thanks in sacrifice

 This blog is sprinkled with Valentines From God I've discovered in the past 2 months...

The title of my blog may cause some of you to think of the eucharist (also known as communion), which is taken in church to remember the body and blood of Jesus Christ that was sacrificed to redeem sin in the world. I had a revelation after reading Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts (for the second time) as she pointed out what Jesus Christ did the night before He would be sacrificed for the world. HE GAVE THANKS. Knowing the hardship He was about to endure, He was thankful!!.. what?!

Paul writes....

1 Corinthians 11:13-25 

²³For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

He says, DO THIS. We are commanded to remember Him and give thanks as He did, in the midst of sacrifice and betrayal. How incredible we have a God that was/is THANKFUL to limit himself to the confines of a human body and suffer to death, all to save us from the evil powers of sin. Whoa, that is straight up LOVE. 

In other news in the realm of thankfulness...
I am connected in many different ways with an amazing non-profit based in Houston, Living Water International (LWI). LWI exists "to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience "living water"—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst". On Oct. 10th  they launched a campaign called "10 days" where the participants choose to drink only water for 10 days and give up buying drinks. In return they will donate the money they would have spent on drinks to LWI. The campaign was targeted at college campuses where the majority of students buy coffee, soda, alcohol etc on a daily basis. A sacrifice as "small" as giving up non-water drinks is bringing about thankfulness in the hearts of the participants. 


Check out their blog HERE. Today's post is written by my man, Andres Rodriguez, a participant in the campaign and the featured star in the campaign video. He is not the only one seeing God move and having a heart of thanks; there are students across the nation that are drawing nearer to Christ as they fast these 10 days. I encourage you to take time to read the blog post...it's beautiful devotional that sets your mind and heart on being thankful for our God.

In other news in Costa Rica...
Today marks my 2 months here!
Time has flown by. Much to be thankful for; Grateful for the big things and the simple things,the hard times and the happy times. I'm thankful this weekend for time. Time to rest, time to pray, time to think, time to read, time for conversation. Time here seems to be less urgent than in the states, which is nice. God is teaching me to embrace the fullness in slower living. I desire to savor the moments, every moment, I spend here in Costa Rica, and to see the gift of each moment.

In many ways living abroad doing full-time ministry is a sacrifice. Sacrifice of my home comforts, being close to my friends, family and boyfriend, sacrifice of the convenience of life in the states etc... Sacrificing for sharing and living the gospel to a culture that desperately needs it, sacrificing for going where God leads you, sacrificing for growth in challenging situations. I am learning to give thanks in the sacrifice.

~N

leave me some love!

To all my "followers": I updated my settings so that anyone can leave a comment on any of my blog posts! You don't have to be a blogger or have an account to do so anymore. Yay! Let me know you stopped in by leaving a note!

muchas aventuras!

So much adventure has happened since my last post! These adventures have kept me busy, causing me to slack on my Internet updates. This post is extra long to catch you up on everything!

First of all... I "graduated" from language school! 6 weeks later and I can speak a whole lot more espanol...

Thankful for~the opportunity to learn here~opportunity to share my faith with my teachers~great relationships with teachers~the long, adventurous trek to school each morning with Sydney to downtown San Jose

Last weekend Alex, Sydney and I crossed the border to San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua to renew our visas. We basically had a long weekend at the beach, and it was quite the adventure! Here are some pictures to sum up our amazing vay-cay!

Thankful for~lots of quiet time in the Word and prayer on the beach

Note: the statue on the top of that hill is a giant Jesus pointing to the ocean! He watched over us at the beach ;)

Thankful for~amazing views~rock climbing ventures~nica tanks~headbands~self-timer pics

Thankful for~rooftop times with my chicas~being goofy~good convos

Thankful for~seafood on the shore~coffee flavored ice cream after every meal from Eskimo

Thankful for~paddle boarding~beach to ourselves~sun tans/burns~sore muscles

Thankful for~stunning sunsets~walks on the shore~new mercies every morning

Thankful for~really odd sights in foreign countries, such as this women with 8 dogs and a bird on her arm that she kissed as she walked down the beach

Saturday was my 23rd birthday and it was definitely my most memorable one yet! I woke up early to get ready for a morning hike to the "3 crosses" with my teammates. Then my sweet boyfriend sent me a gift via email: his voice in a music file, singing a fun song he wrote about a voyage to come see me in Costa Rica! I could not be more thankful for Andres!! So my teammates and I headed to the mountain right up the road from my house and hiked up, down and around it in 5 hours! It was by far the most unique, adventurous hike I've ever done! Such diverse terrain, climate and views. I returned home and my madre was cooking arroz con pollo for my bday lunch (Costa Rican typical bday meal). It was delicious of course! I then got to skype with my parents and bestie Nicole in the afternoon before I headed out to celebrate birthdays at my mentors house with my teammates and our mentors. It was such a fun, sweet time to dine, laugh and share gifts and stories together. I also got some surprise phone calls from people in Texas that I was SO excited to hear from!

At the end of the night, I was so taken back with the love that was showered on me on this day. I felt so glad to be in Costa Rica with the amazing friends and ladies in my life, and so grateful for my loved ones at home sending sweet bday wishes. I and thankful to the nth degree for you all! Here are some pics from my special day!

                           

Above: us at all 3 crosses along the hike; the last cross pic is at the peak of the mountain. Here Syd and I are doing headstands in what looks like the Swiss Alps. Nbd.

        My mentor, Dina and I

My amazing, beautiful team/mejor amigas!

The End to my last week of adventures! Needless to say I am very thank FULL!