It felt
like an eternity to get to Costa Rica……. a long and boring eternity. We left
LaCama Wed. the 4th and we traveled on a big charter bus until Tues.
the 10th. We stopped and rested in Guatemala City, San
Salvador, Managua and a few other
places. It was a 8 to 12 hour drive each day to the next destination which was
all in the rain. The last few days our bodies became really uncomfortable and
upset. I think I had bus lag cause all I wanted to do was sleep when we got to
Carpio????? Driving through Costa Rica was not as awesome as I thought, we
where hit with a lot of storms on the drive and couldn’t see much at all, but
when the rain finally stopped we saw the most beautiful topical country I ever
seen. This place is so beautiful!!!! Mountains, rivers, amazing weather,
friendly people, what more could you want. Hahahah we are staying in the dumps
of San Jose and I mean the dumps “like a land fill” and its so beautiful. We
have enormous trucks that pass everyday with more and more trash from the city
and dump it just down the hill from us and its still that pretty of a view.
Every night our team spends time taking pictures of the late afternoon sky
which is this beautiful pink and blue color. Well enough about that….. Our
mission here in Carpio is pretty busy. We are staying at New Horizons which is
a mission department that also is involved with a school, hospital, and several
church’s in the area. Carpio is the poorest area outside of San Jose. This area
has a very bad reputation and it really holds true to all the stories. Just
yesterday Sean and I where coming back from the city and the bus we were
traveling on had three fresh bullet holes on the side of it, locals said ” for
no reason it‘s Carpio”. They estimate that 80% of the children here have been
involved in some sort of sexual abuse. Many children get as far as 6th
grade and then drop out or their families can’t afford the schooling. 99% of the population here in
Carpio is Nicaraguan natives that have moved to find work in San Jose. It’s
very difficult for them because they do not have the right paper work or to be
in the country so finding a good paying job is near impossible.
So everyday New Horizons opens
up and allows children to come and play. If the children had the opportunity
they would live at New Horizon……” WHY” ….because here its safe, here no one
touches them, no one forces them to do things they don’t want, here they hear how much God loves them,
here they can truly understand what that love is like. Friday I met my first
Mother-Sister. This particular girl was rapped by her father and had a
child. To much surprise the staff said
this is a popular occurrence in Carpio. The staff said that when she first came
to New Horizon she was a mess. Who could blame her!!! They said that she hated
her daughter because of the memories it brought back. The staff here took her
in and you should see her now. The young girl and her daughter walk around as the
cutest couple ever. Her daughter is 4 and she as the boldest little thing you
will ever meet. The mother knows Christ and is helping other women through her
story. God always has a way of turning our darkest times into an testimony of
His love and strength in our lives.
All this week we have been
cutting grass mostly with machetes. Our afternoons are spent with the kids
playing and whatever else they are doing, which is mainly soccer. What a
surprise!! We have been having the best worship services during the day. God is
really speaking to us in new ways and really calling us to new levels of
greatness. Sean….our squad leader is with us this month and he has truly been a
blessing to have around. This man of God has such an anointing on his life. He
is someone that truly loves and his heart is for our team to grow and mature in
Christ. We are so glade that he is with us this month, its just great, we learn
so much through his life story and all the things God has done for him. Its
really sweet. The following weeks we will be assisting in women’s groups,
kindergarten classes, English classes, bible studies, and physical work around
New Horizon. Things are going great and we are really excited for this month
and all the things God will use us to do. With the money raised for this
mission trip I was about to purchase some sounds equipment for a local school
and church. I was also able to show a few of the men how to work their sound
board. So thanks Danny, Cory, and Troy for all the sound education you guys have
given me. Just know that your labor is now impacting a community in Costa
Rica!!!! God is amazing!
Miss
everyone back home………family, church, supporters. Thank you so much for your
prays!
His
Kingdom,
