Tico Tuesday, March 15th

What a week it has been! Thursday through Sunday was our annual UWM Costa Rica retreat. On the way up to the retreat, I stopped at some AMAZING, beautiful botanical gardens. It was phenomenal. I could write a whole post on that and how I felt like it was the closest thing to Eden I could imagine and what a glorious time of worship and communion with God it was. Please make sure to look at the pictures I posted on facebook!

But, I also have to tell you about getting together with my fellow missionaries here, hearing some of their stories, receiving excellent teaching from the Word through some of my colleagues from the office in Charlotte, starting to work on a strategic plan for the year, roller skating and playing with scooters, singing to the Lord together (next year I'm going to record us singing the Doxology because wow, what gorgeous harmonies!), sharing and praying with the other women, and more! It was a wonderful, encouraging time. Chad, our spiritual formation director who is now in charge of strategic planning too gave an excellent overview of the book of James, helping me see it as never before. We also spent a fair bit of time in small groups. One highlight of my group was when someone compared a hard season in life to a chick hatching out of its egg. What a beautiful, hope-filled metaphor! That's way better than thinking of a long dark tunnel, despairing that the light will never come!
Back to strategic planning: UWM has all of its missionaries create annual goals in collaboration with our ministry partners. Then there is an annual review process. This helps keep us focused and accountable in our ministry (part of the report goes to my supporting churches). In my new role as small group coordinator, I've been feeling like I could really use some strategic planning! The role is new and I tend to not be much of a big picture/visionary kind of person. But, thankfully, this strategic planning process is really helping me. Chad gave me some good ideas, and today I met with my supervisor don José to talk about them and get his ideas too. I have a lot of praying, planning, and work to do. Please continue to pray for me in this new role!
Car update: I'm now over 35% of the way to raising the funds for my new car! If 26 of you gave a special gift of $50 that would be enough! Will you consider being 1 of 26 and helping meet this ministry need? Not having to take my car to the mechanic's every few weeks (and get it back days later) and not having to worry about bottoming out all the time will be so wonderful! Thank you so much to those who have already given and to those who give on a regular basis! I am so thankful for my amazing support network--and that includes a lot more than financial partners with UWM!
May you see God's glory this week and be filled with his hope!
Carrie