I will write more later when I return to San Jose. This weekend, we are retreating in MonteVerde. Look it up if you like. It is literally translated as Green Mountain. It is beautiful. Today we're going on the canopy tour (sixteen ziplines and a tarzan swing) and tomorrow is horse back riding. It has been fun to relax. Well, I will write more later. God is good.
love,
Jodi Marie
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
So much to see...so much to do.. so much...
Wow, well, I believe the title of this post pretty much sums it up. There are so many fun things going on, but also there is a lot of time to just chill, hang out, and meet people. There have been so many great chances to share the gospel, as well as chances to meet up with students again. This has been neat because growing in Christ and becoming more like our creator doesn't happen alone and doesn't happen in a little time. Yes, once we recieve Christ, we recieve salvation, but to have a life that it intimate and fulfilling, and full of purpose, this takes time lots of growth.
getting to lead worship at church
Speaking of growth, at church on Sunday, Nathan Cooley, one of the project leaders whom some of you know gave the talk. He gave his talk on suffering. Fun topic, eh? So much of what he had to say was good, and true, and awesome. But, yeah, it's a hard topic to talk about. But, without suffering, you wouldn't appreciate the good times. One thing that he talked about was the precious moments "cartoons" and figurines. He actually called them "crap" but only with the context of the verse that says
"Take up your cross daily and follow me" - Matthew 10:37
He mentioned how the precious moments show this verse as a tiny, cute little girl carrying a tiny little cross and her back and how really, taking up your cross daily is taking on the same as what Jesus did when he died on the cross. That really, that was so much more pain and suffering than we will ever experience. Inspired by Nathan, the next day, I bought a precious moments bible. ha ha. It is in Spanish and English however and has already come in handy for sure.
Friday night, we had our first Crusade party. I was a little bummed at first because none of the people that I talked to on campus were able to come (mostly because of final exams and study sessions for them were happeing, those tests... sheesh)
But a lot of people came, the food was good (blackberries the size of strawberries) and people were really excited about meeting everyone dancing salsa together, and hearing Alan;'s (A tico's) testimony (in two languages) We still have two more parties so I have faith God with bring the right people to come.
Well, something new that happened, it I got to raft through the RAIN FORREST. When they say rain forest, they mean RAIN forrest. It was raining for a couple chunks of time on the rafting trip and how beautiful it was. Que lindo! The rain was pouring and it was soooo warm and I looked up and saw God's creation and the green lush landscape and couldn't help but praise God for the scenery he puts in front of us. It was pretty funny though cause I felt at times like I was rafting the Snake River again and then I looked up and was put into place pretty fast. I didn't fall out, thankfully, but at one point, four of our team from one boat fell out and it was a moment to realize how fragile life is. Oh, what an experience and we got to go through it as a team. One of the best parts of the trip was when we stopped on shore and hiked into a waterfall with a pool of water underneath it. I got to stand in a waterfall. God is good. (I learned waterfal in Spanish is catarata) 
On the way home, we saw a sloth!!! I know that doesn't seem too exciting because they totally don't move so it shouldn't be hard to spot them, but it was actually a rare occurence we are told.
Sunday was just very relaxed, which, after Saturday's excursion, was very much needed. We had church complete with one of the girls birthdays.
Let me tell you, if you have never tried to bake a cake in a foriegn country, it is surprisingly very complicated. Since we are not like the rest of the world and don't use the metric system, we ended up putting the cake in the oven at the equivalence of about 700 degrees farenheit. To our surprise, our confetti cake with rainbow chip icing turned out great anyway. We watched the USA/Mexico soccer game at the hostel complete with chicken nachos that afternoon and then I did some shopping with Memo and went to a great restaurant that was just like applebee's but cheaper because it's Costa Rica. My coffee was poured in this sweet thing that has a sock with the coffee grounds and then you pour the hot water over the grounds into the cup underneath. It was sooooo good.
