The first few days at ministry I was given the responsibility to design and build a gutter drainage system and a drainage box for the rainwater on the property. I’ve never worked with gutters and I had little experience with drainage. Our host, Hannah told me that a contractor from the U.S. would be coming at the end of the week to help out. I didn’t realize at that time how much of an impact that contractor would have on me and my team. This month God gave me a sweet gift of a Tico padre, or a Costa Rican dad.
Wayne worked as a construction manager for almost 30 years and his wife, Brooke, worked in Real Estate. For most of that time they weren’t believers of Jesus and tried to find satisfaction in their jobs, status and the things they owned, but were left feeling empty. When they committed their lives to Christ they were thirsty for the Lord and sought him more and more. Their lives were radically changed. Now, they are missionaries who just moved back to Costa Rica. Wayne teaches on the Bible all over the world and Brooke is a worship leader. They also speak at conferences and teach how to inductively study the Bible.
The day I met Wayne, I knew he was different by the way he spoke about the Lord. He spoke with such confidence and trusted the Lord wholeheartedly in everything. He told me how he has never had to fundraise because God always placed generous donors in his life. He told me about his daughter who is legally deaf, but can speak to others with little difficulty and is learning Spanish in Honduras where she lives with her family. I walked away from our conversation very encouraged and I told my teammates to get to know Wayne because I knew he would impact us all.
Wayne is friendly, kind, patient, generous, straight forward, full of wisdom and a teacher. I spent time working alongside him and gleaning wisdom on God and life. Wayne and Brooke taught us how to study the Bible inductively, giving us a tool to help grow in our relationships with the Lord. They opened their home up and hosted us for dinner, a night that was filled with great food, crazy stories and a lot of laughter. They also openly shared their testimonies and the ways the Lord has worked in their lives.
My father passed away 5 years ago, so I haven’t had a father figure for a while. Wayne reminded me a lot of my own dad. My father owned a family operated lumber yard and was very handy. He taught me how to build shelves, refinish a dresser, along with other things. I really enjoyed those bonding moments with him and this month was a sweet reminder of them. It was fun installing gutters and pipe systems and laughing about my struggles using a drill with Wayne. Wayne is a good example of a man walking with the Lord and he gave me advice and guidance as if I was his own daughter. It was a precious and unexpected gift from God.
