Is it really almost over?!?

Hello everyone! I survived the jungle and not only that I loved every minute of it. If any of you have the opportunity to come down here I would strongly encourage it! So let's back up three weeks so I can tell you about all the fun we have had...

So three weeks ago today the group headed out to meet Ruth who lives in Los Arbolitos, down the Sarapiqui River. We met her and her husband, Carlos and loaded into a little boat with all of our luggage. The ride was like something out of a movie...picture a mirky river with crocodiles along the edges and monkeys hanging in the trees waiting to pose for a picture. We finally got to their house about two hours later and we got to see where we would be staying for a week an d a half. They had graciously rented a guest house where we could live by the library where we would be working. While we were there we got to go down the river and do a few activities and games with the local kids at their school. We also got to know Ruth and her family very well which was really cool because their lives are so similar but different at the same time. One day we went to visit this man's property where he grows tons of plants to try to offer animals (frogs and monkeys, etc.) a safe place to live. Every few days he feeds the monkeys and luckily that day was one of those days, so we literally sat for about an hour watching the monkeys come down the trees to grab the bananas and take them back up the the top to eat them. It was so cool! Another blessing that came from Los Arbolitos is that the rash on my hand completely vanished. Thank you so much to everyone who prayed for that because I truly believe that it why it healed so fast and completely. So before we could even blink it was time to pack up and head to our home stay in Heredia. 

We weren't really sure what to expect because it was the first time we would be split up, but God one again blessed up by giving both groups an amazing home stay and family to stay with. It ended up being Ronnie, Sara, and myself who got to go to Heredia. We arrived to our house and oh my goodness, it was so beautiful! Our mom, Marzerella was so sweet and welcoming which made our stay that much better! If I had to of picked one place to spend all of my time here it would have been at this house for so many reasons. 

1. Our mom fixed us four amazing meals a day... breakfast (my favorite) included things like rice, beans, eggs, avocados, fruit, coffee, etc. And then she would always fix us a four o'clock snack with cookies and coffee which was so yummy.

2. We got to experience life on the farm such as milking a cow, catching a baby chicken, picking peppercorn, petting baby cows, killing a chicken for dinner, and so much more. 

3. We learned how to cook all kinds of cool Costa Rican food like plantains and tortillas...never fear guys I can cook them for you when I get back!

4. Since we lived on a farm everything we ate was super fresh!

5. My Spanish vocabulary increased by like 100% while I was there since they only spoke Spanish...I think I'm on the same level as like a ten year old now!

Now for other things that happened while we were there...

So one night I was fast asleep and I woke up because I felt something crawling in my hair... there are lizards everywhere I figured it was just one of those and I swatted it away and tried to see if I could see it but I couldn't. So I laid my head back down on the pillow and literally ya'll I could hear this thing crawling back up the bed and then starting to crawl onto my shoulder! I freaked out! Like jumped out of bed and turned on the light which woke Sara up pretty fast. I freaked her out enough that she got out of bed too and all of a sudden we see this massive beetle crawl back up onto the top of my bed! I mean think gigantic, like the size of my hand or a deck of cards... Needless to say we ran outside of our room and tried not to scream as it started flying around in our room. Sara went to wake up Ronnie who grudgingly came in to see what had happened. It was so funny because the moment he saw it he said "Oh my gosh guys, it's huge!" So for the next ten minutes we silently died laughing while we made Ronnie capture it into a ziplock bag so we could keep it to show everybody later. I'm not sure Sara and I ever really were able to go back to sleep that night but when we woke up we found out that it had crawled/torn his way out of two zip lock bags and went into the son's room, Douglas. 

Wow, I feel like there is so much more to say but I honestly can't process it all now haha. But to sum it up the past three weeks were incredible and God is so good! 

The groups has been studying Galatians and Phillipians over the past week and I figured I would share part of what really stood out to me.

"For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Phil. 4:11b-13

Throughout our time here we have lived out this verse in our own way. While here in the Alajuela apartment we have lived with plenty and been fell few, much like back in North America. But there have been times while we have been here where our well went dry for a week, or we wanted air conditioning or just a night without bugs crawling all over us. And while some people live in even more extreme situations God has allowed a glimpse of contentment in all circumstances through his strength alone. The days where we have tried to do it on our own without his help have turned out to be the least fruitful. Which is the same for my life and yours back in North America. Contentment is such an difficult thing for us to grasp. And it is so sad that we live in a country that have every resource available and we still aren't content. It proves that contentment can only come from God. It isn't something we just get either. We have to continually give our worries, frustrations, fears, etc. to God and allow him to bear that burden for us. And he wants to! Isn't that crazy! What an amazing, loving, caring Dad we all have the opportunity to know and love. God is so good.

Okay so I guess I will wrap it up with a few prayer requests..

1. Ya know that rash that was on my hands...well now it is on my feet and legs. Really Satan? Is that all the creativity you  have at the moment, not funny.

2. I also have another rashy thing on my right thigh that isn't the same kind of rash but something none the less... apparently my skin just doesn't like it here.

3. Jack is in Washington State doing his Army stuff and will be there till July 23. So just prayer for him and his strength while he is there, and a safe return soon because I miss him...

4. General prayers for our group during our last two weeks here so that we stay present and don't check out early.

That's it folks for now, sorry for the epic and random post. Love and miss you all!