Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Week 6 To The Ends of The Earth Phase 3


Crowds that gather to hear the Gospel

Week 6

Counselling one on one after Gospel presentations
As we look back over the last few weeks and reflect upon all we have learned, grown in the Lord, and learned culturally, I think that each one of can say that it is overwhelming.  We look back and see that although we are in the rainy season, God held back the rain so many times for the ministry and other times, how God used the rain to move us to other places to talk to different people.  We have seen God open the hearts of His people, through the message of the Gospel and seen Him work in our own hearts to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. 


We are so thankful to the Lord for Misael and
his family for coming and being a part of our team these past few weeks and particularly to Misael for interpreting all of our kid, and adult programs.  This trip would have been very difficult without him.

We are also thankful for Pastor Esteban and family for their hospitality and driving us around everywhere; for the the church family and all their sacrificial time and all the women of the church that cooked for us so that our time would be freed up for the ministry.  Their service is a sweet aroma to God and an important part in the advancement of the Gospel.  We truly feel loved
 by our Christian family here in Costa Rica.


Photos of people being counseled







Rice and Beans: People Being Fed by Sam White

This past week we have been able to do more ministry. It has been very refreshing after two full weeks of training. Some of the people we trained participated in the ministry and it has been great to be able to preach and talk to people. I've also had opportunities to practice my Spanish. I've been able to understand more. Talking to people has made me want to learn more Spanish so I can share the gospel with more people.



Rope Trick



Rope Trick

Tres Leche by Matt Mallett

Guatemala was a very reserved and conservative culture. Everyone wears dress slacks and nice shirts to match their ties, except for the ladies  who normally wear dresses. Guatemala has too many stray dogs to count and most of the food is fresh. You can also eat as much of any Guatemalan dish as you want and never gain an ounce. It's not much like Costa Rica which is stepping into the same path America.  It wasn't until we had lunch at this families house in Barva I heard this phrase "when America gets a cold, we sneeze" Although Costa Rica has traditional restaurants, they also have many American fast food restaurants.  The girls dress just as skimpy as the ones back home, and every other person is a dread head. However, when we preach in the streets we see Americans walk by in discuss, while we have an entire crowd on receptive Costa Ricans listening to the message.


Straight Cameron by Cameron Adams (12 years old)

This year I really wanted to write a blog, so I asked my mom and dad if I could write a blog and they actually said yes :D. Anyways, during these 5 weeks that have passed, I usually just sit around while the teens preach and do devotions. But when I sit around, I observe. I've noticed how all the teens have grown in their faith. I have mostly noticed growth with the guys, but also the girls have grown in their faith. I just don't observe them as much.  Shauna's art on the sketch board looks a lot better than it did while we were still doing training. Her art looks very good, but it's not about the art, it's about the message, and as long as she's doing it for the Lord. Tim is really on fire for the Lord right now, and his messages and his devotions have gotten better. I really hope he stays like this all the time.  Matt has definitely grown in his faith, and he is on fire like Tim is. A few days ago, Matt told me that he wanted to be a missionary. That was a pretty cool thing to hear! He also said Mission Possible (MP) made him want to be a missionary even more than he already did. Adam has grown in his faith by wanting to do more things for the Lord. I think he's going to grow up to be a good man. Sam has grown much like what I said about Adam. I also think Sam is going to be a good man when he grows up. Sam has grown in the ways of serving the Lord and he has a loving and teaching heart :D. Ruth has grown a more willing heart. She is more enthusiastic about things, and she does not really complain much.  Anyways, it's been fun having her on the team, especially since she's my cousin.

Julian from Training Preaching his Second Message
Ruth Demonstrating the Rat Trap Trick
Tim Preaching
Soccer Game

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Week 5 Traveled from Puntarenus to share the Good News in Barrio Pinto



WEEK 5

This week we said goodbye to hot and sticky Puntarenus and said hello to Barrio Pinto (San Pedro) where we have been working in the surrounding area.  For our last day in Puntareus we took the students out to do beach ministry and they put all their training into practical outreach.  They did such
a wonderful job and it brought us great joy to see their enthusiasm for reaching the lost. All of the team of Costa Ricans, Mexicans and Americans worked together as one and saw how The Lord worked in the lives of a couple who received The Lord as their personal Savior right there on the beach side walk.  Although we were in Puntarenus, this couple live only 7 km from the church that we are working with this week in Barrio Pinto (a two hour drive from Puntarenus).  It was awesome to see God's hand in this as the pastor of Barrio Pinto was able to talk with them and also able to set up a meeting with them this week right here, in their home. Praise be to God for this Divine appointment.

We are now done with our training portion of the trip and have been conducting various programs at parks, street markets, plazas, a community center, streets and even kids programs at a foster shelter in Barva de Heredia.  Although this may sound a lot, our daily schedules have shrunk to a normal working day compared to the 12-14 hour days we have been working.


