I can’t believe I’ve been here for 2 weeks! Wow, how time flies when you are having fun and growing in Jesus! The last few days have been great, and it’s been beautiful here! Thursday morning we had a some instruction time, and then our teacher let us process what we have learned in groups. We really are receiving so much information in a given class period that my brain hurts! We are hearing English, then Spanish, or vice versa, so that probably doesn’t help my little brain that is trying to translate and learn God’s Word! It was nice to be able to take time to reflect on my notes, then hear what a few of my teammates are learning too.
Thursday afternoon was our first local outreach ( cruzada in Espanol). We walked to the University Costa Rica to chat with students. I wanted to go to the school of education because I figured I could relate to students who want to teach. We were in groups of 3-4, but most students in that area were in groups of 2 or sitting alone. I stayed in the general area of my group, but went to talk to 3 different ladies who were sitting alone. I wasn’t about to miss an opportunity because my group was shy! I love witnessing to random people in the USA, even though sometimes I get really nervous. I spoke mostly in Spanish except for my last conversation. Most students learn English in HS here, but they don’t have anyone to practice with, so they lose it. They have some English in college, if they go, but again, they don’t practice it often enough to retain it. I had some great conversations and one lady I met was Melissa, a 30 year -old pre-school teacher, who was expecting her first baby. She was really nice, and we talked for about 15 minutes. I found out she was Catholic and attends church regularly. She said she even did a weekly bible study typically, but was just too busy right now with work, doing school, and was tired from the baby-to-be. She said that it was hard to find a teaching job in Costa Rica and the pay wasn’t very good. I talked with one girl (forgot her name) who was very nice but it was obvious she wanted to study, so I let her do so. The last girl I met was named Susana. She was by far the friendliest girl I met. She is 22 year old, and is studying English and Nutrition, but she was waiting for her cousins outside the Education building. I asked her how long it had been since she came to this area, and she said it had been about 6 months ago. I smiled, for I knew she was a divine appointment. I asked her if she thought that it was a coincidence that we met today, and she said “Yes.” I told her I didn’t think it was a coincidence. I didn’t go straight for the Gospel with her because I felt I was supposed to build a friendship with her first. She spoke excellent English, but she was really hesitant to speak English at first because she said was embarrassed. I told her not to worry, because I feel the same way when I speak Spanish. I told her we might come back to that campus and asked for her phone number. She wanted to give me her e-mail instead, so I took that down. I’m going to invite to her and maybe her cousins to our family night on Wednesday. Please be praying for all of these ladies, that they would come to know Jesus personally, if they don’t already know Him. Especially be praying as I will be e-mailing Susana tonight or tomorrow.
I had my first one-on-one with my staff partner Rosella at lunch Thursday. She is so amazing and is genuinely interested in getting to know us. We will meet weekly, and it can be for as long as I want. She asked me how I’m doing, how things were going with my roommates, what I was learning, etc. I really am going to enjoy meeting with her, and have wanted a consistent mentor/friend/accountability partner for a while now. I just love YWAM and how they do ministry. No wonder they are all over the world, changing lives for eternity! I love that YWAM is so biblical, and operate in excellence.
Friday we learned about the Secret Place. Where is the Secret Place? I’m so glad you asked!!! It’s in your heart! The Secret place is a place of transformation! Did you know that you are the only one who can come between you and God? You are a powerful person! God gave you the free will to make decisions. God could have just made us love Him, couldn’t He? He is our Creator after all? Who wants someone to be forced to love them? God is the same way, He wants us to choose Him.
Some notes from Thursday &Friday that you might enjoy:
* You are a spiritual house that needs to be filled with God’s Spirit, so that He can fill you with all the treasures from His heart.
*There is power in the spoken word, and those words create faith. Don’t speak words over yourself because we destroy our own faith by declaring it over ourselves. The enemy cannot hear your thoughts, so don’t say negative things aloud.
* How to Experience Intimacy with God- Have Faith, Radical obedience- awakens your heart, brings life, Holiness
* The purpose of intercession is relationship!
* When you look down on intercession, you look down on the very job that Jesus is doing!
* Vanessa said that if she has learned anything from the Christian life, it’s that we need to become professional repenters! “Repentance produces life!!!!
Today was filled with rest and work. I was up earlier than normal because I took a friends weekend duty. A group of folks were going bungee jumping today, and she wanted to go. They actually didn’t go today because the tremor( mild earthquake) created a mudslide in the area where they were going. I felt the tremor as I was talking to a German missionary here last evening. I didn’t know what it was, until she said it was an earthquake. I just thought someone was shaking the couch I was sitting on, or doing something crazy downstairs. I was totally ignorant of what was going on, even though I felt a tremor when I was here in March. I just love to feel the power of the tremors. It reminds me of how small I am, and how big God is. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, I just think they are freaking awesome! Praise God the plates below us are releasing some stress every so often, because if they didn’t do that, we would have a major earthquake here. From what I understand, the last big earthquake in this area was in January of 2009. My church did some work in the “earthquake zone” when they came last year, and when we came in march, we traveled to the earthquake to help paint a church there. The earthquake was devastating, so there was still some damage we noticed as we traveled there
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Other things I did today: took a nap after my morning duties, spent some good time with God (a group left for another city for the afternoon so it was quiet...yeah!) went for a jog, then did more dishes for dinner.
Well, it’s getting late, and I am going to get ready for bed. God Bless and let me know how you are doing and how I can pray for you!
Love,
Stephanie
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