Some highlights to share within month 3:
-working with a pregnancy center
-building relationships through dance classes
-Tirrases community and loving like Jesus; Bible classes and embracing young girls to empower them in identity with Jesus.
-teaching refugee kids and English lessons
Prayers and praises
-God moved in the city there were small and great ripple effects alike.
-people accepted Jesus that we got to pray for and build relationships with over the month.
-opportunities to love others by genuine smiles through bible studies, doing life together and sharing hugs. (Don’t worry we all tested negative before crossing the border to Nicaragua.)
-we arrived safely at our destination in Nicaragua
-to love our team well as we are stepping into the last month with Treasure Seekers.
-to seek the Lord moment by moment in this next month as it is ATL( Ask the Lord).
-to let the Holy Spirit transform hearts, minds and lives as we step out boldly into where He’s calling us each day to do ministry.
-to be saturated in His word and follow where He leads.
This month, we are in San Jose, and we are partnering with a few different organizations: The Hope Project in San Jose and Christ for the City International in Tirrases. These two ministries help a variety of people ranging from mothers of young children to refugee kids.
We have been here for a few weeks now, and are adjusting to city life without too much culture shock. The simple fact that we can drink the water here from the faucet makes everyone really excited and still questioning, “Is this safe!?” With a reassuring, “yes!” we drink the water without a second thought.
Week 1: October 15th – 22nd
Oct 15th-16th
We took two separate charter buses, complete with a bathroom, leaving at 7am from our hotel in Comayagua, Honduras. Arriving at our hotel in Nicaragua around 11pm on the 15th of October, we began our journey through Nicaragua, and then into Costa Rica around what was supposed to be 5 AM. Then, the tour bus company adjusted it to 7 AM. We boarded once again: with our 40 lb packs, our day packs, and the remainder of our snacks/meals for the two days of travel. I’ve really enjoyed gaining a new appreciation for traveling by plane. You see when you cross the border by land, it’s a 2-3 step process: hauling all of your bags into the building for scanning, making sure passports are officially stamped with the correct number of days, and patiently waiting in multiple lines. But still being able to display His fruits of the Spirit as we encounter people from all walks of life.
Some people are selling things at the border to earn a living, others are trying to protect the people and keep peace, and others are doing the same as us: waiting in line when in 90 plus degrees, until someone says, “Okay, you can proceed.” Along our journey of border crossings, I’m now about to let His Spirit guide how this time goes. It’s been really encouraging to get to connect with locals, hear their stories, share life with them, and join in praying for them. Taking time to observe others, in our group, sharing His love with individuals and families, has left a lasting impact, on the imprint of my heart. He is reshaping my heart, like playdough – it’s become molded into what He wants for His glory.
We arrived to San Jose’s bus stop around 7pm, after a beautiful sunset. Down, through the valley, we could see hues of yellows and oranges, embracing within the billowing clouds, that soon encompassed the mountains that were once visible. After saying goodbyes with hugs, we picked up our packs, taking various transportation to our prospective lodging, that we’d be calling home for the next month.
We pulled up to an old Victorian-looking home, and we all said, “Is this it? It’s fancy!” After meeting Annabelle, the hotel owner, we all got settled into our rooms – complete with space to spread out. And…we had the entire home, or as people around here call it, hotel, to the 6 of us. Soon after arriving, we met Briana, our ministry host, and she gave us a quick orientation of what our normal schedule would look like. Then, she brought us over to the center, and asked if we wanted to get dinner? We all agreed happily, and found a Chinese restaurant, called Wongs, just down the street. There, we settled in for an abundance of tasty Chinese food.
Oct 17th
The next day, we had a day off to settle in and get to know the city. We did some grocery shopping, and just wandered around. In the afternoon, we embarked on a trip to the mall. It looked the same as a US mall: similar stores, but the majority of people spoke Spanish. It was fun to compare new things, as well as try new foods! Later that evening we just enjoyed time connecting.
Oct 18th
The following day, we went over to the center, and had another day of orientation, around 10. Earlier in the morning, we all established routines that fit to our personalities.
