faith (n.) – the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen
imagination (n.) – the ability to see an image of what is not
So, obviously, we made it through launch and to Costa Rica safely & smoothly!! The first few days were a little rough but I’m adjusting. Here’s a little bit about the ministry we’re working with and what we’re doing.
This month my team and I are in Sabanilla, a province of San Jose, Costa Rica. We are located in barrio Sinai, where 100% of the population lives in poverty. Many of which are Nicaraguan immigrants, who do not make enough money to pay the $500 fee to register with the government to receive healthcare and other benefits. Sinai is also home to the highest population of teenage mothers in Costa Rica, with 60% of women having their first child before the age of 18.
This month, we have the privilege of serving with Transforma ministries. Here, the women of the community are taught life and developmental skills such as sewing, cooking, English, etc. These skills will allow them to create their own businesses and provide for their families, as 50% of them are the sole providers.
The problem is that in order to start a business, the women must have what’s called a business patent. To obtain that, they must pay fees/taxes and meet certain regulations/qualifications. For example, one of those would be to pass a health inspection in their homes. As these women live in poverty, it is almost impossible for them to afford or obtain a business patent.
Our ministry host & the woman who pioneered Transforma, Vanessa, is working with the local government to create a law that would allow these women to obtain what would be called a “social patent”, allowing them to work their businesses so that they can at least provide food for their families, as this is what Americans would know as an inalienable right. Once the women could obtain financial stability, they would then work toward a business patent.
Unfortunately, I was unable to actually go to the homes with my teammates as I was helping with another situation but my amazingly talented teammates visited the homes of the women whose lives have been transformed by Transforma. (see what I did there!? ;P) They were able to listen to their stories and get footage for a video that will be shown at a local counsel meeting tomorrow.
The local counsel will be voting tomorrow (10/10/16) to pass this law and we may possibly find out as soon as tomorrow night what the verdict is, so please be in prayer for that! 😀
**UPDATE 10/31/16**
The proposal was not passed that Monday night, but the 15 minute presentation turned into a 2 hour Q&A where Transforma found favor in the eyes of the people that were there. Two weeks later, the proposal was passed!!
For more about the ministry: www.transformacr.org
Now, you may be wondering why I mentioned faith and imagination at the beginning of this blog. Well, we visited a bilingual church this morning and it was a revelation to me that the two are not very different concepts. So many times we hope for things that we dream of for years and the enemy tries to tell us, “It’s just your imagination, it will never happen.” But wait! Imagination is just having faith!!
From the time that I was young, I imagined extraordinary things for my life & God kept telling me that if I just followed Him, He would give me more than I could ever imagine! Just that spark of imagination was the faith that I had in Him. If I knew everything God had in store for me, I wouldn’t even begin to have faith that would measure up. But all he requires is the faith of a mustard seed! 😀
So keep dreaming friends, work hard, & give your imagination to God… He’ll run wild with it!!
To be part of what we’re doing & to help me reach my fundraising deadlines to continue this journey, please consider donating 1 of 2 ways:
1. Make a monthly pledge by clicking here.
(Just 25 monthly pledges of $40 would fund the cost of the trip & all additional expenses 
)
2. Make a 1-time donation by clicking here.
*For a tax-deductible donation, please contact me at [email protected]*
