Despedida

A couple last words written and/or said to a couple key people today on my last day:

"No sabiá mi futuro antes de me llegue aquí en Costa Rica, a San Francis, que voy a hacer despúes mi tiempo aquí.  Yo crecí pensando no es posible para ser un profe y tener bastante plata para una familia también, pero ustedes profes, están haciendolo, están haciendolo, me inspiran, porque de sus ejemplos, y de mi experiencia dando clases de inglés a los décimos, quiero ser un profe ahora.....Me di cuenta ustedes son una buenísima familia.  Ojalá voy a buscar una familia como ustedes en un colegio en los estados."
-To the teaching staff in my good-bye breakfast and teacher´s meeting

"Gracias por ser mi oración contestada. "
-What I had said to Paxto, and a couple other key people today.  In our house there´s a jar where we put shells in for answered prayers.  Throughout the year my housemates and I have put a shell (collected from the beach) into the jar whenever we felt God had answered one of our prayers.  I had put shells in when I would pray for La Isla to start or for more new volunteers for Hogar.  The shells I gave to people were to signify to that person that he or she was specifically an answered prayer for me.  I meant every bit of it. 


"You are a leader.  The world, the church, will need, and needs guys like you.  Keep your prayer life alive and show it to everyone.  People look up to you and you need to be the example for your peers, your friends.  You´re a leader, mae. "
-Words to one of my guys, taking him aside.  In reality, there are a lot of good male leaders at the school, and could have said this to a lot more, and I have in different ways in different times to others, either written or said.  I was glad to at least catch this one in particular. 


"Tenga paz en su vida.  Cuando si hay paz, bendice el nombre del Señor.  Cuando no hay paz, bendice el nombre del Señor."
-what I wrote on Jenny´s song sheet of "Blessed Be Your Name".  We had sang that song together several times together, especially last fall.  It´s one of her favorites as is mine, probably top five ever.  It meant so much to me to sing it with her, and to sing that song after this year.  There had been moments when "the sun [was] shining down on me" and "the world[was] all as it should be" but there were other moments, especially this year when my "road was marked with suffering" and "there [was] "pain in the offering."  In total case, singing the song made me realize I can´t help but praise and thank God for all of it, He lovingly gave me my blessings, got me through my sufferings, and I´m better for all of it.  Blessed be the name of the Lord. 

Good-bye San Francis, good-bye Costa Rica.  Thank you for being good to me. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Amén.