This Costa Rica Mission's trip has been such a blessing. Today we began by heading to La Finca. After playing and hanging out with the kids from the leadership team for a short while, we split into three groups and then walked through the areas where our previous Vacation Bible Schools were held. New Life Church of Los Guido hosts a “Kid’s Club” outreach event every Saturday, so the teams dispersed door-to-door throughout these neighborhoods handing out invitations to attend.
After all of the teams arrived back at La Finca, we played some soccer. Later, we broke into two teams that would compete in all the games of the day. We then sang and danced to a few songs, teaching them to all the new kids who showed up with parts of their family. The kids were such an awesome testimony of how God can do amazing things through young lives. We took a small break to celebrate the mission team’s birthdays that were in December and January. In Costa Rica, when you have a birthday, it is customary that the birthday boy (or girl) gets eggs smashed on top of their head. Megan, Kayla, and Conway were all privileged enough to participate in this ritual. The kids lined up one by one to smash eggs on top of the lucky “gringos”.
Kids had a blast playing games throughout the day. Many of them were brand new to La Finca, so we were able to just have fun with them and show them God’s love.We are definitely hoping to see them again at church on Sunday.
After a great afternoon of fun with the kids, we were able to come back to the mission house and rest a while. During our evening devotion, we discussed our day, and how unique and rewarding this mission trip has been so far. Unlike most mission trips, we haven’t been doing a lot of work projects. Most of what we have been doing is spreading the Gospel, through things like delivering food bags, and just simply playing with local kids. Yes, the people here definitely have enormous physical needs, but what is even more eternally important than that is the enormity of their spiritual needs.
The work we’ve been doing here hasn’t necessarily involved building people new houses or buildings, or fulfilling some specific need like that, but God has definitely been working on the people’s hearts here through us. For example today we found out that at least thirty-nine people prayed to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior in La Carpio yesterday. The work that God is doing here is simply amazing and beyond human comprehension! The fact that God has allowed us to participate in His plan is truly a privilege.
He has truly been strengthening us and helping us to do His work. Whether we’re walking through the streets of Los Guido or playing an intense game of soccer with the kids, God has been providing us with the energy to keep going, despite our own shortcomings. One minute we’re telling each other how sore we are, and then the next, we are sprinting across the field after the soccer ball, or playing tug of war with the kids again. Thus far, this has truly been an amazing experience for us and those we are serving. We can only anxiously wait to see what God has in store for us next.
YUCK!!! Eggs in the face=bad smell.
ReplyDelete