Hello!
I’m just back from 3 weeks in the heart of the Costa Rican rainforest, in Talamanca the indigenous reserve, and Puerto Viejo. We had an amazing opportunity to learn from and serve the incredible people from this area during the past few weeks!
Week one
For the first week, we took part in NIKO, which is a camp started by YWAM, held in a few places globally. It’s a survival and leadership camp, and our Talamancan contact Alex, runs it in the Talamancan rainforest. So we were able to take part in this, although I can’t unfortunately share any more details! Part of NIKO is the unexpected, and previous participants aren’t able to share details about what we did during the week. All I can say was that it was really difficult, I learnt a lot and I was challenged and pushed out of my comfort zone completely! I learnt a lot about myself and leadership, but more importantly I learnt a lot about God. Seeing and experiencing a taste of what people in the area have to deal with on a daily basis, really put into perspective how comfortably I live back at home. And the Talamancan guys that we met during the week really showed me to smile and be grateful throughout difficulties.
I’m really glad that we had the opportunity to do NIKO, and we were able to build relationships with a lot of the teenage guys who help to staff NIKO along with Alex. These guys stayed with us during our week of outreach that followed, and it was great to be able to minister to them and encourage them throughout the 2 weeks we were there. I loved hearing their stories and being able to share ours with them, and it was really special to be able to build those relationships with them.
Week two
We then transitioned from NIKO to officially starting out outreach as a DTS. I'll give you an idea of some of the stuff that we got up to during the week!
On our first day we had the opportunity to hold a youth gathering for some young people in the area. This was really great, and it was wonderful to see the different members of our team step into different roles, and we saw different gifts being put into practice. It was also great to engage with some of the young people from the area.
During the week we also helped with some physical work to help bless the couple that had kindly let us stay on their property for the week. We helped with some construction work that needed done to their house, and the NIKO guys were there as well helping. I was really glad that we were able to do this for them, as they’re an elderly couple and they wouldn’t have been able to get this done without help. It was also a special way to be able to repay their kindness for the week.
Another day we went on Bible distribution, although this looked very different from what we usually do in San José! To be able to reach the community we were going to, we had to hike for half a day in the jungle. So we left early in the morning to hike there with all of our stuff and the Bibles, and we reached there after noon. There then was a change of plan, and the church leader who was our contact in the area wanted us to lead an evening service for some church members that were coming that evening. So we were able to do that, and we were able to give Bibles to those who came to the service. And the church now has Bibles that they’re able to distribute to new members or those that are interested!
The service was really special and powerful. The message that one of our team members shared was really powerful and spoke really well into certain situations that the church was going through, without us knowing about that while planning. The leader of the church shared with us how encouraged that he was that we were able to come and share with them, and even more so that we were able to bring them Bibles. Obtaining a Bible around here is really very difficult and really expensive, so it was a real blessing to be able to give each of them a bible of their own for free. Possibly my favourite moment from outreach so far has been the face of pure joy that these guys had when we handed them their own Bible. We had hiked so far, but it was so worth it to be able to see their faces when they received their own Bible. We stayed the night and then travelled back the next day.
We also did more bible distribution on a different day, but in a community much closer that we didn’t need to stay overnight for.
We also were able to lead a dance workshop for some of the youth in the area. We had performed our dance at the Youth event that we held, and some of them had expressed an interest in dance and how they would love to learn a little bit! So we organised a space for them to learn a little bit, to share with them and to teach some tools that they can use. I helped lead this with some of the other girls from my team, and it was really good fun! The youth really enjoyed it. It was great to be able to teach those who came about how we can use dance to connect with and glorify God, and we were also able to share with them about our identity as Children of God.
