God knits our hearts together

Wow. That's really all I can say. Tomorrow is the end of my 6 month stay in Costa Rica. I've spent 6 months living here, loving on people, serving, growing closer to God, and trying to adapt to a new culture. It has been a roller coaster at times, but worth every second of it! I have enjoyed my time here so much that I can't stay away for too long!! What a blessing it is to be a part of what God is doing here! I have to give Him all the glory!! He doesn't need me here, I'm just thankful He has invited me to be a part of it.

Tomorrow I will be flying home to visit my amazing family and great friends!! 6 months away has been a really long time not to see the people you care about the most! I have so much to look forward to the next couple months as I get to spend time with everyone through the holidays! My best friend Katie and her husband Matt are expecting their first child, my precious Godson Easton!! I am beyond excited to finally get to hold him in my arms! I will also be home for some big celebrations! This year is my parents 25th wedding anniversary, and in December my little Sister will be 21 years old! What exciting milestones! I will also be getting to visit a few new places in the states and am hoping to get to visit some friends as well! While doing all of this, I will also be fundraising and gathering support for my next stay. I have committed to working with 6:8 Ministries for at least a couple more years. I will be staying here until God tells me to go elsewhere!

The crazy thing about getting to go home is that you have to say goodbye to all of the people God has placed in your life while you've been away. This week has been challenging to say see you later to the people I have gotten to share this amazing experience with. I have made amazing friends with both Ticos (Costa Ricans) and Gringos (that's us!). God has blessed me with so many great people and I am truly going to miss each and every one of them! My good friend Danny had a positive outlook on it, he told me this time away is an investment. He's letting me go for a few months, to get a few years! I guess it sounded good to him!

For me it's difficult to always be saying goodbye or see you later. But that's one thing I have learnt comes hand in hand with being a missionary. God places awesome people in your life for seasons. He needs you to love on them, encourage them, help them grow, do life together, but then sometimes He needs you to move on to someone else. I really like this quote from Kisses From Katie:

"The number of days or weeks we are together isn't important; what really matters is the way God knits our hearts together during the time He chooses for us to be in one another's lives."

What a great way to view it. This will continue to be a great reminder for me as I deal with missing my Costa friends, and then in a few months saying goodbye, yet again to my family and friends back home.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during this entire journey! Please continue to pray and look for updates on how God is leading me for my return!