A truly epic month!

One of the most difficult things in the Christian life can be absolute trust in the Lord.  The thing is, the Lord has one standard and the world has another that is contrary to God's.  Since we are in a sense trained up in the worlds ideals it becomes very difficult to understand and follow the Lord's way because it is not what we expect; it's not the way we think things should be.  But what about Job, or David?  As Job was having his life stripped away from him, what was he thinking about the Lord's method?  His life didn't look like anyone elses.  David was promised a great people and kingdom, yet Saul pursued him for years looking to end his life.  Things looked hopeless and opposite of their friends yet they remembered the Lord's character and that He knew better than they did.  In this stage in my life, I have seen this to be true more than ever before.  The Bible tells us to "trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding" and so I pray that this will minister to you as it has to me.  Remember that through love He explains to us that He knows best!

I started off this past month with the Rice & Beans ministry "base camp."  Rice & Beans is a simple ministry done through the Methodist church, run by a man known locally as papa Fred.  The concept is simple; use an everyday necessity like rice and beans to get a foot in the door to show God's love and present the gospel.  Base camp was a week long outreach from Monday to Thursday.  Starting at 9am, 5 groups went into different towns in the surrounding area doing kids ministry for half of the day followed by passing out rice and beans for the remainder of the day.  At the end of each day the 70 or so camp members from different parts of the world; North Carolina, Mississippi, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, met to share testimonies and worship the Lord for what He had done.  My main function was that of a translator for the evening worship time and for our door to door ministry.  This week was a life changing experience for me, truly epic!  Going house to house, seeing their great need really caused me to think, pray, and be thankful for what God has done in my life.  It was such a blessing to pray for these families but also frustrating because I was not able to spend more time with them simply sharing and loving.

The supplies for the door to door Rice & Beans ministry

A house we visited, keep the harsh raining season in mind

Playing soccer with the kids in General Viejo

Awesome little kids!

We visited the house of an epileptic woman.  Her mother threw her out of the house at a young age because she believed that her epilepsy was demon possession.  The woman's mother had given away one of her boys to a man because she thought that she was a danger to her children.  She fights daily to keep her other son.  As she told the story my heart broke thinking of the pain she has and is going through.  Her situation seems hopeless; she lives in a shack with a tin roof and bamboo for walls.  As I peered in I was amazed with the state of the house.  I have no words to describe the scene except that I have never seen such poverty before.  As I stood there in awe with tears in my eyes I was so honored to share the hope that we have in Christ.  I encouraged her to read her Bible and seek the Lord because like II Peter 1:3 tells us "He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness."  Lacking the words to say I could only pray for this woman.  Please keep her in prayer; pray for her to look to the Lord daily and that she finds even the most basic medical care for her epilepsy.
Immediately following base camp we went into another "club de niños" with Calvary Chapel San Isidro, now known as "El Camino," or "The Way." We packed this 2 day event with kids songs, puppets, face painting, balloon animals, and so much more!  It was such a blast to hang out and play with those kids.  From this event we hope to continue a weekly "club de niños."

Explaining the fruits of the Spirit song

Making swords for boys, they're so easy to please...meanwhile girls want Siamese butterflies...

One of our life-size very realistic puppets

Doing kids songs

In a continuing effort to kick off a skate ministry I finally finished the construction of the famous grind box.  All that's left is finishing the wood with a varnish so that it can stand up against the harsh conditions that it will inevitably face.  Then we move onto getting the angle iron cut, welded and fitted onto the box.  Please pray for favorable weather when I decide to go out as raining season will undoubtedly slow us down.

The frame.  That thing is solid

Almost there...

Complete!...well almost

Finally, the story you've all been waiting for.  I felt truly blessed to have my close friends Max and Donna visit me from New Jersey this past week.  On one of our touristy trips we decided to visit Nauyaca falls, a place I had been to at least 4 times previously.  It began to rain and when we paid to take the trail, the woman who lived and worked there sternly warned us to be careful and turn back if the rain continued as strongly as it was.  As we approached the waterfalls the rain stopped, so we decided to go for a swim.  Deciding to explore further we crossed the river and go no more than 100 feet up a trail.  We turned back in less than 10 minutes only to find that the river had risen considerably, the falls themselves were at least 3 times more powerful, and the current was too strong to brave.  With our belongings on the other side of the river we desperately searched for a way across and found that continued attempts would probably result in one of us getting washed away or seriously injured.  I was truly afraid for our lives!  Barefoot and shirtless in the pouring rain we hiked up and down the river searching to be reunited with our bags that had ALL of our important documents.  I was praying a lot for guidance, wondering what the purpose of this time was, and wondering what we would do for sleep as the sun was going down. We followed a trail that led us to a house where 4 Americans were staying.  They were very kind to us. They offered us food and dry clothes.  I was also so blessed to be able to share the gospel with the 2 girls staying in that house; perhaps this was one of the purposes for our adventure.  After discussing our options we were left with no choice but to stay with them in one of their spare cabins.  We set out at sunrise to get to our things across the river only to discover that they had been washed away when the river had risen 15 feet the night before.  2 men that worked at the property where we paid for the trail happened to be there right when we arrived and helped us across the still powerful river.  Honestly just happy to be alive we learned that the night before they sent out a search party for us.  The family was also very kind to us, they fed us breakfast, with coffee and even gave us $60.  We were so blessed by how the Lord worked through the whole situation, to see the genuine concern and excitement of these people for our safety, and seeing how the Lord provided a way for us to get replacements for our important documents.  It was truly an experience I will never forget.

This next semester is coming faster than we can keep up with.  I am looking forward to teaching I & II Kings as a weekly class.  Although it's a long book I know it's jam packed with great stories and life changing lessons and I feel truly privileged to teach it.  As of today we have 4 American students, and 3 Costa Rican students enrolled for the coming semester.  Please keep the teaching of the word in serious prayer.  One of my biggest desires is to see His word understood by all of His people!

Thank you so much for all your prayer, love, and support.  It means more than you know.  I am praying for you all, that He will reveal Himself to you daily and guide you in truth!