Here is the trip update from the Costa Rica Team!
Hi,
We have now completed the ministry portion of the trip, with the exception of one last school visit we will do tomorrow. Here is a synopsis of the ministry
Friday, July 23
We go to Curridabat to work with a church that is beginning Awana for the first time. Today, we go with the church to a very poor neighborhood to do ministry. As we walk through the alleyway, the church members knock on doors and invite the people to see our ministry. We stop in an alleyway and begin the ministry. We have 80 people watching, we share the gospel and Pastor's wife gives an invitation. They then invite them to their first Awana Club set for the next evening. We continue on and stop at a second location. At this point, thunderstorms are threatening, so we pray God will hold the rain back and He does. We share the gospel with another group of 50. Wow, this was an amazing experience of ministry for the team. We don't know how many accepted the invitation but we know there were some!
Saturday, July 24
Sunday, July 25
We go to the Robileato Children's home in the morning and run an Awana Club for about 100 children. This home is for children of families who can not care for them. It is a safe haven for the children where they live in house groups of 12 children with a house mother. In the evening, we go to a church that has not ever done Awana. We run an Awana-type program for 30 children. The entire time we are working with the children Mike Day, the missionary we are working with, talked with the children's Pastor about Awana. He tells us the next day that the church decided to start Awana. Praise God.
Monday, July 26
We go back to the Robileato Children's home where they are celebrating the annexation of the province of Nicoyo. Wow, this was a schedule conflict where the team was supposed to do ministry for the entire school, but instead, we get to join in with this cultural celebration. They wear costumes, do cultural dances, music, and traditional food. It is an amazing time for the team to experience the cultural in an incredible setting. They even teach us how to do the cultural dances. Later, in the afternoon, we share the gospel with them from a much different position because of the bonding that has occurred that morning.
God has truly blessed this team in the amount and wide variety of ministry opportunities He has given us.
Thank you for your prayers,
Raeann, Randy, and Mike
Monday, July 26
We go back to the Robileato Children's home where they are celebrating the annexation of the province of Nicoyo. Wow, this was a schedule conflict where the team was supposed to do ministry for the entire school, but instead, we get to join in with this cultural celebration. They wear costumes, do cultural dances, music, and traditional food. It is an amazing time for the team to experience the cultural in an incredible setting. They even teach us how to do the cultural dances. Later, in the afternoon, we share the gospel with them from a much different position because of the bonding that has occurred that morning.
God has truly blessed this team in the amount and wide variety of ministry opportunities He has given us.
Thank you for your prayers,
Raeann, Randy, and Mike
Costa Rica Team Leaders