Wednesday

Our med team drove over two hours through the mountains and rain forest to get to our ministry site for today in Guacimo. We encountered around 185 patients today. Our men spent the day hauling buckets of concrete to pour in the header forms at the top of the building. Tonight, we have two more of our team to contribute to the blog.

Scott Stewart

My first mission trip out of the country, what I expected, what has been the reality, and what God has showed me.

What I expected:
A construction mission trip to Costa Rica would be an awesome trip, I would get a chance to do something I enjoy and have been around for 20 years, build. I would get an opportunity to tell people that do not know my Savior what he has done for me and share the good news to people who may actually care that there is a Savior who died for them and who desires a personal relationship with them. In America I know there are people who care but the Gospel is preached on every corner every Sunday morning and people seem to have more important things to do and don't realize the need they really have. I thought that the food would be at best OK and that the housing would be rough but that this is just part of going on a trip out of the country and working for God. I expected great growth in the Lord and I expected to get to know the people I go to church with on a deeper level.

What was the reality:
Construction in Costa Rica is nothing like construction in America and 20 years experience in the business in the US doesn't transfer to 20 years experience in Costa Rica. I had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with a man at a store (like Walmart) on the coffee aisle (he helped me find a good coffee to bring back, and I shared with him about our Savior, we shared email addresses and I will be able to continually stay in touch with him). After this experience on Sunday afternoon the construction team has been locked up (behind a fence with barb wire) and have not left the campus. The only contact we have had is with our team and the squirrel/monkey animal we saw climbing in the tree and the dogs. Sharing Christ in this situation is a little difficult. As far as the food and housing goes, the food has been awesome and the housing has been comfortable (God does provide). My growth in the Lord was not what I expected. It has been better and my relationship with my brothers and sisters in Christ has grown and exceeded my expectations. I have met many new brothers and sisters other than the ones from my church that I know will be part of my Christian walk through mission trips and prayer for the rest of my life here on earth.

What God has showed me:
God has showed me that any time you get an opportunity to share the good news, that you should be prepared and be willing because you may not have another chance. God has used construction in Costa Rica to teach me patience. Unlike the US, material is scarce and if you aren't patient you could get very discouraged. As we worked on the home it was hard to see progress. Even though a lot of work has been put in to the home, the progress is hard to see from the outside. I learned a very valuable spiritual lesson from this. God starts on the inside in the heart and a lot of times it is hard to see progress, but he is at work and the finished product will always be amazing. Another truth that God reaffirmed in my life this week is that we are here to glorify Him. Even if you are locked up and the only contact you have is with squirrel/monkeys and dogs, God is watching and it is the heart He is looking at. As we worked, we worked to bring glory to God. In a situation like we have been working in this week, it will really make you search your heart and your motivation. Finally, the men I have worked with this week and the devotionals that have been shared, have motivated me to pour more of myself out for God. I have seen men who physically had no business doing the work they have been doing here, give everything they had, even when no one could see, to bring glory to our Savior. I have seen families sacrifice husbands, wives, parents and children for a week so they could go and bring glory to our Savior. As I move forward I will attempt to live my life as a living sacrifice for a God who sent his Son to die for my sins and that provided my salvation.

Audra Harris Have you ever had the frustration of taking a shower when the water changes intermittently from hot to cold repeatedly? Have you ever wondered if God views us with that same frustration?

While serving God in Costa Rica, it has been easy to “run hot.” The poverty, helplessness, and hopelessness of the people has been evident every day. For instance, eight year old Braden in Los Guidos continually came to the evangelism team with his Spanish tract about receiving Christ. His eyes and questions showed his need to be touched and filled with more than the medication. Or, the single mother whose eyes filled with tears as she explained to me the pain she feels for her son whose father has not seen him since birth. How am I to respond to these loving people who are without the basics of life and care? How do I assist those with no medical care for back injuries, cataracts, urinary tract infections or strep throat? It’s a void that I cannot fill. It’s a void that medication cannot fill. Only the love of Christ can fill the void. It has been my deepest desire this week to pass the seeds of this hope to the hopeless this week.

The mission trip to Costa Rica only lasts for one week. The real question for me is how will I respond to God’s calling at the conclusion of the trip. How do I respond to the helpless and hopeless in my own community? Will the hopelessness and voids of my neighbors, coworkers, and family cause the same brokenness of heart? As work and home life take over and distract me, what will happen to this burning desire? Will I “run cold” once the experience fades? I can only pray that Christ will imprint this experience on my heart and keep me “”running hot.