Ad- ven-ture
Oxford Dictionary: An unusual and exciting or daring experience.
I’ve been blessed to experience lots of unusual, exciting or daring moments on the race.
Central America
Guatemala: Our group did tons of different types of ministries. In one occasion, some of our teammates prayed for a man with a softball- sized knot on his leg and the knot shrunk as they prayed.
It was gone!
On another occasion a man and his wife came to the place where we were staying and began to pray for us and prophesied (words given to them by God) to about 7 of us. They were spot on with the things they were saying.
We did sports ministry and I learned some break dancing and befriended a group of teenagers.
On an off day we visited the ruins of the ancient Mayan city Tikal.
Honduras: Our group served at an after-care home for girls under the age of 18 who have been raped by incest. Honduras, especially in the city where we lived, has a huge rape/incest problem.
We built a large concrete perimeter fence so that the kids could play in the yard and the ministry host could grow fruits.
We also had an opportunity to go door-to-door and qualify single women with children who needed help for a food assistance program the ministry was putting together. In each home that we went to we would pray with the family, bringing more of Christ into their lives.
The first week we were in Honduras we met as a squad in Valle De Angeles. It’s a town filled with skilled artist, great food and neat shops. It was a beautiful town surrounded by mountains.
During our time there our squad organized a 5K called the “Fun Fetti 5K.” Participants would run through the city, and there were different stations along the way where a different part of the cake process would be splattered all over the runner. For example: Station 1) They would get flour thrown at them. Station 2) They would get an egg smashed on their head and Station 3) They would get confetti thrown at them. It was a fun mess.
Nicaragua: Our team served at an after school/children’s home. We tutored the children, teaching them grammar and math. We also taught them other skills such as dancing, gymnastics, and the guitar. We developed great relationships with the children.
We also served alongside doctors and nurses who brought tons of supplies and medicine. We would sit down with patients and see what their chief complaint was. We would then write up forms and send them back to the doctor. I was blessed to be able to translate for the Nicaraguan people and pray for them.
We had weekends off and took full advantage of them. We visited a few volcanoes. On one occasion we hiked up one and set up camp at the top. At night we walked over to the large opening of the volcano where we could see lava. The sunset and sunrise from the top of the volcano were amazing.
On another volcano we went volcano boarding. I believe CNN ranks it #2 for thrill seekers. Basically, you jump on a snowboard or a sled and ride down a volcano. It was super fun!
My friend Paul and I rented duel sport bikes for a couple of days. We rode them around town and up the volcano. When locals would ask where we rode them and we told them up the volcano path they were shocked.
That’s what we were going for – “shock and awe.”
We also visited lagoons and a really nice beach.
My team and I decided it would be a ton of fun to take salsa lessons while we were in Leon, Nicaragua. We had class every Monday and Tuesday for four weeks. We had a dance exam at the end of the four weeks and all the gringos passed to the next level : )
Costa Rica: Our group served at a feeding center and with a church that really focuses on the people of an area called Los Guidos. It’s an area filled with crime. We lived with the people there and really poured into the youth.
I really connected with the youth there. I had a special connection with Dixon. We had many conversations.
The ministry hosts, Mark and Meg, were amazing! They were very wise and really poured into us.
On our off day we went to Dominical. It was a beach town. Many of us rented surf boards and gave it our best shot. It’s been a long-time dream of mine to surf. I fought the waves as I tried to swim out past the break. After a few attempts I stood up and rode a wave into the shore. It was an amazing feeling.
Pura Vida!
