pinilla

aaah what a wonderful weekend away! it was a much needed escape.  So many wonderful memories were made and friendships affirmed and solidified.  God is calling and I'm so glad that I've got a solid signal and can pick up!  What a blessing is this life that i have is.  come i show you! (ps if you didn’t pick up on that by clicking the link you’ll be whisked away to see the wonderful pictures from my time away, there were too many good ones to throw up on here)

September has been quite a busy month – the video is gona be fuuUULL!!!! This has been a month of restarting up the Saturday program, heading to Guanacaste to do girly stuff, life thinking, i finally met the famous teachers from new york, AND!!!  TOMS (www.toms.com) generously donated over 15,000 pairs of shoes so this past week we’ve been hand delivering each pair to the gazillion children we’ve got running around in carpio, pavas, and beyond!

  If you get to opportunity to support this company i would be delighted.  For every pair they sell they give a pair away. If that isn’t enough to motivate you here’s a story!  While we were giving out shoes on Monday a mother came in specifically to get shoes for her daughter who had not gone to school that day.  The sole reason (haha sole!)- she didn’t have any shoes to wear.  I have been measuring all these little, stinky, feet for the past few days and must say that it is rare to see a pair of shoes in good shape and a pair of socks without giant holes.  So for her to feel so ashamed as to not come to school at all *sigh que triste.  It was so encouraging to be able to hand over a pair of super cool shoes for her.  These shoes are truly a blessing and the kids are SO psyched!  It’s so awesome to be able to shower such love on them.  To give them little boosts of confidence!

Praise/Prayer!!! The weekend in Guanacaste not only was awesome and full of fun but God also used the time to poke the little thought we’ve all had in the back of our minds over kayla chandler – long term missionary (oh geez did i just go third person on you..heehee i think i did!).  haha well maybe not all of us have been pondering that… but anyways i felt such a peace and confidence (similar to the one i felt last year in august when God told me i was coming back down).  God can’t use me if I'm not giving him the opportunities, so a few days ago i sent an email to inquire about what the process looks like to actually be a LT down here. It’s not as simple as one would think but if it is God’s will i know it will seem like a piece of cake..cheesecake..ooo with blackberries and peaches..no nectarines! oh yum!!! 

“[I] won’t spend the rest of [my] life chasing [my] own desires, but [I] will be anxious to do the will of God.”

1 Peter 4.2

FINEally!!!

well my friends Jesus has finally allowed me back into my blog!!!  It feels like it’s been forever!  But I'm back yaay! So since the last post I've devoured my candy haha it didn’t stand much of a chance. 

Okay what has been going down…other than all the crazy intense rain…                                  
After 4ish months of planning, cancelling, and replanning I'm pretty sure my trip to Guanacaste is finally going to happen!!! I’m pretty psyched i get to go with Lorena, her mom, and dona Damaris (all very delightful ladies) I'm not quite sure what we’re going to be doing exactly, but i know that we’re going to making some jewellery – and we all know how i love shiny things!!!

It was Costa Rica’s Independence day last Thursday and there were crazy parades all over..a bunch of my carpio friends and i hit up the big one right downtown. But not before untangling a wad of gum that had gotten stuck in my hair…but we got it out and I got to rep my tica roots in my skin tight costa rican pants and tank top  (both were given to me by one of my students/friends “kayla you are now pure tica” haha aka you now have some lycra and spandex  to wear, when i commented on how the tightness (the first time it literally took me 5 minutes to get the pants on) would really accent my extra unwanted curves she was SO excited to tell me that it wouldn’t because the shirts were made to suck everything in haha and they did – it was pretty impressive!  So anyways…we were right down in the action, i ran into tons of friends, got my picture taken with some nuns, and felt so at home.. it was awesome and if that wasn’t enough it torrentially down poured it was so much fun…*sigh i love Latin marching bands!!!    

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRAISE!!!

!!! Oscar (a friend who lived here for 2 years with his aunt but recently moved back to the States) is a super smarty pants and passed his GED test!!!!  He wants to be a nurse’s assistant so now he will be able to apply to universities and study!!!

!!! Jesus love me…AND YOU !!!!  (haha oh wow that’s one step away from telling the waiter after he pours my water that if he wants Jesus could have streams of living water come from him!) hahaha

!!! The new NEEDTOBREATHE album is finally it out and i haaave it!

   PRAYER!!!

It’s been a bit of an intense few weeks, I've had a lot of stresses.  It would be really awesome if ya’ll could fix to (haha I'm trying to practice my Texan for my Morgan to make her feel more at home – heehee and yes i did picture myself wearing a big cowboy hat and spurs when i said that) ask the big guy: * to beef me up with some serious courage and wisdom.  I’ve been struggling within my relationships (here and in the great white north) i just want everything to be wonderful and perfect …apparently i did not get the memo that we live in a broken world… I would like to just be able to mellow out and not be so tense because lets face it that’s lame!

“The God of [my] Lord JC may give [me] the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of HIM.  The eyes of [my] understanding being enlightened, that [I] may know what is the hope of HIS calling…what is the exceeding greatness of HIS power towards [me]”        Ephesians 2.15-22

* protection and safety

     * Some of my students (Alonso, Jessica, Ana Patricia, and Ana Cecilia) are presenting for exams next month and it would be really really awesome if they passed!!!

 * I really really really want my brother to come visit, please pray he can save up some funds and be able to get time off work!!! EEEEK!!! reeeeaaaally want him to come!!!!

* for some solid sleep I've had quite the insomnia for the past few weeks

* to be in and bring an atmosphere of faith and hope…i want to bring it AND bring it on again! (if i could remember the title of the third bring it on series I'd write that too!)

“Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, i will go…”   

-Ruth 1.16