Costa Rica is a wonderful place to vacation and visit. It has so many natural wonders to explore. However, for us, it is the people that we go for. This trip brought no exploration except what God wanted to say to His people. Lora and I love exploring nature, but our hearts are to strengthen and encourage people, especially pastors and leaders.
We could go back to Turrialba to minister to some of the same and different pastors. We made some new friends and saw some old ones, always extending invitations to them to visit us in the States. We had a packed schedule for the first two days, with only minutes to spare each day. When we meet with pastors and leaders, we often speak to them about self-care, family priorities, and a passionate marriage. Although we talked about that, God had some very specific messages for me to give the different groups we met with those first two days and nights. (Click here for the wrap-up video)
We ate lunch with several pastors, their two adult children, and a missionary couple we knew. We had ministered to the two pastors earlier this year. The "pastora," a woman who pastored the church, had given the church to Alejandro to pastor since we had been there. Her husband was the pastor until he died 5 years ago. We asked the children about life and ministry, and the young lady (28) said she wished she had been born into a family that wasn't in the ministry. Wow! That hit everyone hard. It was real. This is what we address so often in our travels and ministry. We are trying to help pastors avoid that. We encourage them to put the family before the church and never to pressure them to perform. I encourage them to protect their kids from the church and to let them walk their own road with God. It is hard to explain what we do, but I thought this story would give you a glimpse into what is a common situation. We are here not only to encourage and equip pastors to avoid these types of things but to try to bring healing to the family. We are hoping these two adult children come to visit us.
We had nighttime meetings and watched God heal people as we prayed. We also led a woman to Jesus as she sweetly surrendered her life. At one church, I taught them to share their faith and had them practice. At first, they thought I was crazy, but they got after it and enjoyed it. After those two nights, we returned to San Jose and had a birthday breakfast with Andy's (my friend and translator) daughter. Then we were off to La Cumbre, a camp in the mountains (la Montana de muerte- Mountain of Death). The camp was at 7800' and it was very cold. We were not prepared for that!
We got to minister to the youth at the camp that were there to work. We worked with them. Lora cleaned chairs, and I carried wood up hills in the mud. It is the rainy season, so it rains every day. It is a beautiful place and it was some wonderful ministry. The last night, I activated them to prophesy to each other, which was fantastic. I gave out several specific words to people who later confirmed the specifics with me, and we prayed for many of the youth. Lora got to minister to several people, including a couple that are foster parents who had an 18-month-old baby suddenly die. Andy prophecied to a young girl that she would become a translator. He did it in Spanish and talked so fast that I didn't understand a bit of it. Later that night, Andy was speaking to someone else, and I needed a translator. I knew nothing of the word he gave, but I picked the exact girl he gave it to to come and translate for me. Hahahaha. God is so awesome. She said she wants to translate for me the next time I come to Costa Rica.
Sunday morning, I spoke at a church of a good size and spoke about the love of God through the teaching of the prodigal. It is online if you want to watch it. (Click here) The church was incredibly responsive, and people laughed and cried. Many received a touch - a hug - from the Father that day. The power of God's love is overwhelming, and He used that morning to heal many hearts of those who had never heard words of love and affirmation from their earthly father. It is my joy to hug people and feel God melt their hearts as they weep on my shoulder. I am so privileged.
Monday was our last meeting in the beach area, and we had 30 people, primarily pastors and leaders, as well as a senator and a pro surfer, attend the meeting. We fed them local seviche and fruit and spoke about self, family, and marital care. I encouraged them to keep up the good work but make sure it is Jesus' work, which is light and easy. We prayed for many of them, and I received prayers from a grandma of the faith. She and her husband, who is in heaven now, were the pioneering pastors in the Foursquare denomination in Costa Rica. What an honor to receive her ministry. Then, she asked me to pray for healing, which was my privilege. She walked out without the walker, and I was thankful for that. I am praying for complete healing!
I feel like I say this repeatedly, but I mean it: we are honored to do this work. We are in the middle of a busy travel season, but we know that God will strengthen us as we continue to lean on Him for strength. I love watching God do His thing. We plant. We water. He causes the growth. We are the receivers of what He has, and we are the distributors. If you are a part of the support team for Total Life Pursuit, thank you for sending us to those who need this ministry.
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