This evening I had the graduation of this 6 month journey here in Heredia, Costa Rica.............and can i say it has been quite the journey......I have shoveled goat poop, met international speakers, walked for hours through the jungles of costa rica, read many books, feel in love with the Bible, struggled and learned to keep my mouth shut, lived with 7 girls, then 2, then 1, then 10, went running, slept, traveled to Colombia, sweated my body weight, ate empanadas, and chicken alfredo pizza from street vendors, became obsessed with ice cream and the air conditioning of the mall, watch God MOVE across language barriers, heal broken hearts, call on my gifts and teach me patience.....all this and I haven't even officially left Costa Rica.
I began this journey skeptical and a little sad to be leaving such an amazing community of friends and family who love me better then I could even imagine! But then I was reminded through out this whole time that though they are awesome NOTHING compares to the LOVE my savior has for me. But enough of all the sappy stuff....let me fill you in on the outreach part of this time here.
We left for Colombia on a wed. morning at the end of April and arrived in a heat that I will never be able to describe other then picture yourself a minnesotan at heart who loves her summer but loves the change into the chill in the air of fall and relishes in the crispness that surrounds the air as the snowflakes fall when winter hits and who starves for the thaw and the opening of windows as spring ushers in our preciously short summers. Something THAT NEVER happens in Cartagena, Colombia- it is hot and when it is not hot, it is because you got on a plane, so to be honest for the first week all I really remember was the constant battle to not succumb to the desire to cry out the last bit of water left in my body, but I didn't.
Instead we prayed, my group of 18 ( a combination of YWAM Heredia and YWAM San Jose) where blessed to join a couple in 24/7 prayer! An amazing experience of being solely in the presence of God, praying, worshiping, listening, singing, sleeping, writing and well just being. In that time we were able to build a foundation that helped us to lead a missions conference in a church of 2000- I was able to preach and share the Power of God that raised Christ on the Third day lives in us!!! As well the team was able to encourage and motivate the congregation to step into their calls of missions. From there we did some local outreaches in Cartagena. Following that we all got on a very small boat and went twenty minutes away to a small island called Bocachica where we worked with young kids and did some knocking down of walls!! No literally they gave me a HUGE sludge hammer and let me tear it up and OH I did!!! If you ever want to visit an amazing Island with amazing people I would suggest Bocachica, Colombia.
From there we returned to Cartagena to run a three-day, six session inter-healing conference, which was truly amazing, we saw the blind-healed, the broken hearted healed, the wounds of the past broken off, people delivered and most importantly the LOVE of GOD WIN!! I was able to share the word on the last night.
We ended our time with what will be my favorite memory of all thus far in ministry.......we did a LOVE FEAST.....we found a spot down by the dirty river on a bank covered by needles, broken toys and tons of trash, where we set up tables, brought chairs and invited our homeless friends to sit down where we served them a meal of pizza, empanadas and coca-cola. Around 25 came, at first not know what to do nor wanting to sit, we invited them to; but once they where seated it was hard to get them back out of the chairs and in that time we were able to pray with them, give them bibles and care packages full of necessities and some candy!!! My favorite moment of that was as the community gathered to watch what was going on, a group of 5 on-lookers saw a homeless man across the street walking away and with some ethusiastic shouting and urging they informed the man that he should come over because there is food for him over here.
A moment, that for me, showed that from one small idea/desire to show God's love not only will a person be transformed, so will a community, thus changing the world.
We returned 4 days later to Colombia where we said goodbye to our San Jose friends through a dinner party and then the 3 lone soliders of Heredia left to do 4 more days of outreach in southern Costa Rica, where we read, taught, prayed and worked.
What a time is has been I have grown, been streched, challenged, loved, inspired and taught the most important lesson is (I pray to never forget)..........
GOD IS FAITHFUL!! He is faithful in the little things, He is faithful in the big things, Faithful in the things that I think too stupid for Him to care about, His faithful with HIS peace, and joy and truth. His is faithful SUN UP to SUN DOWN
OH ALL I CAN SAY IS MY GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!!!!!
Hopefully I will see you when I stop home for a quick nap and a re-up on some community love!!
love you all
I began this journey skeptical and a little sad to be leaving such an amazing community of friends and family who love me better then I could even imagine! But then I was reminded through out this whole time that though they are awesome NOTHING compares to the LOVE my savior has for me. But enough of all the sappy stuff....let me fill you in on the outreach part of this time here.
We left for Colombia on a wed. morning at the end of April and arrived in a heat that I will never be able to describe other then picture yourself a minnesotan at heart who loves her summer but loves the change into the chill in the air of fall and relishes in the crispness that surrounds the air as the snowflakes fall when winter hits and who starves for the thaw and the opening of windows as spring ushers in our preciously short summers. Something THAT NEVER happens in Cartagena, Colombia- it is hot and when it is not hot, it is because you got on a plane, so to be honest for the first week all I really remember was the constant battle to not succumb to the desire to cry out the last bit of water left in my body, but I didn't.
Instead we prayed, my group of 18 ( a combination of YWAM Heredia and YWAM San Jose) where blessed to join a couple in 24/7 prayer! An amazing experience of being solely in the presence of God, praying, worshiping, listening, singing, sleeping, writing and well just being. In that time we were able to build a foundation that helped us to lead a missions conference in a church of 2000- I was able to preach and share the Power of God that raised Christ on the Third day lives in us!!! As well the team was able to encourage and motivate the congregation to step into their calls of missions. From there we did some local outreaches in Cartagena. Following that we all got on a very small boat and went twenty minutes away to a small island called Bocachica where we worked with young kids and did some knocking down of walls!! No literally they gave me a HUGE sludge hammer and let me tear it up and OH I did!!! If you ever want to visit an amazing Island with amazing people I would suggest Bocachica, Colombia.
From there we returned to Cartagena to run a three-day, six session inter-healing conference, which was truly amazing, we saw the blind-healed, the broken hearted healed, the wounds of the past broken off, people delivered and most importantly the LOVE of GOD WIN!! I was able to share the word on the last night.
We ended our time with what will be my favorite memory of all thus far in ministry.......we did a LOVE FEAST.....we found a spot down by the dirty river on a bank covered by needles, broken toys and tons of trash, where we set up tables, brought chairs and invited our homeless friends to sit down where we served them a meal of pizza, empanadas and coca-cola. Around 25 came, at first not know what to do nor wanting to sit, we invited them to; but once they where seated it was hard to get them back out of the chairs and in that time we were able to pray with them, give them bibles and care packages full of necessities and some candy!!! My favorite moment of that was as the community gathered to watch what was going on, a group of 5 on-lookers saw a homeless man across the street walking away and with some ethusiastic shouting and urging they informed the man that he should come over because there is food for him over here.
A moment, that for me, showed that from one small idea/desire to show God's love not only will a person be transformed, so will a community, thus changing the world.
We returned 4 days later to Colombia where we said goodbye to our San Jose friends through a dinner party and then the 3 lone soliders of Heredia left to do 4 more days of outreach in southern Costa Rica, where we read, taught, prayed and worked.
What a time is has been I have grown, been streched, challenged, loved, inspired and taught the most important lesson is (I pray to never forget)..........
GOD IS FAITHFUL!! He is faithful in the little things, He is faithful in the big things, Faithful in the things that I think too stupid for Him to care about, His faithful with HIS peace, and joy and truth. His is faithful SUN UP to SUN DOWN
OH ALL I CAN SAY IS MY GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!!!!!
Hopefully I will see you when I stop home for a quick nap and a re-up on some community love!!
love you all
siri
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