people!

Here’s a little re-cap of the past few weeks of my life here in CR:

We had testing the last week of classes and we started practicing translating which was really cool! I translated one of the teacher’s testimonies into English. I am loving the atmosphere down here and how I don’t even have a choice to speak Spanish or not!

We went white water rafting a couple hours away in Limon. It was beautiful! Waterfalls and mountains on all sides!

We are starting to get more involved in our Saturday ministry with Metro! This week we helped with a skit! I was also able to lead the verse of the week and some other games and rules they do. 

I absolutely love my church and the people there! They are so encouraging and fun and crazy, I love it! Weekends get really long and draining, so it does get hard to be energetic at all times but God is good and JOY which can only come from Him is what shines through when we feel exhausted and drained!

This past week (October 15-18) we went to Panama! Our visas only allow us to be in Costa Rica for 90 days, and since we will be here a total of 111 days, we had to leave to renew our visas. So we drove about 6 hours from the Villa to the border of Costa Rica and Panama. Then we got out of the bus and filled out paper work and walked across a sketchy bridge into Panama! (This took a couple of hours). We drove about another hour to the water, went on a water taxi to the main island then took another water taxi to the island where our hostel was.

The islands are called Bocas. It was honestly one of, if not the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life. From the hostel we could walk through a trail in the woods to get to the beach, which we did each day!

On Wednesday we had the opportunity to go to an old folks home. We brought them food, sang songs, danced and talked to the people there. It was so cool serving along side my friends and just allowing God to work through us even if that means making fools of ourselves.

Thursday we went to a village on the same island as our hostel. It was about a 20 minute walk through the woods. We visited the little elementary school there, played with the kids, sang songs, danced and shared some testimonies.

When I walked into the school house, I felt completely overwhelmed with humility. Looking around at 5, 8, 12-year-old kids all in the same class, crammed into this little building. Some of my friends and I sat down next to a few kids and talked to them about school, their families and things they like to do. When we told them we were going to sing and play outside, all the kids but one ran outside. Eddier, a beautiful 7-year-old boy (who looks about 2 or 3) stayed in and waited for help. He melted my heart in that second and we did not separate until we left the village. He held my hand and watched the other kids play for the first hour. My heart broke watching him want to play. I found a ball and him and I played for the next 2 hours. Men and women from the village noticed that I was playing with him and watched. At first they were laughing at me for taking the time to play with him, then they started to smile, amazed that he was playing and that someone was playing with him. I learned so many different lessons that morning.

Love like Jesus. Be like Jesus. Who will love the least of these if we do not?

Jesus did not overlook the crippled, the adulterers, the criminals; he didn’t segregate himself from those people. He called them to himself. He loved on them.

People are watching us. As Christians, non-believers are watching us. Examining, testing, questioning.

I also was able to share my testimony in Spanish at that village that morning. God is so good. He has given me a new passion for Spanish this past week. I have been able to speak so much better this week than ever before. God is expanding my abilities and my mind. It is awesome. I know God is going to use Spanish somehow in my life. Whether it is working overseas in a Spanish speaking country, working in an inner city with Spanish speakers or even if I just get to share Jesus to someone in Spanish. I know this is all worth it.

Ah! God is so good. We are so undeserving of everything. We deserve nothing but Hell. But God, in his infinite, indescribable, incomprehensible and abundant grace and mercy, He has saved us and given us LIFE.

Some truths that God is reveling to me:

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

“We declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began…. ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived- the things God has prepared for those who love Him’- these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit.”

This one is huge for me right now:

Ephesians 6:7

“Serve WHOLEHEARTEDLY, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.”

GOD IS SO GOOD! Thank you from the depths of my heart for your prayers. Please pray for guidance, wisdom and discernment for me. I know that I have surrendered to God everything that I am, and now I am in the waiting, trying to be patient and listen to God and what He wants from me. I am trying to not forget that He has me here, in this moment, for a purpose. He wants me to learn Spanish, study His Word, build relationships and do ministry right now.

Matthew 6:27

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Matthew 6:33-34

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.”

You are where you are, to give God the glory, working at everything you do to the best you can to share and shine Jesus to others. Live every day like it’s your last.

Thank you for reading! Wow.  How are YOU?! If you e-mail me I will e-mail you back when I can! J kgoldcca2013@gmail.com

Love you, and am eternally grateful for you.

October 4

Hi friends!

Every time I go to write one of these blogs I don’t even know how to start and all I can say is “wow!”

