Outreach Begins

The time has almost come……the one, the only, NIKO jungle camping boot-camp!!! We leave in just a few days and we are definitely anxiously awaiting our departure. If I haven’t told you about NIKO, let me explain: I know nothing! It’s top secret, meant to build our character. The word NIKO is Greek and means ‘to overcome, conquer, or gain the victory’. All we know is that we will come out of the week very changed, if we go into it with the right attitude. Word has it that nearly everyone cries during the experience. Unfortunately I won’t even be able to tell you about it afterward because we are sworn to secrecy but I’ll be sure to let you know what happens with my character!

Before beginning NIKO we will be helping with a youth event in Talamanca, Costa Rica, which is the first stop for our official outreach. Once NIKO is over we will travel to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica for a couple of days to rest and recover from our week in the jungle but we’ll also be doing some ministry during that time. After that we will make our way down to Panama, I believe we will be in Bocas del Toro. I’m not sure yet what type of ministry will take place there. After leaving Panama we will return to San Jose for a day and then head out to Nicoya, Costa Rica. There we will help with a Bible distribution project and also do some youth ministry. After Nicoya we will debrief in Tamarindo, Costa Rica then we’ll begin the second phase of our outreach which will mainly take place in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The majority of our time there will be spent partnering with a bi-lingual youth group who is already doing so much ministry in their area. I look forward to how God is going to use us there! We should be in Honduras about three weeks then possibly go to El Salvador for a week to debrief again before returning to San Jose for graduation.

It’s hard to believe that it is already time for outreach! I know the next two months will go by so fast. They will be both challenging and exciting months, full of surprises and growth I’m sure. Please pray for us in the coming months if you think about it. If you’re not sure how to pray, here are some keywords: unity, Spirit-led, effective, safety (in locations and while traveling), willingness/boldness, growth, creativity, wisdom, strength/rest/energy, health, etc…. Also, below is a tentative schedule for October if you’re interested in knowing when we will be in certain areas. Thanks for your prayers and support and I will update again when I have a chance.

God bless,
Leah

OCTOBER:
2- Travel to Talamanca, Costa Rica
3- Youth event
4-8 NIKO camping
9- Travel to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
11- Travel to Panama
18-19 Work with Indigenous people
20- Travel to San Jose, Costa Rica
21- Work with Salvation Army
22- Travel to Nicoya, Costa Rica
25-28 Bible distribution/Youth ministry
29- Travel to Tamarindo, Costa Rica (debrief Panama/Nicoya)
31- Travel to Honduras

Also, here are the names of everyone on my team should you desire to pray specifically:
Morgan (boy)- leader
Elena- leader
Kim- leader
Leah (me)
Heidi
Jonathan
Kristin
Jason
Rachael
Dash
Morgan (girl)
Debbie
Amanda
Nina
Katie
Veronica
Laura

What does the future hold?

Wow time flies! I had no idea how long it has been since I’ve updated my blog so bear with me because this could get long. We haven’t had too much going on, just finishing up our last few weeks of classes. Last week we learned about Biblical worldview, this week is about relationships, and next week is titled Destiny by Design. I’m still learning a lot but I am SO ready to go on outreach! We leave next Saturday for Talamanca, where our jungle journey begins! After that we will spend a few days on the beach relaxing and doing some ministry while we recover from our intense week in the jungle. Please keep us in your prayers as we move closer and closer to our long-awaited outreach.

What I really need continued prayer for is peace and patience in learning God’s plan for my future. I know that this is where God wants me to be and I know He will reveal each step for me in the right time. It’s so easy to say all of this but so hard to allow my mind to rest in this truth. I continually wonder what is next and which direction I need to go in. You see, I have so many ideas for ministry and things that I would love to do but right now I don’t see a clear connection in all of them so I wonder if they are all part of my future ministry or maybe just one of them? It seems impossible to narrow down so many options and begin moving in a specific direction. Right now, I just need God to confirm my next step and I need Him to give me peace in knowing that all I need to know right now is the next step and in the right time He will show me what the following step will be. You want to know what my ideas are don’t you? I knew it! Read on my friends……..