Learning more about what we will be doing, and how we will be investing in the Kingdom, was eye opening. We had the opportunity to attend dance classes, and sort through kids clothes, for the remainder of the day. Building relationships, through the love of Christ, was the main focus on each part of ministry.
Two things that I have enjoyed are dance classes and morning prayer. The Lord has given me a willing Spirit to jump into something foreign, for me: dancing with new friends! And some mornings, Samantha and I continue to press into prayer, which has been a huge gift of perseverance and fighting for His Kingdom.
Oct 19th
Today, we got up and got ready. Then, we headed over to the ministry house. Samantha and I ended up joining a new friend, Kendra, in a dance class. It was fun, and some things were new to me, but I still gave what I could, and participated. There was much laughter!
Our week ended with doing random projects. In the morning, we organized the supply closet, in the basement. Then, for the remainder of the morning into the afternoon, we hung out upstairs; visiting with people who stopped by the dance center. This was a challenge for my constant need to go and move, so I am being reshaped to meet the needs of others even more!
Oct 20th
We had the beautiful opportunity to go to Tirrases, and love on families and individuals alike by bringing Jesus there. Tirrases is not what I expected, as I had envisioned a lot of what homes in Honduras looked like (brick, wood, and dirt floors). The people who lived there were also different, yet beautiful in their own way. When we set out after getting an orientation from Quique, a leader with Christ for the City, our first mission was to flood the streets with His love, through prayer. Each of us had a chance to pray for someone, as people poked their heads out of the windows, and around the doorways. Children shared smiles with us through masks as we passed out stickers that said, “Jesus loves you.” We started conversations with curious individuals, and ended with prayer and a hug 🙂 I saw a small child on the second floor of their house, who lit up with one of the widest grins I’ve seen! Abby Maston and I were like, “Should we tag team this?!?” With a, “YES!” I quickly jumped on her shoulders to share Jesus’ love with this one small child. 😀
Oct 21st
Rachel, an ambassador at the Hope Project, was our point of contact for English classes and Wednesday Girl’s Club. Taking a team time to meet with her, we began the planning process of what we wanted to share, in Girl’s Club, for the remainder of the weeks.
We also sorted and organized baby clothes, in the Refuge, where moms come weekly for counseling. Seeing the Lord give us time to place them where they needed to be sorted, is a reminder of how He takes our chaotic minds, or hours in the day, and gives us order, as we sit and grow with Him more and more.
Thankful for a tasty meal that we enjoyed cooking. Eventually, we will become pros with using the hot plate to cook all of our dinners. Giving the Lord praise as we began to cook and try out new foods.
Oct 22nd
Abby M. and I were going to work on blogs at the center, but after getting situated, we saw the eyes of a 4-year-old who proceeded to tell us about dinosaurs for 2 hours. He would tell us facts and stories through the translation app. Life in the eyes of a 4-year-old was complete. He told us how unimpressed he was with our lack of Spanish, and proceeded to rattle off words quicker than our United States minds could comprehend.
After a day of sessions and learning, we had a night of worship at the Hope Project. It was really encouraging to partner together to bring the Lord praise, glory, and honor. We also incorporated painting into the worship session. He showed up!
Week 2: October 23rd – 30th
Oct 23rd
We learned that church at the center was cancelled for the evening. So, we packed our bags and headed on a long and rainy ride to our adventure weekend destination: Jaco!
Oct 24th
It was Adventure Day, and since we didn’t thoroughly discuss what we were going to do, we ended up just staying at our hotel; swimming, playing at the beach, and getting ice cream. Later on that day, we ended up going to Jaco Beach and checking out the waves / watching the sunset. Golden yellows and oranges overlaid both the sky and ocean waves. The water was so warm that it felt like you could just swim in it forever. When we all returned back from the beach, we stopped at the grocery store and bought some pasta and sauce for dinner. After eating, we all went down to the pool and hung out. It was weird to swim at night, especially in the middle of October. The stars hanging above us, in the palm trees. I ended up doing laps for the sake of using energy because I hadn’t burned enough that day. Samantha and I went down to the beach, and took photos of the night sky, over the ocean waters. It was beautiful!
