Taking from good ol' Wikipedia, the saying "pura vida" in CR means "plenty of life," "full of life," "this is living!" "going great," "real living," "Awesome!" or "cool!" This is exactly how I've been feeling the last few days. Although the actual "work" part of this trip had not started until today, I have felt so relaxed and just living life (how I think everyone should be living....on the beach :).
Going back a fews days to Friday night, I opened my Jesus Calling devotional to that day, January 13 (the first night I was in CR). The first line said, "Try to view each day as an adventure, carefully planned out by your Guide." Now I don't know about anyone else, but more times than not, the devotionals in Jesus calling are PERFECT for what I'm going through that day. This time in CR is an adventure for me, and it is also a time where I am trusting God to guide my every step in this foreign country. God has already planned my steps though, so now all I have to do is listen, trust, and obey...easy, right? Well that's my goal: to not let my own mind make decisions, but to let God control them. A few lines down, it said "A thankful, trusting attitude helps you to see events in your life from My perspective," and I would like nothing more than to see things from my Dad's perspective. I'll let you read the rest of this devotion, but the last line of it says, "..the safest place to be is by My side," and I know God will protect me while I'm here enjoying the surprises and adventures he throws my way!
Now I'll tell you a little more about my weekend! The other student teachers and I left early Saturday morning to take a taxi then a bus to the city of Jaco, a beautiful tourist-y beach. We SUCCESSFULLY bought our tickets, and got on the right bus to take us to Jaco. Mission: Get There...check. Once we got off the bus in Jaco, we found our way to the beach, laid out our towels, and did what we know best: soak up the sun. The sand on the beach was silky and dark because of the volcanos, so the water wasn't as clear from the sand never being able to settle, but it was still one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. Around lunch time, we walked over to a bar and grill right on the beach, where I had some delicious fish tacos. Mission: Eat Good and Affordable Food...check. After lunch, we spent more time walking and chilling on the beach, before we had to go find a place to stay for the night. To sum it up, we found a very nice hostel that included a fresh and yummy continental breakfast. Mission: Place to Sleep...check. The next day we spent a few more hours on the beach before we had to catch the bus back to San Jose. While we were waiting to board the bus, we were talking about how perfect and successful that trip had been. But we spoke to soon...to make a long story short, two of my friends backpacks were stolen off the bus. The good news is that no one was hurt, and they had their wallets, money, and ID on them, but the bad news is that iphones, a camera, clothes, books, and other personal items were taken. Like I said before though, I believe God has and will continue to keep us safe, and I am so thankful that he protected us during that situation. It was also a good reminder for us of how cautious we need to be while we are here though.
The first day of school with the students is tomorrow, so the rest of this week will be exciting, busy, and probably very tiring, but I'm ready to see what God has in store for me!! Thank you all for your prayers and messages! And check out my FB to see pics :)
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