First off, I want to learn Spanish fluently. I understand it very well but speaking is much more difficult. So I wonder, where is the best place for me to continue learning? I know that I need to speak the language because I believe God has called me to Latin America, not to mention that I love the language and have a desire to speak it fluently. I also want to get my TESOL certification (Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages). I have found great interest in teaching English as a second language and I believe it would serve me well to be certified. Continuing on in my list, I think it would be really awesome to build connections all over Latin America and lead small groups from the US on mission trips to various places. I want to have relationships with people throughout Latin America and continuously help them by bringing teams to assist in their ministries, all while ushering the teams into a possible life of missions. Then I also think it would be really cool to reach business men/women in San Jose, CR and promote awareness of YWAM so that YWAM can be connected in the community having a give/take relationship with local businesses. Another idea within the business realm is to offer English classes to the business owners, helping them to further their education while also teaching Biblical principles and knowledge. And then there’s the idea of working in Jaco, CR, which is a beach town. There is a river that runs through one area and there is a poor community located right at the edge of the river. There is a high presence of prostitution and child abuse. The kids there are considered ‘children at risk’ so currently the people working there have a huge focus on helping the children by offering tutoring for their education. If I were to go there I would most likely teach English to prostitutes and kids. Finally, my other idea is to visit churches and share with them the importance of missions. I’m not sure if that would be in a specific city/country or if I would travel to several places. My goal would be to help raise support for local missionaries/missions organizations but also to encourage others to move into a life of missions, following the Great Commission. If I had to make a decision right this second as to what I am going to do next, I would say my TESOL certification but the problem is that I don’t have confirmation from God. See the dilemma?? Thanks for your prayers!

Puerto Viejo

What a beautiful weekend! I had the chance to go to Puerto Viejo for a beach wedding and it was so wonderful!! We drove down Saturday morning and I was able to stay until late Sunday afternoon. Puerto Viejo is on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and it is an awesome city. It’s very rasta, or rastafari, and laid back. If you’ve never seen dreadlocks before just head down to Puerto Viejo, you’re sure to see them every time you turn around! The people there are so friendly and seem very happy. There are a lot of Europeans and it was nice to be in a town where most everyone spoke English, it was a welcomed break for my brain! It’s known to be a weed-smoking party town and there are plenty of ministry opportunities for when we go back during our outreach. But this weekend was simply for pleasure, and God knows I needed it! I stayed with a few other people and it was great to have a relaxing time away from the San Jose base. The weather was gloriously hot and sunny, which was such a nice change from the cool, rainy weather we are used to in San Jose. We ate delicious food and did some shopping in the main part of town, which is just off the beach. I even got to eat cacao; the fruit whose seeds are used for chocolate! We also rented a golf cart and cruised around for the afternoon. Of course we also spent some time on the beach and in the water. This was my first time to swim in ocean water where you could actually see the bottom! I was so happy about that until I took one wrong step and got pinched by a crab. For those of you who know me well, you know that I’m not one to swim in water unless I can see the bottom so the fact that I have swam in the ocean during my time in Costa Rica is really quite miraculous. However, since my crab incident as well as with others being stung by jellyfish, my reasoning is justified and I’m back to not wanting to swim in water that I can’t see in. Perhaps I will one day conquer this fear but for now, I’m content just getting my feet wet! Anyway, in Puerto Viejo you can get hotel rooms really inexpensive so I was able to have an incredibly inexpensive mini-vacation. I shared a room with another girl and we only paid $10 each for one night. The room had two beds and a bathroom, very basic and small but exactly what we needed. We also had a porch with a hammock, which was so comfortable! The place we stayed was set back off the main strip so it was very quiet and the landscaping was done so there was quite a bit of shade, which made it much cooler. Besides coming back covered in bug bites, around 60-70 to be exact, I am so refreshed and rejuvenated after my time away.

