It has been too long since I’ve posted a blog. I’ve had a hard time expressing what life has been like to people who aren’t here in Costa Rica. It has been a learning curve and something I want to get better at moving forward.
Update:
My time in Costa Rica is coming to an end. As of February 21st, I am at what we call Debrief in San Jose, Costa Rica. Debrief is where the whole squad, leaders, mentors come together and talk about the things that has happened in Costa Rica as well as get much needed rest. We get to express all the ways God worked through us, what we are learning and what can do different going into our next country. The next country is Guatemala! I don’t know any information about Guatemala, but when I find out, I’ll let you know.
Each week, we take a whole day for sabbath and we have a day to explore, called adventure day. One week, we combined both of those days and one ministry day to go to the beach 5 hours away. There was a lot of challenging things that happened while in Los Chiles and for me, I needed a time of to relax; a time of rest physically, mentally and emotionally. I asked God that he would provide rest while time away at the beach for a few days and sure enough, God gave me rest but also blessed me with more.
The hostel that we stayed at was filled with people drinking, doing drugs etc. Times when I was on the beach in Jaco or walking the streets of downtown I saw a side of Costa Rica that was heartbreaking. Prostitution is legal here and it was hard to watch these encounters unfold.
In the midst of my vacation, God had more plans. God knew I needed to rest, and yes, He provided that time for me to sit on the beach and be still, but also lead me and the squad to pray and talk with some of the people in the hostel. To listen to their pain and to share that there is more to life than drugs, alcohol and sex. That I am no better than them because I am Christian and that God accepts us no matter what we do. That it’s not about religion but a relationship with our creator. We were able to meet them were they were, and to be to hands and feet or Jesus. It was challenging, but what a time to reach people when all I thought was having a restful weekend. God’s plan is always better than what I could imagine.
More testimonies to come this week. Stay tuned.
