Tuesday, January 4, 2011

By Jordan Perl and Michelle Preddy

Today, our main focus was finishing the work projects that we started yesterday. We needed to finish digging the trench, lay foundation inside of it for a wall, and finish the sidewalk on the side of the feeding and tutoring center.

Overnight, the trench that we had begun digging the day before had filled up with water from the rain, and from sewage drainage. This proved to be a major setback. Since we had not finished the trench the day before, it wasn't draining, which meant that we had an extra two feet of water to deal with, literally on top of the now completely saturated soil.

We had a long, arduous day ahead of us, but we jumped right into the action and got to work. Back in the trench, as we tried to start draining the water, things didn't go so smoothly at first. We all had different ideas on how to handle the situation, and we weren't making much progress. However, after a few minutes, and talking to one of the team leaders to clarify what we should be doing, we all got on the same page, and started making real headway.




In the mean time, the other team set out mixing cement, and continued working efficiently on the area where we would be putting the sidewalk in.


After taking a break for lunch, the trench still needed more draining, and the sidewalk was ready to be laid down. Most of the team fired up their cement mixing skills. These skills continued to be used for the rest of the day, as we finished the sidewalk. And as far as the trench goes, we may not have been able to lay the cement foundation that we were hoping to, but we were able to get it draining properly, and also able to fill the trench with the large rocks that will serve as a foundation for the wall. This was in no small part due to the help of the Costa Rican kids who worked alongside us tirelessly, singing, laughing, and having good time making fun of us Gringos.

One of the phenomenal things about both the team, and the kids from Costa Rica, was that there was not a frown to be found on anyone's face. You could go absolutely anywhere, and you would hear someone cracking jokes, or the team singing, which was absolutely crazy. God must have been fueling us today, because there is simply no other explanation we can give for our team to be working as incredibly hard as we were despite people being dead tired, various kinds of sick, or having cuts, scrapes, bruises, and blisters.


After this exhausting day of work, we came home to the mission house to a piping hot meal ready and waiting for us. After dinner and showers we sat down with Mark, the main missionary we work with here in Costa Rica, for devotions and debrief.


Mark asked us to define compassion. A few different people defined it as empathy or something along those lines. We wanted to ask you, what you think compassion is. Is it simply feeling the pain of those suffering around you? Is it feeling bad for those people? Is it wanting to help those people? Let us know what you think.

Mark's answer went back to Christ Himself. In Matthew 14:14 (NKJV), "when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick."

Mark began thanking us for our hard work, and pointed out that this was compassion. Seeing people's needs and sufferings and jumping in to help instead of standing afar, pitying them. The people here in Costa Rica don't want our pity, they want our presence to be spent loving them by bringing our work clothes. They see us picking up our shovels, digging in the sewage, and getting up to our ears in cement. In these things they find our true compassion. We are not here to feel empathy for them. We are not here to feel their pain. However, if you ask us if we have compassion for them, this will be our answer:

Our compassion is evident by the blisters on our hands, by our sewage and mud splattered jeans, and by our cement caked shoes.

It's evident by the imprints left on our hearts by these young children. We see that these kids have been so blessed by God and we find ourselves wanting what they have. We begin to notice that it is these things that are most important, not temporal worldly possessions. What's more is that these kids selflessly work alongside us, singing and joking the entire time, showing their compassion for their dear gringo amigos.

It is impossible to fully describe to you how amazing it is to come thousands of miles to help these people living in these cramped, meager conditions; and yet be taught so many lessons about faith, about hope, and about love.

Tomorrow, after two long days of work, we leave for our fun day at the beach....speaking of which, I think we need to wake up in a few hours for that. So we're done!

How late IS IT?

Que hora es?

Monday, January 3, 2011

By Jake Schaefer

Today was a little bit of a change of pace here in Costa Rica. We took a break from the VBS activities and street ministries to do a our first full day of back-breaking manual labor. As I write this, I can feel the effects of the day in my upper arms and lower back. The body aches, however, only make me grateful for the fact that our team was able to be used as vessels of God’s love today. Upon arrival at “La Finca”, our team split into different groups and shifts in order to begin these different projects:


Photo #1 – In this picture, Elsa and our bus driver Corey (who worked beside us all day) are taking down a fence and some brush that we needed cleared in order to start digging a trench.



Photo #2 – On the left, Kati, Elsa, Lanaya and myself are all working together to measure and trim cinder blocks that would be correct measurements to be used for the drain and sidewalk that we were laying on the right side of the newest building of “La Finca”. On the right, Eric and Summer are putting the cinder blocks in place with the cement that our team and the leadership team of the church had been mixing all day long.



Photo #3 – Both of these pictures are of the left side of the building where groups dug a trench amongst mud and sewage. The trench was being dug for a wall that would be put in to go all the way to the back of “La Finca”.


Through our work projects at the church today, it is my hope that our team was able to provide encouragement to the leaders of the church. The amazing leadership team of adults and kids works tremendously hard for the Kingdom every day of their lives. They are often opposed and face trials in their ministries. I pray that in our efforts to work beside them today, that they felt loved and appreciated.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

By Adam Flores



I'm so grateful for God choosing me to be here and serve in Costa Rica. I feel so privileged to see God's hand at work here in the community and in our team. Although today was our first break from outreach, the Lord still had plenty that He wanted to teach us.

