As a lot of you already know……… I come home this month!!!
Holy cow, I can’t believe how fast these past 8 months have gone.
But while my excitement to come home rises, I must remember that I still have one month of ministry in Costa Rica.
I am living in San Jose (the capital city of Costa Rica). I actually had culture shock coming here because there is a McDonalds, Starbucks, and Walmart within walking distance of our house!! But that’s not the point…I wanted to just give a quick summary of what ministry looks like for my last few weeks on the field.
So every Monday we have what is called “Activation Monday”. The squad wakes up and eats breakfast, then we have from 9am-11am set aside to process and answer some questions that we have been given by leadership to help us prepare for going home. At 11am we have a teaching by one of the Costa Rica Base Staff Members. After lunch, we split up into our teams and have the afternoon for ATL (Ask The Lord). ATL is when we sit and ask God what He wants us to do, where He wants us to go, and who He wants us to talk to. There is so many cool opportunities here for ATL and The Lord has done a lot through this ministry already!
On Tuesday-Friday, the squad eats breakfast at 6am and then my team gets on a bus to go to ministry at 7:15am. We spend about two hours on the bus before we reach our ministry base. The ministry we are working with is called Las Tablas and it is located in the slums of San Jose. We are working at a Community Center that has a feeding program for the kids of the community. Our job is basically just to play and pour into the children that come in. This can look any way we want it to….anywhere from teaching the children Bible lessons to helping them with homework to playing “bato, bato, gonzo” (duck, duck, goose) with them for hours.
So I am going to be honest with you…at the beginning of the race, I thought that children’s ministry was useless and I kind of didn’t even like children. I would have been happy with and done anything, except children’s ministry. But over the past 6 months, The Lord has completely changed my perspective of children’s ministry…
IT IS SO IMPORTANT. These children are the upcoming generation, and if we don’t invest in them and tell them that God sees them and loves them, then who will? These kids are some of the strongest children I have ever met. They suffer so much every day and are still filled with the joy of The Father. No wonder Jesus tells us to have childlike faith.
So every morning I wake up and ask God to fill with me supernatural strength, drink three cups of coffee, and head off to maybe be a human jungle gym for 3 hours… and if that is what The Lord wants me to do that day, then I am going to be the best dang jungle gym there ever was.
I’m telling you, every single one of these kids hold a huge chunk of my heart. Sure, I am technically teaching them, but Jesus is teaching me so much more than I could ever teach them.
We leave the Community Center around 12:30pm and head home for lunch. After lunch, my team has ATL for the rest of the afternoon until we have dinner at 6:00pm.
Days are long and weeks are short, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Here is a quick pic of some of the kiddos!
Gracie thank you so much for your blog. I love to hear the stories of all of you how God has blessed you so much. God Bless you honey
Hi Gracie!
Yes, we MUST pass Jesus on to the next generation! Thank you for planting seeds of hope into lives that Jesus cares so much for… that He sent you!! You are doing a great work! Finish well and know that we are excited to see you soon!!
God has a sense of humor… you say you didn’t really want children’s ministry and look where He has put you… love it!… can’t wait till you’re home
Love you bunches ?
What wonderful stories you tell. What a wonderful ministry. And yes, someone had to share God’s love with His children! God bless you and keep you safe! ????
Love your post! God sometimes puts us where we least expect it, but his plan is always better than ours. Love you and anxious to see you!
I’m proud of you, Gracie! You’re blessing others in great ways- locally and abroad! I laughed about your 3 cups of coffee, lol. I’m sure you and Mr C will be happy to have a cup together once you’re home. I’m praying for you dear. Keep up the good work! ????
Sure have enjoyed your blog and how the Lord has led each step of your journey. Praying you have a fabulous month.
I was excited to hear where your team was as I had no idea what you guys had been up to since you returned from the jungle. That sounds like an amazing ministry and definitely needed. Just the fact that you’re spending time with these kids is an investment that proves to them Jesus loves them. What you’re doing does matter and will have eternal effects, not just the kids but their homes, their communities, and their nation. Thank you for loving them well and for being open to what God has for you. By the way, it is pato with a “P”. Enjoy the rest of your time there!
With two educator parents…and a proper, mature Godly perspective..there’s no way this doesn’t happen. Educators have a HIGH calling…investing wisely in this Kingdom-strategic area. I personally believe that missionary kids are one of the most strategic investments a person can make.