¡Hola! I’ve made it to Costa Rica!! Lately, our ministry has looked like getting dropped off in the middle of town and going out to build relationships with the locals here. It is such a gift to be here for three months because I am so excited to keep growing the friendships I have made here. Something I really felt that the Lord wanted me to do was to share the stories of those that I am meeting along the way! So here’s to the start of my “Faces of Costa Rica” series
David!
Wow! We met David on our off day. He was walking his dog along the beach and asked if we were from the United States and what brought us to Puerto Viejo. We got to share a little bit about the World Race and how we were working with a local church here doing mission work. He didn’t seem very interested and just kept walking his dog. Later, as he was walking home, he passed us again. This time he invited me and two of my friends to his house which was just a couple kilometers down the beach (here in Costa Rica that is very normal and not sketchy I promise). As we were walking to his house we got to here a lot about his life. He’s a chef who’s been all over the world and enjoys the “simple life” “pura vida” as they say in Costa Rica. David is a great surfer, loves to be outdoors, and likes to just keep up his property and watch the sunrise on the beach. A dream to anyone you speak to. After he explained a little bit about his life I asked “are you satisfied? Or fulfilled?”. He paused for a moment and I was very scared that he did not take the question well, yet after he thought about it, he told us how he didn’t feel very satisfied. Together, we all got to dig into the satisfaction the Lord brings us and who God is; David was very interested in everything we said but told us every Christian he knew was a hypocrite so he never went to church, other than one time for a funeral. Boldly, we asked for the opportunity to prove him wrong and invited him to church the next day and surprisingly he said he would come! He also sent us home with fresh cocos from his yard! The next day as I got on the bus to head to church, I was already planning on disappointment, yet as we pulled up to the church, there was David waiting for us! Fifteen whole minutes early which is a very big deal since Costa Rican’s tend to arrive about 30 or more minutes late to most events. Throughout the service I could feel David’s spirits lifting. I asked him what he thought and HE LOVED IT!! He said he had never seen anyone live out their faith outside of Sunday mornings and that he wants to come next week!!! It was such an encouragement to see how the Lord met David right where he was and brought excitement to ask questions about God. It was also such an encouragement and challenge to us that as the Church body, our actions matter and everything we do should be to the glory of the Lord!
Anyways, David is one of the most hospitable and open people I know and it is so fun getting to build pour relationship with him!
I’m excited to keep posting stories and updates from the field when WiFi is available! Please keep our squad and Puerto Viejo in your prayers!
¡Chow!
