So many times people told me they were jealous that I was leaving my 9-5 to go travel the world and do ministry. And 9-5 construction is exactly what my first month of ministry has looked like.
I’ve had plenty of nights where I’ve reflected on my day as I was going to sleep and some of the main highlights have been mudding, sanding, painting, and moving a pile of dirt from one spot to another. Not exactly what I think the Costa Ricans mean when they say pura vida. We have been helping at a church in Rio Azul, and while on weekends we do feeding programs for the children and youth group on Saturday night, we’ve mainly been working on building the actual building of the church. After about two weeks of this I got pretty angsty because I was concerned that I wasn’t going through enough big life change.
If I wasn’t reshaping myself and ministering to people then why was I on this trip?
But I think my perspective was off because I’m 22 and that happens a lot. While I haven’t listened to crying widows or had my heart stolen by an orphan yet, I’m helping the people here who will be able to do that. Dave and Angie, my ministry host, are some of the most beautiful souls I’ve ever met. I’m pretty sure if I had 1/16th of their patience I’d be an omnipresent being. Pastor Gilbert knows how to pray. He leads a prayer night on Tuesday and I have no idea what he’s saying but I know when I hear a lion roar.
Being able to free their hands from cleaning bathrooms and plastering walls opens their hands to hold those of the people in Rio Azul. They are the ones who carry influence in this community. I’d love to be to the one to say amazing prayers or speak life over a child and I think it’s important to be able to help someone else do that.
I’m helping them tend the ground so they can see the fruit of their land. I’m doing a good work and I can not come down.