Oct 25th
In the morning, I went and sat by the beach and enjoyed the sunrise. Then, we had potatoes and fresh pineapple juice for breakfast. I could’ve eaten all the fruit that was available. It was so tasty! We hung out and just relax enjoyed some team time and just being in each other’s company.
We did have an iguana that was quite large, and beautifully colored, proceed to climb up a nearby tree, and then both he, and an additional iguana, fell out of the tree right in front of us. That was a little crazy!
Today was a day full of laughter and sunshine.
In the afternoon, we headed to the beach. We all saw a beautiful sunset. It was fun just to enjoy the water, and the way that it moves. The way that it expands and contracts across the beach.
Oct 26th
We had the opportunity to be taught how to make a bracelet, by a local, who is starting a business through the Hope Project to empower and equip her, and her family. It was neat to be taught a skill that I enjoy, and will be excited to share with others, in time. Then, we had bible study discussing “The Characteristics of God.” It was encouraging and uplifting to share with other believers.
Oct 27th
We spent the day in Tirrases, and I had the opportunity to connect with kids, as we walked through the streets, sharing the love of the Lord. Some fun things: we had the opportunity to braid hair, and share Jesus with the women and girls that attended.
Oct 28th-29th
We had Sabbath during these days.
Oct 30th
We started bookmarks. Abby M. led team time, and talked about loving our team well.
Week 3: October 31st -Nov 6th
Oct 31st
We started our week with house church. Before we went to church, we had a few ideas of what to expect and the Lord gave us something completely new. The founders of the Hope Project host house church, weekly, for whoever wants to join. This week, they were out of town, but we were greeted by two ambassadors from the center. It being house church, we now understood why it was scheduled from 9am-1pm.
Nov 1st
In the morning Abby, Samantha, and I went on a prayer walk, before we began our day of ministry. We had a day of ATL (Ask The Lord) ministry, as our plans for ministry were changed. We prayed and asked the Lord what we were supposed to do. We ended up getting confirmation that we were supposed to go to Starbucks, on the west end of the city. We invited our friend, Pablo, to join us, and just saw what would happen. The Lord did some really good things within our team. Moments filled with laughter and joy chatting about this or that. Bringing into the team new conversations, and a deeper amount of unity, that wasn’t there before.
It was a time of celebration, by building a stronger community from within, as we connected to our team, in a new way. A praise is that there are no mosquitoes in San Jose! As we left Starbucks we got caught in the rain. Looking around me, the rain poured down and laughter remained amongst us as the streets of San Jose slowly emptied, as the city lights came on.
Nov 2nd
Learning to correctly mix and lay concrete with Roland and Samantha was encouraging and challenging, all in one. We prepared the room by shop vacuuming all the crumbling pieces of old cement. Then freshly mixed and poured to new cement to fill the cracks.
English class with Rachel, and the girls, was very always fun. What a gift that tonight we were able to go to dinner with some of the students beforehand. We made memories, sitting in the restaurant, speaking Spanglish and laughing bountifully. I took to connect with the class by taking photographs, and capturing warm hearts. Rachel had a calm demeanor in the way she taught her students, sharing that spirit with others.
Samantha and I ended the day with prayer for people, as well as, for our team.
Nov 3rd
I got up this morning, knowing that it was our last day in Tirrases, my favorite place for ministry this month…sad. The people we’ve come to call friends, both within the ministry, and the community, will be deeply missed. The weekly check-ins have become a beautiful picture of Jesus living through each of us: encouraging both believers and nonbelievers, through the sharing of the gospel.
We started out by going to visit some friends that we’ve come to know and see how they needed prayer this week. We all headed out of the community center, with armfuls of clothes, for one particular friend. As we began walking, we ran into a pastor fixing up the inside of their church. So, we made time to connect with them and pray for the progress, as well as the people who attend. The flooring of this church was so many different colors and textures. It reminded me of how the body of Christ is like that. We are all needed. We may not be the same in specific aspects, but we are all created for one purpose: to be flooring, or in humanity, to give glory and honor to Him alone.
