Before I Go, a Little Background

Well, this is it. It's getting down to the wire. In two weeks I will be Costa Rica, trying to sort all my belongings for the next three months into three small white cubbies, adjusting to three roommates, and learning the names of 33 other people,(whew, 3 must be the magic number), all the while muttering under my breath, "this is God's plan, this is God's plan, this is God's plan." You see, while I am excited about going to Costa Rica and studying the Bible and Spanish in depth, I am also terrified.

I love home. I love everything about it. My house and family, my friends, Lancaster County, my job, my very comfortable bed....I could go on. But I realized that though, at this point, I am not running towards this with arms wide open, it is necessary. I do not want to get to Heaven, look at Jesus and say "I'm sorry. I would have done more for your Kingdom, but I formed an unhealthy attachment to the comforts of my own bed." No. That would be an awful excuse. I want to be stretched and molded. And for me, the way to do that is going to Costa Rica.

And so, soon I'll be off to Chapter 2 of my life. For a total of nine months, (it's split into two semesters with Christmas break in between) I will be living in a villa with 33 other teens and young adults. We will spend our mornings studying Spanish and our afternoons and some evenings studying the Bible. On weekends, we will do outreach in the community and help local churches, while living with a host family.

For those of you who know me well, this is a huge stretch for me. Please keep me and my team in your prayers as we travel first to Georgia for a brief orientation, then to San Jose. We will all be adjusting to our new living enviroment and each other. Please pray that God blesses our relationships and for our health as we adjust to a new country and climate.