Wow, this week on campus, and ESPECIALLY today has been incredible. Monday, we were all still really exhausted from the weekend and didn't make it onto campus very much, but did get there. We mostly were able to connect with each other on the team that day. And I was able to buy my new bible!!! Monday night, last night was well needed. The staff team, Carlos and Tatiana had everyone at their house for dinner. Traditional chicken and rice, beans, and dulce de leche. mmm..mmm.. If you thing about it, you can pray for them.
This is Carlos and Tatianna what an amazing team and married couple
They leave Wednesday for Korea for CM 2007. Check it out at www.CM2007.net People involved in Crusade ministries from literally all over the world are meeting up for a conference together to talk about how to reach the whole world for Christ. How amazing. They won't be back until after we leave so I am very sad, but I know they are doing great things.
Oh, when we finally did get onto campus Monday, we are simply hanging out, and out onto the courtyard came my friend, Julio. He doesn't actually have email and this is the third time I have run into him including when we met. It was such a divine appointment every time because he just happened to show up there. He believes that God is real and that He made the earth, but he doesn't believe that God does anything with the world now, but anytime I talk with him, he seems very hungry for truth. I asked him if he makes things (he's a chemistry major) He said, yes. I also asked him if the things he makes have a purpose and a plan. He said yes. And I explained how I feel that that is what God is all about. He created us and we are beautiful to Him and he wants to be a part of our life. The conversation ended as he had to get to class with him asking why I am here sharing this with him and why I feel so strongly about sharing it. I am excited that this would be a great opportunity to share my testimony. Sadly, we were supposed to casually meet up today and he didn't show, but I just trust that God has a time for us to see each other again.
Today, I shared with Lisa, as usual. We were meeting up with our friend Jessica who is totally searching for the Lord. She has the most teachable heart I have ever seen. Her eyes light up with passion for the world of the Lord. This is the third time we have met with her. The first day, she told us that she grew up in the evangelical church and beleived she had accepted Christ, but the more we talked to her, she shared that this faith was her family's and her parents, and maybe not her own. Today, she told us that she feels like she has a relationship with God, but that it is a broken relationship because she is always doing things that He doesn't like. This was toward the end of an incredible 1 1/2 conversation about God's love and she also had to get to class. When we asked if she yet wanted to meet again, she was sooo excited and said, yes, yes yes I do. As in preparation for meeting with her again this coming Monday, Lisa and I read through Hosea which describes Israel as a whore to God. That God longs to be with His people and they constantly run after other idols and things. Hosea's wife is like this also, but both Hosea and God love their beloved wifes despite this. We hope when we meet again we can share God's incredible heart for his people that:
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8
Wow, there are many more stories of how God is working through His people's hearts on campus, but not enough time for everything, but we will share stories when I return. After sharing life maps (testimonies) in small groups for dinner tonight, we went and played ultimate frisbee on campus. Only to then get kicked off campus by the police with the lights going on their car because we can't play there after dark, and even then, aparently need permission to play on the field. Sad day, but at least I got some exercise in, right, Cara? I'm trying.
Well, this is pretty long and I am back in the habit of staying up until 1 AM again and I must head for bed as another day on campus sharing approaches. Thank you for your continued prayer support and your interest in my life and those who I am with and those who I am serving through Christ.
What an amazing country!
With all the love of Christ,
Jodi Marie
getting to lead worship at church
Speaking of growth, at church on Sunday, Nathan Cooley, one of the project leaders whom some of you know gave the talk. He gave his talk on suffering. Fun topic, eh? So much of what he had to say was good, and true, and awesome. But, yeah, it's a hard topic to talk about. But, without suffering, you wouldn't appreciate the good times. One thing that he talked about was the precious moments "cartoons" and figurines. He actually called them "crap" but only with the context of the verse that says
"Take up your cross daily and follow me" - Matthew 10:37
He mentioned how the precious moments show this verse as a tiny, cute little girl carrying a tiny little cross and her back and how really, taking up your cross daily is taking on the same as what Jesus did when he died on the cross. That really, that was so much more pain and suffering than we will ever experience. Inspired by Nathan, the next day, I bought a precious moments bible. ha ha. It is in Spanish and English however and has already come in handy for sure.