Tengo Hambre de Ti by Ruth Trageser
The past few weeks have been marathon training and ministry weeks for my team and I; with little time for ourselves.  We have often felt rushed in many things that we've done, including devotions. While doing my personal devotions I always felt pressed for time, and while I had learned things, the growth for me was small. This week however, we've had much more time to do personal devotions, group devotions, and just bond as a team. I was saying on Monday during devotions that we've been giving so much and feeding others, that some of us have grown dry and weak, but now it's our time to be fed and encouraged by the word of God and each other. For me, during the devotions, the word of God has really come alive. He has been filling me with a boundless joy, and a refreshed perspective. The Lord has been speaking to me, and I've been able to lay some things at the feet of The Lord. I look forward to our last week here, and also to coming home and living out the things I've learned. Thank you for all your support and prayers, The Lord has been faithful, in blessing us and the ministry.


 Ministry to the kids at the foster shelter
 

Pura Vida by Shauna Adams
Today was an awesome experience. The people here are so much more open to the Gospel than
people at home. We did three messages this morning at a plaza and we had huge crowds for each message. The crazy thing is that back home in the United States when one says either the word "sin" or "God" half of your crowd suddenly walks away, but here the whole entire crowd stays for the whole message. Then even after the message, almost everyone in the crowd raises their hands to receive additional information.  It's been really cool watching how much the people here are opened to the gospel.  I only wish that we have more people to be able to talk with everyone after the messages.  There is simply not enough hands, or rather mouths :)





This is not the Israelites exiting Egypt, but the united team of the Costa Ricans, Mexicans and Americans going out with one purpose; to share the message of the Good News.


Si SeƱor by Matt Mallett
In this trip God has been teaching the team and I to get in depth in our walk with God. I have been growing so much through the personal devotions we do everyday and I've been able to get into Gods word more and more. He's taught me that fellowship with my Christian brothers and sisters is very important. Through group devotions I've been able to get more out of it because God speaks to everyone else in different ways.

This week we have been reading in the book of Acts how Paul was stoned and he continued to preach in Derbe and then came back to Lystra where he was stoned, immediately getting up and going onto Iconium, and Antioch to preach. This spoke to me because Paul cared more about following God and preaching the Gospel, than his own life. We should be devoting our life to following God the way Paul did. This is the kind of faith we should have in our God.


 Devotional Time




Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Week 4 Puntarenas, Costa Rica



 The San Jose Team

One can tell that we are no longer in prosperous North America by the view coming in to land at the airports of Guatemala and Costa Rica. There are no views of luxurious yards, two car driveways and
swimming pools; only that of mostly brown, rusted, corrugated metal roof tops, hanging laundry on the lines and rugged streets; nations that don't have everything, but that have hearts that are open to the message of the Gospel.

WEEK 4
Although our week was off to a bad start with seven team members (including three Costa Ricans) probably contracting food poisoning, we have arrived safely at Puntarenas, Costa Rica, near the ocean, for another week of training and equipping the saints.

The ministry has been great here, as in the mornings during non training times we have been out on the streets sharing the Gospel.  In the afternoon and evenings we have been once again conducting training seminars until 9:00pm.  Even though we are all very tired, The Lord continues to give us the energy to keep pressing on.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  Hebrews 12:1-3

By Carmina

 
‘Trickle Down’ Evangelism by Adam Mackie

Through the years of Mission Possible (MP), the team and I are tested in many ways. MP1 tested our abilities, that our strengths and weaknesses would become apparent and used for the Gospel. MP2 tested our devotion to the Gospel, the team, and to others. It also further increased our knowledge and understanding of scripture, and revealed more about our gifts and shortcomings. MP3 calls for much humility and patience. As we train others in drama, object lessons and tricks, paint board, and puppets (all methods of preaching), we are called to patience. It’s
difficult to train others to do in 10-15 hours (over the course of 5 days) what took us 3 years to master. It can be tempting to “show them how it’s done,” but we must be humble, and put other’s feelings above our own. However, what this trip really demands is endurance. Paul said to me earlier this week, “This has been a marathon trip, man.” We move from place to place, house to house, as the disciples in Acts did. Sleep is already a priceless commodity, and energy a rare blessing. When one person goes down - with sickness that I won’t disgust you by describing - everyone else has to pick up slack.- I was sick for 6 hours in one night, and it took all the strength I had to help the other sick team members (I honestly didn’t think I had it in me). This was Friday night of the third week, but I, and the others that were affected, are still dealing with the fallout. I was the first one down, and since then, it has hit different team members off and on. God proved his sovereignty throughout this tribulation by keeping us healthy till we are not needed - the sickness began on our day off - and by providing the healthy ones with the extra strength needed for the extra work. I know that God is always faithful, and I thank you for your faithful prayers!



Hot Sauce by Ruth Anne
It’s been four weeks since we’ve been away, it has gone by so fast, and yet it feels as though we’ve been here forever. Each week is a new adventure, there are always challenges, such as a great portion of our team becoming ill, and there are blessings, such as seeing God set afire hearts ready to serve Him. I’ve been helping Carmina with teaching drama, and it excites me to see the people really stepping into their parts to help show a picture of Christ’s love.


Puppet Team






Street Ministry




Flyer Advertising our Training
Training in Gospel Illusions


Mauricio and Olga performing "Set Free"

Dan and Rafa learning the Gum Skit



Doctor Tim taking care of the sick