First, to answer all your questions… Yes. I am feeling better! I’m not sure why my body has not really adjusted to being here. I’m getting used to Costa Rican germs I think, finally. To give you a run-down: The first day I got here I had a sore throat. I went to the hospital the first time 2 weekends ago with an inflamed colon & colitis. Then, after taking all the medication from that, I started feeling better but my sore throat started getting worse. I went to the pharmacy (because in CR you can see a doctor and they can give you medicine at the pharmacy) and they gave me a few days worth of pain killers/ anti-inflammatories. Those worked for the two days they were for, but then my throat got a lot worse. So…. My mom came down to Costa Rica and took me to the hospital. I had/have an infection in both my tonsils, an inflamed uvula, throat infection and double ear infection. I was given 2 shots and a bunch of medication. Then we came to find out after a few days of me taking these medicines but not getting better, I was given medicine for urinary tract infections. So NOW I am just taking a bunch of vitamins, probiotics, and a regular Augmentin prescription I brought from home. I am so much better!!!!! It took a few weeks, a lot longer than I expected but THANK YOU so much from the bottom of my heart for your support, messages, encouragement and prayers!

I really wish that all of you could just come down here and be a “fly on the wall”. There is just so much that I am learning and experiencing, it is overwhelming.

I am just going to ramble off a few super cool things/praises:

-  I love love love the friends that I am making here. It’s so cool how I have not even known these people for a month, and it feels like I have known them forever! Being able to talk, pray, worship and serve at any time with any of the other students, interns or staff is awesome.

-  I was given the opportunity to be on the worship team at my Sunday morning Spanish church! I played the piano with the team then we did a special music song that I was able to play and sing! God is so good and allowing me to make new friendships through this. Please pray for endurance, strength and energy for me on the weekends. I will be going from my week of classes, to worship practice Friday night, ministry Saturday morning, youth group Saturday afternoon, Worship practice, Sunday school and Spanish church, then English church. Weekends are crazy busy but they are SO awesome!

-  Monday we went to the beach for our free day! It was beautiful!

-  We leave on the 14^th to go to Panama! So please pray for that: 1. for safety 2. That there are no problems at the borders, going into and coming back, with our visas.

*-   Yesterday our Bible teacher received a call from a ministry down here in Costa Rica called “Light Forest”; (they are missionaries who are here ministering to prostitutes, doing different trafficking ministries and going out into the streets of San Jose).The call informed us about a prostitute who fled from where she was living and is here living in a hostel. So last night a few of us got together and went to the grocery store to buy her food for the week. She will be receiving it today. So I beg you to join us in praying for her, for restoration, her salvation, that she would run into the arms of Jesus and that she would allow Light Forest to help her and minister to her. We are praying that she stays here and comes to our church on Sunday! 

I am learning so much. I am growing in so many different ways, God is stretching me; weather it be in my Spanish, knowledge of the Bible, challenging my beliefs, making friends, living with 35 other people, Costa Rican culture and lots more!

I just want to talk this time and encourage/challenge you to seek God, read His Word, talk to Him, serve Him and not be SATISFIED. We have become so content and complacent as Christians. I really encourage you to read, study, dissect and devour the book of 1st John. There is so much in there about Salvation and testing your Salvation. I pray that if you are reading this, you know without a shadow of a doubt where you are going to spend eternity. There is nothing more that I would want in all the world than for you to spend eternity in Heaven with the one who created you, loves you more than you can imagine and bore your sins on the cross so that you CAN have LIFE! 

1 John 1:5-10 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."

For me, it was always the little things that held me back from fully surrendering to God, giving Him ALL of me and my plans for His kingdom! Sometimes we set up our own obstacles, label ourselves, compartmentalize things, believe the lies that Satan puts into our minds and idolize the things of this world; all of these things, hold us back from surrender or even true salvation. Serving and living for Jesus is worth everything. When we get to heaven, the fleeting things of this world will pass away and we will be with Jesus! In paradise! Perfect! Holy! Pure! Sinless! Surrender is like signing a blank contract and letting God fill out the page! SO awesome! Worth it ALL!

Challenge:
If you could ask God one question, your biggest prayer request, struggle or the foothold that the devil has on your life.... Got it?.... That's your burden, the struggle that is holding you back, maybe it's just what needs work or what is holding you from full surrender or even salvation. Focus on that. Surrender it. Cover it in prayer. Seek out scripture. And although I might not know who even does this, I am praying for you.

I love you all so much. My heart is overflowing with gratitude. I am so blessed.
May God bless you for your prayers and support! 

