A Week with a Medical Team // Taking a Break.

HI EVERYONE!



I have officially started my 6th month here in Costa Rica. Honestly, sometimes I cannot believe it has been that long. Each month comes with its own challenges and struggles. But with each month, my relationship with the kids and people I work with are deepened.





So much has happened in the past week. We received a medical team from the US and I worked with them as a global team assistant/translator.. that means I spend all my week with the group.
God has been so good with us and we were able to work really well with the group. We held several medical fairs, taking care of over 300 patients in total, and at the same time, we had children ministry, coffee roasting class, female hygiene class, house visits. GOD IS SO GOOD. Those from the team were ready to step out of their comfort zone and jump in! I was very encouraged in my faith by spending time with this group. It was definitely the busiest week I've ever had since arriving here but it was so worth it.






This was our team! 




Something that really sticks out to me from this past week was without a doubt, the house visits. Each area that we did ministry, we took some time to visit the houses on the neighborhood, providing medical attention, a basic care package with food and prayer time for that household. Some of these houses are literally just a common space with no division, no rooms and many houses that we visited were very hard not to be shocked by their living condition. But also, it was very powerful to know that no matter the place, one can feel the presence of the holy spirit and know that God is working in that place. I will share with you a video that one of the missionary took. >>

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This is what happened this past week but I would like to update you on how I have been doing personally. The past month hasn't been easy. I have been having a hard time with one of the ministries (It actually is the place you will see on the video). I have been feeling emotional and mental exhaustion when I worked at the place. It all started about a month ago and this was very hard for me to understand why. When I would think about the ministry or when I would go there, it is as if my mental state changed to worse. I would feel very anxious and disconnected from the place. It is very hard to explain because I still don't know exactly what this is all about.
I still don't quite know what triggered this but after talking with my host mom, who is a psychologist, all I know is that the place triggers me to have some anxiety symptoms and affects my mental state. After seeking advice from those around me, I have decided to take a break from this one ministry. The period is undecided, but as for this week, I am no longer working in Las Gradas.
It is a hard place to be at, being exposed to so much darkness. It is a place that is spiritually "heavy" but this is one of the main ministries I have been involved so this was a very hard decision to make. It took a lot of courage and faith in letting go temporarily of this place. But I know this time off will be used to bring me the peace and healing I need.

Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful"

This has been the scripture I have been keeping in my heart this past week.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I am always encouraged knowing that believers can be united through the same spirit.


Here's how you can pray for me and the ministries this month:

-Pray for my overall wellbeing for the remaining month. It's my 6th month here in CR!
-Pray for the kids I interact with daily, that they may learn more about Jesus and feel loved through my interactions with them
-Pray for one of my ESL students. She is 20 years old and we've been studying together for the past 5 months for her exams (高卒認定試験）so she can get her highschool diploma! Her exam is in 2 weeks!
-Pray for my studies. My classes will start next week!

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First Week in CR

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Hello from Costa Rica! It has been a week since I arrived here and due to the difference of climate, schedule, and timezone, I got sick the next day I arrived but after I week, I feel like I finally got over jetlag and my sickness! This past week I visited the ministries that I'm going to be working with and it was a blast. So good to see so many familiar faces and meet new people as well. It's great to be working with the same people again. As for now, it seems as like I will be working with 3 different ministries. I will briefly explain about them below. As for now, I will explain what my week look like. Twice a week for half a day I serve at the Institute here in La Carpio (the building where I gave English classes last time I was here). There I help out with a Refugee Program with the families who have immigrated from Nicaragua recently. The other Ministry is called Las Gradas, a program that helps children by assisting them with their homework or providing aid for
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Hello Everyone:) Thank you so much for your prayers. It is always so encouraging to know that there are people who are praying for me and the ministries here in Costa Rica. This week I will be sharing about one ministry in particular. As I said in the last post, I'm blessed to be able to serve in several ministries, one of them is called Las Gradas. The word Gradas means steps in Spanish. This is because the whole area is filled with steps so, in order to get from one place to the other, you have to climb these steps. In the picture below you can see the map of La Carpio. It's the biggest slum in Costa Rica and it is located between 2 polluted rivers. The line in the middle is the main street where the buses stop. La Carpio is divided into 9 sectors and Las Gradas is located in the Sector Roble Norte. From the main street, you have to go down the steps in order to get to Las Gradas. The building where the ministries are held is located by the river where people throw
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Learning from Kids.

Hello Everyone:) It has been quite a busy month! I definitely underestimate how hard it was going to be to balance school and ministry work, and it resulted in many late nights studies so I could catch up on my assignments... But God is good and faithful. I just finished two classes last week and have a few days off before the next one starts!  I'm trying to cease every moment that I have left serving in the ministries here! Though it has been over 6 months, every now and then, I will still experience somethings that will break my heart and keep me sensitive to what is surrounds me. Not so long ago I came across a boy who left me astonished.  This boy, who will be in third grade soon, could not write his own name. We were doing an activity and asked the kids to write their name so they'd recognize which craft were theirs. This boy stayed till every kid left to go get a snack, and I came and told him that when he finished his drawing and wrote his name, he could get a
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