We had the chance to go and check on our friends from the week prior and offer clothes, as she desperately needed things for her children. It was very quiet as we walked up. Quique and Chanel went inside to pray with her. It was challenging to hear the news that she doesn’t have many more days to live. The cancer has robbed her, and she is only holding on because of her children – not having another to care for them. She is fearful of what will come if she leaves them here on earth. That was hard to swallow and allow my mind to wrap around.
Upon arriving back at the center we tried something new- getting the opportunity to play with some boys, as well as Josu, Samantha, and Abby. I loved the idea of stepping out in boldness and connecting with these kids, as we ran around the soccer field. It was beautiful – a time to connect more and see how He provided new relationships and safety. Running a mile was freeing, after being in a city.
Sharing with Skarleth upon returning to the center was lovely and empowering, in new ways. Chatting with her kids, in both Spanish and English, made it fun and challenging. We accepted the difficulty together, with a lot of laughter.
Taking time to connect with Kattia over baking a traditional recipe from Costa Rica was an encouraging time to hear more of her life, as well as, try new things.
There was a lot of laughter, and we taught each other new insight on how to connect, within “la cocina” (the kitchen). We measured out the plantains, beans, and cheese. It was really tasty!
Nov 4th
Today was full of simple moments throughout the day. A reminder that before we even ask what we need, He already knows it; and because we are His delight, it delights Him to give us good gifts. Today, for me, a gift was connecting with small children.
Dinner with Melissa, one of the Hope Project founders, was very fun to hear her stories and how the Lord moved. We got to hang out with the kids after dinner. The youngest and I playing a math game with dice. The imagination of a 3-year-old with bountiful energy was infectious for my soul.
Nov 5th
I started the day walking the streets with Samantha and Abby M, praying for others and the squad/team. We tried to locate a butterfly garden, within the allotted timeframe, before we started ministry for the day. Then I ended up washing the sandbox, of Honduras, off of my tent: taking time to connect more with Samantha, the kids at the center, and their moms.
We had the opportunity to serve the Hope Project with a willing heart that allowed us to cover many tasks and brought to the table different areas in which we were each more equipped. Seeing the mountains as I was out and about, I was reminded of the Lord’s steadfastness and how He chooses to keep loving the moms as they continue coming to the Hope Project week after week. You gave us what we needed to be prepared to share Your love with them. Afterward, we adventured to the Limon Province.
On our second adventure weekend, out of the city, we headed toward Limon. We packed our day packs, and headed to the bus stop. We all boarded the bus and began our journey through the twisty roads, filled with lush green leaves, of all shapes and sizes. Passing waterfalls right next to the road, past horses and through cow farms – and unlike in Honduras, the cows were thick. All types of trees (bamboo, banana, and chocolate) while everything is encompassed by a thick layer of clouds. As we passed by the Chiquita headquarters, we dropped in elevation, and you could feel the humidity rise, becoming very sticky. We waited through lots of construction, as people were building new roads and putting in updated bridges. We passed plantain fields, lots of rivers, small and wide; they were not as murky as the rivers we drove over on the way to Costa Rica from Honduras. As I began to think, I wondered what animals live within and around those rivers. Some questions like: Are they safe to swim in? Would “monos” (monkeys) come and take our things? What size spiders live in this neck of the jungle? People walk along the road, young and old heading home from work or the store.
Most of the houses here are built up on posts because we are at 50’ above sea level. We pasted miles of banana plantations. People are waiting out in the heat to draw money from the ATM, while others ride bicycles down the road, and groups of girls walk past. You constantly see people, outside their homes, either sitting and relaxing, watching the traffic pass by, or congregating to talk with neighbors on the sides of the roads. Soccer fields, both in use and empty, are scattered along the road. Almost, if not all, homes have tin roofs – while the framework of homes varies from wood to brightly painted bricks. Animals run loose in the yards, from ducks and geese to farm animals. Curtains hang out of the windows, because screens are not important here, along with lines of everyone’s clothes hanging out to dry.
The more still you sat, the less heat you felt that you exerted. Thankfully, Abby’s window was open to create airflow. Two girls sitting in front of us, were speaking French, and reminded me of Kaia. Then, I found out that Samantha was sitting next to one of three Canadians from the province where Julie used to live. That’s fun! Christmas lights are sprinkled throughout the homes.
