My team and I have spent a few days now in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. When we arrived at our ministry the first day, we were served a delicious lunch and given an orientation to what the ministry is about. We will be helping with teaching classes in the school during the week, attending church services and youth ministry on weekends, and performing various jobs around the property every day. The second day was our first official day of ministry. Many of us spent time teaching in classes while a couple of us mowed the enormous back yard of the ministry.
Mowing the lawn is a rough job, which still isn’t finished yet after two days of work. One of my teammates and I worked hard all day on our first day of ministry. The lawn was difficult work, and I seriously struggled. I was able to finish a huge portion, but I didn’t drink much water and I spent all day in the sun. The dehydration made me feel rather terrible in the evening. I had a bad headache and a queasy stomach, so I didn’t eat dinner. Instead, I took ibuprofen and went to my room to nap for a couple hours. I felt loads better after the nap and had a much better evening than afternoon.
Today, I had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with our ministry host. I was able to share some of my story and my heart with him, and he shared some of his story with me as well. At the end of conversation, he prayed for me and spoke some powerful words into me. He said he could see that I have a father’s heart, that people would come to me knowing they could trust me to care and have compassion as the Father would. This struck me deeply and reminded me of a conversation I had with a squad mate at training camp.
During a session one day, we were practicing listening prayer. We spent the session praying and asking God to speak to us. One of my squad mates found me after the session, and he said that God had shown him a vision of me. In the vision, I was a wise, middle-aged man who was loved by all and seen as a father to many, even those who weren’t my children. That image had a deep impact on me. Being a father is a huge desire of mine, and believing that I’ll not only be a father to my own children but also to many other people warms my heart.
Twice now God has spoken through other people to tell me who I am. I have a father’s heart like the Father himself. I don’t know why God wants me to hear that, but I ask that all who read this would pray for me during this nine-month journey. God is going to work in my heart and in those around me in so many ways, and as excited as I am, I can’t pretend that I am prepared for everything. Thank you all for your love and support.
