Skip to main content

In the Beginning

Hmm... blogging? I'll take a whack at it. Writing is not my thing so don't judge too harshly. I am hoping this blog will grow with me. Who knows someday I might be good enough to actually buy my own domain. I graduated from High School June 2014. I went to community college and graduated with my liberal arts degree in a year. I think travel is my thing because every time I hear of a new place I spend a couple hours Googling pictures of the places to visit, the people, the scenery, the hotels, and the price for a plane ticket. So... I obsess a little, what's the problem?

I traveled to Costa Rica in 2012. I think I fell in love. Who knew that there could be a country that just felt different from home? A place where everyone I met was friendly and relaxed? #PuraVida
It was my first time away from home by myself and my first real adventure. We went surfing, white water rafting, zip lining, and horseback riding through the jungle. We also visited a couple of schools and orphanages where we donated clothes, money, and school supplies. We spent a few nights staying in tent hotel rooms in the jungle and staying at biodiversity research facility. Coming home felt more lonely than being there away from home. I swore that I would go back. People always ask really short answered questions about your trips. Q; How was it? A: It was good. I just added it was good and I will be going back.

Well I've been working on it. This August I will be headed to Costa Rica for a nine month mission trip with SCORE International. We will spend hours in classes everyday learning Spanish and studying the Bible. On the weekends we will go out on excursions to work in the community teaching English, organizing soccer camps for kids, and many other community projects.

My faith seems to be like a flower. (I have a black thumb, everything I plant dies). I am working on feeding my faith, developing it, and really concentrating on deciding how I will live my life more faith-based. I grew up going to church. I would say that I am a Christian. But to understand anything you have to do your research. No more blind faith. It is time to dig-in and really figure this thing out. And this trip back to Costa Rica will be that year of discovery and development: a time to go from a child's faith to a personal relationship.

During this past year of saving absolutely every nickle and working multiple jobs to save for the Costa Rica mission trip I did splurge a little. I went to Haiti. And I am going again. And somehow I fell in love again. It was beautiful. We worked with some of the most amazing people. We installed a water filtration system and solar panels in rural Grande Saline. We set up clinics in the largest slum in the Western Hemisphere. We gave children toys, soccer balls, and clothes.

And at the end of everyday I was happy and ready to do more. This blog, at this point, is going to be "the more". Instead of trying to explain what happened everyday here it shall be. So for any of those interested I am happy to share my experiences, adventures, and discoveries.

Love has no borders,
Rachel Martha

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I never would have guessed...

Dear Friends and Family, Many of you may know and some   may not so here it is... drum roll please... I am headed back to Costa Rica, and this time it is for two years! This past February, I visited Costa Rica to recruit GAP students for Lancaster Bible College. While I was there I heard about their need for a new Female Student Life Coordinator. I never anticipated this position being available at a time when I would be in a position to take it. While I was in Costa Rica with LBC I was able to speak with the directors of the program who offered me the position. After I returned home I had a lot of praying to do. I took about two weeks to pray and seek good counsel. After considering my options and seeking Godly wisdom I called the director in Costa Rica and officially accepted the position. In this position my primary responsibility will be to build relationships with and disciple the GAP students in the program. We hope to have 20-25 college age st...
Post a Comment
Read more

Counting Every Blessing

  Group Photo at Laodicea Hey Hey Hey! It has been a while since I have written an update like this. Life has changed a lot over the past several months. I have sat down to write an update several times, but I have not been fully sure of what I wanted to write. The last time I wrote an update was about a year ago when the decision had been made to leave Costa Rica early at the beginning of the pandemic. It seems unreal that it has been a year. Though there are many difficulties I could list from my own experiences this year, there are also many blessings. So this update is coming at you in the form of a list of blessings:  1. After returning home from Costa Rica I found a job that I was able to work from April to August. I know that many people lost jobs through that time and I was grateful I was able to at least work part-time. 2. Over the summer I was able to travel and visit friends I had not been able to see in a very long time. 3. In August I started my job as a resident ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Looking Back and Thinking Forward

Hello Friends and Family! It is that time of year again to make decisions and figure out what next year will look like except... those decisions have already been made for this year... praise God. In August I will be returning to Costa Rica to serve as the Female Student Life Director once again. This year has brought me great joy to serve and disciple students. This year, we have seen 5 of our students commit their lives to Christ and more than that make decisions to re-dedicate themselves to the Lord. In November, nine of our students were baptized. Every day I watch my students discover what it means to die to themselves and choose to live for Jesus instead and to choose to put the needs and desires of others before their own. It meant they needed to choose to serve in their ministries even when they were tired. It meant they they had to choose to work hard in Bible and Spanish classes to the glory of God. It meant that when they were uncomfortable they had to choose an atti...
2 comments
Read more