I want to tell you a story…
A story about a woman. She is misunderstood. Slandered.Blamed.Scared.Distained by a world who cant understand her. But she is dynamic, diverse, beautiful and full of life. She carries a mission. She has carried it for thousands of years. There were times she wandered, times where the mission was unclear. She continued her work and continues it today. The one who stood by her champions her, picked her up when she was exhausted and lost. It was the same one who gave her the mission she tirelessly pursues. Jesus. She is the church. She is US. 2,000 years ago Jesus set a movement into motion. A movement so significant that the Bible calls it his bride. And today…She still stands. Powerful. Creative. Filled with purpose. She is NOT dying and is not in decline. Her best days are ahead, the next big thing is here. It’s always been here. It’s HER. It’s YOU. It’s US. It’s HIM. This is movement STILL in progress.
The Church is more than a building we visit. We are the Church. We as the church have come to bring the Church to Jaco Costa Rica. 10 years ago Jaco was known for its sex, drugs, alcohol, human trafficking, and prostitution. Our host Hannah told us that the city of Jaco used to be lost. Over the years Hannah and her family have seen the people of Jaco come to the feet of Jesus. Its because of selfless people who heard a whisper and answered a calling. There have been many English and Spanish speaking churches planted in the heart of Jaco and people are continually coming to know the Lord. God is good! We have been blessed to meet these people and share Gods love for them. We have seen nice rural areas and we have seen slums, we have met wealthy people, and povrished people, all these places and all these people STILL need Jesus. He is THERE. He is HERE. The same God that has always been with us, is here with them. I look into the eyes of these golden brown skinned babies and I see Hope. He is moving. He is doing a new thing. And he is ALLOWING us to come along side him and share about his love and grace. The people here are so welcoming, they smile, and greet you as if they’ve always known you. Their hearts are full, and they seem so blessed. These people inspire me to be more like Jesus.
The people of Jaco did not need me to come save them. God will do that. I needed to come to Jaco so the people would save me. In just a few short days God has opened my heart and my eyes to so much. The other morning we taught kids club at the local park. I found out quickly we would not have a Spanish translator and my heart sank. How would we convey the love of Jesus if we could not speak Spanish??? Well God is not limited by our limitations. He showed up and showed out. One of the locals knew some broken English and helped us the best she could. We shared the story of the lost sheep, and acted out a skit for them, we played games, made crafts, sang songs, and passed out snacks. We also were able to give each child a bag of rice and beans to take home to their family. We didn’t need Spanish to share the love of Jesus. We just loved them. Jesus is a universal language. Despite what seemed like a barrier, we still connected. We hugged them, loved them, and played with them, we shared laughs and some tears, and Jesus was there in everything. In every detail.
It reminded me of a beautiful picture in Acts 2 of what the church is SUPPOSED to look like.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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.”
This is what its like in Jaco. People eat together, fellowship daily, they pray together, and praise God with sincere hearts. And God is adding to their numbers daily. The people here are showing me what the church should really look like. It reminds me that church isn’t inside a building with 4 walls, its in our hearts, it’s the way we love, and treat people. We carry the church with us. Always.
Please continue to pray for the people of Jaco. That God would keep doing a work here. Pray for hearts to be open and lives to be transformed. Pray for our teams and our squad, that we would bring glory to God in EVERYTHING we do. God has big plans for the city of Jaco, and I can not wait to continue his work and share with you his faithfulness! Until then,
Pura Vida (Good life)(Everyone in Jaco says it to everyone they see)
