Hi friends! I’ve been in Cost Rica for a little over a month now, and a lot has happened since we first got off the plane. To recap a little bit, our squad is working along side a ministry called The Hope Project (or Til He Returns in the United States). There, we do anything from teaching english, to evangelism, to even taking dance classes ourselves in order to build connections/relationships with the locals. I was trying to think of a way to update you all on some stories, but I didn’t want you to just hear from me and my experiences. I wanted you to have the opportunity to hear from my squadmates, and I wanted to give them the opportunity to share their stories with even more people! So…I came up with three questions to ask some of my friends. My plan is to post their answers in a series, each post containing the stories of five of my sweet squadmates. Today you’ll get to hear from Gretchen Waters, Sydney Spears, Brooklyn Dilley, Jamie Schroeder, and Angelina Torres (aka, my team!!). I hope you enjoy their stories and are blessed by them just as much as I was!
Questions:
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What is your favorite ministry at the Hope Project?
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What is your favorite story from ministry so far?
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What is the Lord teaching you in this season?
Answers:
Gretchen-
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So far my favorite ministries to work with in the Hope Project are House of Raw and English Club. House of Raw, the attached dance academy, obviously brings so much light and joy to the community. Kids AND adults are coming together to experience another level of expression and freedom – whether that be in the simple movement of their bodies or through an encounter with Jesus! Our teams have joined in on some classes and have gotten to hear some really awesome testimonies.
English Club was the first group we were able to work with and at first I was really nervous. I wasn’t sure if teaching was anything I could apply my personal skills too, and if I could build solid relationship. The Lord proved me wrong right away! He has actually gifted me in teaching, and watching students succeed is something I find so much joy in now! I also got to work alongside the same woman the whole time and her progress in not only the language, but her confidence, was so cool to be a part of.
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One of the stories I love to share from ministry is actually a personal, and individual experience. There was a day this past week my team was supposed to help in ‘Healing Dance’. We were really excited since House of Raw and the world of dance in Costa Rica has a large focus on Hiphop style dancing. About an hour before the class we found out the plans had changed and we would most likely join the Dance Hall class afterwards. Standing around the studio we weren’t sure what to do, but a friend of ours named Pablo came down the stairs with a plan at hand. Basically, we ended up dancing freestyle, and in the dark! There was an open space to express ourselves and dance freely! Since quitting dance in high school I’ve missed the opportunity to move in such a lyrical and fun way. Thanks God!!
We’ve also been meeting some really cool people in the park nearby. You could ask almost anybody on the squad and you would find a heartwarming story about an older man on a bench or some college aged student on the way to class.
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Currently, the Lord is teaching me a lot about ‘the hard things’. Life isn’t always easy and every season hasn’t been designed for the feel good moments. So right now I’m just opening up a space for Him to ask me the questions, and also giving myself grace as I find the answers.
Sydney-
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Honestly just connecting with people. I love building relationships and hearing stories. I’ve really loved evangelism because it just allows for real raw human connection. I think our generation skips out on a lot of face to face interaction, especially with strangers. So it’s just sweet being able to change that stereotype!
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During evangelism the Lord highlighted this woman. So I walked over to her and just felt like I needed to remind her that she is worthy and loved by the creator. So I did! And it was just a very sweet moment. She shared her story, her struggles. Sometimes giving people room to share is all they need! We got to pray over her and then even prayed over her angel earrings so she would have a reminder that God was with her!
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Too many things! He’s teaching me what slowness looks like. He’s teaching me how to walk without fear of man. He’s teaching me what it looks like to let my heart rule more than my head. Not that ruling with your head is bad, I just can get too caught up in it sometimes! He’s breaking down more walls I’ve built up over time. He’s really just showing me a fatherly love. It’s been a really sweet, simple season!
Brooklyn-
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My favorite ministry at the hope project is house of raw. we’ve met so many people with powerful stories who have come to know the Lord and use dance for His glory, and i know house of raw is helping and will continue to help so many young people in the community.
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My favorite story from ministry is meeting our friend pablo. he’s someone who helps out a lot at the hope project, and we’ve worked with him and gotten to know him pretty well during our time so far. i just love that even though we come from different backgrounds, are in different situations, and have a language barrier to work around, we have been able to build a relationship with him. he’s taught us so much and shines with the love of the Lord, and i’m proud to call him my friend.
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In this season, the Lord is walking me through getting to know Him better, and believing that He is everything He says He is. He’s teaching me to rely on Him first, and to come to know Him as my friend who I never want to stop learning about.
Jamie-
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Parenting and Pancakes/Refuge. Last week, my team and I were blessed to be apart of each of these programs within the Hope Project. Both of these programs are very similar, so that’s why I just put both of them as my favorite! 🙂 It gave us the opportunity to sit with the group of ladies and their children, hearing their stories, building relationships with them, and even sharing parts of our testimonies. We got to go on that deeper level with them, but also still have fun drinking coffee, eating pancakes, and playing with their kids!
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While evangelizing in the park one afternoon, my group met this super sweet lady named Haiti. The Lord put her on our hearts as we were walking around the area, so we stopped to say hello. She has been homeless for some time now and was really struggling in a lot of areas in her life. But, we got to share many things about what the Lord is doing in her life, what He calls her, and just really pour into her. We cried, we laughed, we hugged, and we prayed so much. There’s much more that goes into this story, but I don’t want to make this super long! So here’s this for now 🙂
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MANY THINGS! Wow, He’s been doing a lot! First thing He has been walking me through, is a season of restoration and healing. Showing me that true healing is through Him and Him alone. Another, would be how to rest in Him. At home, it was always go, go, go, but He’s teaching me how to go by His flow and just rest in His presence in all of that. And the last one I want to share is only relying on His love. For a long time I struggled with this, but He is continuing to walk me through what it looks like to just rely on His love and not other people’s to make me happy. God IS love! and bc of this, that is all I need! 🙂
Angelina-
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One of my favorite ministries with the hope project has been waves of graces. A ministry bringing alleviation to poverty. It’s a bracelet making ministry that provides women with new inspiration of building a sustainable business with creativity.
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One of my favorite stories from ministry truly has to be being able to translate for the team. One day we were leading a class for the women and didn’t have a translator on hand. Little did I know my bilingual skills would come in handy! It was really amazing seeing the Lord use a gift/skill I had without ever realizing how much value it truly held until that day.
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In this season I’d say the Lord has been leading me into a space of confidence with my god given gifts. Allowing Him to flow through me.
Yay!! So, that’s my team and a little glimpse of what the Lord has been doing in and through these beautiful women since we’ve been in Costa. Stay tuned for part two!
-Kailey <3
