Where to start? The Lord has been moving in many ways this past week in Costa Rica. I have seen a team of brothers who have been called by God to leave behind the comfort of their homes and step out in faith. I see brothers, that no matter their past lives, are now transformed and continuing to be by the work of the Holy Spirit. I see brothers who have a burning passion to share that hope and bring Gods Kingdom to the nations. Through this passion and desire to follow Gods call we have seen many occasions where the Holy Spirit used us.
We have been partnered with YWAM preparing a base on the outskirts of the tourist city of Puerto Viejo. We have also helped the organization “Homes of Hope” by laying a foundation for a future house. These tasks have been a blessing in that we have been able to help the community and share the love of Christ to those we are working for. We also had the opportunity to pass out Bibles with a local church in the town of Limón. This was such an awesome opportunity. We went door by door and were able to give them a bible, invite them to a local church, and pray for them. It was incredible to see how open the people where and interested in what we had to say. I also got to meet some of the local kids there and share some laughs and pray with them. The joy I could see in their faces was so amazing. They had so “little” material wise. They had so much joy when al their toys consisted of rocks, sticks, and an occasional torn up doll. They were so precious!
Our team has several times just gone out into the city of Puerto Viejo and evangelized. There have been times of great discouragement and great victory in this. There have been the times where people just blow you off and don’t want to hear what we are saying, but I pray that a seed has been planted in their hearts. Then there have been those times where people are so overjoyed to hear about Jesus. I have ] an occasions I would like to tell you about and ask that you would be praying for this family.
When we where passing out bibles we came across a family that was going through many struggles. Their teenage grandson, Joshua, has two cancerous tumors in his head and has about 3 months to live. Joshua’s younger brother is crippled from the waist down because of bad decisions the parents made. The father of these kids was just recently in a very bad motorcycle accident and needs surgery. When we saw these kids and heard about all the struggles all we could do was love them and pray for them. As we prayed for them I looked up at the Grandmother who had tears running down her cheeks. My heart broke for them and still is. After we finished praying the Grandmother said something that was very moving. She said, “God is in this. He has gotten us this far and will get us through to the end.” …Yes He will.
I would appreciate prayer for me and my team here. The area we are ministering to is hard. Most of the people here are not looking for Jesus. They are her to vacation, party, get drugs, and live a life that is not honoring to God. The spiritual battle is hard when there is so much darkness. Pray that the Holy Spirit would fill us anew every day to give us the boldness and love to share to these people the hope in Christ. Pray that the devil would not have a foothold on us here. That light would prevail in this place of darkness.
I want to thank my team for always being there for me. Always encouraging each other to strive to be more like Christ. Picking each other up when one of us falls. Always listening when you need help or just somebody to talk to. This group of guys is a strong force for God and I am so excited to be with them on this journey. The Lord has been and will use “His Hands” for great things. Also thank you to everybody who has made this journey possible. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for generous friends and family. Supporting me and praying for me. I am currently still short of my final goal for funds. I currently need $4,000 to be fully funded to finish this journey God has called me to. I cant wait to share with you all what the Lord continues to do.
I love you all and may God bless you!
Mark Dewar
