My squad and I have been in Costa Rica for almost two months and we have settled into a nice routine here. So now I get to tell you what I am up to here! My team and I are a part of three different ministries each week. Our first one is at a community center. There we help teach gardening, painting, and theatre classes. After lunch, we help with conversational English. People from the community come and we sit around a table and drink coffee and ask about their lives. Did they grow up in Costa Rica? Do they have any kids? What is their job like? We get to learn about their lives and they get to practice their English. After that, kids from the community come and we play board games, dance, color, and practice our Spanish while they practice their English. I’m learning to love the simplicity of this ministry.
Our second ministry is at a slum. Each morning we are greeted at the door of the feeding center by the biggest smiles and tightest squeezes. Ministry here can look different each time. But while we are there we love on and play with the kiddos. We play soccer with whatever they can find to use as a soccer ball. We give lots of piggy back rides and run around the room while they giggle in our ears. When the moms come in to eat we get to hold their sweet babies and it fills my heart every time. We color lots of pictures. We prepare a bible story and craft or game to go along with it for each day. We sit in a circle with the kids and teach them about the Father. Most of the kids are pretty squirrely but it is worth the time wrangling them to sit in a circle to have them sit in your lap and hear the faithfulness of their Heavenly Father. The Spirit is alive and working in this slum and these kids love us with a love like no other.
The last ministry we are a part of is called Metro Ministries. We get to be a part of this ministry three afternoons a week. Metro is a VBS-type program that goes into the rough and rural parts of Costa Rica and brings the love of the Father. Most of the kids we see come from families that are involved in gangs or living in poverty. But these kids have some of the biggest hearts and love for God. When the kids first arrive at Metro we play outside with them or sit inside and color. You can almost always find someone throwing a frisbee or football, kicking a soccer ball, jumping rope, or coloring a Strawberry Shortcake coloring sheet. Once the program starts we sing worship songs and dance. The kids that answer the bible questions right get to come up and play a game. Then they get to hear a bible story, testimony, or watch a skit that ties in with the story. My team and I have had the privilege of being a part of the program these past two months. We have been in skits, read bible verses in Spanish, helped set up the games, and much more. To wrap up the program, the kids are given a snack and then walked back to their homes. Metro Ministries is a beautiful program that is giving kids and teens the opportunity to hear the hope of the gospel and I love getting to be a part of it.
This is just a brief look into ministry here in Costa Rica. I plan on writing a blog on each one more in depth in the future. But until then, thank you for the opportunity to be here loving and learning from God’s children! My team and I would appreciate prayers over these ministries and the lives of the children we are encountering each day. Prayers for energy and wisdom on how to best love them and show them Jesus. Also, prayers of protection and softened hearts over the children that are being shown the love of the Father. They are so loved by us and by their Heavenly Father and we just want to be a vessel of that love to them! Thank you for your prayers and support!
