I can't believe it! We are in Colombia!

   A little over a week ago it all seemed so far away. A little over two weeks ago it all seemed impossible. There was a time I didn't think these days would come. But it's here. It has started. It's happening. First panama and now Colombia! I have to admit that the week we spent in panama was very difficult and challenging. Traveling all day almost every day on buses, taxis or foot. Sleeping in bus stations that don't let you lay down or buses that put the AC on extra high. Most of the time it all seemed to go wrong. We went the wrong way. This is not the right place. Wrong name on the ticket. We lost our bags. We got lost in the city. Walked for hours in the heat and humidity of panama. Hunger and lack of sleep followed us most of the way. But with those challenges and difficulties came a lot of joy, peace and love. It doesn't matter what goes wrong because our circumstances don't define Gods blessings. Our plans may be completely changed every second of every day but that doesn't mean that Gods plans have changed. He said He would lead us, guide us, provide for us. He just told us to trust Him. I've been stretched so much already. Wondering what I am doing. Thinking I'm crazy for doing this. Going off into places I don't know without knowing basically anything. Where do we go? What do we do? I can only stand on the fact that God is faithful. He keeps His word. 

 Yeah, we spent a majority of the time on buses going all over panama looking for boats. What for? Only to find out that we gotta go somewhere else on the other side of the country? Why would God tell us to go there only to bring us back to the same bus terminal or why would He have us go to the city only to see us get lost in this city we know nothing about. Did we hear Him wrong? Should we have looked for plane tickets earlier? Maybe. Or did we hear Him right and just assume that meant that we would find what WE were looking for.  Maybe He lead us there to stretch our faith. Maybe to speak to that man or encourage that lady. What about the healing we saw or the others we prayed for? Maybe to comfort that girl or talk to those backpackers. Express that joy and give others a reason to smile as well.  Maybe it was just for us. To have us grow. And see us change and lean more and more on Him. 

   I may not know His way of thinking or understand why He does it the way He does but I do know this: it's all for a reason. The time in panama has ended and now the journey continues on in Colombia. It's been awesome and Im excited to see what else He has! God is so good! And so faithful! 

Hello my friends,

  So it turns out that we didn't end up leaving on the 10th(last Thursday). Things kept happening, plans kept changing, people were not able to come last minute, others were brought into the team last minute and in the end we needed to push the dates a little further. It actually was pushed forward several times. But it finally happened! We left at 7 am this morning, Wednesday, from my house and after a long day of traveling we are finally in Panama and will be on our way to Colombia tomorrow! I have to admit that this was a hard week with so many changes but looking back I see how we needed the extra time. God knows what we need more than we do. His plans are definitely better than mine. It's been hard having to let some of the team members go. But God is in control. God is good. 

   The team has changed quite a bit. We are only three now. Vanessa and Khori were not able to come with us and last minute a really good friend of my family decided to join. So the final team is me, Nicholas and Sam. It's crazy how quickly everything changed. But I know that this is the team God wanted from the beginning. Who knows maybe someone will join us half way through the trip. We are so excited to see what it is that God has for us! Pray that God gives us strength and wisdom. We still have a lot of traveling ahead of us. Pray. Thank you all so much!

  I love you all and God bless. 

                                   

                                  Chrystel 

Hey everyone,

   We head down to Panama and then to South America in a few days! I don't know how to express my excitement. God has done so much in these last few months. He's awesome and I love Him. 

   I thought since this is my last blog before we leave I should explain a little more of what it is that God has been doing from the beginning. It's been a growing experience for me since the beginning. I was in Germany when It all started. I had a few weeks before we left to the Philippines and I was praying and walking through the woods. That's when He told me about it. He called it a "faith journey". It consisted of a small group of people who are really hungry for more of God and are wanting and willing to serve and love the people around us. Trusting in God to provide, guide and take care of us. Taking advantage of every moment to tell others about God. To be changed and challenged in new ways. To grow in Christ and see others grow as well.  I decided to wait until I got back to Germany from the Philippines before I really said anything about it, I had told a few people but for me at that time it was just a thought in the back of my head that(I thought) would never happen. I left to the Philippines for two months thinking that through the excitement of a new country I would forget or not be as excited about this "faith journey". But I was wrong. I got back to Germany with even more excitement about it than when I had left. I had a strong desire to see it happen but I didn't know where or how to start. Right before I left Germany to go to Florida I had my first team member. It happened through a series of random events but long story short I had my first recruit. Now at this point I hadn't told my parents yet. I had a few days left in Germany and then ten days in Florida visiting my grandparents. I wanted to tell my parents face to face. I knew it would be hard for them to let me go again especially considering that it's not through an organization or church but it's something that I am starting/organizing myself. So I asked God that If this was really something from Him and not from my own head that my parents would back me up 100% no questions.  I wanted to wait till I saw them before I told them but little did I know that God didn't want me to wait. I was skyping my dad one morning during the first few days in Florida and before I knew it I had told him all about it. I was scared at first thinking he might reject the idea of it but to my surprise my dad was all for it. That was when I realized that it was really going to happen. It was no longer just a thought in my head but it was about to become a reality. I returned home to Costa Rica and started the preparation. Of course I had no idea how or what to prepare but I knew that praying was a good way to start. I sent out a letter. Nothing happened. It was the end of April and I only had one person coming. There were a couple of people that said they were thinking of it or they might come but in the end there was still no one else. I decided to take 2 weeks to fast and pray for the trip. Those two weeks were one of the most difficult times while preparing for this trip. I can't explain what it was that was happening because even now I don't understand what was going on I just know it was very difficult in those days physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. But every time I wanted to give up God brought me back up again. He gave me the hope to keep going. And by the end of May I had three others. One of them being my sister. You would think it would all get easier from there but in reality it didn't. Plans were constantly being changed. It was still very difficult but God never let me stay down, He always helped me back up to keep going. Things eventually got more organized. Plans started coming together. In June more people signed up for the trip. Contacts were made in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. More people were supporting our trip. Everything was going great or at least I thought so. Even though it all looked as if it were going smoothly from the outside I was still being stretched and challenged in so many ways on the inside. Eventually it could be seen. People started leaving the team for various reasons two weeks before it was time to leave. It was chaos. I had to make some really hard decisions and take some very difficult actions. But I knew and still know that it has all been in obedience to God. God is so good and faithful! We are so privileged to serve such a wonderful God.  We are now four that are going(unless God says otherwise): Vanessa, Khori, Sam and myself. Khori and Sam have been in Costa Rica for a week now and we have been praying and preparing for the trip. We will be on our way to Panama tomorrow. Thank you so much to all of you who have joined us in our trip in some way wether it be through giving, praying, going or encouraging. I am so thankful. Please continue to pray for each one of us as we take the next step. I love you all so much. 

And to my family I want to say an even greater thanks. They have seen all the good and the bad. They have walked through it with me. God has blessed me with a wonderful family. 

  God bless each and every one of you.  

      With much love, 

              Chrystel

 Ps. Can someone from Costa Rica make sure you read this to Aunt Ruth? I know she wants to know what is going on.