Only a year ago...

Sean and I on a hike... In the background just to the left of Sean's shirt sleeve is Cru's LAC office (2nd big building) where we'll be working.

A year ago today, February 21, was a cold Friday morning.  Sean was out of town, so I had to drive Natalie to the carpool drop-off spot.  On the way home, I prayed and told God I was willing to move anywhere if it would be good for our family.  Even Orlando.

I've never really wanted to live in Orlando, but it's the international headquarters for Cru, and Sean works in Operations.  That means that it would be a real possibility of moving there at some point, especially if we showed any interest.  So when I prayed that morning, I told God I was willing to move anywhere, even Orlando.  I was surrendering to Him.

First sleepover in Costa Rica last night in celebration of Samuel's birthday this coming Tuesday

All of our children were born in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  We lived there for over 16 years.  We love it there!  We love our friends, our church family, our house, our doctors, and the list goes on and on.  Even our hairdresser is the only hairdresser who has ever cut any of our kids hair!  (We both got teary-eyed the last time she cut our hair in December.)  Sean enjoyed his job, and we believed we were making a difference both through Cru and in the community.  So we weren't hoping to move.

But a year ago today I told God I was willing to move anywhere if that's what He wanted.  And it was!

Natalie's soccer game in Escazu

That same evening, on February 21, as I was at a local firehall helping set up for our cub scout pack's blue and gold banquet, Sean told me on the phone about an email he had just received that afternoon.  It was from a coworker that we knew who lives in Costa Rica.  In the email, he asked us to consider moving to Costa Rica for Sean to become the operations director for Cru's LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) office.  WOW!  The email came later on the EXACT same day I had prayed telling God I was willing to move anywhere!!!

So we couldn't just ignore the email.  Instead, we began to pray.

The next week our world turned upside down as one of our kids became very sick and was hospitalized for 2 weeks.  That's another story of God's grace.  But we paused our consideration of moving while we focused on health.

Later in the spring, we began to consider the question of moving to Costa Rica.  We had lots of questions:  What about everything everyone's health?  What about schools? What about our house? Our friends? Everything comfortable about Pennsylvania?  Did God really want us to move to Costa Rica, or did He just want us to be willing to move?  Over the next several months, we prayed and sought God's will in the matter. Throughout this time, God made it very clear that He wanted us to take this step of faith to move to Costa Rica.  Maybe later I'll write more about some of the ways He made it so clear. But He did make it clear.  And so now, a year later to the day, we have been in Costa Rica for 7 weeks and one day.

Micah's first school "performance"

It hasn't always been easy.  I miss my friends and family.  (When I had to describe my family in Spanish to one of my classes, I began to cry - how embarrassing!)  Micah also cries easily (more than his friends here seem to cry.)  I'm still figuring out where to buy everything I need.  I get tired of working so hard mentally to understand what others are saying or to be able to communicate even just a little bit with others.  It can be exhausting just going to buy a simple item and having to figure out what the vendor is telling me (especially when he tells me I have to tell him the amount I owe him in Spanish and how much change I will receive in Spanish.)  Cooking on a tiny stove can be difficult at at times.  Figuring out everyone's schedule and how to get to and from each place by walking or taking a bus or taxi can be tiring.

Micah and Elliana love our landlords!

But it's worth it.  We've made some great new friends.  God gave us a wonderful house across from a beautiful park with sweet neighbors and the best landlords ever.  The new fruits and learning the culture and the language have been rewarding as well.  (And I have to admit, waking up where it's 70 degrees when I see on my weather app that it's 0 degrees in PA makes me enjoy the weather here even more this time of year.) But most of all, being in God's will makes it worth every bit of the hard parts.  It's worth it because God made it super clear that He wanted us here.  This past year is full of so many amazing ways that God showed us He wanted us here.  Sometimes it's hard to believe that just a year and one day ago I had no idea we would be living in a foreign country and learning a new language and culture.  But I wouldn't trade it for anything.  It's worth it to be right where He wants us.