Tico Tuesday, December 22nd

It's almost here! The Advent season is almost over! In just a couple days we celebrate the incarnation of Jesus Christ! And one day after that I fly back down to Costa Rica!
Going back to Costa Rica had been feeling very surreal until the last few days, when all of a sudden, more plans have been made and I've been in touch with more people I'll be seeing in less than a week!
Yesterday I got a little foretaste of returning to Costa Rica and being immersed in Spanish again--which was really good because a week after I return I will be interpreting for my roommate's wedding. But seeing Cindy (who I met in Costa Rica) and John (who is tico) was good for much more than just speaking Spanish. God richly blessed our time together. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and sharing. After I saw them, I went and saw some close friends from college and had a rich time of sharing and prayer with them too. Once more I am feeling very blessed and grateful.
Nowadays, one of the things I get most excited about is traveling, and thinking of the relationship between excitement about me being in Costa Rica and the excitement of Christ being born and present, God with us, is really neat. If I get so excited about what is comparatively such a small-scale coming (me returning to Costa Rica), how excited should I be about the presence and coming of Christ (The Divine putting on skin and walking with his creation)? Wow.
May our hearts be full of awe, worship, gratitude, and excitement as we celebrate Christ's birth and anticipate his coming again!
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers and journeying with me!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Love,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, December 15th

I spent this past week visiting several relatives on my mom's side of the family: my grandmother who was widowed at this time last year, my aunt and uncle and a couple cousins who live in the same town as Grandma, and another aunt and uncle and cousins who live a few hours away. It was a wonderful time to share and enjoy time together.
While I was with Grandma, I went for a run through her neighborhood and enjoyed seeing all the Christmas decorations so much that I insisted on taking Grandma for a "light ride" one evening so she could see them in their full splendor. I've never really been a fan of these blow-up decorations, but as I ran by these ones while they were turned off and thought about them, a spiritual parallel came to mind. (Sorry they're so small in the picture.) The figures in this picture are unrecognizable in their airless state. I tried to guess what they were: I thought the white one on the left must be some kind of snowman, the middle a reindeer, and the one on the right, perhaps some gingerbread men? The one on the right didn't inflate properly when I took Grandma by it, so I never figured out what it is, but the left one is a little snow fort with penguins and the middle figure is actually a monkey! I never would have known! John 15:5 says that "apart from me you can do nothing." Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. Without God, I am nothing. He breathed the breath of life into Adam, and every breath thereafter is a gift from him. God is the Source of power and life. I only am because He is. I want to walk more closely with Christ and I want people recognize his presence in my life. I want to be more aware of my complete need for and dependence on him and live accordingly. I pray for the same desire to be fulfilled in you too!
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, December 8th

Greetings from South Carolina!

I just spent the weekend with this adorable little guy and his mom and aunt (my cousins). He is so precious and I miss him already! I'm excited to meet another baby though--My pastor in Costa Rica and his wife had their baby on Thursday! Thank you for your prayers: both mama and baby are doing well.
Following up on another prayer request, I think I've found an apartment! It has a good-sized open front room, lots of natural lighting, sufficient counter space and storage in the kitchen, and pretty much everything else I was looking for. It's not definite yet, but I'm excited and hopeful about the possibility.
I can't believe I return to Costa Rica in about two and a half weeks now! It feels like I've been gone for a long time though, and I'm a little nervous about returning. I know a lot will be changing with my move, my roommate Chrissy getting married, and me learning a new role in church and everything. And I know that while I've been gone, I've changed, and surely lots of other people and things have changed too. That's an important lesson I've been learning: Change is inevitable, and so I need to be grateful for what has been, savor the present, and remain hopeful about the future. Giving thanks in every circumstance (1 Thessalonians 5:18) has been taking on a much richer meaning for me. All of this is hard for tradition/routine/structure-loving me, but being open is much better and healthier than being resistant. While I may not be able to understand what is happening in the moment, I am slowly learning to trust and rest in God's goodness, sovereignty, and love.
Thank you so much for praying for all those things I mentioned last week. It is exciting to see how God is already answering them! Please keep praying with me for my re-entry to Costa Rica and all that will entail.
God's blessing, peace, and hope be with you all as we press more deeply into the Advent season and await our Savior's coming!
Carrie