Some pictures of my awesome friends and expierences :

La playa

Room 7: We finally got out shower door taken out!

La playa

Cosechas on my birthday with some of the coolest people I've ever met.

September 15th

Hey guys!

Wow so much on my heart that I want to share! 

First I would like to thank everyone who has been praying for me specifically physically. For those of you who do not know, I spend last night (Saturday) in the hospital for a couple hours. I had some tests done and IVs. I have colitis and right now my colon is really badly inflamed. So I have a few antibiotics and instructions, I'm resting and just staying in the Villa. I ate some crackers today which is the first thing I've eaten in 3 days. I'm starting the uptrend, please pray that these medications work and that, Godwilling, my body will heal. I am so thankful to have answers to a lot of the sickness I've been feeling since I got here. I know God has awesome things up head so thank you for your prayers!!!! 

Okay so two weeks of Spanish and Bible classes down! Spanish is awesome, listening and learning for 4 hours without being able to talk or speak in English is crazy but so cool! Bible: WOW! I am a new person already! God has broken me and is molding me into His daughter that He wants me to be. 

Metro is my Saturday ministry and I already know God will be using that to stretch me and break me in so many ways the next few months. This ministry will probably have the most posts about it, which I am so excited for! 

God is continually showing me that this is all part of His plan for my life. It is not a coincidence that I am here, God had this planned before I was born that I would be here, right now, in this moment.

Some prayer requests:

- Health! For myself and the 36 other people that live in the Villa. When there's so many people in one place you can imagine the hot spot it is for bacteria and sicknesses. 

- No distractions. Please pray for all of us to focus on God and for us to be seeking Him and His Word daily! That the Devil would not have a foothold in any of our lives. This place where disciples are being equipped is a battlefield. 

- Strength, energy & wisdom on the weekends. 

- A long term prayer that a lot of us are praying here and waiting on God for: Direction for all of us as to what God is calling us into. 

God is so so so good and faithful and WORTHY to be praised! We are reading through our Bibles in chronological order. (Or what scholars have put together as kind of general idea of how it seems the Bible was written) I am stoked about that! I will post it on here just in case maybe some of you would be interested! 

My prayer for you and myself: 

Let us become more aware of Your presence, let us expierence the glory of Your goodness. 

Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I love you all and thank God for you!!!!!

Hey guys!

I just want to thank you for your prayers thus far throughout my adventure! I would also like to ask for your prayers for the interns, staff and a few of us students. There’s a little bug going around, it’s not too major, but we’re losing our voices and stuff. I haven’t been able to sleep much and I know it is hindering others from giving 100% as well.

Aside from that… The weekend! I’m going to tell you a little about my weekend, what it was like and what it will be for the rest of the time I am here.

Saturday mornings are ministry mornings. All 30 of us have been put in groups that go out and do different things with missionaries or our interns. My ministry is called “Metro”, this is new this year, in a pretty rough part of San Jose. Myself and 4 others will be going with one of the interns to do some ministry every Saturday morning.

Ministry while I’m here in Costa Rica is going to be very different than all the short-term trips I have been on. Long-term missions is all about building relationships. It’s not going to a different village every week and doing a Vacation Bible School and never coming back. I will be going to the same place and hanging out with the same people every Saturday.  I know God has me going to Metro every week for a reason. I can’t wait to share it with you guys!

(A little side note: I just typed “y’all” instead of “you guys” – That shows how much I am spending time with people from different states haha!)

Saturday nights and Sunday mornings I am going to a church along with 4 other people to a church called “Impacto”. However, this past Sunday our Pastor was sick so a deaf man came and preached.  It was definitely an awesome experience, his wife translated for him into Spanish! 

Every Sunday night we will be going to an English church called "The Gathering Place" The Pastor is our Bible teacher John, so all of us GAP students will go there on Sunday nights. It was a amazing night, I realized how blessed I am to be with 30+ other people who love Jesus, want to learn more about Him, and want to learn more about other cultures just like I do. 

I am estatic to see God's plan unravel through the next few months. God is so good! 

Thank you SO much for your prayers! Today (Tuesday) is my first day of classes!

God Bless!

So this was my post from yesterday.....
I am in Costa Rica!! It is beautiful and I am so excited to explore! However, on this blog I am going to be completely honest and vulnerable with you guys…

So, I had a very hard time saying goodbye to my family and friends yesterday morning. I sobbed. The flights were great, I got to the Villa, unpacked and met more of the people I will be spending the next 9 months with. Since I woke up at 2:50 yesterday and there is a two hour time difference, I was exhausted pretty early last night. I came in my room, and sobbed again. Crying out to God for strength to get through these few days of settling in and the next 4 months without seeing my family. Having internet for an hour or two a day to talk to your family and friends, is definitely going to take some getting used to.

