Sometimes the next step in the process can be improving, correcting, or taking the first step of a task. This month has all three of these components associated with the time spent here. These were not just associated with just the ministry work or the steps in my personal life, but a combination of both.
In my life this month, I feel like I have taken the first step in a life long commitment with the Lord, Some of you may say, “Clayton, I though you already believed.” This is true but I have not always been a committed follower of the Lord. I would spend periods of my life where I would be following the Lord whole heartedly, and other times I would just fly through life without thinking about the Lord. I feel that this month I have come to realize the joy, appreciation, and work ethic it takes to take the first step in following the Lord for the rest of my life. Although some people may be on their second or third step in their walk with the Lord, for me I am happy to be making this first step into a lifetime of service for the Lord.
This month we helped the community take a step forward in enriching and improving the lives of the children of the Playa Azul community. Oceans Edge, our ministry host, partnered with officials from the community to create a park for the kids.This ministry included cleaning up the property in the area of the small trash that had collected over time. We then mapped out the park and boundaries with tires. These tires were painted to bring color to the area. Our squad also brought some of our own personality to the park by creating a swing, balance beam, and other formations for the kids to use their own imagination. This step that the officials have made to improve the lives of kids will lead to steps being taken in future by them to better themselves and other communities.
Another step that our ministry hosts are trying to take is to correct or transform the community of Jaco. Jaco is known as the Las Vegas of Costa Rica and you can definitely see the effects of such a evil atmosphere in the area. However, there have been steps taken this month to improve this. First, the community has been filled with constant chatter from us as a squad about the Lord. We have been out on the sidewalks about twice a week making conversations with the locals. We have prayed for and also encouraged the believers here as well. We have also participated in community events such as tree planting and the surf event cleanup. All these actions mean that the process of transforming Jaco is underway.
This month in Costa Rica has been filled with many steps taken in the right direction to bettering the community. Continue to pray that as we get ready to take our next step in the World Race, that the area here and around Jaco will move forward. Also be praying for our squad as we to will be taking our next step of traveling to Nicaragua for next months ministry opportunity. I hope that by being a light in Nicaragua that they too will take a step in the right direction of reconciling the differences the country is facing.
