Here’s a series of stories about the generosity the Lord bestowed upon us last month. All glory to Him. He is a good, good Father.
Within our first few days in Rio Azul, the Lord gave us great favor with a group of women at Iglesia Faro de Esperanza, our church and home for the month. These women were down in the church kitchen day after day, cooking meals upon meals for children of the community and church events. Their names were Luz, Susana, Maria, Maribel, and Andrea. Others often joined them as well. There were few things we loved more than walking down to the kitchen, cooking alongside them, chatting with them, and having them critique (and possibly laugh at, in my case) our chopping and peeling skills. There were multiple meals that they just decided to prepare for us. These were some of the most delicious meals we had while in Rio Azul. Luz would cook usfood and just leave it in our refrigerator. One evening, we were gifted our meal and our dessert. As we sat at our table, eating food that we hadn’t paid for or even asked for, we were astounded at their generosity.
In addition to being generous with their time and their food, they were generous in their patience. They listened and tried to understand us even when it was terribly difficult for them to do so. These women became our sisters and friends – barriers created by culture, language, and life style became nonexistent. The kingdom of God transcends all of these differences. It’s such a beautiful thing.
We had another friend in Rio Azul named Mauricio, or Mau for short. We first met Mau our second evening in Rio Azul, at Tuesday night prayer service. He walked in wearing a fringed leather jacket, carrying a traditional embroidered cross body bag. His warmth was evident as soon as we were introduced to him. Over the following weeks, he brought us ice cream, candy, hamburgers, fresh milk, and juice at random. He would just show up to the church with treats…and it was awesome. He MADE earrings and gave us each multiple pairs. He bought us all Costa Rica keychains. He drove us around in his van, and led us on a hike with one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen. He dropped us off on one side of the mountain and proceeded to drive to the other side, RUN up to the summit with ice cream, cake, and juice, and gave all three to us when we arrived. A few days later, when some on our team forewent sunscreen at the beach and ended up with very red faces, he stopped by with aloe cream to soothe the burn. Mau’s selflessness and generosity was contagious. He inspired me to be more generous and selfless. I want to be like Mau, who is like Jesus. I want to be like Jesus.
Then there’s Pastor Gilbert and his family. Gilbert has some of the kindest eyes I’ve looked into. He is gentle and loving. He shepherds his flock beautifully. One of our last nights in Rio Azul, Gilbert and his family invited us to over their house for dinner. They proceeded to feed us a feast. We had more kinds of meat than one can count, huge bottles of soda, plaintain salad, tortillas, pico, the list goes on and on. They opened up their home to us (and at seven people, we sort of invade a space) and brought out games of Jenga and Memory. We felt so loved and at home – again, we could barely communicate with words, but the generosity was overwhelming. I want to be someone who opens her doors to strangers and makes them feel at home.
Finally (and this is by no means an exhaustive list…we were shown generosity by more people than I can even list in this post), there are our ministry hosts: David and Angie. They showed us generosity throughout our time in Costa Rica day after day. Their lives are marked by selflessness and generosity. But I want to tell you about one of my favorite spans of time in Costa Rica – which they made possible because they gave. Our last night in Costa Rica, Dave and Angie invited us to their home, with all of our giant packs and smelly stuff, to get a good night’s rest before traveling to Nicaragua. When we arrived, Angie had prepared brownies for us and they brewed coffee and tea. She then proceeded to make us cornmeal pancakes…which are ridiculously delicious. The guys took over their living room, and the women took over their guest room (they had another guest coming in the following day, by the way). After hanging out for a bit, we watched the beginning of the Sound of Music, and I fell asleep. That night, being in a home with friends filled with warmth, I slept better than I had all month. The next morning, a few of us woke up and accompanied Angie and her (fantastic) dogs on her morning walk (which is more like an uphill two mile hike punctuated with hundreds of stairs and an incredible view) and picked up breakfast at a local restaurant to take back to their house. The restaurant was out of cheese, and Angie wanted us to experience the local phenomenon of fried cheese, so she went to the store to pick up cheese, which she and Dave proceeded to fry for us. After breakfast, we took hot showers in their bathroom and undoubtedly used gallons and gallons of their water and just relaxed on their couches. She also made homemade chili for lunch and did countless loads of laundry for us…honestly there’s so much more, but I’ll stop there.
Angie and Dave didn’t have to do any of this.
They didn’t have to invite us into their home; we had a floor to sleep on at the church. Our stuff smelled, and our packs took over their entire living space.
They didn’t have to do our laundry; we could have hand washed it. It smelled like sweat and other awful things.
They didn’t have to cook for us; we could have made our own food at the church. We eat a lot as a team, and food is expensive.
They didn’t have to invest in us and love us well; we would have continued to work and serve. They had other responsibilities and some days were incredibly long.
But they did all of these things. And as a result, we felt at home, loved, and left feeling rested and joyful. As a result, we thanked the Lord for His provision. Their generosity increased our love for our ministry and caused us to worship the Father.
It reminds me of Acts 4:32: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.”
God calls us to radical generosity. He calls us to live with open hands and an open heart…to view our possessions, our intellect, our achievements, and even our very lives as His…and to hold all loosely. When we do, we worship Him, we bless others, and we gain joy and contentment.
In Costa Rica, I asked the Lord to loosen my fists around the things I continue to claim as mine. May we all give as freely as Luz, Mau, Pastor Gilbert, Dave, Angie, and ultimately, Jesus.
Hope you have a wonderful day!
With love + joy,
E
PS Here are some more photos from Granada. 🙂