I woke up at 5 this morning and I’m pretty sure I was the only one awake in the Villa. I spent some time with God. I have a journal that has little verses on every page and the verse of today was Psalm 91:2. So I opened my Bible and read Psalm 91.

Verse 2: “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’”

Verse 4: “He shall cover you with His feathers,  and under His wings you shall take refuge.”

It was like getting hit with a ton of bricks. God showed me this morning that He does not want me to be comfortable. When we are comfortable and mediocre, we are not growing. God is taking me to the end of myself so that I will rely completely on Him. He is allowing me to come to Him, broken so that He can rebuild me into the person He wants me to be.

And my post for today....
God is so good! I am making friends that I know will last a life time! He is strengthening me and changing me already. I am so excited to see what's to come. Missing home, my family, friends & Caleb! <3 you guys! Thank you for praying!!!!!!!

Tomorrow!!!!

Hey guys! Just wanted to inform you all of a few things.... 

I am leaving tomorrow at 6:15 am! And landing in Costa Rica around 12 (which is 2 pm NY time) So please be praying for safety if you think of me during that time! 

There are also some "Gappers" traveling today!

I would also ask that you'd pray for the "goodbyes" or "see you laters" that are going to take place today and tomorrow. That God would strengthen me, and give my family members and friends peace!

Also, If you would like to contact me directly while I'm down there, you can Facebook me or my e-mail is kgoldcca2013@gmail.com. I also have an address to the villa that I can receive letters to. If you would like the address you can e-mail me, and I will send it to you! 

God is AMAZING! I cannot wait to get down there and start learning, ministering, growing and serving! I have been so encouraged already by the other Gappers and my roommates! I am SO excited to meet, learn, share and grow with these guys for the next 9 months! It is going to be life-changing!!!

One last thing that God has taught me the past few days as I have been saying some goodbyes: Missing people means that there was and/or is something, a bond or love, between the two that makes you miss them. So, my perspective on missing people or being missed has been changed a little.... God has shown me that I am so blessed to have so many people that I love, and that love me; there are so many people in our lost and dying world without that love from other people. So in the midst of my tears, God has opened my eyes and I am overwhelmingly THANKFUL for the amazing people He placed in my life!

Thank you Thank you Thank you for YOUR love, support and prayers! May the God who holds all things bless you more than you could ever ask or imagine!  I will update this when I can! I cannot thank you enough! Love you! 

Kelsey :)

Pre-Costa Rica thoughts

Friends, Family, Supporters and Prayer Warriors!

Thank you so much for your support and prayers! I ask that you would continue to pray for me. I will be posting on this blog as much as I can, Lord willing. I pray that you will be encouraged, blessed and that your walks with Christ might be strengthened by the things I learn that I can hopefully share with you!

Right now, God is teaching, breaking, molding, and testing me to trust.
Trust.
Ahhh It makes me cringe sometimes. I am definitely a people person, I love easily. However, trust does not come naturally for me.
Surrender.
This is what I am learning to do. FULLY surrender my fears, struggles, short-commings, worries, nerves and lack of trust.... giving all of these things to the One, the only One who is worthy of all our trust. The One who will never let us down. Never leave us, nor will He ever forsake us. NOTHING can snatch us out of the grip of our Heavenly Father.
How comforting and assuring is that?
We just have to knock down our walls, take that step (or leap) of faith and give it all to Him.
Easier said than done...
We can try all we want to depend on others, especially depending on ourselves; but we will fail. Time and time again, we will fail and get hurt when we don't allow God to control our lives and be the Center of it ALL!
I need to trust Him to protect and provide for the people I am leaving here in the states while I'm gone. This is just some of the stuff God is teaching me before I even get on the plane.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and reading this! I would like to ask for your continuous prayers while I am gone. Some things off the top of my head which I will continue to inform you on while in CR:

-Safety
-That God would give me peace beyond what I can imagine
-For my family, that they would trust God with me and they would grow closer to Him as a result
-That God would expand my learning abilities and take me out of my comfort zone and be able to become FLUENT in Spanish
-God will have His way in me, and I would not let my flesh get in the way or distract me

I could not possibly thank you enough! God bless you! I love you and thank God for you!
I will talk to you soon! :)
Kelsey Gold