Last Metro

Metro was my weekend ministry. A team of us GAP students went to this poor neighborhood every Saturday to play with kids and share Christ's love with them through games and Bible stories. Metro is a global ministry and you can learn more about it at theses websites: 

http://metroministriescostarica.weebly.com/

http://www.metroworldchild.org

This is the van we always got picked up in to go to Metro

This is the Metro van that we had never used before the last time because usually we had Metro in a tica's garage.

Metro neighborhood

Where the kids lived

Two precious sisters I became buddies with

We always played with a jump rope

Fun with a parachute!

They played a game where they had to feed each other baby food

The leader of Metro Karen and her husband Isaac telling a story

All the kiddos

Perfume a Tus pies

This is one of my favorite songs in Spanish. It's called Perfume a Tues pies which means (Perfume on Your feet) by Marcela Gandara. It was one of my favorite songs to sing at GGP. Hope you enjoy!

Devotional

My devotional the other day could not have been more perfect. I love this devotional it's called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Gods timing is perfect! 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ESV

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 

Isaiah 26:3 ESV

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 

2 Peter 1:3-9

2 Peter 1:3-9

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature,having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

And the Bride Wore White

My roommate Christy recommended I read the book And the Bride Wore White by Dannah Gresh. We had it here at the villa so I picked it up and started reading. Little did I know what an impact it would have on my life. And the Bride Wore White is a book about how young ladies can strive to live a life of purity. I have grown up in a Christian home, went to a private Christian school, and attended a church my entire life so you can only imagine all of the purity talks I have heard. If only I could count how many I have had to sit through awkward talks on the subject of purity. I'm not saying this is a bad thing either. I am thankful that the people in my life talked about purity. The problem was that everyone talked about sexual purity, not having sex before marriage and that was about it. I can't remember ever hearing someone talk about living a lifestyle of purity, how no one is born pure, but we become pure through Jesus, what steps someone needs to take after they have messed up, or the steps you have to take so you protect yourself and those around you from impurity. These were all new things I learned about through reading And the Bride Wore White. Dannah Gresh is real about her struggles, her successes, how to deal with pain and regret, how Jesus make us pure as we strive to life our lives for Him, and how without Jesus there is no hope for becoming pure. For me personally Dannah taught me that purity is where you end up not where you start, that I was not acting like the princess I am because of Christ, not to wear my heart on my sleeve like I have been guilty of in the past, and I now have a better picture of the kind of man I would want to marry. Parents I believe every single young girl should read this. It's hard for me to put an age on when they should read it because it will be different for every girl so I suggest you read it first and then pray about it. This book helped me in so many ways and I am so thankful I read it now before I am involved in a relationship or dating. Praise God for wonderful women like Dannah Gresh!

Philippians

Philippians has been the book of the Bible that has been on my heart lately and here's why. As I have told you before I had been worrying about my future like college and a summer job. I was telling my parents this one night and my sweet momma read me Philippians 4:4-9. That is always a great reminder. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (v. 6) Then just a few days later my grandpa emailed me and said he was praying Philippians 4 over me as well. Then the following week in Bible class we studied Philippians. I think God was trying to tell me something. He was saying "Desiree don't worry. Talk to me about everything and trust me." 

Wendell Calder was the guest speaker who taught us about Philippians and it was just wonderful. I felt like God was directly speaking to me the whole week through Wendell. I learned so much that week and wish I could share with you everything he said, but one of the main things that stood out to me is that worrying is the opposite of trusting in God. Wow, that hit me hard. Jesus is patiently and continually telling me to trust in Him and by the grace of God I am trying to do just that. 

Wendell Calder is an evangelist and him and his wife travel all over the world sharing the gospel. It was an honor to have them come here to Costa Rica, meet them, and be taught by Wendell. They are such a sweet couple and a huge blessing. I would love it if you would pray for them. 

