12/19/10
Jaco Beach is a very touristy, surf town with tons of bars and
a lot going on. Our ministry here is pretty open to whatever we feel led to do
each day. The property we stay on has a skate ramp so we open it up every afternoon
for a few hours so the street kids can come and skate. Other than that, we are
free to do pretty much whatever we want. It’s a really small town, so we see a
lot of familiar faces daily, which helps in building relationships with people.
[me, Alex, & Christy at Taco Bar]
A few nights ago, we were invited to a bon fire on the beach.
We decided to go so we could meet some locals and just hang out. Upon arrival,
they immediately offered us each a beer and we all accepted so as to not seem like
judgmental, stuck up Christians. We sat around and talked to all the guys that
teach surf school for a few hours while American music was blaring from the SUV
parked on the beach. It was a really fun start to our evening!! We weren’t
really able to have many serious conversations, but it was good to hang out and
begin relationships with these guys. Christy even got a free surf lesson out of
it!
We left there around 10pm to go meet up with Bleu, an awesome,
fun, spunky surfer in her 40s. She goes to the park and talks to prostitutes
and prays with them on Friday and Saturday nights, so we decided to join her.
We walked down the strip to a park near the Beatle Bar where we prayed before we
found a spot to sit on the corner, watching all the prostitutes and American
men pouring out of the bar. Alex and I just sat there for over two hours
disgusted and angry at the men walking out with beautiful, young girls at their
sides, as they hopped in taxis and drove off. Most of the men were at least
40-50 years old and all the girls were less than half their age. For the girls,
it is how they survive-the cost of living is high here so they need the money
to live. For the men, it’s trying to fill a void in their lives that only God
can truly fill.
We sat there until after 1am talking to anyone that wanted to
talk. Unfortunately, most of the prostitutes just walked right by, avoiding eye
contact. We ended up talking to a few local guys and one of them, Irvin, works
in the souvenir shop inside the bar. He said it’s really sad to see American
men go into the bar and find a girl to take back with them night after night. It’s
sick to think that a lot of these guys are sons, fathers, and even husbands.
The next day, Alex and I went to the beach to meet up with the
surf school guys and were able to talk to them more about what we’re doing.
They asked if we were Christians and when we told them we were, they asked if
we follow all the strict rules about no drinking, smoking, drugs, dancing, etc.
It was a cool opportunity to be able to tell them that being a Christian is
about having a relationship with Jesus, not about following a bunch of rules.
The fact that we had a beer with them the night before was a great way to open
the door for that conversation.
Later on that night, Alex and I were walking back from the
dinner and we decided to stop at the grocery store for some snacks. We got in line
to check out and saw Irvin, the guy that works at the Beatle Bar. We talked to
him for a few minutes and decided that we needed to go back there again, even
though Bleu couldn’t come with us. We sat on the same corner and once again
didn’t talk to any prostitutes, but we met so many really cool people and had
some great conversations about life.
Yesterday, we ended up walking down to the park to have
worship, but it started pouring down rain so we took cover under a storefront
patio. We sat and worshiped for a couple hours and a guy Victor, sat down with
us and listened. After worship was over, I was able to talk to him for quite
awhile in Spanish. The whole time I was praying that God would help me to
understand his Spanish well and be able to communicate back to him whatever God
laid on my heart.
Victor was like an open book-he started telling me a lot about
his family and his past. His dad passed away six years ago from alcoholism, but
he said he became a Christian before he died. Most of his family are
Christians, but he said he doesn’t know if he’s ready to take that step yet. He
told me that he used to do a lot of drugs, but now he just drinks. He said he’s
been to a church here in Jaco, but he was talking about how a lot of the people
are very judgmental. He asked about churches in the states-how big they are, if
people are judgmental, etc. He said the most important thing about church is
not if it is big but if the people are following Jesus. He’s exactly right.
I told him that it’s not good for people to judge others
because we’re all sinners and we all need Jesus. He died to cover everyone’s
sins, we just have to accept his forgiveness. Victor also asked me if it’s hard
to be a Christian and I told him it is sometimes, but it’s worth it. I told him
it’s not so much about what you do or don’t do, it’s about having a
relationship with Jesus. When you have a relationship with Jesus, you will
naturally want to do good. He was really open to everything I had to say and he
said he understands it all, he just needs more time. I really admire his
honesty and I’m thankful that God used me to speak to him. I hope I see him
around town again and I’m able to talk to him more.
[sunset at Hermosa]
