Building Relationships

The next day (Tuesday) we had the first part of the day free because Myra had to work.  We had arranged to be back at her house later that afternoon because she wanted to introduce us to some of her neighbors.  Hopefully we would gather up a few people and then have a church service that evening.

Earlier that week we had met another Nica, housekeeper, named Maria and we called her that morning and arranged to go to her house in Atenas.  We arrived at her house that morning and met her husband Rider.  Maria asked us if we would like something to drink and asked if we liked Coca Cola.  We all agreed that would be wonderful and she said something to her husband and then proceeded to walk out the front door.  I could not see her once she went outside but Kalina could and once she was a few steps past the edge of the door, she took off running down the road!  Kalina did not know why until she came running back a couple minutes later with a 1 liter bottle of coke in her hand.  There was a little store down the road from her house and she had run to buy us something to drink.  I was constantly amazed how these people that had so little to give would go out of their way to give food and hospitality to a bunch of strange Americans. 

We had a very good conversation with Maria and Rider, telling them about ourselves and why we were in Costa Rica.  They told us about themselves as well and Rider showed us a Bible that someone had given him.  He liked reading the Bible but unknown to him, his Bible was not the correct word of God.  It was a version that had been twisted away from the truth by Man.  We gave him a Spanish Reina Valera Bible and explained to him the difference.  He was grateful for the Bible, and we were very encouraged by their interest.  We told them about Myra and her family and  where they lived, thinking that they might know each other.  They did not know each other, however, we found out that their daughter lived a few miles from Altos de Naranjo.  Maria was planning to take the bus to go see her that afternoon so we offered to drive her there instead.  She gladly accepted and wanted us to meet her daughter and family.  They had some things to do before then so we agreed to come back to pick her up after lunch.  We drove back into town to get something to eat, very encouraged that we had made another promising contact.

After lunch we arrived back at Maria's house to pick her up.  It turned out that her other younger daughter and son were coming along too.  We barely had enough room but they are small people, so we made it work.  The place we were going was on the road to Altos de Naranjo where Myra lived.  When she told us to turn I was amazed because it was down a very small road that I had never seen before because it was almost hidden in the vegetation.  It never failed that we thought we were getting to know a certain area pretty well and then we go down a little road that looks like it goes nowhere and find more small country communities.  There are a lot of people living in the most unlikely places in this country.  What looked at first to be a small country road turned out to be a private driveway for a very big expensive house hidden away in the jungle.  It turns out that Maria's son in law was the grounds keeper for the house and several acres of property surrounding it.  He and his family had a nice little house (rustic cabin by US standards) not far from the main house that the owners had provided for them to live in.  We did not get to meet him since he was out working somewhere but we did meet Maria's daughter.  She wanted to show us around so we followed her as she guided us through the amazing landscaped grounds that her husband took care of.  It was easily the most beautiful tropical landscape I had ever witnessed.  We did not stay long but we invited Maria and her family to come to the church service we planned to have that night.  We gave her our number and asked her to call us and we would come pick them up if they wanted to attend.

That afternoon we arrived back at Myra's house and spent a little bit of time talking and we met one of her neighbors, Jose, for the first time.  Yes this was the same Jose that I have already mentioned.  After a short time we started walking up the hill to visit the neighbors and everyone came along with us.  The first house we came to actually ended up being the only home we had time to visit that night.  The homeowner was an older man named Victor that owned several houses and a some land in the area and had lived there for most of his life.  He also had a daughter and her two teenage children living there with him.  He invited everyone to sit down on his porch and it was not very long before we were talking about the Bible with him.  We quickly learned that he was very passionate and knowledgeable about the Bible.  I must admit that I only caught bits and pieces of what he was saying because he talked very fast and ran his words together.  Some people are easier to understand because of how they talk and this was one of the hardest to understand that I had come across.  I found out afterwards that even Keith was having a hard time, but he was able to keep up with him enough using the scriptures as a mediator.  This guy was a very eager talker and it did not take much from us for him to launch into a speech about his beliefs on certain topics.  When Keith started talking about baptism he immediately got excited talking about the love and grace of God and how wonderful he is to save us from our sins and that baptism is not required for Salvation.  Our ears perked up when he said that and I just smiled to see that Keith was already turning to a verse he wanted to read.  Once Victor finished his point Keith simply pointed him to 1 Peter 3:21.  Keith did not comment he just asked Victor to read the verses and it was amazing to see how quickly Victor quieted down and did not say anything.  Again Keith asked him to read Mark 16:15-16.  Again as Victor read you could just see his mind churning, this was new information, these verses did not agree with what he had been taught.  He also had him read Acts 2:38 and Romans 6.  We could tell that we had someone with a good heart sitting before us.  He did not try to argue with the scriptures, he was just speechless as he absorbed something that had been there all along.  This was a man that already had faith in God and in his word.  He had just been taught incorrectly and had never been exposed to the whole truth of the bible.  Another thing that we had discovered part way through the study is that Victor's eye sight was not good enough to read his bible anymore, he had simply been quoting verses to us.  We had run into this problem before and we had brought a few pairs of reading glasses with us.  We had a pair that worked for him and he was so excited that he was able to read his own Bible again.  It was wonderful to see the joy in his face about something that we take for granted.  I don't know how long it had been since he had not been able to read. Once we gave him those glasses he rarely looked up.  We gave him a lot to think about and did not want to overwhelm him. So, we left soon after that thanking them for the hospitality and hoping to talk to them again in the future.

