We left at 6am and traveled 8 hours to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica on Tuesday, April 23rd. Upon our arrival we were told that evening we would be running our first service. It was a very empowering week because our amazing ministry host, Diego put us in charge of everything and really challenged us out of our comfort zones.
We had to cover being greeters, all of the worship, scripture reading, introducing our group, 5-10min testimony and a 30min sermon. The way Diego did it was, he would announce what was needed and looked for the first hand to come up to volunteer.
We had a couple of hours where we got to rest after a long travel day and also, get ready for the service. With excitement and nervous anticipation, we all cleaned up, putting on our “Sunday best” & heading to church.
Greeting all the church members with smiles and bringing them to their seats. I remembered thinking to myself how tired each of them looked, finding out later that some had walked more than hour going up STEEP (trust me I know, we walked to all of our house visits!!) hills to be there. This also gives perspective of this church. Ready to glorify their king who they came far and wide for.
The only way I can really describe this church is the church from the book of Acts. Passionate, selfless, giving.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”. Acts 2: 44-47
Entering into a time of worship and watching them chase the fire inside their souls. Watching them all worship God so undignified, not caring what the person next to them thought, giving it their all. Never once letting fatigue stop them from worshipping the highest king.
It was truly beautiful & an inspiring testimonial to Gods goodness. This church is in the middle of an indigenous community where Christ is NOT accepted. Looking around and seeing my dear brothers and sisters, wondering all the persecution they had gone through to get this point. How firm they all were & how I could tell by the way they worshipped their Father. We worshipped for a good while and at the end, jumping for joy for the lord. Joy overwhelming my soul to the point of straight giddiness. It was incredible!
By the time we got to the actual sermon it had been an hour and a half. Thinking back to myself at home, itching to go home by this point and truly seeing how much I was missing. It was a great reminder that if I am doing it correctly, like my brothers and sisters around me, I could be there all night! My squadmate, Brendan shared on love. A word used so much, almost feeling like a cliche. Like, “yeah yeah I know what love is and I know what the Fathers love is”. Yet, it completely wrecked me. It felt like Brendan shared the message as a vessel just for me. God spoke so directly towards me. It was a reminder that sometimes we need on the basic because it’s honestly easy to forget the weight of love.
As I reread the “love chapter” it hit me like a brick. “Love never fails”. The line is past the famous poetic part and is all alone in the next paragraph making me never focus on it. I read that passage like I was reading it for the first time. In a way I was, with a completely new mindset. I read it like my husband, Jesus was reading it to me. Making the words that His love never fails stand out in bold lettering and reminding me that when every human fails me, he never will. How I have just tipped my hand in the ocean of his NEVER FAILING, NEVER ENDING LOVE! Wow. It’s crazy to comprehend but it’s real, it’s so so real! After that message when inevitably the people around me failed me in love I got to run to my husband and remain in this passage. It was so simple and that’s because it’s the simple gospel. 🙂
It was such a great night and it was an amazing start to an unforgettable week in the jungle!
