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.