The temperature drastically cooled off because as we came up to the Caribbean Sea. But it was so dark, we couldn’t see anything. But we could feel the breeze and it was refreshing! Then we heard the bus light beep as people began getting off (on the side of the highway!)… our group began to question where we should get off…and decided to stay on. Chanel went and asked the bus driver, and a another passenger translated that it was at a station. All is well! Considering the Caribbean is on our left and houses sprinkled throughout as the road is long and dark. But the music is blaring from restaurants and is inviting to hear!
After arriving at the bus stop, in the sticks, we decided that there were no ubers and so we asked the bus driver to drop us off at the road that led to our hostel. As we were debating whether or not it was safe or not to get off on the side of the road, the bus drove away. From there, we had to trust Jesus that we would make it, with the little phone battery that we had and minimal light from the stars above. Chanel called the host and with some detective skills of a brown gate and a white sign we found our home, and boy was I excited to see lights and hear the confirmation on the other end of the phone. We got settled in and regrouped, messaging the Canadians of our safe arrival, as we had promised.
We listened to a variety of music from Christmas to the chicken dance while we waited and to figure out our plan for the weekend. The plan was rearranged, and the girls went to check out the town, while I read in the quiet and just hung low.
Nov 6th
The next morning, I awoke early and drank cold coffee from yesterday not realizing there was a pour over coffee maker. I sat in the laundry room, on a chair, and just soaked in a) a lot of agua from a heat induced headache b) Jesus time and c) wildlife. There were howler monkeys that sounded like wild hogs, chickens and birds, of all kinds. It was a lovely time to connect with Jesus and see the property that we stayed at, with our team. While they all slept in I enjoyed the quiet. Once everyone was ready, we headed to town with our hired driver, for the weekend. It was an interesting adventure.
We arrived at the location, for snorkeling, and remembered that we were not on North American time. So, upon arriving, no one was there, and the shop was still closed. The owner’s partner, who drives the boats, had to wake him up. It was definitely Central American culture, of which we are all getting used to. We waited around 40 minutes then we found out we needed to pay the tax in cash, of which we didn’t have. So we had to go to the ATM four blocks away, wait in line, and then return to the shop. Once we paid the tax, the instructor informed us it was too windy. By looking at the tops of the trees, and watching the bird use effort to move across the sky, it was looking more and more like we weren’t going to be snorkeling today. So, after all the hullabaloo, we proceeded toward the Parque Nacional Cahuita with our new friend, Koen. Then, after signing in with a donation, we began our journey— so much green and blue around me that my soul was refueled. I saw how the Lord’s hand worked and how He reminded me of His promises that He spoke over me.
We galivanted through the sand covered park – the Caribbean Sea on one side and potential alligators on the other, made it all the more awe inspiring adventure. Samantha and I lagged behind the group enjoying the waves, climbing trees, and finding hidden gems along the way: like frogs, sloths and monos. It was a new type of fun! There was one particular tree that caught my attention the most. This tree was growing with the base of the tree in the air, yet had roots that were in the ground. It reminded me that light and depth both need to come in at the same time. Allowing Jesus to be our source of light as we share His light in the darkness. Then, seeing the depth that needs to come from spending time in the Word, as we continue to go deeper with Him every day we are here.
Upon arriving at the point, we tried some orange fruit called Jackfruit and some black fruit, Anón. Both were tasty and I would eat them again. Around 12 we got in the boat and headed back to the town. This was a fun but bumpy switch back type of a boat ride. It reminded me of being on this fishing boat with my family, when you have to wear rain gear because you were going to get wet. We lacked the rain gear today, so we ended up enjoying the large waves and got a few nice splashes of sea water on us. There were some mixed emotions and I could only laugh, it was great!
We found lunch at a local restaurant, then relaxed on the beach. We ran into a squad mate and had a really beautiful time connecting with them. Looking back, we could see how God used that time to confirm and direct this next month. That night, after returning back from the beach we went to go get dinner and went shopping, it was fun to see new places.
