Knock, knock, knock, knock. Every Thursday afternoon I hear the same incessant beat on the back gate of our school property. I am the only one who hears it, because we live right inside the gate.
I could be frustrated by it. I know that it's young boys, knocking to come in for the afternoon soccer training that some of our staff members do every week.
But I thank God for the privilege I have to open the gate for them. Many of these boys come from broken homes, from parents that suffer addictions. These young men are making a choice with their time. I am glad we can offer a safe, healthy option. Apart from having one of the only soccer fields near by, we also have the rare gift of staff who have a heart for the neighborhood boys. They can give them godly examples and disciple them towards a surrendered life for Christ. Loving soccer doesn't hurt, either.
Today there was another knock, as usual. I went and opened the gate. There was a sweet-faced young boy, excited for the chance to play soccer. We exchanged greetings, and with a quick, "Gracias!", he ran off toward the soccer field. Behind him trailed a whiff of cologne. (That's pretty typical with ticos. They love to be clean and to smell clean.) I smiled, and I was glad he could have the chance to train.
We heard a sermon on Sunday and the guest speaker talked about the chance we have to make a difference. He used numerous Biblical examples, asking questions such as: "Do you think that Jocabed, Moses' mother, when she wove a basket for him and put his tiny body in it and laid it in the river, knew that he would be God's instrument to save His chosen people out of 400 years of slavery? Do you think that the little boy who gave his 5 small loaves and 2 fish to Jesus knew that Jesus would do a miracle and that many people would come to faith in Him that day? What about Rahab, when she saved the spies? Or Ruth, when she went to glean in the fields to help her mother-in-law? Did they know what awesome consequences their obedience would bring?"
So many little things in life can make a difference for eternity in the life of another. What can I do today? I may never know the effect of my decisions. That's okay. God sees, and He can use our little steps of obedience to bring others to Him.
October 16, 2011
8 years ago...
Little did we know when we walked off the airplane 8 years ago today, with a crying 1-year-old and a sleepy 2-month-old, that we would still be here, in Costa Rica, 8 years later. Wow.
When we first said YES to being on staff at Portantorchas, we agreed to 2 years. If it didn't work out, then we would head home. Well, we have continued to extend our time here, with no plans for moving "home" - wherever that is.
Many people have asked us how me manage here. Cultural differences. Being surrounded by 30+ students every day. Working evenings and some weekends. A foreign language, and so far from family. Those are the challenges.
But the blessings? Extended family of friends here and around the world. Children learning a second language. Eating "gallo pinto" and fresh fish with the family for $4 at a local supermarket. Fresh fruit. Tropical beaches and volcanoes. No snow or freezing rain. A wonderful church community.
And those aren't even the blessings we receive in ministry, which in our deepest hearts, are the blessings that really keep us here. Walking with students as they experience Jesus in a new and personal way. Learning from them. Loving and enjoying them. Discipling, challenging, and encouraging them. Seeing them grow and mature, then watching them go home and heal family dynamics, serve the Lord in various countries, change career goals so that they line up with God's plan for their lives, and then graduating from university with confidence, and marrying and having children, fulfilling their dreams. It is amazing!
Of course, we have nostalgic moments. Sometimes we wonder "what would have been" if we had stayed in the USA as teachers, owning a home, living comfortably, with our summers off. But we can never know what the reality of that dream would be - both good and bad, so we live here in the present, and strive to fully enjoy it. "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God". (Ecc. 2:24) It is His gift to us. We are thankful, so thankful for His goodness to us.
We are thankful that God brought us to Costa Rica. And the story continues.
When we first said YES to being on staff at Portantorchas, we agreed to 2 years. If it didn't work out, then we would head home. Well, we have continued to extend our time here, with no plans for moving "home" - wherever that is.
Many people have asked us how me manage here. Cultural differences. Being surrounded by 30+ students every day. Working evenings and some weekends. A foreign language, and so far from family. Those are the challenges.
But the blessings? Extended family of friends here and around the world. Children learning a second language. Eating "gallo pinto" and fresh fish with the family for $4 at a local supermarket. Fresh fruit. Tropical beaches and volcanoes. No snow or freezing rain. A wonderful church community.
And those aren't even the blessings we receive in ministry, which in our deepest hearts, are the blessings that really keep us here. Walking with students as they experience Jesus in a new and personal way. Learning from them. Loving and enjoying them. Discipling, challenging, and encouraging them. Seeing them grow and mature, then watching them go home and heal family dynamics, serve the Lord in various countries, change career goals so that they line up with God's plan for their lives, and then graduating from university with confidence, and marrying and having children, fulfilling their dreams. It is amazing!
Of course, we have nostalgic moments. Sometimes we wonder "what would have been" if we had stayed in the USA as teachers, owning a home, living comfortably, with our summers off. But we can never know what the reality of that dream would be - both good and bad, so we live here in the present, and strive to fully enjoy it. "A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God". (Ecc. 2:24) It is His gift to us. We are thankful, so thankful for His goodness to us.
We are thankful that God brought us to Costa Rica. And the story continues.
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