I am writing this sitting on the plane from Panama City, Panama to Houston, Texas. No I am not coming home, just connecting to a flight to head to Indonesia.
The last two months in Central America have been two of the best but also hardest months of the World Race yet. In Jaco, Costa Rica, we were able to work with an amazing group called Ocean’s Edge. Jaco is a young, beautiful city located on the Pacific side of the country. I was able to watch my first sunset on the most beautiful beach I have ever visited.
But Jaco has its own difficulties. It is known as the Vegas or the Sodom of Central America. Many go there to disappear and start a new life. Prostitution is not punished, Drugs are a major problem and sold on the street, and the local population is all but forgotten in the booming city and still suffering in poverty. The homeless population is growing and is forgotten by most visitors.
We spent the month as an arm of Ocean’s edge who made it their lives to help and serve the local community. They do the hard jobs for the local government for free that they don’t want to pay workers to do. We worked in several locations in building soccer fields and cleaning/updating civic centers and parks. In a place that wants nothing to do with Christ, Ocean’s edge comes along and humbles themselves to serve their community more than is ever expected. Their first goal is to serve, anything else is a bonus.
In Panama, my new team and I served alongside the YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base based out of Chiriqui. The base hosts, Rich and Debby Tracy, have dedicated the last 25 years in service to the Panamanian people. Panama has 7 indigenous tribes and 5 were represented and living with us on a day to day basis. They have trained 100’s of missionaries but also teach children from local tribes who do not have the opportunity to excel in their education due to their low status as indigenous and not being Latin. Many are bullied in schools and suffer from poverty due to lack of government assistance to tribes throughout the country.
This is the ministry we walked into. Helping them in children’s ministry across the area throughout the week, doing English classes and bible studies with the younger students, but most importantly doing life with them. Living alongside them was an amazing experience to see how God is working in the lives of people that I can’t even communicate with and just serving them. My last night of worship I just looked around the room and I couldn’t believe I was watching 8-9 different people groups from different walks of life worshipping the same God in different languages.
It really got me thinking about why I came on the race. One of the biggest reasons I got push back about the race was many saw what my squad was doing as an arm of the “White Savior” mentality.
At first I did want to come and see people come to Christ. I wanted to see people healed of sickness, miracles done by our hands, basically a Christian checkbox. I wanted to be a savior over a servant. But being here and seeing the poverty and seeing those who live in it daily has changed that view. They don’t want a handout but a hand to hold. I’ve seen a hug and a smile do more in the moment then actually talking about God. They want a relationship first before anything. Someone who shows love and compassion.
As Christians, we need to live out the Great Commandment before the Great Commission. We need to love others as Christ did. We must serve others as Christ did. He first came to serve before he was nailed to the cross. He taught his disciples to love before he taught them to make disciples. Because living out Godly love is just as powerful as preaching.
And guess what? We do not need to save anyone. Because that’s Jesus’ job and he already did it. We only need to love. Our job is not to see someone come to Christ. Are you fine with only loving others and serving others and not seeing one person come to Christ? Because that’s our job. We can sow seeds but not reap the harvest… and that’s okay.
And this attitude does not stop when the mission trip ends. Though I still have 8 months left on the race, this is a lifestyle I plan on carrying on the rest of my life. So yeah, that’s what I have been working through.
Love you all and God Bless!