Andy & Tina

Andy is the director for our GAP year and a pastor at GGP (our English church in Guadeloupe) here in Costa Rica and Tina is his wife. They live at a newly finished house two houses down from the villa. This is another wonderful couple that the Lord has blessed me with. Andy and Tina have been working with the GAP year program for four years now. They have four kids Elijah (11), Brayden (9), Jamin (6), and Summer (2). They are always doing something whether it is home schooling their kids, spending time with GAP students, or helping at GGP. Andy and Tina are always serving and with joyful hearts. Andy is a great teacher and enjoys helping us with Spanish and helps us understand the Bible. His specialty is finances. Tina is a great counselor and encourager and enjoys having us over to their house for a nice hot cup of tea. Andy and Tina have taught me about what it is like to be full time missionaries in a foreign country, what a Christ centered marriage looks like, how to have hospitality and give generously, and have a Christ like attitude about all things. I will miss them dearly when I go back to the states. I would love it if you would pray for them as they continue to live here in Costa Rica and work with SCORE International.

A messy wonderful day

This is a journal entry of mine that I wanted to share to show how God is working.

Monday April 7th

So, today I was getting ready to go do the cardboard testimonies (we are putting together a video of everyone holding up cardboard with their testimonies on them) in San José. I didn't want to it because I didn't want to go out on my rest day, and I didn't sign up before cause I didn't even know everyone had to do one. I was just going to try to be positive about it though. I got dressed all cute, put way too much make up and one of Myra's dresses and waited for a group to return to the villa so we could go. It was sunny and beautiful the whole day until we were about to leave then it got kinda cloudy which was a bummer. Of course it would get ugly and cloudy as we left. Oh well. So, me, Danita, Chris, Hope, Allysa, JT, and Christy head out then the other group was going to meet us there. So we get to San Jose and me, JT, and Chris finish videotaping our testimonies then it begins to sprinkle! This was very upsetting considering it hadn't rained in months. Then we walk past Hotel Del "Rey" (find out more about Hotel Del "Rey" here: http://costarica14.blogspot.com/2014/04/hotel-del-rey_2.html ) which I already felt weary about, but then Christy said she wanted hers done there. I was already feeling fear beginning to cripple me when a drunk beat up white guys starts talking with her and JT. I am standing across the street and freaking out on the inside. There are men standing all around and could do anything to any of us little white girls all dressed up in our brightly colored dresses. I want to get out of there as soon as possible. I look at Christy, and she has no sign of fear which was the Holy Spirit in her. JT tries talking to the guy and he is not listening so we walk away and I am thanking God for it. As we are walking it is being to pour. I am thinking great what an awesome day to try and do this. I didn't even want to come in the first place. I got all dressed up for nothing. I shouldn't have gone in the first place. I feel all gross now, and my feet are getting dirty. These are my thoughts. So, we run under the closest place of shelter a giant gazebo in the middle of the park where all of the people that were in the surrounding areas are now gathered. So now, not only are we all soggy but now we are breathing in fumes of smoke. Allysa expressed how uncomfortable she is being around all the people, and at this point in time, I didn't care ‘cause I was dry and I didn't feel threatened but I still had some fear holding onto me. Then we decide as a group to go to a grocery that was near by to stay dry and come up with a plan of action. We start making our way to the grocery store, and I am walking as fast as I can with wet flip flops which is not very fast. I am getting more angry and fearful with each step. I was very thankful to have Christ behind us and JT in front of us. We make it to the grocery store, and my makeup is smeared so much that JT comments on it, which just makes things even better. Hope calls the other group to tell them how bad the weather is but they were already on their way. Great. Now what? At this point in time I am holding back tears. I am so flustered and can't even put into words exactly why. Later, Christy, unknowingly, answers this question for me. So, I state how I just want to get on a bus and go home and so do Chris and Christy so we make our way to the bus. It is still pouring rain and fear will not let go of me and I am frantically moving through crowds of people trying to find the bus we need to get home. Finally, we find the bus and get on it. *Sigh* finally. The bus doesn't even begin to move for maybe 15 minutes, so Christy and I begin talking. I express how overwhelmed and upset I am about the whole situation and she prays for me like the wonderful young lady she is, and I had also been praying throughout the whole fiasco. Christy then