Small Town Living

Tabarcia seemed like a picture-perfect stereotypical Central American town to me. The town was built around the catholic church.

There were a couple of small “pulperias” or corner stores that sell everything. This particular store sold everything from machetes and rubber boots to soccer balls, batteries, toilet paper, chocolate, fresh tomatoes and probably just about anything else you could imagine.

There was the elementary school and a high school

And just around the corner from them, a snack shop that always had a crowd of students in their uniforms in front of it.

The daycare doubled as a nutrition center, and was right next door to the clinic and the red cross.

I really enjoyed the small town atmosphere. It was quiet and friendly, and after being in town only a week, we had already made friends with some of the local kids who we ran into almost every day.

Outreach in Tabarcia!

Last week instead of having class, we headed to Tabarcia, a small town in the mountains about an hour outside of San Jose. Isaac, who is on staff here at YWAM San Jose is from Tabarcia, and he talked to his pastor who set up the opportunity for us to come. Working together as a team all week was good preparation for outreach, where we’ll be doing the same sort of thing for 8 weeks.

We were able to be involved in a lot of different types of ministries. We helped clean, paint, dismantle cabins, cook, prepare church services, and present children’s programs. We also hung out in the plaza, played soccer with the high-schoolers, picked up trash around the neighborhood and practiced our dramas.

Here are some pictures from the week.

Me teaching Sunday school class

JT and I as Arragachito and Arragachita in our children's drama

Reanna and I in the mask drama on Saturday night.

Katie and I picking up trash

Disassembling the cabin (see the sparks flying?)

Kathia smoking out a wasp nest

hard at work

Chove, Rossela, me, Katie and Mariana in the back of a truck on the way to work.

The Father Heart of God

Lemuel just turned one year old last Saturday. Since we’ve gotten here, I’ve been enjoying watching him learn to walk. His smile of joy and accomplishment when he walks from one person to another makes me smile in return. I can’t stop looking at him and smiling. On Sunday he started walking independently for the first time. I was so proud of him! The other day he was sitting in his high chair watching cartoons and I came over to say hello to him, and he reached up for me to pick him up. I was so pleased by his desire to be with me.

Ever since week one, the Father Heart of God has been a recurring theme in our classes. As I look at Lemuel, God’s heart towards us becomes even clearer to me. I’m not even related to Lemuel, and yet, each accomplishment he has fills my heart with joy. Every time he smiles when I’m around, I smile in return. God is like that with us. Our accomplishments, our growth from baby Christians to mature men and women of the word, fill Him with joy and pleasure. When we delight in his presence, he is pleased. He is longing for us to run to him, to stretch out our arms to him and acknowledge our need for him.

Tessa isn’t even one month old yet. When I hold her, I feel such contentment. Watching her mother and father look at her and hold her, you can’t help but see the overwhelming love they have for her. She’s done nothing to deserve it. All she can do is receive their love. She doesn’t even smile or coo in return yet, she’s too little. And yet, their love for her is immense.

God loves us like that. We can’t earn his love. He loved us before the foundation of the world. Ephesians 1: 4 says, “he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” When he sees us, he looks on us as his sons and daughters, “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6)

Accept your Father’s love as a little child accepts love from their father. Turn to him to provide for you and protect you. Delight in his presence, and know that he delights in your trust in him.

English Lessons

While we’re all together, we’ve been teaching our Costa Rican classmates some very useful survival English phrases.

(Please imagine the following sentences spoken with a Costa Rican accent for the full effect)

For example, we’ve taught Mariana, “Get out, demon, in the name of the Lord!”

And Rebeca has learned, “My heart beats for you”.

Teaching Luis and Manny "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" has still only met with very limited success.

Manny picked up “That’s amazing!” from Scott, but when Breeana had to wear one of those lovely net hats (you know the ones I’m talking about- people in food service have to wear them?) and I sarcastically told her how cute it looked, he followed up with, “oh baby, I ache for you” all on his own.

A different way to spend the evening

Last night, I hung out on a street corner with a few transvestite prostitutes.

Apparently prostitution is legal here in Costa Rica. The DTS team from Denver that's here right now went out last night to minister to prostitutes, and I was invited along to translate. As we drove past groups of women standing on street corners, I began to feel both compassion and fear. There is so much pain and sin in this world. Christ is working through his church to redeem a world where we have hurt each other so much that men lose their identities as men, put their bodies on display, and sell themselves to make a living.

We dropped off our first group of 4 girls- 2 Denver team members and 2 translators- as we continued on, covering them in prayer. As I watched them approach the first group, my fear grew. Not for their safety, but the fear of stepping outside my comfort zone. I worried about what I would say, how they would react to our presence, what they would think of us.

When we were ready to send out the next team, I was half hoping I wouldn't be on it, but I also knew I needed to look to God instead of my fear. So, Elena, 2 Denver DTS girls and I approached the prostitutes on the corner. And you know what? Beginning our conversation was awkward, but we had fun. We laughed together, we talked about food and music, we heard a little bit of their stories. One of them is 23 years old and has been on the street since she was 6. Elena asked if they'd like to get off the streets and they shared that they would, and the difficulties of finding jobs, especially as transvestites.

We didn't end up spending too much time sharing about God's love, but they did let us pray with them before we left. And if I go back again, I won't be nearly as afraid to step out of my comfort zone. Maybe I'll participate more in the conversation instead of just listening. And if I go a 3rd time, maybe I'll be ready to share more about WHY I'm choosing to hang out on street corners instead of going to bed. Each time we go, our trust in God will grow, and relationships will grow. And as we trust God and each other more, that is when we will see God at work.

Sunday in the Park

Sunday afternoon we headed to the park. Okayama park is a favorite of ours, and apparently of many Ticos too.

The park doesn't get much less busy in the evening. Around 7 a group of 20 or so of us- San Jose DTS students and staff, Denver DTS, and Belize DTS went back to the park with a guitar. We prayed some praise and worship songs and sang together. There was another large group of young people hanging out under a large tree listening. Finally, someone from our group got brave enough to go over and say hello. Turns out they were from a church and came over and joined our group. A few of them took turns on the guitar and we all praised the Lord together, sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English, and sometimes in both. It was a beautiful time.

Things I love about Costa Rica

So many things here in Costa Rica are a constant reminder of God’s creative power.

The sunsets

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1

The mountains

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and Earth.” Psalm 121:1&2

The flowers

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.” Matthew 6:8&9

Fresh fruits and vegetables

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind. . . and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:10&11

The kids on base

“Children are a heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Psalm 127:3