Photos...

I figured I had put pictures for a while.. So here some

We went out for coffee for Patricia's birthday

On one of our family nights we had to represent our countries:

This is Thacu and Catalina representing Costa Rica

Sarah doing Ecuador

All the Costaricans doing their plague

The Stuff want to celebrate all of Octobers birthdays.. 

Patricia (Oct. 15 ), Andrey (Oct. 4), Me (Oct. 11), Jenny (Oct.25)

Waiting for the bus

The weather here is changing.. It is still ranining season, but it not has rainy

Our days are windy, but towards the evening, the skies over here look like this during sunset

It might be dark.. But this is our view from our balcony 

Its Heredia's city lights

Sunday we went to see a football game.. I was excited.. It was my first time in a football stadium

La legua vs Heredia

This was another family night and we had a talent show

 

Intense Week

WOW.....
What a week we had.. Ill explain in a bit. I think about 2 weeks is where it started happening. Maybe not to intense but it was opening up for the following week. We talked about relationship and how God desires to have a relationship with us. And He created us because He had so much love He wanted to share. Not that He needed to create us but He really wanted us here. Everything He created.. animals, plants, water, air, anything that has to do with the nature, you, me.. he put Himself on what He created. Even the cars we drive, the tools we use, the house we live in, this computer I'm using, and thing that is materia, He put Himself in because those where treasure of God for men to find and make use of it. So I think I'm making it clear that God is in everything.
As we know God is a jealous God, but in this case not a an evil jealous, a good one (I would say). The reason for it, is that He doesn't want us to turn to sin because He has so much better to pleasure us then what any sin has for us. His love can never break or fail us.
We learn about the different types of love, which is: Agape: a unconditional love. Philia/Fileo: A brotherly love. Storge: A Family Love. Eros: A sexual Desire. (which in Latin it means cupid).
We learn to love God by loving other. But also the way my relationship is with God is the way my relationship with other is. One thing we must learn is to give up our rights to start understanding our relationship with Gos. Just remember the Lord pick you and me.
So that was just a summary of the week of relationship, which then coutinue with "Intimacy with God" (intense week). It first started with a lecture then with some major praying. Our teacher had something going on for the week somewhere, so we had to pack a week of lecture to 2 days. It was tough mentally.
We talked about how in Matthew 22:37-38, "...love the Lord with all you heart, soul, mind, and strength..." which is the first commandment. Jesus is making it clear to love God with everything you have in you. And to have intimacy with God must be our first priority before anything else. And when our love for God gets our first and best attention, them we start functioning in the spiritual wholeness willing to do the second commandment, which is to love your neighbor. Remember God created for relationship. He just wants to interact with you. It doesn't matter what you do, He still loves you. The more you look into his heart the more you become it, He wants out heart to be awaken in His love. Jesus uses this analogy, saying we are His bride and God is our bridegroom. The way they feel about each other when they are going to get married. I imagin thats the way God wants us to feel for Him and for sure He will feel that way for us. Just fully in love, ready to spend the rest of your life with Him. With that said He is not just our Father, He is also our husband, ladies. and for the men, your wife.. :)
I know we tend to compare God with our past relationship, but ding that is a big mistake. His intention is for us to experience His unconditional love. We have to always have faith and believe that He love us, for it will be our foundation in His love.
So this is just brief of what we talked about. But on Tuesday our teacher said she was feeling our group needed to be free because she felt there was somethings hindering us from receiving His love. So she felt she need to come Wednesday, and left us with homework to ask God to reveal to us things we need to ask for forgiviness and confess it openly to the group but course it all goes to God. We were there for encouragement.
The following day come and many at first was like "I don't have anything." But once the first person went, it was like everything started coming out from everybody. We all promise not to talk about the things that where confessed, but let me tell you it was very emotional, very hard things to confess, things we thought wouldn't hinder us in our life and we didn't even know it. We started at 10:30 am and finish at 7:00pm with a 2 hour break for lunch, but this really help to get to know each other, brought our team together, and freed us.
Well the next day (Thursday) was a whole different story. I know we let things out so we can be free and I know we were because God is a good God and He forgave us through His mercy, But with that said the devil knows he is being defeated but still has that perseverance to bring us down. Well the devil sure stir something up. In the middle of our worship, our worship leader for the day made a comment like "lets sing praises because of what God did for us yesterday," and with that one of us said she couldn't because she did not feel free because the things she confessed haunted her even more and she couldn't handle it and she wanted to go home beacuse she didnt feel comfortable here. So we prayed for her, then next thing you know someone else was crying saying she felt the same way and she felt she couldn't trust us. Then I was like OH MY GOODNESS what is going on. Until the rest of us said that was enough we can't let the devil take our joy, our freedsom like this. So we started doing some major praying. Rebuking the devil and really bring up some revivl back to team and thank God He did. So this lasted for a few hours.
Then in the evening our leaders felt in their hearts God wanted to minister to us through them and only them. So we first started watching the movie "Passion of Christ", but we didn't watch it to say "lets watch a movie," it was for ministry. So if you watched the movie, the part where Jesus was taking the cross up, they went around to pray for us individually, and let me tell you God want to give my power through my mouth and hands. But I can't say how yet. I just have to be bold and speak when God tells me and really I just have to do it. But anyways to continue when the movie was over, the next thing they had line up was to wash our feet like Jesus did for His disciple. Gave us word. And I was told the same thing but from some one else. (So I have to remember boldness). Then after we did the Lords supper. Then this time we were able to give Him praises has a whole team and in freedom.
So all this was Thursday. Since that day we are pretty good and the good thing about this is that we are learning about "Spiritual Warfare" this week. So I know the devil is kicking up some dust because of what we are doing over here. We are being train to fight in the front line and it won't be easy, but I know we are going to have the victory in the end..
HALELLUJAH, THANK YOU JESUS!!!...