goes to tell me how even though things didn't go as planned, God works everything for His good whether it seems good for us or not. Then she went on to say how happy she was to hold up her sign in front of Hotel Del "Rey" because people might have read it, and it would be a testimony of what God has done. Then she goes on to say she believed God had us come at just that time for those purposes and maybe even more we didn't even know. Wow. I wasn't thinking of it like that at all. That was when I realized why I was so up-set. Things didn't go the way I wanted or imagined they would and I was only thinking of myself. I didn't trust that God had a plan for this even though it just seemed like a big mess to me. That was convicting, but it also made me feel a lot better cause God does use everything for His good. Just a little after that discussion I noticed a young man signing a little bit in front of us. I told Christy I saw him signing then she went on to show me all of the sign she knew. The guy in front of us turned around saw her signing. Oh great. I thought. It's not really that I didn't want to talk to him, but I didn't know if I would be able to understand his signing or if he would be able to understand my signing either. All I knew was American Sign Language, and I was in Costa Rica. I knew for sure I wouldn't be able to fingerspell cause I couldn't spell out English words for him. Well, I don't have a choice now so let's do this. That's what I was forced to think at that point in time. He asked if I knew sign and I told him I knew ASL. He nodded in understanding. Hey! I understood everything he said and he understood what I just said! Maybe this will work out! I continue to tell him I am from the USA and know English. He asked me what my name was, and I finger spelled it using the ASL alphabet because that's all I knew. He understood then told me his name was Francisco using the same alphabet. That meant that not only were the signs the same so far but also the alphabet seemed to be the same too! This was great news for me because that meant that I could communicate with the ASL combined with Spanish to communicate with him. He asked me why I was in Costa Rica, and I told him I was in a program called GAP and was here learning Spanish and Bible. I told him I learned sign from my deaf teacher in my school in the states. He thought that was cool. He asked how old I was I said I was 18 and he was too. He told me I was beautiful and I said thank you. Then he asked if I had a boyfriend and I said, “no.” Later, people told me I should have said yes, but I didn't even think to lie about that and I wouldn't have either. Then he told me he didn't have a girlfriend, which made me laugh part out of embarrassment and part just because it was funny. He smiled. Then he told me about how his girl friend had broken up with him (not sure how recent the breakup was) after they had been together for 2 years. She was hearing and could sign really well. He said he cried a lot. I wasn't sure what to say, but I did feel bad for him and I told him I was sorry it happened. He said it's whatever. haha Normally it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get to San Jose from the villa, but because of the weather and an accident that had happened it took almost 2 hours. So, I was able to talk with Francisco for about an hour and a half. Christy introduced herself, which was about all she could sign, but she did help me a few times with trying to read his finger spelling and helped me spell words out in Spanish too which was a blessing. I learned he was currently attending a university to study sign, I believe. Both of his parents are deaf and he went to a deaf school growing up. He had been to the states before in 2010 to learn sign, I believe. He went with his cousin who is also deaf and who lived in the states. He said he loved it and thought it was beautiful there. He couldn't remember which state he went to though. He said he was going back in May. Then I told him that was when the students in my program were going back to the states as well. He asked what days and I said the 4th and 5th. He told me he was leaving the 4th. He said, “I might see you there then and I'll tell you, ‘hi.’” I told him that would be cool. Then he had to leave because the bus hadn't been moving for a while, and he needed to go home and study. We said our goodbyes, and he was on his way. Everything God was speaking to my heart when we got on the bus became even more clear. It was clear that God had a plan for this wild night in San José even when it seemed nothing had gone right at all. Everything went exactly how God wanted it too. My brain was fried, I was tired after what seemed like a very long day and wanted to be in my bed, I was hungry since I hadn't eaten dinner, I was still damp from the rain, and roasting in an over packed bus, but let me tell you God is good.

Made Alive

I really love this song by Citizens it's called Made Alive. It's a beautiful reminder of what Jesus had done for us. The song is below.

Romans 12:9-21

Romans 12:9-21

Love in Action

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge,my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.