Happy Monday!! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!! My weekend was so fun! On Friday evening after school I went to a young adults special service at my church, it started at 8pm and ended at midnight. It was a time of worship, prayer and teaching! I am so glad I went! On Saturday morning I went to the "comeador" (soup kitchen) just like normal however AFTERWARDS about 10 kids and I went on an adventure up the mountain next to the little town that they all live in. Of course, I had them all run home to ask whoever they live with if they could come and then off we went on our adventure! It was a big responsibility having 10 little ones, the Lord protected everyone and I think they had a blast!! The only thing that went wrong was a missing sandal...:)  The Lord is doing so much in this town and I am so thankful to be a part of His work there...what a blessing to get to be part of these kids’ lives and their families. :) Here are a few pictures from the climb!! :)

                                                                      love them!

   Please pray for these ones. Most of them have not so pretty living conditions both physically and emotionally!

                                This little one is who lost her sandel in a water hole; so I had to carry her the rest of the way :)

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psalms 30:11-12

Have a great week!

In His mercy,

:)Melissa W

Hope speaks of the future. When hope abounds in us, than we live differently. To have hope abound in us is to have an abounding assurance or confidence about our future.
 - Mike Bickle, IHOP

 

Here are some pictures from some recent end avers here in CR:

           I ran a 20km race called the "Irazu Challenge" and boy was it a challenge. We climbed 11km UPHILL in total and 9km down. It was amazing, and so beautiful!! Irazu is the name of a Volanoe ...we started at 9000ft and went up to the actual crater which is at 11000 feet and returned back to where we started!

 I joined the typical Costa Rican dance team at school and these are some of the pictures from the recent performances that we had!

So fun!

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. Please let me know how I can be praying for you.

xo Melissa

JN 13:34-35

La sobra!

Have you ever felt like you have become the "left overs" in your relationship with a loved one in your life? Whether it is a friend, family member, etc. Where there is a feast of time and energy with other people or things and you kind of get the "left overs." Maybe a better way to explain is if your mom cooks a really delicious dinner but there is some left over so she puts the left overs in the fridge....you kind of feel like the left overs in the fridge for somebody to take out at their convenience and pleasure in whatever moment. I know that this may seem a little strong but I have been thinking and realizing that this gives us only a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father feels. He loves us more than we could possibly understand and longs to spend time with us and so often we fill our lives with other things, people and maybe even ministry... and then at the end of the day we give God the "left overs" (If there are any) of what we have. Isn't the Saviour of the universe worth more than that?
Lord, please forgive me for giving you the "left overs" of my life and thank you for allowing me to feel a glimpse of how You feel.

Blessings. And remember to feast on HIM.

:)Melissa

Jer 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all of your heart.

Hello!! How is everyone doing? I am so excited to share a bit of this past weekend with you!  I was able to return to **** this weekend and stayed with a lady that I had met there a while ago. She lives in a humble home in one of the poorer neighbourhoods of ****. I have stayed there once before so I knew what to expect. She is a woman who does not yet know the Lord and is so hungry for love and attention. I feel honoured that the Lord has connected us, I pray that I would be faithful with this relationship.....I really feel immersed when I stay with her as it is a very unusual sight to see a foreigner in this neighborhood :) and  that is exactly what I am trying to do- immerse. Live life with people here. I feel so happy to do so...to  LIVE LIFE WITH PEOPLE.....here.
:)
I had the opportunity to attend the "Kids Club" that one of the local churches puts on every Saturday. I love Kids Club!! ***Here are a few pics (that the kids took of course!):

                                                                       *Smiles

                                                                *Sweet girls

       *Each child receives a ziplock bag of beans and rice to take home to their family.

Also, you may remember me posting about the lady and her daughter from Nicaragua that I met while waiting for the bus in SJ to go to ****, I had mentioned that they were new to **** anyways, I met up with the mother and her daughter for ice cream and to play at the park, it was such a blessed time! They will be moving back to Nicaragua next week....and I plan to visit them for my next visa trip! :) Here is a picture from our time at the park together:

1 Timothy 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Have a great week.
:)Melissa W

 He is Faithful to the End

How faithful am I? Jesus says at the end of vs.10 in Revelation 2 “Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.” Oh Lord, would you please give me the desire, heart, passion, courage and strength to be faithful until the end? Father, please open up my eyes to see You in a new way- You who is coming for your bride- pure and spotless... oh that I would live my life pure and spotless.  Church, what is He saying to us?  God gives us the book of Revelation so that we can know what to expect in the days to come- so we can be ready for when judgement day comes.  You see, right now Christ is sitting on the mercy seat- lovingly granting mercy for all of our repented transgressions...hallelujah! Praise Jesus for that!  However, soon He will no longer be on the mercy seat but rather He will be on the judgement Seat and we will all individually give account for the way that we lived our lives. I want to be ready for this day!  Let’s see what the Lord says to the 7 churches in Revelation- I feel it’s truly an eye opener to really look at my life and see today what it reflects in similarity to some of the churches and what sin may be lurking in my life that I need to repent from.

Rev 2. Starting in vs. 1 – To the Church of Ephesus:

Jesus says: I know your works, your labour, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say that they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for My name’s sake and have not become weary.  Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place-unless you repent...

WOW! I think sometimes it’s easy to let “small” things slide under the rug- missing quiet times, not praying as much, etc....but eventually those “small” things can turn into losing our first love. When I first started reading the way He was describing the church in Ephesus – to me I thought “wow, these are people who they lived their lives for Christ.” And while that is true, when we read the latter – Christ is saying that they do good works and from the outside the church looks as though it truly is an example for what church should look like and then we read in vs.4 “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

Vs.8 to the Church in Smyrna:

Jesus says: I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation tend days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.

Oh that we would be overcomers....

Vs.12 to the Church in Pergamos

Jesus says: I know your works, and where you dwell, where satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and do not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before he children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword in My mouth.

Compromise- keep it from our lives

Vs.18 to the church of Thyatira

Jesus says: I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who oevercomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.

Chapter 3 vs.1 to the Church in Sardis:

Jesus says:  I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name form the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Let’s be sure that we do not just have a reputation that we are “alive” in Christ but truly we are “dead” .....

Vs.7 to the Church of Philadelphia

Jesus says: I know your works.  See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it: for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie-indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.  Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.  Behold I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him a new name.

I want to be in this group! J

Vs.14 to the Church of Laodicean

Jesus says: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’-and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. “

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Help me Lord, to live like You, for you here on this earth. God- may MANY more people come to know Your truth each and every day...and may we LIVE for you here on this earth...until You come or call us home! May we be ready and truly faithful until the end!

THANK YOU LORD FOR YOUR WORD that you have given us so that we can seek to know You and know how to live like You on this earth.

Have a great week!

:)Love, Melissa