This
month our squad has been given the opportunity to live together at
the YWAM base in San Jose, Costa Rica and to minister as a whole
squad all around the city, country, and region. Here are a few
snapshots of things that some people are doing/have done/are going to
do while we’re here in CR:
Alajuelita:
My
teammate Caitlin had been given the name of a church in one of the
poorest areas of San Jose (someone she knew had been on a trip there
previously), and after looking it up on the internet and getting
directions to the town, a group of people went to the slum of
Alajuelita to see what they could find. The first day they got off
the bus and walked and somehow found the women’s ministry run by this
church. A group went back a few days later, got off the bus in a
different place, and ended up finding the actual church, from which
they were brought back to the women’s ministry. They were invited
for church on Sunday (a whole group of us ended up going) and the
church had a special translator in place just so that they could
understand what was being preached. Communication has been
difficult, but plans are to go back some afternoon and tour the
ministries that this church has (I think there are men’s and women’s
ministries, a drug rehab program, a feeding program, and a home for
elderly in the community). This is an amazing contact for future
racers or other teams to come work with, and is a great church for us
to work with more in the short time we’re here as well. And that is
just one kind of ministry here in Costa Rica.
YWAM:
We
are staying at the YWAM base in San Jose (we seem to be finding YWAM
bases in many of the places we go, but they are a good group to hook
up with). One form of ministry here has been helping with cooking
and cleaning, another has been interacting with the teams that have
come through and the staff and families that are at this base full
time, and another has been physical labor like painting the offices
and helping them rearrange furniture and computers. Some of those
things seem very small and insignificant, but they have been a big
part of our ministry here in Costa Rica.
Silvia:
One
of our new friends at the YWAM base is a young lady named Silvia from
El Salvador. She is one of the most hospitable people I have ever
met, and has been so helpful to us during our time here. Silvia is
leaving to go back to El Salvador on Saturday, and then on to
Guatemala and eventually to the YWAM base in Nicaragua, where she
will work. A couple nights ago we had the “fiesta mas grande
del mes” – the biggest party of the month, and celebrated
birthdays, arrivals, and departures. We as a squad decided to give
Silvia a little gift as a thank-you for all her help. The next day,
Silvia came up to one of my squad-mates and thanked her for the
gift…she didn’t know how she was going to purchase a bus ticket for
Saturday, and the card we gave her had more than enough money for her
to get to El Salvador. That’s ministry in Costa Rica.
Street ministry:
Elizabeth
sits waiting and waiting every day for people to give her something,
they walk past but nobody ever says anything to her or gives her
money. I walked past her too…I’ve become a little numb to beggars
on the side of the road and was in a hurry to get somewhere very
not-important…but then I got to the corner and noticed that Cait
and Heather weren’t following me anymore. I’m independent, but not
independent enough to walk around San Jose by myself…so I looked
back and noticed Cait sitting down with this beggar lady. So I went
back and tried to interpret what she was saying (I can understand
people okay when they speak Spanish, but when missing teeth and
different accents are involved, it’s harder for me). Our simple act
of sitting with her and listening to her made her day. We probably
“talked” with Elizabeth for about 15-20 minutes, understood
less than half of what she said, and had to go to meet up with our
friends…but before we left Elizabeth we prayed over her, for her
health and for her family that is far away and for provision for her
daily needs and for others to come and sit with her. I said “amen”
kind of quietly and looked up at her and she was smiling so hugely,
so thankful for us and for the time we spent with her. Just before
we left, a couple of her friends walked past and she was so excited
to introduce us to them. God sent Elizabeth to us that day, and
that’s just another type of ministry in Costa Rica.
Jaco:
My
squad-mate Pam has some friends that are visiting Costa Rica for a
little while, so Pam and a small group of people took off for the
Pacific coast town of Jaco to meet up with them. Though the friends
are on vacation, my squad-mates are going to minister to them and to
others in this beach town and to ask God if there are any other
ministries that He would have them do there. They will be there for
just a short time, but we know that God can do so much in short
periods of time. Beaches are very prevalent in most of Central
America (I mean, almost all of the countries have coasts on both the
Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, so why not), and they have been
great places to go and ask God what He wants our teams to do. So
that’s another type of “non-traditional” ministry in Costa
Rica.
Bamboo
and
Panama
set–up:
A
group of eight people from our squad felt called to go to a town
called Bamboo (I think that’s how it’s spelled, anyway) near the
Panama border and then possibly on to Panama to do some set-up for
our month that we’ll all be spending there. While in Bamboo they
will be working through YWAM on a reservation and doing sports
ministry and kids ministry and some construction and so many more
possibilities. The crew heading to Panama will be looking for
contacts for our whole squad there as this is the first time the
World Race has been to Panama, and will come back and report to the
rest of us the kinds of ministries they find and what they feel God
leading us to for our time in Panama. I’m sure there is much more
about this group that I’m forgetting, but they also have amazing
ministry here in Costa Rica (and Panama).
Spanish
Class:
Most
of us that are left here in San Jose have taken up the opportunity to
take Spanish classes at a nearby language school. We began our
classes Monday and most of us are going four hours a day during this
week and next week. Not only are we learning about the culture and
practicing the language, but we are ministering and being ministered
to in our classes. Yesterday one of my teachers told us the amazing
story of how the school got started (it’s only two years old), how
God gave her the name for the school at just the right time (Epifania
– it means “epiphany”), how God provided a great location
for the school close to a major university and a major mall in San
Jose, and how our group going there to study is a miracle because
they don’t have very many other students right now. Another teacher
told us about her husband and some health problems he has (and how
the health system in Costa Rica is pretty good until a person needs
surgery for something – unless it’s a matter of life and death,
surgeries can take forever: his consultation will be in October and
surgery after that) so we stayed after class today and prayed over
her for healing for her husband, for “un milagro” (a
miracle) in his life, and for God’s hand to strengthen them in this
time of trial. We are loving our classes are are learning so much
(and, for the first time this trip, we will be using the same
language for more than a month – Spanish all the way to the end!) So
Spanish school is another great ministry here in Costa Rica.
We
are blessed to be spending time here in San Jose – it’s a beautiful
city with so much to offer – and God has definitely blessed us with
so many opportunities to bring kingdom while we’re here. Please
continue to keep us all in your prayers as many are traveling and
many others are simply seeking the face of God to see where else He
wants to use us here in Costa Rica. And thanks for continuing to
help make ministry possible for us.
