What happened in Costa Rica?

Guys, hi! Welcome to part 2 of my summer mission trip series! Let us get to it! 🙂  

We got flights for Tuesday (June 7th) and before you knew it, we had,

• made it to the ATL airport,
• got on our connected flights and then,

• landed in San Jose, CR.
• We took airport vans to stay at our hostel, and
• the next day we got on our 4-hour bus ride to La Vigía, Guanacaste, CR.

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IMPORTANT STUFF //

We, my co-leader, Ellie and I, were so thankful to have had Victoria added as another squad leader to hone in on discipleship for the squad. We’re thankful for her incredible support for myself and Ellie too, and for her “YES” to becoming part of this squad!!

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// WE MAKE IT TO 

   LA VIGÍA 

We met our hosts, Pastor Basilio and his wife, Isimar, their son, and the church members and volunteers that would be serving us and leading us in the ministry work. We later on met Pastor Basilio’s other son who had been hospitalized but was able to return home and recover. We made ourselves at home especially because they really made us feel at home.

Rice and beans, plantains & other 
dishes, but… 
mainly rice & beans for this month :)

Where was home? The church building! Our hosts have lived at the church building due to financial hardships from covid-19. We were privileged to live with them, seeing them everyday in which the squad gals lived in the church sanctuary and the squad guys lived in a small house next door. 

Every Sunday we would pick up our things for Sunday morning service!

The sanctuary was a shared space where we:

• lived together,
• had team time,
• squad time,
• breakfast, lunch, and dinner,
• games and time spent with our new friends,
• time of worship, practice for worship for Sunday,
• quarantining space within this space,
• I mean, YOU NAME IT! 

It was honestly both a blessing and a challenge (accepted!) How was God meeting us in the various hardships that were to come? 

WITH SUCH CARE&KINDNESS <3

Throughout this month in Costa Rica, we were privileged to receive such a time as this: where we could live among Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans whom love the Lord! 

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 We were able to partner with the Pastor’s vision to serve the community in the spiritual, social and community aspects by: 

• Doing house visits to assess needs and pray for families and on occasion we were served coffee and were able to support families and local businesses by buying food items)
• Pick up trash in both the community and surrounding communities,
• And manual labor subject to the needs within the community

       // more on 

MINISTRY & COMMUNITY //

We would have pockets of time during this trip to form our own ministry opportunities in which the squad was encouraged to ATL (Ask the Lord) what this pocket of time would look like: if it was to prayer walk, visit people in the neighborhood, if it was to get on a bus and go to the city part of Nicoya; I was thankful that our squad had this freedom to choose into growing to listen to the voice of God.

With it being rainy season, you could say that our day schedule was subject to change or put on pause because when I say the flood gates of heaven would come down, I mean it.

We danced in the rain one day, played soccer in the pouring rain, and even washed our hair.

On occasion some of us would shower in the rain (with full clothes, don’t worry haha)

THIS TRIP IS DEFINED BY GOD’S INTENTIONALITY

As He was speaking, and teaching us, and

reminding us of who we are regardless of what we did or didnt do, God gave us the gift of meeting our new friend Luilly on our last full day in La Vigía. 

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  // He allowed us to minister to him 

I was excited to watch my squad play soccer on their last full day in Costa Rica, where all of the sudden a little before the game ended, Luilly began to talk to me. We 6 missionaries, listened and shared with him about Jesus for hours (at the soccer field and later that night). We could sense this man’s desperate need for Jesus and healing and restoration.

All I know is, as I’ve travelled parts of the world: 

I’ve learned to keep my eyes open, and ears open to God’s leading, and not go on ahead in my own understanding or strength even and ESPECIALLY when it comes to ministry. He honors our obedience and willingness, and I loved that we could see the moving of God throughout the month, but to end it with a really cool BANG!!!! 

Please be in prayer for Luilly, that he may say “yes” to Jesus once and for all, and that he may receive the healing and restoration that is only provided through the blood of Jesus and power of Holy Spirit!

  

Cheers to the many doctor visits as many of us got sick, and cheers to the 24 people on our squad that I was able to meet and love on, and for the ministry opportunities that GOD allowed for, and for how we were able to partner and support our ministry host. Cheers to being rooted and grounded in Jesus as storms came, and cheers to growing in maturity to not be tossed to and fro by the waves (Ephesians 3 & 4).

Credits: Cody Lu (she painted this 
at training camp and I’ve had it as my 
screen saver this whole time!)

 

with much love, and until next time,

 

J