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