Saturday night after the wedding we had a bonfire on the beach and I had a chance to lie in the sand and look up at the stars. It was one of my favorite times of the whole weekend. You could see hundreds of stars and it seemed like more were appearing every minute. I was reminded of how big God is and of the beauty He gives us. I don’t know how anyone can not believe in God when they see the beauty of nature around us; it’s simply beautiful yet so detailed and complex that I don’t see how anyone can deny the Creator of it all!

Nicaragua

This past week we spent about 6 days in Diriamba, Nicaragua doing a short outreach. That country absolutely blew my mind! It’s definitely 3rd world, I can’t believe the need there. I greatly enjoyed seeing that country; the scenery is beautiful and so are the people. We did several different types of ministry while there. Our first full day, we spent the morning walking around the town praying for different things. We did children’s ministry at the YWAM base. We spent several hours at La Chureca, or the city dump. A pastor and his wife have been called to serve there and so they spend a great deal of time ministering to nearly 1000 families living within the dump. We did a short children’s program and also walked around and prayed with some of the families living there. It was absolutely heart-breaking. One of the things that stuck out to me the most was when a little girl told us that her grandmother lived on one side of the dump, her other grandmother on the other side, and she and her family in yet another area. This only told me that the family has been living this way for generations and I wonder what hope of a better life this beautiful little girl might have? They have literally made their own community amongst all of the garbage. There are streets and fences made of metal sheets. The houses are constructed of wood, cinder blocks, metal sheets, and/or tarp. Generally, each home has some sort of fence constructed and they have what is meant to be a yard, though all it is is dirt and mud for the children to play in. We went into one of the houses to pray for a woman and I tried to take it all in without looking disrespectful. What I saw was three rooms: a kitchen, living area, and bedroom where several beds were constructed. They had an old bench-style car seat for a couch and what looked like plastic potato sacks hanging on the walls. I just can’t even begin to fathom living in those conditions, it was absolutely filthy and the smell horrendous throughout the entire dump. Another day we went to the city library, which is fully funded and run by a missionary. We had the opportunity to do crafts with the children, which was such a blessing. They are so precious and all they want is love and attention. Later that evening, I had the privilege of being part of a group that taught English to some of the young adults living in the barrio. That was probably my favorite ministry during the entire week. Many of them seemed so eager to learn and my hope is that they will continue trying so that they are able to get farther ahead in life. We also had a big part in running a church service in the barrio on Sunday night. We taught them about missions and I had the chance to share my testimony in being called to serve in missions, along with two other girls. The most challenging part of the week was putting on a school assembly for children at risk. It was so frustrating because the kids did not want to listen. Finally, the principal sent them all back to their classes because they were out of control. He allowed us to still speak to the youngest ones, which turned out well. I was shocked at the conditions of the school and the lack of discipline. I wonder what chance they have in life when they are growing up in such a way. I wish I could go in and change everything there, from the visual aspect of the school grounds all the way through the systems in place for education and discipline. My heart breaks for the people of Nicaragua. I have never seen a place so in need, you would think they have been completely forgotten by the rest of the world. One thing I loved was the way they seem to have so much love for each other. But another thing that came to my mind while riding through town one evening was that it seems like a place with no order. They seem to have no traffic laws. There are animals everywhere; cows, dogs, horses, chickens, etc. The people seem to do anything and everything for any reason…or for no reason at all. I can’t really explain, but it’s as if they all live for the moment with no thought of the future. I wonder what’s going on in their minds. Do they have any hope? I wonder what they think as they stare at all of us ‘gringo tourists’ walking through town. Do they hate us or do they find hope through us? Many of them didn’t smile at all. Many of them have such an empty look in their eyes. They are a desperate people and my heart is desperately broken for them. Pray for them. Consider going there to serve them. Look at my pictures on facebook and just imagine living there.