Short-term missions is great. It gives God an opportunity to do h u g e things in such a short amount of time and my favorite stories have come from life on the field. However, goodbyes are rough. I’d much rather be planted in one place than move around so often. But The Lord has helped me to see how fruitful short-term missions truly is, especially when we trust God with the time that He’s given us on the field and with the people that we encounter. Relationships are so important to me and I try to be intentional with keeping in contact with people that I meet on the field. Praise the Loooord for WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. Haha.
With The Lord calling me to do short-term missions, I’ve asked Him to make a way for me to revisit loved ones in the countries that He’s taken me to. This year has been the sweetest because I’ve had the opportunity to revisit loved ones in Indonesia, Peru, and now- Costa Rica. Before my Race, I was in Jacó for three months through Adventures in Mission’s Passport program. This is where I met Brenda.
Brenda travels with her family, every Friday morning, to work at the local Farmer’s Market in Jacó, Costa Rica. I met her in January of 2017 when doing our “Who’s Who” ministry. She didn’t speak English and my Spanish wasn’t the greatest, either- but God is a God who breaks language barriers. I asked her if I could pray with her and a beautiful friendship developed through that prayer. Almost every Friday morning, I would walk to the Farmer’s Market and she would pull out a chair for me to sit at her stand. Through this, I got to know her and her family well, and by the end of my time in Costa Rica, she told me that she was my “Costa Rican grandmother”. We went back to Jacó for Gap Z’s month one debrief and I had the opportunity to see Brenda again at the same stand that I had met her at years prior. She immediately recognized me alongside her friend at the stand next to her. Brenda told me that she’s starting to lose her memory and is forgetting a lot of people, so it touched my heart that The Lord allowed her to remember me, of all people. I loved getting to sit with her, pray with her, and see God’s promises unfold right before my eyes. It’s crazy to think that this is where it all began. I’m so thankful for this life that I’ve been given and for sweet reunions such as this one. Please keep Brenda in your prayers and pray bold prayers for healing and restoration in her life. Pray that The Lord shows up in her life in huge ways and that she sees provision in different areas of her life.
I have $2,600 left to raise $3,800 in order to be fully funded for the year! If The Lord lays it on your heart to donate, that would mean the absolute world to me! You can donate by clicking on the fundraising bar at jordanharrington.theworldrace.org.
I’m also hoping to raise money for personal expenses while here on the field for things like toiletries, supplies, coffee dates, and the occassional adventure day with the squad! If you’d like to donate towards these expenses, you can Venmo me @JaHarrington or PayPal [email protected].
Thank you guys so much for taking the time to read this blog! I really appreciate your investment in mine and the rest of Gap Z’s journey this year! Keep them in your prayers as we’re all finishing out this last month in Costa Rica! There is so much that God is doing in and through them here.. So much growth. So many testimonies. So many sweet memories! I love being apart of Gap Z’s journey and I love that you guys get to be apart of it, as well!
Please go show these amazing humans some love!! You can read about what The Lord is doing in their hearts and find out how you can be coming alongside them through financial or prayer support here: https://www.worldrace.org/?tab=participants&group=19G0904
