thankful tree & trusting

I wish that I could post more than every 2 weeks, but somehow life flies by and I don't get to writing on my blog that often! It's very hard to believe next week is THANKSGIVING! This Thanksgiving will be different of course because I am not in the states. Thankfully, we have many friends here from the states that celebrate the holiday and that will host fun festivities :) Also, this is the first Thanksgiving that I will spend since I read 1000 Gifts and have been really pondering on this idea of living life in Eucharisteo.

Last week my older sister sent me a picture of a Thankful Tree that she made with her precious kiddos. What a sweet family activity this time of year!

Diana told Colin, her step-son, about what they were doing and asked what he was thankful for, he squealed in excitement, "Ava (my niece)!...God!" My 5 year old nephew teaches me of what God has been drilling home to me the past couple months: Thanks is the root to joy. When we name our thanks, it makes the gifts of God more tangible and more present in our minds. I think we all have many things to squeal out of gratitude in. What would be on your thankful tree?

Today I got to skype with the most beautiful baby in the world- my niece Ava. :) I have learned much from this little one as well. She is 1.5 years old and is in the stage where she mimics everything her older brother Colin does. She does not hesitate to trust him. We are made to TRUST in something and to mimic someone as we grow up. 

Aren't we all still that way? After exhausting all other options, we come to a point in our faith journey where we realize the true Person to mimic and trust wholly in is Jesus Christ. I have been learning here that THANKS leads us to TRUST. This is the foundation of our faith in Christ! We must come to a place of gratitude with the things in our life in order to completely trust God when the circumstances seem impossible.

Life in Costa Rica has not been a breeze, but through the challenges God has been teaching me to simply trust, beginning with gratitude. I've also seen this in the lives of my friends who are facing some extremely tough circumstances in life, such as, losing  friends and family to cancer, divorce and heart-break, seemingly impossible health and financial problems (and the list goes on right?). Even when we cannot see the good in a situation, we can be thankful for the one thing that gives us hope. Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of all things, the Savior of our souls and the hope of a life of eternity with God.

In other news...

Last weekend I went to waterfalls called Los Chorros in Grecia Alajuela (about 1.5 hours from where I live) with a group of International college students that I'm connected to thru my church. Thankful for day trips (paseos) to enjoy nature and sweet people. We swam in the chilly water and stood under the strong current of the fall, which was a blast!

Valentines from God at the waterfalls....

My Young Life team and I are heading to La Montana, a camp 2 hours outside the city, with our Middle School students this weekend for Wyld Life camp! It will be the "best weekend of our lives" with non-stop controlled chaos with crazy games and program and the Gospel presented by the speaker/a fellow Texan, David Morgan. My next post will tell of all God does! Stay tuned!

Chau!

~N