Friends and Family,
Hello from Los Guido, Costa Rica! This month my team and I are partnering with the Christian Light Foundation. This organization was founded by an amazing couple, Mark & Meg 14 years ago. Last weekthe church on the compound celebrated their 10 year anniversary! It has been such a blessing to see the majority of the community know, love, and respect the ministry God is doing here.
The Christian Light Foundation in Los Guido has two acres of land that holds a gym/feeding center, church, and a home. My team and I have our tents set up in a corner of the gym. We have a kitchen, and bathrooms! Although the showers are ice cold, we are so so so grateful to have running water.
Los Gudio is one of the poorest, most dangerous slums in Costa Rica. Every night at 6pm, we are locked in the gym for our safety. Poverty is everywhere here, life is hard, but in this moment, there is no place on earth I’d rather be. I begged God to send me into the darkest of places to shine His light, and He answered.
For the first time ever, we have the opportunity to go into one of the public schools here and teach English! Our team of 6 has been divided into three groups of two and paired with an English teacher. Our teacher, Cindy, has about 10 different classes. This is the first time some of these kids have seen people from the United States, and have been super excited to see “gringos!”
The Christian Light Foundation hasa feeding center in the gym Monday-Saturday 11:00-1:00pm. Everyone is welcome to enjoy a hot meal, and for many kids, this is the only hot meal they will eat that day. The people in Los Guido are hungry, but not just for food. The feeding center is a safe place for them to be physically fed, but also spiritually filled. The staff here do an amazing job of learning the kids names, their stories, and inviting them to church to be discipled.
Building relationships and trust with the teachers and kids at school has been a super effective way to connect them with the Christian Light Foundation. There is no greater feeling than to see one of your students step into the feeding center where they receive food, love and Jesus.
I’m not sure how I will say goodbye to my new home at the end of this month. But I take comfort in knowing the ministry in this community does a wonderful job of reaching the people here. We may not see all the fruit from our time here, but I know it will be bountiful.
This month hasn’t been easy for me. Transitioning to being an overseas missionary, living with 5 fairly new friends, experiencing the brokenness is Los Guido, eating rice and beans everyday, and overcoming the language barrier has proved to be one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. One thing God has placed on my heart this week is the phrase “Come as you are.” He doesn’t expect me to be a perfect missionary, a perfect teammate, or a perfect Christian. He simply calls me to say “yes” to His Will and “Come just as I am.”
This past Sunday we visited another team in Costa Rica. During our trip back to our ministry site, it was pouring rain. We returned to our home just in time for church, soaked, covered in mud, bug bites, dirty hair, and were anything but presentable. I almost skipped church to shower! But my team and I were welcomed with opened arms, hugs, and smiles just as we were.
Come as you are! Bring your expectations, failures, short comings, and insecurities before the feet of Jesus and He will welcome you into His loving presence every single time.
Thank you so much to everyone who has prayed for our team here! We really feel your prayers and take comfort knowing people all across the world are thinking of us. In order to remain on the field and finish this mission, I still need to raise around $3,600. Please continue to pray God will provide the funds, penetrate the hearts of the beautiful people in Los Guido, and continue to guide our team.
-Christen <3
