Today is our last day down here in San Isidro. We said goodbye to the Duke team early this morning as they went out for a day of fun and started their travel home.
Most of our day was dedicated to VBS at the church. We spent the day painting, learning how we can show love for one another, and playing water games at the soccer field. Many familiar faces returned for our last day of VBS. It was such a blessing to see so many children show up for another day of fun!
Our evening was spent doing Church. We joined our church family in prayer, worship, fellowship, service, and witness. Our evening started with a shared meal at the church with our Pavones brothers and sisters. As dusk settled in we began an outside worship, the Pastor called out to the neighbors to come join us for an evening of worship. Children and adults from the neighborhood flocked to the service. It was a truly unbelievable experience to see people walking up the streets to come worship with us. We prayed, we sang, and we praised God.
Through our work this week we witnessed much tonight. Over half the congregation was filled with children. They spent the evening laughing, praying, and chatting with the children on our team. Several people visited the church for the first time last night because of the work our team put in to build relationships with the community both in walking in the neighborhoods and during VBS. We literally filled the streets to worship.
As the service was wrapping up, the Pastor called out to anyone who wanted to publicly profess their love for God. Again, I can’t put into words what was witnessed and felt during this time. All I can do is describe what happened…
As the pastor called out, at least half a dozen different children raised their hands publicly declaring their love for God, some for the very first time. As the hands were raising, their friends and church leaders placed theirs hands on them and prayed over those children. They prayed that they know they are loved, that the church is their home, and that God loves them unconditionally. God is good in so many ways. Tonight was an incredible experience.
As the week has come to a close, our team is so thankful to have a lasting connection with our brothers and sisters down here. We are so thankful for all the opportunities we were given, the friendships that were made, and the feelings we will never forget.
As a team we ask that you pray for those children who declared their love for God, for Pavones, for the Costa Rica Missions Project, and for the church. We are forever grateful for our experience down here in Costa Rica.
Thank you for joining us on this journey.