Sorry I Havent Wrote

Well I know its been a while that i havent wrote.. There has been alot of things going on here in a spiritual realm.. thing that God wants us to do and experience.. Like I had mention on my last entry we were learning about having a relationship with God.. and this week we had some intense teaching about the intimacy with God.. so once I get my thought and notes together, I'll write it on my blog.. But for now I just wanted to write this and not really keep you waiting.. but Ill write soon..

Back From Niko

I'm back from our camping trip. This camping trip was called "Niko" which is a greek word for "overcomer." This is an intense training where it suppose to break you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We were preety much in the jungle for a few days and learn ways to overcome certain situations.
Now there is so much detail I can go over about it. But for the most part I can't talk about it. I can tell you of my overall experience, and let me tell you I hated it the first couple of days but at the end of the trip I really ended up enjoying it. And I'm glad I went through it but I think I would never like to do it again though.. :)
Niko was about doing the unexpected and learning how missionarys live and also thepeople that live in certain cities. our topics for the week was giving up our right, teamwork, and service. And we learn to apply this during the week. Like I said earlies I was frustrate for the first part of the week, and I was like "man, why are we doing this if I'm nor learning anything." But like I said at the end, I ended up enjoying it. Apply the topics for that day made me realize this is something I need to apply for my everyday life. And I help me have compassion for people and also to hearn how to trust God. Even though I don't know that he is doing. It also help our DTS team grow closer and found out sakome of each others strengths and weakness and really be able to help each other out and encourage each other. So it was a great experience, something that for sure I thought I would never so but was force to do for my better understanding..

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This weekend was my birthday and I really had a good time. It was just chill and just hanging out with my friends. We went shopping and had dinner. But also a part of me was missing being home. And I think this was the first time I felt that I was getting use to being surprised all the time and taking trips and really just having a good time.
But being here and getting to know different people and how there lifestyle are or were. Really makes me feel selfish at the same time. Last week before we left was one of my friends birthday and we did the same thing as what we did with me. We bought him a gifr and for him that was his best birthday that he has ever had. Hearing some of the things he has been through, some of the rough situation really surprise me. How gratiful he was for the dau of his birthday and humble too. He looked like a little kid in a candy store. So ir made me think that even though I wasnt home for my birthday and or being surprise, I have to be humble with what I got and for the moment I'm in and not take for granted the things I have..

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I just want to let you know that this week we are learning about relationship. So Ill give you an update on what I've Learn when the teach is done. Until then God Bless and I love and miss you guys..

Pictures

Here is an update on whats it going on with us.. For outreach we will be going to Nicagua, then to panama, then to Kenya, and then to Tanzania.. So ua a group we felt the God was opening doors for us to go to this other place..
Well this is going to be short cause i have to go get my things prepare for the jungle.. woo scary


Here are some picture for you to look at:

This is us doing our excersie

I was picking eggs to bake cookies

This pics are from San Jose