Heart of Worship

8/17/2010

So a lot has happened in this past week.

From Wednesday to Friday we had a local speak about Worship. He was really mellow and laid back. The class was interesting and we got to do a lot of worship, which was my favorite thing.

On Friday we all got together after class was over to write down what we believed God was speaking to us about our outreach location. When we all circled up the staff told us they had a surprise. They explained how the Panama base leader had asked if we would like to join with them for a European tour outreach. They had been praying about outreach locations and it had become very clear that their DTS was to go to Europe and do a performing arts show in 6 or 7 countries. There were mixed emotions about this new option. None of had planned on going to Europe and of course it would be an amazing experience but there were so man logistical things that needed to be done. We prayed about it and got back together in an hour 1/3 or the class wanted Europe 1/3 wanted to go to Central America and 1/3 didn’t hear anything and said they had an open heart to go anywhere. So that put much more stress on the staff’s part. We weren’t going to find out until Monday anyway because the staff needed to pray about it and make sure that it was God’s plan. Then they told us a bunch of details they believed would affect our decision if we knew before. They told us that we would be moving to Panama in 2 weeks and staying with them at their base. We would also have to change to their lecture phase, which was 2 weeks behind ours and the classes that they had, had already were ones that we had not. So we would be repeating classes and missing ones that we had planned on having. But they were willing to accommodate with us in any way they could. Anyway that’s where we left off on Friday. We had no idea where we were going to go and the leaders were going to pray about it over the weekend.

Saturday me, two girls from my team, and two girls from the Panama team all decided to go on an adventure. We did a little bit of research on different hikes we could do and the closest thing we found was outside of a town called Heredia. The girl who did the research forgot what the name of that little town outside of Heredia was so that ended up being a bit of an issue but from the beginning here is how the day went.

We left the base at about 6:30 or 7 and got on a bus to downtown San Jose. From there we got some coffee and a little pastel and started walking towards the bus station that would take us to Heredia. Mind you we didn’t know where it was. While we were walking some guy comes along side us and starts to try to sell us stickers and tells us how He was in a drug rehab and got kicked out so once he got kicked out he believed that was an excuse for him to do drugs and he was now trying to get back on his feet. The girls on my team know that my passion is to help street people who were involved in drugs, alcohol, prostitution, and pretty much any who have felt rejected. I just love them, God has given me such a huge heart for them there is no doubt that is the mission field I am called to go into. It intimidates most people but God sets all my fears aside and walks alongside me with his army of angels surrounding us. I can’t wait until I get to go out and do that. Anyway so the girls asked if I wanted to talk to him, since we are missionaries and he has had drug problems I explained to him a little bit about my past and about how I got healed. I told him how I got saved from that lifestyle and we began talking about God. This guy had lived in the states for 9 years so his English was great. He knew about God in his head but it was blatantly obvious he didn’t know Him in his heart. So we offered to by him breakfast but told him we wouldn’t support him financially, at least not until we saw him putting a huge effort to get clean and stay clean. We told him about how our base has a family night where we invite people from the streets to come and hang out with us for worship and just chill time. A few weeks ago a team met 2 transvestites and invited them to our family night. They have come to two of them and are trying to get all the help they can. We exchanged addresses but unfortunately we accidentally threw away his email so we are hoping he will find a way to contact us so unless he shows up we may not see him again L. I got to pray for him and it was such a great experience. I hope he is safe and sober wherever he is but we’re praying for him, he needs all the prayers he can get.

So after that we asked where the bus station was to get to Heredia, several times, and finally got there. The bus ride was about 30 minutes long. Once we arrived we looked around the central market a little bit and began to ask people where the waterfalls and hiking trails were. Tico’s must not go hiking because they looked at us like we were CRAZy. We finally asked a taxi driver where the nearest ones and he told us they were about 30 minutes away. We asked how much the taxi ride would be and he told us 8,000 colones ($16) we told him we were broke missionaries and asked if he could do it for 5,000 colones ($10) he agreed and pretty much dropped us off in the middle of the jungle. He was really cool he told us all about everything we were passing and we saw a ton of coffee plantations. So he agreed to pick us up at 2:30 because he got off work at 3 and he wanted to make sure we had a way back down.

We got dropped off at this house in the jungle pretty much. So we walk up because it is supposedly a canopy tour house and we wanted to check it out and see how much it cost and ask about tours/hikes. The sign said- stand at gate BEWARE OF DOGS. We were a little frightened but continued on. After a few times of saying “hello?” someone came out. She told us that it was a canopy tour place and that it was $42 we said that was too much and asked about hikes and waterfalls. She told us we could get a tour guide for $5 and we were good with that. Then we somehow got back on the topic of the canopy tour and she asked us if we were student because student get a discount we told her we were missionaries and she lowered the price to $35 eventually without us even asking she lowered it to $25 and we decided that we probably wont get another chance to go on a zipline in the Costa Rican jungle for $25. Then she told us that her mom and her were going to go on a hike and if we wanted to go with them she could show us where the waterfalls were. So she took us out with 5 of her dogs, her mom, and her baby daughter strapped to her front and showed us where a few waterfalls were. They were beautiful! We wore our bathing suits expecting to go swimming but none of us wanted to get pneumonia. So we hung out there for a little bit but had to go back in about 45 minutes because the canopy tour was starting then and we needed to be back at that time. We found out that that womens family owned the entire plantation. She was born and raised in Costa Rica but she knew 5 languages. Spanish, English, Scottish, German and something else. Anyway we ended up doing the zipline with a missionary group from SAN DIEGO! How crazy is that! We had a great time and the people were all so great. We got a bunch of pictures which I will put up here as soon as I can.

Then we went back to Heredia and caught a bus to San Jose went to a few market there and got on a bus back to the base. We got back right in time for dinner it was great! Then one of the girls comes up to us and tells us that she is going to visit her fiancé in Jaco the following morning and asked if we wanted to go with her. Sara and I jumped right on that opportunity! We woke up at 5:30 and went to downtown San Jose and caught a bus to Jaco. Once we got there her fiancé took us to his house and him and his roommate who are doing the Children at Risk YWAM school made us breakfast! Then we went to their English speaking church- first one since we’ve been here, and went out to a Costa Rican Soda buffet for 2,000 colones which is 4 dollars. Yum Yum Yum.

A few months ago one of the staff members on the base who is originally from Escondido felt called to go to Jaco with his family. They are now working with the Children at Risk School. Him, his wife, and 4 little boys live in Jaco. We went to his house and pick up 3 surfboards and he took us to the beach to surf. A few mishaps happened there, one of my friends who leads worship at the base knocked his elbow on the fin and sliced it up. Luckily the girl who asked if we wanted to go with her to Jaco was a registered nurse and she did some kind of stitches thing and then I got stung by a jelly fish J hahah. So we went back to that guy and his families house and went swimming then got dropped back off at the bus station. It was great weekend and I’m so happy we got to have such a great adventure!

We found out that we will be going to Panama at the end of the month for a week and in October we’re going to go to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica then Honduras, and El Salvador!!!!

Yaya!!!!