Earlier this past week we ventured down the road a little ways to a small community with only a few houses lining the street. We went with Pastor Basilio to Juanita’s home. Juanita is Grace’s mother (Grace is one of our neighbors). We sat in somewhat of a circle with our bottoms in a wide variety of seats. Basilio then led a Bible study for us, which is the reason why we came in the first place. Anyways, we studied the story of Saul becoming Paul and somehow got to the question of: "Do you know the God of the Word?" He kept talking about how a lot of people know the Word but don't know the One behind it. That many people miss the relationship and go for the religion. Though what really stuck with me was that question: "Do I know the God of the Word?"

Later that week I experienced some doubt and confusion in what I feel God has been calling me to in the future. I did indeed feel a little hopeless. That afternoon my questioning of God led to me having a bit of a mood and not being the most engaging person to be around. However, every night we have something called team time, which happens every night after a day of ministry. It an intimate time with my team where we give feedback, share testimonies and spend quality time together. On this specific night we did an activity together that had us read through Psalm 148 and watch a video explaining it more in depth. The verse talks about all the creatures of the earth praising the Lord. And in the video, the familiar word to many of us, hallelujah, was described in a way I'd never known before. I learned that the action of speaking the word "hallelujah" is a call for others to praise the the Lord. After discussing this we went into a time of worshipping God individually. Our headphones went in and we all spend the next 20 minutes or so praising Him. At first, still feeling uneasy, I simply wanted to sit and listen to the worship songs I had cued up. But we were prompted to enter into a new posture that may not have been our first choice. I felt convinced in that moment to get up and praise God with all the energy I thought I didn't have. I danced and shouted the goodness and promises of God! In that moment I proclaimed the truth of who God is and chose to believe it!

With this I want to encourage you all to remember who God is in the moments of uncertainty, confusion and/or any moment that you feel God's peace isn't within you. And if you don't know the God that I praise, I encourage you to seek out His character in the Word and see it brought to life through experiencing Him.

Here are some references of who God is in the Word:

- Exodus 15:11

- Psalm 71:19

- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

- 1 John 5:20

- Deuteronomy 1:17

- 2 Samuel 22:32

That is just scratching the surface of the the Word says about my God! Please continue to pray for my squad, my Costa Rican family and myself as we are doing the Lord's work. I realize I said I would try and post every Monday, however, flexibility is key here which means I will post once a week but on the day that I can get it posted! Thank you all for your lovely, encouring notes and all the support I contuse to receive. Love to you all! Scroll down to look at some pictures from this past week, you don't want to miss it!

Chao! 

THE SQUAD: Victoria, Will, Abigail, Courtney, Dailey, Hope, Kara, Levi, Raquel, Jessica, Daegan, Lucy, Catherine, and Shanin (left to right). I love these friends of mine so much! 

My wonderfully beautiful team! Our team name is SAL Y LUZ (Salt and Light). Loving the intentional time with them and getting to know them on a deeper level. 

My team showing off our sunburn/tan lines haha. 

My team leader, one of my squad leaders and the most incredible woman! Raquel speaks the truth into us always and never fails to make us laugh. She’s an overflow of with light and love!

This is my other squad leader, Victoria! She’s one of the most intentional people I know. Her attitude is always bright and she cares deeply for all of God’s creation. 

Beach day pictures with friends! Plus a photo of Lucy and I living the life in some hammocks (top right). 

More beach day pictures with my hosts and neighbors. Isamar and I (top left), Grace, one of our neighbors, and I (top right), Pastor Basilio, Isamar and I (bottom left), and Maria and I (bottom right).

Even more beach day pictures. P.s. Mario is the big man in the bottom right sitting next to his drawing of my name. He’s the sweetest and coolest dude. 

Squad shenanigans…hahahaha! 

God’s creation…so beautiful. The top left is a picture of these little mini peppers and they are so cute! 

All the ladies on my team! Lucy and I (top left) and Catherine and I (bottom right). Lucy is a spirited soul that exemplifies what it means to be free! She’s in love with God’s creation and is always quick to put others before herself. Catherine is a natural-born caregiver. She’s got a servants heart and joy that exceeds simply being contagious. I love these girls!

The top is a picture of a lady that owns a shop at the beach we visited. She was very kind and I want to remember her warm heart! The bottom picture is of Juanita or abuelita. She’s the mother of Grace, my neighbor. She walks entirely of the Spirit and never ceases to proclaim the goodness of God. 

FRUIT!

These are the squad guys and half of my team (Daegan, Will and Levi left to right)! Yesterday for V-DAY they picked all these flowers and put them in little bouquets for all the girls. It's been awesome getting to know their hearts and see God's goodness shine through them. 

This past Saturday I had the honor of leading worship with these lovely friends of mine. It was for a national conference in Costa Rica. Pictured is Deglyss, Estéban, Tamara, Hope, Arlyn, Eliezer, Arron and the guy that was directing/live-streaming the event (left to right).