Friday night, we had our first Crusade party. I was a little bummed at first because none of the people that I talked to on campus were able to come (mostly because of final exams and study sessions for them were happeing, those tests... sheesh)
But a lot of people came, the food was good (blackberries the size of strawberries) and people were really excited about meeting everyone dancing salsa together, and hearing Alan;'s (A tico's) testimony (in two languages) We still have two more parties so I have faith God with bring the right people to come.
Well, something new that happened, it I got to raft through the RAIN FORREST. When they say rain forest, they mean RAIN forrest. It was raining for a couple chunks of time on the rafting trip and how beautiful it was. Que lindo! The rain was pouring and it was soooo warm and I looked up and saw God's creation and the green lush landscape and couldn't help but praise God for the scenery he puts in front of us. It was pretty funny though cause I felt at times like I was rafting the Snake River again and then I looked up and was put into place pretty fast. I didn't fall out, thankfully, but at one point, four of our team from one boat fell out and it was a moment to realize how fragile life is. Oh, what an experience and we got to go through it as a team. One of the best parts of the trip was when we stopped on shore and hiked into a waterfall with a pool of water underneath it. I got to stand in a waterfall. God is good. (I learned waterfal in Spanish is catarata) 
On the way home, we saw a sloth!!! I know that doesn't seem too exciting because they totally don't move so it shouldn't be hard to spot them, but it was actually a rare occurence we are told.
Sunday was just very relaxed, which, after Saturday's excursion, was very much needed. We had church complete with one of the girls birthdays.
Let me tell you, if you have never tried to bake a cake in a foriegn country, it is surprisingly very complicated. Since we are not like the rest of the world and don't use the metric system, we ended up putting the cake in the oven at the equivalence of about 700 degrees farenheit. To our surprise, our confetti cake with rainbow chip icing turned out great anyway. We watched the USA/Mexico soccer game at the hostel complete with chicken nachos that afternoon and then I did some shopping with Memo and went to a great restaurant that was just like applebee's but cheaper because it's Costa Rica. My coffee was poured in this sweet thing that has a sock with the coffee grounds and then you pour the hot water over the grounds into the cup underneath. It was sooooo good.
Wow, this week on campus, and ESPECIALLY today has been incredible. Monday, we were all still really exhausted from the weekend and didn't make it onto campus very much, but did get there. We mostly were able to connect with each other on the team that day. And I was able to buy my new bible!!! Monday night, last night was well needed. The staff team, Carlos and Tatiana had everyone at their house for dinner. Traditional chicken and rice, beans, and dulce de leche. mmm..mmm.. If you thing about it, you can pray for them.
This is Carlos and Tatianna what an amazing team and married couple
They leave Wednesday for Korea for CM 2007. Check it out at www.CM2007.net People involved in Crusade ministries from literally all over the world are meeting up for a conference together to talk about how to reach the whole world for Christ. How amazing. They won't be back until after we leave so I am very sad, but I know they are doing great things.
Oh, when we finally did get onto campus Monday, we are simply hanging out, and out onto the courtyard came my friend, Julio. He doesn't actually have email and this is the third time I have run into him including when we met. It was such a divine appointment every time because he just happened to show up there. He believes that God is real and that He made the earth, but he doesn't believe that God does anything with the world now, but anytime I talk with him, he seems very hungry for truth. I asked him if he makes things (he's a chemistry major) He said, yes. I also asked him if the things he makes have a purpose and a plan. He said yes. And I explained how I feel that that is what God is all about. He created us and we are beautiful to Him and he wants to be a part of our life. The conversation ended as he had to get to class with him asking why I am here sharing this with him and why I feel so strongly about sharing it. I am excited that this would be a great opportunity to share my testimony. Sadly, we were supposed to casually meet up today and he didn't show, but I just trust that God has a time for us to see each other again.
