i always wanted to go to the jungle. seemed like a dream. you drink from coconuts, shower outside and are surrounded by constant natural beauty. i’m here to say the jungle is truly heaven on earth. we drank from coconuts, showered rarely to be honest and were surrounded by truly the most beautiful of places.
Talamanca was good and stretching and definitely an experience I will never forget.
after a 7 hour drive on a tightly packed bus, we arrived at the jungle. Talamanca is like the real-life-version Jumanji meets Nim’s Island meets Tropic Thunder. we hiked everywhere in bulky rain boots that weren’t even high enough to keep the mud we stepped in off our pants. the humidity was some kind of high. after a full day of hiking everywhere, we took off our dripping wet, sweaty clothes to hang out and dry, only to wear them again for the next four days. we were nasty and stanky let me tell you. after our bus dropped us off at our house for the week, we were told to put on our rain boots and get ready for a house visit. we literally hiked 4 hours to a man’s house, only for him to not be home. naturally, this felt discouraging, seeing as how we were dripping sweat and covered in mud. sure, it sucked we didn’t get to see Jorge face-to-face that day but it became so much more. we prayed over Jorge’s house and his health and that the lord would be present in his life. we weren’t physically present with Jorge but that doesn’t mean our prayers weren’t heard. we sat in Jorge’s yard that day surrounded by his pigs and chickens and dogs and played the guitar praising our Father. then, we hiked back. we made a lot of house visits over the week, all with really heavy stories. one woman had her house taken away in a rainstorm with her baby inside, we met with a man whose wife died and his son left home believing his father killed his mom.
we sat on the living room floor of the daughter of the highest witch in Talamanca. she had 10 children, 4 of which have never been able to walk. just two weeks ago she lost her son. you could see the pain in her eyes as my squad mates shared stories of similar loss they’ve been through and what Abba says about comfort. it’s an easy thing for us to come into her home to encourage her, but once we leave the pain is still there. thanks God for walking alongside us in the healing process. thanks that even though joy isn’t restored overnight we know you promise to stand next to us and comfort your children.
we visited so many people who live in literal tree houses. they would always welcome us in with open arms and a smile on their face. every time we would talk with them and about their life in the jungle, they would respond saying “I am blessed, I don’t ask God for things because I know I already have everything I need”. wow. I sit at home complaining about not having enough hot water in my shower while these people use creek water to clean themselves. I complain about walking everywhere while a seventy-two year old woman hikes miles every week including a steep, knee-deep mud pit, hill just to get to church so she can be surrounded by a body of believers.
one of the coolest experiences was a prayer walk we went on. Diego (the ministry host in Talamanca) told us we needed to be ready to leave our house at 3 am to go on a prayer walk through the jungle. at first, I was dreading the idea of getting up to do more walking, but the Lord gave me energy and refreshed my soul through this. everyone was given a specific thing to pray about on the walk. we prayed for the persecuted churches around the world. we prayed for Talamanca. for the women, men and children. we prayed for the churches and that the Lord would build up the community of Talamanca to love on each other.
it was sweet getting to share with the community that their worth isn’t defined by what they do. that the Father loves them the same as He did yesterday and will love them the same forever. i’ve learned to be okay with being uncomfortable for the sake of the gospel. that sometimes you may have to walk 8 miles through the jungle for one person, but if that one person comes to know the Lord through it and sees his love, then it’s all worth it. the gospel is urgent. blessed by this opportunity I had to spend a week in the jungle ministering to the indigenous people of costa rica. thanks god! you’re too good!
heaven on earth.
much love,
britt
