Dear Family, Friends, & Fellow Travelers on this journey,
We had our first day of going to visit people in their homes for prayer ministry. We went to homes where people had been to a church event before so that our host could follow up with them and ask them how it went and how they were doing. Then we asked if we could pray for them.
It was great to get to walk in the neighborhood together and get to see and talk to some of the children or just to say hi to them as they walked or played.
We knew some of the kids we visited already from the street ministry and from church. It was a joy to get to see them again and they were glad to see us!
One girl ran straight to every member of our team to give us each a hug! She was filled with joy and it was contagious!
Another girl and her brother were very glad to see us as they waved and smiled and giggled with us. The little boy was so happy to show off his baby brother who was crawling, pointing him out to us to make sure we could see him.
As we walked back down, past the houses on the hills, we could see the mountains, covered in mist, with all the colorful houses below. It was beautiful and breathtaking to see an aerial view of where we had walked and where the people lived.
We knew the prayers had an impact, even if we could not see the immediate effect.
Everyone was very welcoming and let us into their homes to pray for them.
A couple of the women were visibly moved as they seemed to experience the Father’s love and care for them. Even if we couldn’t speak the same language, perhaps they could see the Father’s love for them despite our lack of the same language.
We climbed hills and what one Costa Rican woman called a “mountain” to go to see people and pray for them. We crossed bridges and showed we cared for people by taking the time to go see them and spend time with them in their homes.
This is what all of our lives can look like, if we take the time to show others we care about them and they are truly worth our time.
My team, Radiant, discussed this together and what this means in how we all do ministry.
Some people pass through our lives for only a short time but can still have a great impact.
The work we are here to do is to support this ministry we are serving in Los Guidos, Costa Rica, for the long term benefits so they can reach even more people in the town and neighborhoods nearby.
Even if it’s praying over people, something that might not always be the “expected missionary task” or at least not always the main one or the “big, hands- on project.”
The impact is something we might not get to see every time.
But God has a purpose for what we do, for what each one of us does.
We are here to build into the ministry of Christian Light Foundation and support them in whatever ways we can. Planting seeds by praying over a family can have a larger impact in the future than we might be aware of. It can make a bigger difference than we could expect.
We can have joy in knowing and trusting God, who works in many different ways.
The ministry team has been here in Los Guidos for 13 years.
We are just a small part on the timeline of ministry work that has been done here.
We don’t know exactly where we are on the timeline of God’s plans to reach these people here, who are His children.
There were people before us and there will be people after us, serving and loving the people here.
Even more than climbing hills or “mountains,” God had a purpose for us in visiting His people and showing His love and speaking life over His children. In the spiritual realm, mountains were climbed and bridges crossed that day too. Bridges to connect people to God and connect people to local people who love God.
The small joys of the day:
Praying over a family with 3-4 little ones smiling at you
Praying over a family of 5-6 babies/kids/teens passing in and out of the house and one of the little girls sitting next to me to pray and whispering to me in Spanish, though I could not understand everything she said.
Two little kids playing with a kitten outside of a house near us and making us laugh
Two little girls doing chores outside reminding me of my little sister
Reflecting on our time with our team and realizing the impact we could have and how God could use us, despite our inabilities or lack of knowledge of the language. But that we could have joy in doing the work God has for us, regardless of how it looks and the responsibility we have to share God’s love and care with others, as we are really all part of the same family.
Realizing how “short term” missions can benefit a community long term (such as the one we are partnering with here) and how it really has such a great benefit even if we don’t see it all the time.
We are here for an important purpose and God has you where you are too for a purpose!
Questions to Ponder:
What are some ways, small of big that you can see God moving in your own life?
How can you “pass it on”, through showing God’s love and care for the next person you meet or talk with in your life?
Who has God put into your circle of influence that you could encourage today, in a small or big way?
I want to hear from you! Answer in the comments below or message me with what you want to hear more about!
If you feel led to join me on this journey, please give a gift today. I am $2500 away from meeting my next deadline in February- will you help me meet it as a birthday gift (coming up in February!) and partnership as I serve around the world?
Or for a fun way to give the gift of a memorable experience, consider giving to help me take part in Adventure Day this coming up month for my birthday– when we get to explore the country around us on our days off. This is an additional cost not covered if we want to explore and make the most of our time here. It will also go towards other uncovered expenses, such as costs to get back home after the Race and other out of pocket living expenses. You can give through PayPal at: [email protected] Thank you for your support!!!!
Please pray I meet my next deadline of another $2500 to meet the $13,000 deadline by Leap Year- Feb. 29th, 2016!
That will bring me closer to my final deadline that is needed by the end of April- $16,962.
You can give a monthly gift or a one-time gift to help me reach my next goal.
Thank you! Your support is needed and valued in continuing to send me to the nations!
Love,
Jen