I loved my time in the jungle - I loved the people that I met there and the relationships that we were able to build. We spent our time sleeping on the floor, eating what there was available and trying desperately to avoid bug bites and heatstroke. But despite the challenges, it was a beautiful time and I saw the heart of Jesus in a completely different way. We learnt how to be uncomfortable, and to be grateful. And this was a lesson that I think I definitely needed to learn! We learnt how to be grateful for the things we take for granted at home - clean running water, showers, bathrooms, supermarkets across the street... Instead we dealt with not being able to drink the tap water without filtering it, the water we had available cutting out for a few days because of heavy rain bursting pipes, bucket showers, not always having a bathroom, and having to cross rivers to be able to access a store. It was a humbling few weeks to say the least, and it taught us all a lot as we got a taste of the struggles and hardships that this area faces.
Week three
After our time in the jungle in Talamanca, we headed to Puerto Viejo to serve for a week. We were staying in the YWAM Puerto Viejo base, along with another YWAM team and a team from the World Race. It was really great to get to know these guys and to be able to serve alongside them! Rastra and Elsi lead the base in Puerto Viejo, and they are incredible! God spoke to them years ago that Puerto Viejo is a door to the nations, and they've been working faithfully there ever since.
During our time there we were able to do a lot of different stuff! We helped lead more youth events, which were great fun! I loved being able to share with young people from the area and to be able to encourage them. We also had the opportunity to lead a local church service - I helped lead worship, we performed our dance, others shared testimonies and shared a message. It was great to be able to encourage the local church, and to be able to share with them.
We also spent a lot of time in Puerto Viejo doing evangelism work. It was really fun to push myself out of my comfort zone and to connect with and build relationships with people. Often we would come back and chat to the same person, and it was really cool to hear stories and to see God working in people's lives. There were a lot of great conversations had over the past week, and we have faith that God was planting seeds! As we were reminded by Elsi, God uses different people to plant seeds, water them or even to harvest. But it's God and his timing that makes them grow, and it was great to be able to take part in a bit of that work with Him.
We also did more Bible distribution in a village community near to Puerto Viejo, which was really great! I loved meeting people, being able to pray for them and to bless them with Bibles. Again, it was cool to be able to be a part in the process of planting seeds in people's lives!
I've been getting the opportunity throughout the weeks to help out with translation, and to put my Spanish skills into useful practice! I'm far from perfect, but it's been good fun and I've really been enjoying it! I've been so thankful for my Spanish during the past few weeks, and it's made it so much easier to engage and connect with people that we've met. Everyone in our team speaks either Spanish or English, and a few speak both, so everything we do is translated.
Our whole team found our time in Puerto Viejo quite difficult. Both Puerto Viejo and Talamanca are very heavy spiritual areas with a lot of spiritual strongholds and struggles. Witchcraft and different spiritual practices are very common in the area, and it was a very heavy and difficult atmosphere. Especially in Puerto Viejo, our team struggled with night terrors, struggles sleeping, heavy anxiety and other personal struggles. But I think we all found a new meaning to dependence on the Lord and we discovered the importance of community throughout this.
The last day that we were in Puerto Viejo, we weren't able to leave the base to do any ministry because of a really heavy rain storm that had come upon the entire country. It had caused a lot of flooding and damage to roads and peoples homes, so we unfortunately were stuck in the base for the day. Although we thankfully were able to travel back to San Jose on Friday as planned, although it took us 9 hours!
We are currently in Alajuela, preparing to leave for the Middle East in a couple of days. We are really excited for this next stage, and for what God has in store!
Prayer
Praise God for...!
The previous 3 weeks, and all the ways that we were able to serve him and see him work
The communities and the people that we were able to meet and speak to
Our ministry contacts - Alex in Talamanca, and Rastra and Elsi in Puerto Viejo. Praise God for their faithfulness and dedication to serving him in these difficult areas!
And the seeds that we were able to plant through our ministry, and that God would make them grow!
Pray for...!
The Christians and Churches in the communities that we worked in - that they would be able to stay strong in their faith and not be shaken by the many challenges and strongholds.
Our team's travel to the Middle East - for safety and easy access to the country for everyone in our team
For negative covid tests to allow us to travel!
A member of my team who has been quite sick throughout the 3 weeks that we've been away for, although she's starting to feel better. Please be keeping her in your prayers, especially as we travel.
Blessings!
Amy xx