Hey blog! Meet my friend Tori! We got to meet Tori after she met us at the beach for worship. In March 2020 , when COVID hit and things got crazy,Tori, a college student from Pennsylvania, felt like she should go back to Puerto Viejo which she had visited on her study abroad in San José. She packed a jansport backpack and moved to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica merely 2 days before the Costa Rican borders closed and continued doing school online. Growing up, Tori went to a traditional church but when shut down from asking questions by church leaders during her confirmation she stopped going to church.
As she got older, Tori began experimenting with New Age spiritualism searching for the true meaning of life. However, the deeper she got into New Age beliefs, the more deception she noticed within it. In October, Tori experienced an awful night of sleep paralysis/sleep terror. The only thing that could free her: the name of Jesus. She exclaimed that the name of Jesus was the only thing her body could mumble out and she was freed!
In response to her firsthand experience of God’s power, Tori went, floated in the ocean, and surrendered everything to the Lord and began pursuing Him with all she had and her faith has been growing ever since. Tori walks in the freedom the Lord has given her and is passionate about showing others that Jesus is the Truth. She is also passionate to inform others how easily spiritualism can creep into your life and how deceptive it is. She uses her videography skills to post videos on social media about Jesus and her story to exclaim how radically her life has changed since abiding in the Lord.
Since meeting the Lord, Tori has been praying for community since Puerto doesn’t have a lot of Christians. She found the YWAM Puerto Viejo Instagram and that is how we met her! My squadmate Rachel and I have gotten the privilege of walking with Tori, searching and studying the Bible together, and just hanging out a couple times and it has been a blast and so encouraging! The Lord was so intentional with calling Tori back to Puerto. She lived right near the YWAM base and has gotten to see Christian community.
Tori has truly taught me a whole new depth to the Lord. Her devotion to Him inspires me to unashamedly walk out my own faith with boldness and to use my platforms for His glory. Her story has taught me so much about the Lords pursuit over each of His children, how He leaves the 99 for the one, how He doesn’t need any human being to reach His children, and how He truly is the only way, truth, and life; that the more we ask questions the more our faith will grow, not diminish.
Praise the Lord for Tori! She is on fire for the Kingdom and changes the atmosphere for good wherever she is!! I am better because of her, Puerto Viejo is better because of her, and wherever life takes her next will be better because of her, not because of anything she does, but simply because she exudes the Father in everything. A sweet friendship that is such a privilege!
My squad has just one week left here before we head to the Dominican Republic for the next three months. Ways you can be praying: for Tori, she graduates in May, so pray for a smooth rest of her semester and for guidance in what to do after school, pray for our squad, that we would stay healthy, that we would trust the Lord with all of the relationships we’ve built here that will be super hard to leave, safe travels, and that we have a smooth transition into the DR! Pray for Puerto Viejo and the Ywam staff here, that the staff would not pour out themselves but Christ alone and for this place to know the Lord.
I’ll be writing a blog soon about what my time in the Dominican Republic will look like soon so stay posted! And if you have any questions please feel free to email me (I will do my absolute best to respond quickly, sometimes WiFi is tricky here)!
-Mary
