We arrived in Costa Rica late yesterday afternoon and were greeted with open doors and open arms. There were a lot of shouts and celebrations on the bus as we pulled into our mission site for the next 10 days.
Here’s just one story of how we’re already seeing the faithfulness of the Father:
I love buildings with a lot of colors and things like that. I appreciate art and colorful things make me happy. There’s a place back home with a lot of colorful buildings, kind of run down- it’s just really fun to look at, it’s different. As we drove through San Jose I saw a bunch of buildings with a lot of colors and I was telling everyone how much I love that. I shared with them my favorite place that looked like that at home. I found myself saying out loud, “I want to see a red building with yellow doors.” I wasn’t really sure why but It just came into my mind. “If I see a red house with yellow doors, I’m going in.” We started talking about something else and I forgot that I had even said it.
When we finally arrived, we waited for a while for the gate to open to let us onto the base. My teammate, Morgan started yelling at me when we finally pulled in, “Look!”
Red house with yellow doors.
OUR HOME.
I knew in that moment that we were meant to be there. For me, I knew I belonged there.
At launch, a lot of people were sharing about why they came on the mission trip. They were talking about all of the fundraising they had to do and how long they had been committed to come here, how they knew months in advance. Honestly, I hadn’t been planning on coming here. I signed up late and it was my mom’s idea. This is my first mission trip and my first time away from home. I was nervous about the food, nervous about being away from my family. I felt selfish. But I came because I love helping people, I love kids. I’ve done some evangelism before. Still, I found myself doubting my place on this trip. I found myself doubting the voice of God. I thought maybe he spoke to other people but not to me.
I knew when I saw the red house with the yellow doors that God does to speak to me, to everyone. I see how he speaks to everyone differently and that it never looks the same. For me, it was the red house with the yellow doors. And I knew he was saying, “this is where I want you. I have you here for a reason, you belong.”
Pray for us as we get settled and start children’s ministry here in San Jose, Costa Rica!