Today, I shared with Lisa, as usual. We were meeting up with our friend Jessica who is totally searching for the Lord. She has the most teachable heart I have ever seen. Her eyes light up with passion for the world of the Lord. This is the third time we have met with her. The first day, she told us that she grew up in the evangelical church and beleived she had accepted Christ, but the more we talked to her, she shared that this faith was her family's and her parents, and maybe not her own. Today, she told us that she feels like she has a relationship with God, but that it is a broken relationship because she is always doing things that He doesn't like. This was toward the end of an incredible 1 1/2 conversation about God's love and she also had to get to class. When we asked if she yet wanted to meet again, she was sooo excited and said, yes, yes yes I do. As in preparation for meeting with her again this coming Monday, Lisa and I read through Hosea which describes Israel as a whore to God. That God longs to be with His people and they constantly run after other idols and things. Hosea's wife is like this also, but both Hosea and God love their beloved wifes despite this. We hope when we meet again we can share God's incredible heart for his people that:
"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8
Wow, there are many more stories of how God is working through His people's hearts on campus, but not enough time for everything, but we will share stories when I return. After sharing life maps (testimonies) in small groups for dinner tonight, we went and played ultimate frisbee on campus. Only to then get kicked off campus by the police with the lights going on their car because we can't play there after dark, and even then, aparently need permission to play on the field. Sad day, but at least I got some exercise in, right, Cara? I'm trying.
Well, this is pretty long and I am back in the habit of staying up until 1 AM again and I must head for bed as another day on campus sharing approaches. Thank you for your continued prayer support and your interest in my life and those who I am with and those who I am serving through Christ.
What an amazing country!
With all the love of Christ,
Jodi Marie
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Hola Amigos y Familia
Tal vez, voy a escribir toda en Spanish. Maybe in spanglish. Okay, english. Hell all. How are you? For me, I have been speaking a lot of Spanish lately. It is so much fun, but also, my head hurts because of it. Well, I almost have a full week on campus and to date and almost to the hour, I have been here for a week, but it seems like so much longer. I know that when the trip is over it will feel like nothing. Conversations on campus have been so much fun. I can't believe that I get to hang out on campus all day long without having to go to class or do homework and things. It is work though.
Today, when I got home, I laid down on the bed and realized just how exhasted I was. You know how when you are so busy, you don't have time to realize that you are tired
and then when you finally realize it, you have no idea how you have been doing all that you have been doing. It is a good tired though. We are introducing people to Christ every day and also we meet a christian or two who we are able to encourage to share their faith and their hearts with. I have been leading worship with the worship team. It is awesome to bring people and myself to a place where we are not focused on ourselves, but on our Lord Jesus. oh, and I am getting better (if not almost all the way better) how do i know this? I am back to staying up until 1 in the morning and such. This means I will be my normal "normal" self any day now. So... what does a typical day look like?
Everyday starts at 9 AM where the whole project meets, talks about the day before and focuses on the reason we are here. Each day is a little different. Mon, Wed, and Fri we do worshi through music. Tuesday we focus on the heart. This week we looked at Ephesians 2 and thought of what things we are saved from in this life because of Christ. Yes, we are saved from going to hell, but in this life we are saved from so many other things. Today, thursday, we do a devotional. Today we looked at boldness and what the bible says about it. Then we are on campus for five hours sharing our faith, eating ice cream, getting caught in the pouring rain. Ooo, yesterday we crammed 7 people into my friend Memo's little Geo metro!
It was quite the sight. Tuesdays and Thursdays are free nights. Sometimes we go to Spoon for dinner, or the mall, or last night, the bagelmen's restaurant. Wednesday nights are men's and womens time. Mondays and Wednesday night are group dinner's where we share our testimonies (called "life maps"). So by the end, we will have heard everyone's. It is awesome to see how God captured everyone's heart. and how he got everyone here. 
