This month, our team is doing things a little differently. We are participating in a program called “Unsung Heroes.” While we usually have a set contact with which we work, this month we have none. Our job in Costa Rica is to find new contacts for future world race teams to partner with. What this means is that we are free to move around the country wherever we feel the Lord leading us, building relationships with people already doing great things and building the Kingdom here. The “unsung” part comes in to play because we hope to find people in Costa Rica who haven’t really been noticed yet- those who missionaries can come under and build up!
I was asked to lead the unsung heroes portion of this month for my team. I went into the month excited for all of this possibilities to come, but also a little overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. Thinking about logistical details and being decisive are not my strong suits. I’m better at thinking about ALL of the options of things we could do rather than making an organized plan. And when we are entering into a month with literally a million options, this can be a bit problematic. We began Costa Rica with some tension in our team. A few team members were really nervous about the month and challenged with the idea of having no plan. I felt frustrated and guilty that I wasn’t able to lead them through this month or help ease their anxiety. Our team meetings were stressful and we seemed like we could never make a decision. But amidst all of the confusion, we kept feeling like we were supposed to head towards the east. The Caribbean of Costa Rica is one of the only areas in which we have absolutely no contacts, so going there was a total leap of faith in asking the Lord to provide.
We stepped off of the bus into Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica at about 7:30 at night. We had no contacts and no place to stay. Immediately, a man approached us and tried to persuade us to stay at his hostel. It didn’t seem like the prettiest place but the price was right and we agreed to try it out. On the way over, we found out that the owners were Christians. We thought about meeting with them and finding out more about contacts in the area, but decided to go out on our own the next day. We looked around and tried to find churches and ministries to talk to, but it felt like we were getting nowhere and finding no leads. Finally, we decided that we should probably just cut our losses and leave the next day.
We found that God had perfect timing. The night before we were planning on leaving, we saw the owners for the first time since we had arrived in town. We met with them and found out that Glenda and Ronaldo had been working to build a ministry called “Casa de Restoracion,” or House of Restoration. They have been working on restoring one of the oldest buildings in Puerto Viejo, which will be used as a sustenance garden for the community, an art center, a youth outreach, and a transitional house for people who are falling on tough times. The crazy part is that they had been talking about needing volunteers to come and help get it off the ground just three days before we had met with them! Glenda and Ronaldo truly are unsung heroes; they are so passionate about reaching their community with Christ and using creative and diverse ways to do it.
The second divine appointment came as we were waiting for our bus the next morning at 7 AM. I went down to the beach to dip my feet in the water before we left. I started chatting with a guy who was nearby me and it turned out, he’s a Christian who works with YWAM (Youth With a Mission)—an organization that we had been trying to get a hold of all week! He told me that he had a lot of contacts who would host missionaries, and that the Caribbean side of Costa Rica is in need of missionary aid.
These past few days God has really affirmed to us that He is in control and that we don’t have to worry, He will put the right people in our path as we continue on this month. Plus we got to touch the Caribbean sea, which was pretty cool mon’.