One other thing that I need to mention is about Jose.  He had come with us and as we were studying with Victor, he had his Bible out that we had given him and he was listening intently and following along the best he could.  I kept an eye on him the whole time and could not help but be impressed by his attention.  When we left Victor's house I talked to Keith about it and he agreed that we needed to spend some time studying with this young man.  Keith had spent a few minutes on the walk to Victor's house talking to Jose and he had a good feeling about him as well.  It was getting late and Jose needed to get back home since he had to be at work early in the morning.  So we headed back to Myra's house for the planned worship service.

We had a good service that night and everyone really enjoyed the singing and fellowship.  We got to bed pretty late that night but it was a very fruitful day.  We continued to be encouraged by the responses and interest we were receiving in our efforts to teach the gospel.

FYI, Keith, John and Jordan just got back from Costa Rica yesterday and I will try to post something summarizing their trip soon.

Dios les bendiga,
David

Rewind Summary

Well in light of the latest trip and the need to catch up, this post is going to combine the last two days of our trip in May.  I know everyone is probably really wanting to know more about the current trip but I need to get this done or I will never get around to it.  It is also important because I have not yet told you how we met Myra and her family.

On Saturday we planned to go visit a lady named Myra.  She was the housekeeper of the house we had rented on the first and second trip to Costa Rica.  Dora, the owner of the house had introduced us to her and we intended to go see her and see what happened.  We all met up at Dora's house and after the introductions we all headed over to Myra's house which was about 20 minutes from Atenas in a town called Altos de Naranjo.  As we came to find out this is a somewhat remote little town. It is basically at the end of the pavement and you don't go there unless you live there or you get lost.  It is a beautiful place on the side of some very steep mountains.  We arrived at Myra's home and met her children Neyci, Deybin, and Xotchi.  They were all well behaved and shy when we first arrived but they opened up more, the longer we were there.  We simply talked and got to know one another at first but before long Deybin wanted to show us the river.  The river was a short hike (or shorter fall) straight down a very steep hill.  The trail we were following really looked like a rainwater gully and it happened to make a clear path to the river.  John tried grabbing hold of a branch as we were going down but he grabbed hold of more than he wanted since it had 1"-3" long thorns covering every last inch of it.  So, we made it down safely and only slightly scratched and explored the river.  Deybin also showed us one of the swimming holes that the locals use for bathing.  After the hike back up we talked a little more and Myra gladly allowed us to come back the next morning to study with her.  We were supposed to have church services at Jorge and Lisseth's house Sunday afternoon at 2:00 so it would work out well to study with Myra Sunday morning.

We headed back to Myra's house in the morning and studied the gospel with her.  As we went thru the study it was apparent that she already had a good understanding of the Bible.  She was very adamant in her belief in the Reina Valera bible that we use as the true word of God.  She told us stories of Jehovah's Witness and Mormons coming to talk to her and trying to convince her to use their Bibles but she refused.  She also told us how her whole family was Catholic and she was raised a Catholic.  When she was 9 years old she had seen enough that she decided that she was not going to be a Catholic.  She went against her family and made a stand for what she believed.  She was able to quote several verses including the entire chapter of Psalms 91 without hesitation.  She agreed and understood everything we studied, and when we left we had high hopes that she could become a potential convert. 

