Every Saturday morning different teams for our squad have been heading out bright and early to partner with the discipleship ministry through our ministry site to go to different slums in Costa Rica and recite/ memorize scriptures. This last Saturday was the last morning that a few of us woke up to go. To be honest, I wasn’t excited. From what I had heard we took three buses and basically hiked up a mountain to go listen to kids recite Bible verses; not to mention it’s a Saturday morning which is usually treated as a relaxing/ off morning….. but boy did the Lord quickly blow my expectations out of the water and humble my heart.
Living in the slums this month has meant we haven’t gotten to explore much of this country since leaving the Finca is risky and unsafe, but every glimpse I get of the country it is beautiful. Our morning began with a lot of waiting and a lot of buses, it ended up leading to cool conversations with people and honestly what’s the rush? It’s not like we are ever on a time crunch this year. Also, at one point we got dropped off on a corner and were told to wait there for someone to find us and take us to the next place… the best part is there was a fresh bakery shop on the corner! It was a morning of rejoicing in the little things.
Needless to say, we finally ended up in a different part of the country outside of San Jose where we began hiking to do ministry. We were definitely in another neighborhood of slums, but something felt different here. Our team of 7 split into two teams of 3 and 4 and each went with one of the discipleship teachers to different houses in the slums. At each house we would listen to the kids recite bible scriptures they had memorized and get to laugh and play with them for a little bit. The first house we entered into had a few chairs, a couch, and a table, but looking around you could tell they didn’t have much tangibly that is, but we soon found out they had so much love to offer us.
The 7 year old girl ran to grab us chairs to sit in and smiled the whole time we sat and listened as her and her siblings recited scripture after scripture to the teacher. I was already feeling so blessed that they had welcomed us to be in their home, what are we but perfect strangers? At one point the little girl kept running back and forth to her dad and then soon she wizzed out of the house we a giant smile on her face and a full heart. I couldn’t help but reflect on this home, the broken neighborhood it was in, but it was a family that carried the presence of God. You could feel the way the father smiled at his kids and the joy that radiated from them. They were atmosphere shifters!
Five minutes later the little girl came back with a giant ice cold 2 liter of coca-cola. I didn’t think anything of it until she walked over to us grinning ear to ear with giant glasses for each of us. No way. This was for us? I was speechless. It was a hot morning and I had entered into the day with a bad attitude, but I got the OPPORTUNITY to sit in the home of a beautiful family as they loved and catered to me- a perfect stranger.
The other houses we went to were different. One house we weren’t allowed inside and had to sit on the ground and recite scriptures with the kids. You could tell there was something different in that first home. When we got done going house to house we started walking back down the mountain and that’s the first time I really took in the view of the city. I was almost breathless when I realized from the top of that mountain it looked just like Quito! My heart has been captivated by this city
(The first house we went too PC Jenna Orabutt)
( View of the city from the slums PC Jenna Orabutt)
It’s crazy to think we already leave in a few days for Nicaragua. I was a part of a team that didn’t even partner with people, but my heart has still been stolen by the people of Los Guidos. We have gotten the opportunity to hear their testimonies mostly all of them have seen murder, been involved in drugs, robbery, and more. They aren’t about the fluffy Christianity that the Church in the States can be about sometimes. They are about the real deal. Christ is really their rock. Their stories have encouraged me and changed me.
We’ve had so much fun this month getting to play Just Dance WII with the children from the community, one of our squad mates put together a 5k that went around the out skirts of the slums and got to run with locals from the community, we had another team put together a skit for the local school, and so much more. This month is going to be hard to say goodbye. All squad month has been amazing, but I can’t wait for what’s ahead in Nicaragua! Keep us in your prayers as we lave Thursday morning to take a 10 hour bus ride to the capitol of Nicaragua. We will then stay in a hostel Thursday night and Friday morning head to our next ministry site!!! I’ll post information on that as soon as we get to Nicaragua. Sending my love. Thank you all for your support and prayers! GOD IS GOOD.
( Team Free Indeed put on the skit “everything by Lifehouse” for the local school! It was AMAZING!!!!)
( I just love my squad so much)
