The past several months I’ve been pseudo living out of my minivan, affectionately called “The Manvan”. I’m not sure I named it that because it rhymed, because it made a soccer mom van sound more manly, or because I just needed something to get my best friend Ryan to stop calling it the “Granny Vanny”. Since October 14th, I’ve been raising money to serve on the Young Life staff internationally. Young Life is brand new in Mexico and I get the privilege of being a small part of getting things started. I'm stoked because my job will be to build relationships with people, something I love doing, and sharing about my deepest love, Jesus Christ! So I’ve traveled the southeastern part of the United States meeting with everyone I possibly could to share the incredible story and ask people to join with me. It was a way to experience God I never would have chosen, but I loved it. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard. Sleeping on couches. Eating lots of meals alone. Not having a job. Seeing friends who are married and have nice houses, and me living out of a minivan. But I loved meeting with people and hearing their stories and sharing mine. I got to see people give sacrificially, and be encouraged from unexpected places. There’s no way I would trade that experience.
Last Tuesday I said goodbye to my family (who I'm super grateful for!) and made the 2-hour drive from Seminole, FL, my hometown, to Orlando, where I’ve been living for the last decade. It would be the last time I make that drive for quite some time. I had a little going away shindig and got to hug my really good friends around a bonfire. I gave the manvan to my boy Isaiah to deliver to a wonderful friend Josh in Tennessee. It was really wierd, but it was kind of freeing getting rid of most of my stuff. Many people have asked me if I'm worried about leaving. I think I was more worried about staying any longer.
Last Wednesday I flew to San José, Costa Rica for 5 ½ months of intensive language school. I live with a host family who doesn’t speak English, and I take 5-6 hours of Spanish per day. I live in a little 4-bedroom house with 4 other people and 1 bathroom. There’s no [working] tv, no couch, not even a desk in my room. But I’ve already experienced some beautiful fellowship here, a great reminder of how much more valuable people are than stuff (and it beats the heck out of a couch!) I started my tutoring Monday with my teacher Lissette, who was my teacher when I was here a couple summers ago, and she was impressed with how my Spanish is doing!
I’m super pumped because one of my best friends in the whole world, Brandon, recently decided he was going to pick up and move down here too. He’s joining me the first week of April and will be studying Spanish alongside me! I can’t wait for some sweet adventures together.
All that said, I’m grateful to God for the journey, for getting me here and for what he has planned ahead. The Lord has been gracious to me, and I’m eternally grateful. I’ve given my life to him and am stoked to see where that leads me.
Habakkuk 1:5
Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.
Pura Vida
This is the view from my study spot at school!