I have been sharing on campus with a girl named Lisa Fisher (yes, she must be realated to me in some way) She is from Wisconsin and has the coolest accent, just like I always have heard. Everyone in our group is incredible. Last night was women's and men's time. The women went to the mall to a place called Spoons where we all got desserts and sweet things. What a great time for woman! I got white chocolate cheesecake. 
I am growing so much and learing how to share my faith and that I can share Jesus by telling people about what he did and what he said, but that I can share Jesus with people by the way I live. The people around me are such a good example. What a great way to grow together. Thank you everyone for writing back. I love to here from you. There is even more going on, but I have to save some stories for when I get back. Ooo, yesterday, I learned how to make fresh guacamole and the costa rican black beans. This means cooking back home. I love everyone and am praying for you as well. Love in Christ,
Jodi Marie
Sunday, June 17, 2007
A day on campus and a free weekend
Well, I have been here for three or four days now. Honestly it is hard to figure out how long we have been here because everything is so different from "normal" that it feels like we have been here for a long time. So many things happen each day. On Friday, our first day here, we went to an Italian restaurant (I thought of you Cara and got pizza) It was delicious. At almost every restaurant here you can get fresh fruit drinks. There, I got a papaya, pineapple, and watermelon (fruit punch) drink. I believe I have had a fresh fruit drink every day. The food here is my favorite. I could eat rice and beans and chicken every day and I just might. 
After lunch, we hung out around the hostel and then went onto campus. We did a prayer walk with partners and prayed for the campus to recieve the gospel and for great change on the campus. We also were told to initiate a spiritual conversation even if we didn't get to share the gospel or not. Brad and I talked to a sweet girl who played the french horn (which is why we talked to her, brad plays the french horn) She played us a Mozart concerto right there. She grew up in the evangelical church, but doesn't consider herself to be very religious. It was fun to interact with her. Oh, did I say, this was all in spanish. Poor Brad doesn't speak any so I had to translate and various times I tried to speak to him in Spanish and then I was wondering why he didn't understand me. We are going to meet with her again. She is actually from Mexico and Guadalajara specifically which I have been to and I absolutely love Mexico. She was so excited to talk to us and meet again I hope it works out.
We totally got caught in the rain and looked just like Americans because we paraded into the mall soaking wet. What an adventure.
Yesterday was a free day where we were split into our three groups within our group that has different tasks. I'm part of the worship team, go figure. So I get to sing and praise God with the team here which is exciting. We explored the downtown parts of San Jose and went to the central market with lots of food and lots of things to buy. We had a scavanger hunt to find the most interesting thing under five dollars. Our group wanted to buy a bunny, but didn't think our leaders would like that. We ended up taking pictures of the market and then making a photo collage (WE WON!!!) It was great bonding experience and we now call ourselves team churro because we love the churros with the carmel inside them. Last night we led everyone in a time of worship that was well needed. It helped us focus off of ourselves and onto the Lord our savior.
This morning was church, but our leaders Nathan and Kristen thought church was an hour later than it really was so we were late. It still was great to have church with each other and the ticos. We read through John 8 where the pharisees want to stone the woman who commits adultery and Jesus says that whoever is without sin can cast the first stone. none of them do stone her and when they all leave jesus says that neither does he want to stone her and that he forgives her. It reminded me that sometimes I can judge people and say that I am better and then Jesus comes along and I realize my need for forgiveness. Again, so much has happened already. Today is father's day here as well. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all who are fathers. You are my heros.
I went with a Tico friend, Memo to his fathers house for a party with all his relatives. My friend Sarah came with me. Memo went to Moscow High School on exchange from Costa Rica my senior year so it was nice to connect with him again. Please pray for him because he has not recieved the gospel before and I am nervous on sharing with him, but I know that I need to in some way. It was neat, however to see his family and friends. On the way in his geo metro, we got caught in what I would call a monsoon. The rain was craziness.
