It’s been a long month, but realizing that we are halfway through the first semester definitely puts some perspective on “long”. Time is going SO FAST!
Just this past week, we had our Visa run and then some vacation time. In Costa Rica, tourist visas only last 90 days, so halfway through the semester, we are required to leave the country. This semester, we took a trip to Nicaragua! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to stay in Nicaragua for long. We crossed the border, stayed there for about 30 minutes, and then crossed back into Costa Rica. We still made a week of it though! Santa Rosa (my ministry) is between San Jose and Nicaragua, so we stayed there for a couple nights to take some time away from our normal scene of the Villa. We drove up Tuesday, settled in and played some soccer. Wednesday, we spent the day at some hot springs in La Fortuna. This was a long day of relaxation and just spending easy time together. Thursday, we had brunch in Santa Rosa and drove back to the villa. On Friday, we went to an amusement park in the morning and then spent a relaxing afternoon in the Villa. It was a lot of fun to show the rest of the students my ministry site and church!
Ministry
The weekend has become something I really look forward to! The 3 hour drive to Santa Rosa gives us a great and easy way to get to know each other! As we do that, both on those car rides and during the week, we are able to do ministry more effectively. Martin and I have begun translating our game instructions for kids’ club before the weekend so that we can practice saying them and run the games more effectively. It feels like a small thing, but it is also a lot of fun! Youth group has been harder, only because there aren’t many students who come. This past week, we had a slightly larger number, but still not as many as we would want.
This past week, Sami and I spent the afternoon with one of the girls making cookies and getting to know her. Next week, one of the other girls invited me to her house to practice my Spanish! I am excited to be getting to know some of the students on a more personal level and am hoping that it will allow me to dig deeper into some conversations about their relationships with God!
Classes
Spanish class is still hard, but is also becoming much more rewarding! It has been a lot of fun to take what I am learning during the week and apply it over the weekends! We are starting to dig into some harder skills, so practice is becoming even more important every week.
Bible classes continue to be my favorite part of the week. We have had 7 total classes so far, and are starting our 8th today. Each class has challenged me in new ways! Whether it be how I study the Bible, how I present the Bible, or even how I think about the Bible, the classes have been helping me direct my focus. The Bible is a direct way to get to know the Lord better, and should be treated with care, love, and humility. Ultimately, though, our relationships with God are the priority and reading the Bible is just a method we use to strengthen those.
Battle Cry!
On October 7, we had a period of 24 hours (from 9 PM, Oct 6 – 9 PM, Oct 7) called Battle Cry where at least 4 people in the Villa were in prayer. The interns set up a prayer room with a bucket for requests, a whiteboard for scripture sharing, and cushions to sit, pray, write, read, whatever we needed to do during our time. The sign-up slots were 2 hours each and even though I thought that would feel long, I ended up staying in the room for 6 (from 11 PM – 5 AM). It was an incredible experience to realize just how much I actually had to pray for, be it in praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests. It was also really cool to experience that with other students and staff! Though it was quiet, alone time, there were people coming in and out of the room all night.
Story Time!
This past Monday night, we ended up in a Nerf Battle! We had two teams of 4, playing one shot and you’re out. We were using the whole property, inside and out of the Villa. This was a fun, spontaneous time where we all got sweaty, some of us muddy, and we all had a great time. The perfect off-day activity!
Prayer Requests
- I have grown a lot closer to a lot the students and staff, specifically my ministry team and my roommates! I praise the Lord for this, but also pray that this will continue to happen in a Christ-centered way. Pray that, even though we are growing more comfortable, I can continue to be intentional with the time I spend with others and the conversations we have.
- Pray for my ministry – that we can find ways to lead youth group and kids’ club so that it is both a welcoming environment and a strongly Christ-centered time. Pray that we can share truth and love in a way that is challenging and effective, but that we can also have fun with the students who come.
- Pray that I can continue desiring new challenges, be it in Bible classes, Spanish classes, ministry weekends, and whatever else God has in mind.
Christmas Cards!
I will be selling Christmas cards $3 each as a way to finish fundraising. If you are interested in buying any, let me know! I will be sending them home with Sami and Brandon at the end of November, so place your orders ASAP! Below are a few examples, but they’re freehand, so they all look a little different. If you have any requests or personalizations, I would love to do those for you. I am also selling gift tags for $1 each.
LeAnn Dienner - Costa Rica 