Hey everyone!

Wow. Long time no blog am I right?! To me, it seems like a thousand years ago that I wrote my last blog. There has been so much going on. We left our ministry in Turrialba, Costa Rica and went to Jaco, Costa Rica. Our entire squad met up there to have a debrief of our time so far. It was so refreshing and refilling to be with all of the teams in one place. From there, we got split up and went to our new ministries. This is where things get interesting...

We are in a tiny village called Rio Grande. The nearest town, a 10 minute drive away, is called Paquera, Costa Rica. Even that town is quite small. We are at a small church in the mountains living with a host family- the pastors of the church. 

I don’t think I’ve ever been stretched so much physically and mentally in one place. First of all, the host family only speaks Spanish... leaving me to be the main translator. I do all communication and coordinating with our host, translate and speak on evangelism days, and translate our church services for the team. Guys, I barely passed Spanish 2. At the end of the day, my head is throbbing. Physically, also pretty harsh conditions. I actually kind of thrive on that part though! We’ve been here for a whole week now, and it’s brought out some interesting things. 

When I think of stress and what it brings out, I think of a tube of toothpaste. When things are easy, we’re able to put on whatever face we want. The outside is easy to control. When we are out under pressure and squeezed, whatever is inside of us comes out. With enough pressure and squeezing, we are unable to control how much comes out- it just does. And everyone are around you gets to see what is really inside. What comes out when you’re squeezed? 

It makes me think of Jesus. When He was tempted and put under pressure in the wilderness, what came out was Scripture. When He was under the most stress of His life before He was crucified, what came out was prayer. 

For my team and I, we’re starting to see what’s really inside of us. Issues, conflict, and division have started coming out. This week, we’ve had to have two really hard conversations together as a team. In three weeks, the teams are most likely going to change. With some people leaving, new team leaders being brought up, and us moving to our new country (Panama!!!), our team will most likely be split. With this in mind, we have two options. 

Option 1: Look at the next three weeks as a time of discouragement. Why would we try to fix things if we only have three weeks together? Taking this time to walk on egg shells and not have hard conversations. Why would it matter? We almost have new teams. Honestly, this option isn’t out of the question. For most people, this is the easy way. And I don’t blame people for wanting to do this option. It’s way easier to just ride out the storm and wait for something to change. 

Option 2: Do the hard thing. Look at the next three weeks as a time of urgency. We only have three weeks left together to draw close together. To build a Christ-like community. To actually choose and love each other simply because that’s what Christ does. To bear with one another in everything (Colossians 3:12-14) and lay down what our flesh wants to do out of love (John 15:12-13). 

When I look at Christ’s example, He had opportunities to not buy into His community. Even on the night before He was crucified, what was He doing? He was sitting, having a meal with His main people, pouring into them, and serving them. He could have decided to retreat because He was about to leave them. But He didn’t. That’s not His character. He chose into His community. He chooses you. Even when it’s hard. 

He could have looked at the sin of the world and all the people in it and decided He was done. He could have walked away. But He didn’t. He chose the hard thing. He chose to send His Son down to die as a payment of grace for all of our sin. He chose the hard thing because He chooses you. You are His chosen. 

When I look at the two options, I know what my flesh wants to pick- option 1. But when I see my Lord set the example for us, I’m compelled by His love. I won’t give up. I won’t stop pursuing my team. I won’t stop loving them. 

Who is someone in your life that’s really hard to love? Maybe they’ve always been hard- even for 30 years. What option will you take? I know what option the Lord chooses. Praise God He does the hard thing, for all of our sakes. So how will His love compel you to love others (2 Corinthians 5:14)? How will you love others like Jesus does (John 13:35)? 

Personally I’m compelled to take option 2. Let’s do the hard thing together. Let’s choose into people like He chooses us. Let’s forgive like He forgave us (Colossians 3:13). 

Hey I miss you all. My social media is gone right now. The only ways to reach me is GroupMe, WhatsApp, and email. I’d love to hear from you, even if it takes me a while to respond back. Be blessed this week. 

Lord, I pray that you compel us all to love and choose others like you do. Teach us what it means to buy into community, to choose people, and love them through everything. Teach us to do hard things. Thank you for the hard times. Because they teach us how to look more like you. Thank you for your constant love. A love that’s so strong, we could never separate ourselves from it. You are so good. We love you, praise you, and bless you. Amen.