I am so grateful for this experience here and grateful for such a blessed support team back home. you are all blessed. Love,
Jodi Marie
After lunch, we hung out around the hostel and then went onto campus. We did a prayer walk with partners and prayed for the campus to recieve the gospel and for great change on the campus. We also were told to initiate a spiritual conversation even if we didn't get to share the gospel or not. Brad and I talked to a sweet girl who played the french horn (which is why we talked to her, brad plays the french horn) She played us a Mozart concerto right there. She grew up in the evangelical church, but doesn't consider herself to be very religious. It was fun to interact with her. Oh, did I say, this was all in spanish. Poor Brad doesn't speak any so I had to translate and various times I tried to speak to him in Spanish and then I was wondering why he didn't understand me. We are going to meet with her again. She is actually from Mexico and Guadalajara specifically which I have been to and I absolutely love Mexico. She was so excited to talk to us and meet again I hope it works out.
We totally got caught in the rain and looked just like Americans because we paraded into the mall soaking wet. What an adventure.
Yesterday was a free day where we were split into our three groups within our group that has different tasks. I'm part of the worship team, go figure. So I get to sing and praise God with the team here which is exciting. We explored the downtown parts of San Jose and went to the central market with lots of food and lots of things to buy. We had a scavanger hunt to find the most interesting thing under five dollars. Our group wanted to buy a bunny, but didn't think our leaders would like that. We ended up taking pictures of the market and then making a photo collage (WE WON!!!) It was great bonding experience and we now call ourselves team churro because we love the churros with the carmel inside them. Last night we led everyone in a time of worship that was well needed. It helped us focus off of ourselves and onto the Lord our savior.
This morning was church, but our leaders Nathan and Kristen thought church was an hour later than it really was so we were late. It still was great to have church with each other and the ticos. We read through John 8 where the pharisees want to stone the woman who commits adultery and Jesus says that whoever is without sin can cast the first stone. none of them do stone her and when they all leave jesus says that neither does he want to stone her and that he forgives her. It reminded me that sometimes I can judge people and say that I am better and then Jesus comes along and I realize my need for forgiveness. Again, so much has happened already. Today is father's day here as well. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all who are fathers. You are my heros.
I went with a Tico friend, Memo to his fathers house for a party with all his relatives. My friend Sarah came with me. Memo went to Moscow High School on exchange from Costa Rica my senior year so it was nice to connect with him again. Please pray for him because he has not recieved the gospel before and I am nervous on sharing with him, but I know that I need to in some way. It was neat, however to see his family and friends. On the way in his geo metro, we got caught in what I would call a monsoon. The rain was craziness.
I am so grateful for this experience here and grateful for such a blessed support team back home. you are all blessed. Love,
Jodi Marie
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hey all
So you know, coast rich is a direct translation of Costa Rica. It is almost 1 AM here so I should be getting to sleep soon, but had to let you know I made it. My cold is getting worse, but that means that it will get over faster (there I go with positive thinking again) Well, it has been fun to get to meet everyone and I consider the plane ride one of the best EVER. I met two people who also had never known each other before. One was a native of Costa Rica (They're called ticos) and the other was an African American from Maryland who was 16. They are both christians and on fire for the Lord and reaching the lost. It was amazing to meet believers and be totally encouraged. From the moment I sat down to the moment I stood up, we talked and shared our lives and stories. It was amazing. A total blessing. We had three random strangers drawn together for 5 hours on a plane and we had one with white skin, one with brown, and one with black. It was definetely a sweet time. ONe of the many verses we discussed was from Ecclesiastes that says there is a season and a time and a purpose for everything and I do believe it was so with the wonderful meeting. Thanks to all who have written back. Please don't feel obligated to write back or to even read these emails. I will always welcome any love and prayers and an update on home. Love you all and thank you,
Jodi Marie
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