This past week (4/1/11-4/8/11) Cory and I were in Costa Rica with our church on a mission trip and we had an amazing time! We partnered with a ministry called Strong Missions to help out with the different projects they had going on already. So we helped on a projet for the ministry itself by painting and digging drainage ditches and knocking down walls for a new building they are creating to support their growing ministry. We also helped to set the foundation for a playground, fed the kids at a local church, and led a Vacation Bible School for another church in the community.
I have never been one to play with children, or even really like children, but this trip was an eye-opening experience for me. It brought new meaning to having a child-like faith. The kids were so happy just to see us and to play with us, they only wanted to be loved. I realized that this is what I really want from God too. I want Him to see me and to spend time with me, but most of all I just want Him to love me for everything that I am. And HE DOES!!! I always knew that in my head, but this trip I felt that in my heart.
It was so weird coming back because on all of my previous mission trips we were gone for 2 months, so I wanted more time down there with the Costa Ricans and definitely more time with my team. And most of all, I was surprised to see that God could teach me so many things in just a week!
Another big thing that God taught me down there was that He makes everything beautiful in its time. (Eclessiastes 3:11) One of the best and hardest things on the trip was when we spent one morning at a home for girls between the ages of 11 and 18 who had been raped. It was really sad and I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle it, but God calmed my heart and allowed me to focus on the task at hand. The Catholic Church in Costa Rica created this home so that the girls did not have to get abortions, could still go to school, recover, and raise their children in a safe environment. It was amazing to see that even something that is so hideous and one of the worst things anyone can experience, was made beautiful by God’s grace and soveriegnty. The babies of these girls were so cute and adorable and just like any other infant/toddler- they wanted to be held and loved and played with; and looking at the girls there you would have never known the evil they had survived. Praise be to God for the Victory is His!!