Beginning with the morning devotion, we learned how we should glorify God in all that we do and what it means to have joy and not be embarrassed of ourselves in the midst of our suffering. It breaks my heart to see the extreme living conditions and circumstances that exist for most of our friends on the leadership team. But as I look deeper into their lives, I realize that they are not the least bit ashamed. In fact, they live their lives rich in faith and joy. I was sharing with the team today that I taught a few of them how to throw a football, play paddy cake, and say phrases in English. They love every bit of it! I now realize how much I’m learning from them. I'm learning a way of life. This young leadership team lives a life that's loving, caring, and rich in faith. I have so much back at home. But as I'm here, I realize that they have what matters. In the states there are so many things going on that often times I don't even realize my needs.

In the last few days I've seen God use our team to meet the needs of the people. Seeing this happen has increased my trust in God as well as my faith. My conviction is the strongest that it's ever been and I see a very strong conviction within the leadership team here. Their commitment and dedication inspires me. They spend so much of their time reaching their light out into the community and sharing the gospel. I feel that if I were to ask that kind of dedication from someone at home, they would make excuses and tell me they have too many things going on. The reason I feel that way is because that person is me. Josh said something powerful to me today. He said, "If something is stopping you from sharing the Word of God and keeping you from His will for your life, then you should reconsider the things you have going on."

I came to Costa Rica to serve. The Lord has used me to do so, but I also feel that the Lord had to bring me all of the way out here to free me from distractions so that He can speak more clearly into my life. This experience has already been life changing for me. I'm so grateful that God has used our team to be here and make an impact in the community. While doing so, the Lord is making a big impact in our lives.

Huevos, Huevos, Huevos

In Costa Rica, it is customary to crack eggs over someone's head to celebrate their birthday...one egg for every year. Today we celebrated Kati Miller and Eric McClellan. Be sure to check back tomorrow, as we will be celebrating Megan Wylie's birthday!!!

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.

A Few More Pictures

We had so many good pictures from yesterday, that we thought we'd post a few more. Enjoy...

Friday, December 31, 2010

By Kati Miller

Today, the generous contributions of CBC’s congregation were used as a tool to share the love of Christ and The Gospel with those living in unfathomable situations. There is a neighborhood here in Los Guido, Costa Rica called Sector Seven that is known for its extreme poverty and gang violence. Recently, the leadership team here endured the loss of a young girl in a gang-related murder which occurred eleven months ago in this area. Due to the hardship of the loss, the ministry had yet to minister to the area until today. Alongside the leadership team, the GO Costa Rica Team sought out the opportunity presented to us; because many fear the area, those residing there have not received any help or outreach for almost a year. The food bags that you, our CBC members, provided were given to every home; each bag can feed one of these impoverished families for about a week. I wish that I could show you the faces of those receiving the gift, not only were they surprised that we dared to enter their neighborhood, but their smiles glowed with gratitude and hope. When the food bags were presented to each household, they also had the opportunity to hear the truth of Christ; the leadership team presented them with God’s gift of salvation through His son Jesus.

While the Good News was shared, the CBC team members prayed over every home. The entire experience was incredibly moving and eye-opening; as the families listened their eyes were filled with hope. In an area where fear is prevalent every day and a hungry stomach is familiar, a message of comfort and unending peace overcame the reality of the area. One household that we came to really stuck out to me; the leadership team uses a worksheet to help share The Gospel and when we approached one home a man said that he was vision impaired and therefore could not use the worksheet. Though his vision proposed an obstacle, it was immediately overcome. He listened with interest as the leaders clearly shared the Truth; nothing can come between Christ’s love and His people. So THANK YOU for supporting our ministry by donating these food bags!!!





After our ministry in Sector Seven, the leadership team and the CBC team headed out to another day of VBS; I am almost positive that there was not one frowning face. Between the dancing, singing, games, balloons, bracelets and just playing with the kids it is a blast; but I think I may enjoy it more than the kids do! In just a matter of days, I have come to adore many of the kids that I have met. The kids are given love and attention, two things that we often overlook but they long for. After songs and games, the same worksheet presented alongside the food bags is given to the kids. The verse Matthew 18:3 states “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”; the truth of this radiates during VBS, the kids receive the message with such excitement and eagerness.



Our last activity today was a rather fun one; La Finca held a bonfire fully equipped with dinner, plentiful laughter, a huge bonfire and smores. I saw this evening as a wonderful opportunity to bond with the leadership team and the people of Los Guido. The people and families were served a hot meal, a rarity here. Though The Gospel was not directly presented there, the evening was not at all lacking in ministry; my constant prayer while we are here is that Christ’s love will be prevalent in all of our actions, and I believe His love shown brightly this evening.


Tonight the CBC team awaits the arrival of the New Year by playing games and hanging out; it has been amazing to watch a group of people that barely knew each other become a unit and team for the same purpose, to serve Christ.



Prayer Requests:
-That our team will continue to work together, that we will not be discouraged or grow weak, but rather persevere and serve with joy
-Pray for the leadership team here at La Finca. The truly are an amazing group, they are all between the ages of about 9 and 19. They have devoted their vacation to selflessly serve the Lord. Pray they will be encouraged and that they will continue to be impassioned with His love
-Pray that God will prepare to hearts of those here in Costa Rica to hear His Word