It was time to head over to Cacao for the church service but most of the group needed to eat lunch and we were running a little behind.  Kalina and I along with Sherry and our two kids agreed to go ahead and go meet Jorge and Lisseth at the agreed time and keep them occupied until everyone else arrived.  When we arrived the kids were asleep in the back so I walked over to let Jorge and Lisseth know we had arrived.  I had planned to go back to the car in about 20 minutes to check on everyone.  This was actually the first time we had met Jorge; he had always been at work every other time we had visited.  His friend Norman was also there and we immediately started up a very animated conversation.  He was very nice and excited to finally meet us since he had heard so much about us.  We talked about a lot of things and I was trying so hard to keep up that I must have lost track of time.  Kalina and Sherry and the kids walked in and I said, wow that was a short nap.  Kalina just looked at me, and said, short?  It had been almost an hour and a half......I was completely shocked, it had felt like 30 minutes at the most.  Time flies when you are trying to have a conversation in another language.  My brain is really fried by the end of the day after all the mental gymnastics.  I was glad I was able to spend that time getting to know Jorge, he is a very kind soft spoken person and you could tell he loves his wife and children very much.

The rest of the group arrived and it had started to rain so we would not be able to do the service outside as planned.  So we crammed about 25 people into Jorge and Lisseth's little house, it was very cozy.  We had several of the neighbors attend as well so we had a nice sized group of people in attendance.  The singing went very well and Keith gave a very powerful lesson on the Gospel.  We did not have any responses at that time but we are encouraged by the interest and the sincerity of the people at Cacao.  After the service Kalina and I had to head back since we were both getting sick.  The rest of the group stayed and visited with everyone for a few more hours.  We all enjoyed the time we spent meeting and making relationships with the good people of this little hidden community.

We continue to have high hopes that we will find individuals that want to obey the Gospel and serve the Lord in this area and we will continue to pursue that goal.  As you will see soon, we visited this area again on the recent trip in July.  This concludes my summary of our Costa Rica work in May.  The next post will get started on the trip in July.

Dios les bendiga,
David

We planted, we watered, God provided the Miracle Grow

We just returned from Costa Rica last night and I am still in awe.  I am in awe of the power and the glory of God.  I know the verses, I understood the concept, but I did not fully comprehend it until now. 
1Corinthians 3:5-9Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? (6) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. (7) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. (9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
John 4:35-36 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (36) And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Now I understand it a whole lot better because I have seen it and felt it.  I have seen the power of the Gospel work even though I was unable to "explain" it like I wanted to.  My limits with the Spanish language does not mean that the message of the Gospel was not heard and understood.  I think that the biggest thing that hit home from this trip is that I need to spread the seed and then get out of the way and let the word of God convict the honest heart.
Luke 8:15But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
I think when you have faced a long period of un-interest, failure, and rejection you can start to think that you are not doing something right.  You are not explaining it right, you think you need to spend a large amount of time explaining what the Bible means.  Don't get me wrong, I think that a lot of times we are doing it wrong and making it more complicated than it is.  However we need to realize that we are going to spend a lot of time on people that in the end do not care and their heart is hardened.  When the Gospel finds a good heart, the word of God is sufficient on it's own. 
Heb 4:12-13For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13) Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
I apologize for the mini sermon but my brain and my heart are just about to explode with thoughts and emotions and I needed to let some of it out.

Well for those of you that have not heard, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well in Costa Rica!  Praise the Lord!

I will go into more detail in the coming days and weeks and tell their stories more fully but I could not wait to let you know how God has provided a bountiful harvest in Costa Rica.

This is Neyci, she is 13 years old.

Neyci was very nervous before the baptism and very excited afterwards!

This is Jose, he is 21 years old.  This picture was after his Baptism but we all noticed that he had worn his best clothes for this important event.  He is smiling about his new Bible.

Jose is an awesome guy, can't wait to tell you more about him.

This is Lorena, she is 20 years old and has two little girls.

Lorena was also very nervous before but I think the water was a little cold.

I will fill you in on all the details later but I could not wait to introduce you to your new Brother and Sisters in Christ in Costa Rica.  Please remember them and their family in your prayers, this is a very important and fragile time for them.  We are of course worried for them since we could not stick around longer.  However they now have God on their side and they all know each other so they will be good support for each other in the trials ahead.  Praise the Lord.

-Dios les Bendiga,

David