Saturday, January 1, 2011

By Heilena Rojas

This morning’s devotional time continued in the book of Philippians. We talked about Paul being in chains and encouraging people to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly, even though he was being persecuted. We were challenged to be bold in the defense of the gospel. As a group we talked about what kind of things might hold us back from doing that in our daily life. Some of the things we thought of were pride, fear, and embarrassment.

After we had devotional time and breakfast with the team, we headed out to Los Guidos to invite the kids in the community to come join in on the fun at La Finca for Kids Club. In order to invite the children, we had to walk 4 miles up and down steep hills, rocky roads, and some really huge steps. As we walked along the streets, we came upon some familiar faces that had come to the previous days of VBS. The leadership team passed out flyers inviting them to La Finca’s gigantic slip-n-slide. We also handed out some candy to the kids. Being able to see the smiles on those kid’s faces was such an encouragement for the leadership team and for us.

On our way back to La Finca, everyone was so exhausted but we still had work to do, so we fueled up on food and we were back in the game. As we were waiting for the kids to arrive, some of us set up the slip-n-slide with water and soap, while others bonded with the leadership team. This was a great opportunity to get to know and share new experiences with the team. As the kids came through the gates of La Finca, we could see the bright smiles on their faces. When all the kids had finally showed up, it was time to begin the fun! Throughout La Finca, kids were yelling and screaming with laughter, running up and down the hills, eating candy, and sliding in the water. I got to truly experience the most important thing in life… JOY! These kids showed the true meaning of joy; whether it was from just a simple lollypop to a giant slipping slide. It made me realize that our attitude should be like those kids of Los Guidos: even if things don’t go the way we expect it to go, we must live our life filled with joy.




Tonight we came back to the mission house earlier than the past few days. This allowed us to have another devotional time with the team and to open up and share all the things we had experienced in the past few days. It was amazing to hear the eye opening and heart-warming stories that make up this once in a lifetime opportunity. So far, this has been the biggest privilege and most rewarding experience I have ever had.




Please continue to pray for the strength and health of our team as well as for all of the incredible work that God is doing here in Costa Rica.