A Sunday of Worship

by Andy Scott and Kelsi Miller

Unlike every other Sunday morning back in the states, I didn't roll out of bed at 10:15, take a quick shower, comb my hair, brush my teeth, and grab a piece of fruit to eat on my drive to church, and somehow manage in such little time to pull into the parking lot with only minutes to spare. Today was much different. There was preparation involved. Before heading to La Iglesia Nueva Vida in Los Guido, our group took to the streets in an attempt to fill the pews with some new faces. Since church does not begin until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, there was ample time to do so. Us 18 "gringos" along with the 24 kids who comprise the leadership team of the church, walked up and down the streets of the city to pass out flyers inviting our neighbors to worship with us. This was such an awesome experience for all of us because instead of spending the morning sitting in church thinking about what we are going to eat for lunch and waiting to be dismissed so that we can continue on with our busy lives, we were completely focused on preparing ourselves and the community to worship our Lord. To be fair to those within our group who would abject to being labeled as "unprepared church-goers", self-preparation was not the extent of our morning walk discussion. The fact that even those of us who take the time to prepare ourself for church on Sunday have never ventured out into the community before the service to invite others to partake in our time of showing reverence to the King of the universe was convicting to us all.



Once we finally arrived at La Finca (the location of La Iglesia Nueva Vida) after hours of walking, the service began. This service however was different from what the locals were used to because Naomi and Scott led worship, while Josh delivered the sermon. Some of the songs we sang were in Spanish, while others were in English. It was so amazing to hear our culture blend with the Costa Rican's. For instance, when we were singing in English, the natives were singing the same song in Spanish, and vice versa. It was definitely an experience we will never forget. Josh delivered his famous sermon on worship while one of the ladies who helps run the missionary organization translated. This is one of many examples that demonstrates how the language barrier isn't getting in our way one bit on this trip. Directly following the service we had the privilege of enjoying dinner with the congregation. As a result of the generosity of those who donated money to the members of our team, dinner was served at La Finca for all that attended, some of whom might not see another hot meal for the rest of the year.



Once again the Lord chose to use our team both to further the Kingdom and encourage the leadership team here in Costa Rica. Keep us in your prayers, that we might not grow weary while sharing with the people of Costa Rica that which they are in need of the most; the gospel of our Lord Jesucristo.