Putting into words all the things that God did while in Costa Rica is going to be hard. I am going to try and express the feelings, the stories, and everything the best I can. Disclaimer- I am still processing some things and therefore will not be talking about everything right away. The plan is to post a couple of blogs within the next week or so. That being said I am gonna start with the basic details of my trip.
We stayed in La Vigia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica which was right outside Nicoya, Costa Rica. It was a tiny little jungle community that was built out of love and compassion. The people in that community were so loving and so kind. It was a norm to walk down the street, talk to people, and get invited in for snacks/juice or just to talk. We lived in a church for a month and served with Pastor Basilio, his family, and volunteers from the church. Some of the things we did for ministry were manual labor, house visits, and trash pick-up.
Trash pick-up is what it sounds like. We walked along the road and by the church picking up the trash to help clean up the community. I helped with this ministry a couple of times and at first, I didn’t really understand why Pastor Basilio would have us do this as a ministry because it’s not doing anything for the kingdom or for God. But then as I continued to serve and actually participate in the trash pick-up, I realized that us walking along the road allowed us to connect/talk with people as we went, it allowed for prayer walking and for us to be in prayer, and it allowed us to see the beauty of not only God’s world but what it looks like when we take the time to make it more beautiful.
For house visits, we walked around different communities with Pastor Basilio or someone that could speak Spanish and we would pray for different people. I loved doing house visits because even when I was totally confused because of the language barrier I got to spread the word of the Lord and to spread his love in communities that don’t see that or don’t see it that often. Even though I was confused most of the time, eventually could understand some things so I would get bits and pieces of people’s stories, it was so powerful to pray over people, their homes, and their families and know even though they don’t understand what I’m saying in English they still know that God is hearing their prayers and that we are there for them. Being able to connect with people and give them testimonies from our lives that could help them out was amazing. I don’t want to go into much detail here because I plan to post a blog about it but I got to share part of my story with this woman who was going through a hard time because her husband left her. House visits were my favorite ministry and the one I participated in the most because it was so powerful for me and I love spreading the word and praying for people. It is a big passion of mine and I want to figure out a way to do it within the state.
One of the other ministries we did was manual labor. I didn’t participate in this ministry that many times because almost the whole time that I was in Costa Rica I was struggling with Asthma problems. So one day, our whole squad went to this ladies’ house named Waneta, to do manual labor. When we were at her house there were multiple things that we did. That being said I will post a blog about all that we did for this sweet old lady and the way that I saw the lord in that. The other manual labor that my squad mates did was building trenches/ditches, building a sidewalk/ramp for a wheelchair, and chopping grass.
I know this is brief but I wanted to post a blog to update yall and be able to express the basics before going into detail. The Lord worked through me, through my squad, and in my heart while in Costa Rica on a much deeper level than I am used to. I will share my heart and what happened when I feel comfortable and when I am ready. Thank you for your support and understanding.
Some ways you can support me in this new season are:
- For guidance and strength in the processing
- Guidance for setting boundaries with friends and family in this transition period
- For Godly Community
- Finally, To continue seeking the Lord and continue to lay my life down to him
Your welcome. Glad you like reading them and hope to post more soon. Prayers are always good.
Mandy! I am so happy getting to read this right now. I’m so jealous that you got to go on another trip with WR. I can see your heart through your words and how much this trip means to you- just like our trip last summer. Thank you for sharing this, always love to hear what God is doing in your life!
Thanks Claire. I loved going to Costa Rica and it changed so many things in my life and in my heart. There are plans to continue going on trips. I want to go on the 11 month one when I graduate but we will see. The WR is a great organization and I love them. Would love to hear updates from you.
It’s so great to hear about your trip and how God is working in your life. Looking forward to your upcoming blogs! Thanks for letting us know how we can be praying for you.