Update

It has been quite a while since I've posted. I actually was prompted to write after seeing that my sister was starting a blog focusing on her devotional times with the Lord. It was a little reminder that I haven't been very consistent with my blogging. I often think to write, but it just tends to be one of those things that gets placed on the back burner while I focus on other tasks. Anyway, I guess I'll give a little update of what has been going on over the past year.

August 2009
I returned from my much needed trip to Costa Rica. It was an excellent time of prayer, reading, learning and regrouping to return to school in September. The Gonzalez family was incredibly hospitable, gracious, and encouraging throughout my stay. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to be immersed in their culture and to have learned so much from their testimonies and love for the Lord. I look back on that time with thankfulness and gratitude that the Lord opened up the doors for me to go. I will always have a special place in my heart for the people of Costa Rica especially la familia Gonzalez.

September 2009-May 2010
I attended my first year at Evangelical Institute of Biblical Training (EI) in Greenville, South Carolina. It would take quite a bit of time to list all the many truths that the Lord has taught me, challenges I've gone through, and other experiences I've gone through over the past year. They most certainly are not all glamorous and exciting, and in fact, some experiences I had were incredibly difficult things to go through and learn from. However, I am once again thankful that the Lord placed me there and quite confidant that in everything He has a purpose to fulfill, and my role is to glorify Him through those circumstances. He has been faithful and upheld me throughout every trial.

May 2010-Now
I stayed in Greenville for the summer to work. God blessed me with housing and also with two jobs, one as a nanny and one in the infant room at a daycare. They have definitely kept me busy and have at times been quite stressful and difficult, but I'm thankful to have a job when it is such a hard to time to find work.

If everything goes according to my current plan, I will be going back to EI in September to complete my studies there. I am praying for strength for the coming year. Right now, another exhausting year is the last thing I desire to face, but I know that He will supply all my need and give me the strength I need for each day.

After EI
I have almost constantly had people ask me what I plan to do after EI. Honestly, I have no idea, and I'm not too worried about it. I am prayerfully seeking the Lord's guidance and what He would have me do, but I'm not spending too much time trying to plan out my life. That doesn't mean that I don't have my hopes, desires, and dreams, but in the end, I believe that God is going to do a much better job of planning my life out than I ever will, so I am placing my faith and confidence in Him. What He wants from me is that I glorify, serve, and honor Him in THIS moment, in THIS place, and in THESE relationships.

No Matter What

No matter how afraid I am,
He tells me I am safe in His arms.

No matter how insecure I am,
He tells me I am loved for who I am.

No matter how ugly I feel,
He tells me I am beautiful.

No matter how unimportant I feel,
He tells me I am worth His life.

No matter how inadequate I feel,
He tells me He will use my life.

No matter how sad I get,
He tells me joy will come in the morning.

No matter how desperate I feel,
He tells me to rest in Him.

No matter how many times I run away from Him,
He tells me to come home, He is waiting.

I am so thankful that no matter what I feel, what I do, or who I am, I can never change God's love for me. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As unstable as I can be, He is the rock of my life. As humans, our emotions will fluctuate, but as God, He will never change. Thank you, Father, for your unchanging ways!

Isaiah 40:29,31

"He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
But those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

Isn't it so great that no matter how low we go and how helpless we feel He is there and He picks up? I'm so thankful for His strength, His truth, and His unending, unfailing promises. When we put all our worries, fears, and hopes in His hands we will be free to soar on wings like eagles. Hope in the Lord, He is the source of all strength.

Dame Tus Ojos

I found this song shortly before I came here to Costa Rica. I absolutely love it. It has become my prayer each day. I am posting the English translation as well for those of you who don't speak Spanish. :) (Remember to turn the music off on the sidebar before playing.)

I'm Learning...

One of the hardest verses in Scripture to follow:

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

~Psalm 27:14~

But, God is good. He has a plan. He will reveal His plan in His timing. I meanwhile have to keep moving forward in obedience to His will. I've finally found peace in my waiting. I've finally taken my hands off of the steering wheel. The time I have been spending with God has been beautiful. I'm learning and I'm in a process, but I know God is revealing Himself to me. I don't know how to express all that He is doing in my life, but I can say this, I at last have found peace. I give thanks to all who have been praying for me. Your prayers are being answered.

Trust

"Live trusting God, don't die trusting man."

~Dr. David Platt~

Here in Costa Rica

I haven't written here in over six months. I can't believe how quickly time flies. I have had so many things going on in my life since the last time I wrote. I am currently enjoying a much needed rest in beautiful Costa Rica. After the past few months of a hectic, go-go lifestyle, I am finally able to rest. Being here is a spiritual retreat. I can spend hours each day in God's Word, prayer, and of course, catching up on my sleep. My host family has been so welcoming and inviting. I felt like part of the family from the day I arrived. They are an answer to my prayers and I thank God for them. I have still be struggling with extreme tiredness, but I trust that God is going to heal me and give me rest. I am hoping that in the next three weeks (I go home August 13th), I will be able to blog more and share some of my experiences.