Prayer is POWERFUL

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the power of prayer. A few nights ago a woman I know from the feeding center came to the team house after leaving her abusive boyfriend. Hurt, drunk, and completely at the end of her rope she came to the team house looking for help. In tears she explained to me how much she loves him and how much she wants to be reconciled with the man that beats her. My heart ached from her. And what could I do? What could I offer her? My mind raced to all of the things I could try to do to help in some way. I had no place to let her sleep for the night, no food to give her, and fearing she would use money to buy alcohol, no money to give her. Not that any of those things really would have solved the problem. The only thing I had to offer her was prayer, and I felt so helpless.
That is the problem right there. If I had any of those other temporary band-aids to mask a much bigger problem I would have offered those first and then sealed it with a prayer. How backwards is that? I shouldn’t be feeling helpless when the only thing I have to offer someone is prayer, I should feel helpless, however, if the only thing I have to offer someone is a meal that will curb hunger for half a day, or a bed that will give someone one night’s sleep, or money that will be blown in a matter of seconds. Ultimately, while all helpful and good things, they can only provide temporary alleviation. Prayer, on the other hand, is lasting. It is powerful and surprising. It can heal matters of the body and of the spirit in ways we cannot imagine. Prayer is, by far, the most powerful tool I have in a situation like that.
What sometimes blows my mind here is that a lot of people ‘get’ all of that already, in the midst of their incredible physical needs. After my friend and I prayed that night she did not go away angry because I couldn’t do anything, but she thanked me for praying. What a humbling moment! Another woman, Derly, who always comes to the feeding center strung out and sleeping off the effects of the night before told me a little over a week ago that she was praying to be reconciled with her family once again and have a place to sleep with people who love and care for her surrounding her. After knowing her for even the small amount of time I have, I knew it would take a miracle for her mother to even let her walk back into her house, much less live there again. Again, there was nothing else to do but to pray in that situation. A few days later I see four foot five Derly sprinting through the park with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face. Half laughing, half crying she tells me “Our prayers worked! Our prayers worked!” She is now living with her mother, next door to her sister and is a completely different person. She came to the feeding center yesterday with a stack of old pictures to show everyone and was practically dancing with excitement. If that is not a clear demonstration of the power of prayer, I don’t know what is.
We should be feeding those who are without a meal, clothing those without attire, providing beds to those sleeping on the streets and reaching out in tangible ways to meet people’s physical needs whenever possible. Jesus did that and so should we. However, we cannot forget what those are; they are temporary fixes. Our greatest tool that wields the most power is prayer. I had the privilege to witness the effects of Derly’s prayer but a lot of times we have to pray in faith without being able to see the incredible things GOD can do with that. However, the times you do get to see the fruit give encouragement for the times when you can’t. So, pray hard, pray a lot, and recognize the power that is in your prayers. GOD has blessed us with such a potent tool and I want to give it the credit it deserves. Speaking of that, thank all of you for your prayers. It is truly a blessing to me to have so many people praying and supporting me. GOD bless you all!

Becca

Hope and Proof

This morning I was really discouraged thinking about some of the drug/alcohol addicts that we love. After seeing them three times a week or more at the feeding center, listening to their hearts, sharing in their struggles week after week it just absolutely breaks your heart to see them stumble. A few weeks back a quite infamous drunk came to the clinic we were holding at the church. Eduardo, one of the many unemployed homeless in Alajuelita, has, for as long as I have known him, been in a constant state of intoxication. Just the week before the clinic he had started a fight with Dave and me at the feeding center. When Eduardo sat down in the chair before me at the clinic I honestly could not believe it was the same Eduardo that stumbles into the feeding center each week. “Three days without drinking,” he told me. I cannot explain how my spirits soared at this transformation right in front of me: bathed, shaved, sober, and so polite! Yesterday would have been his sixteenth day without drinking. Sunday night I had a long talk with him as he walked me through some things he thought about the Bible (he has amazing head knowledge about the Bible!) and he told me he had taken a few sips earlier that afternoon. By the feeding center on Monday his few sips had escalated, I am sure, into quite a few bottles. That, in combination with some other friends of ours that have recently begun drinking again, brought me crying out to GOD. Not only was I praying on behalf of each and every one of them for strength and perseverance, I was praying for GOD to give me hope. Praying for proof that change is possible through the redemptive power of His Son.
Immediately my mind flashed to the graduation I attended on Sunday for two previously addicted women who had completed their nine month program at the women’s center. I thought about the guys at 6:8’s own men’s center, the Refugio, who all just moved into the second phase of their recovery program. If that is not proof that there is power in the name of Christ to break the bonds of addiction than I don’t know what is. I would ask that you would join me in lifting up all the men and women who struggle daily with the chains and slavery of substance abuse here in Alajuelita because it is possible. I have seen it. There are living testimonies of people who have done it and are doing it. The pastor at the graduation ceremony asked all of those who had already completed the program at an earlier time to raise their hands and about ten hands shot up within the audience. Yes, I am surrounded by examples of people who cannot seem to conquer their addiction and it is often very discouraging, BUT, I cannot forget the success stories with which I am surrounded as well. Praise GOD, the almighty healer and restorer! GOD BLESS,

Becca

Seventy times seven= four hundred and ninety

I have heard over and over again that as Christians we will be taken advantage of, we will be mocked and cursed, yet we are called act according to the cliché Sunday school motto and ‘turn the other cheek.’ All of that seems fairly manageable, although undoubtedly uncomfortable, in the context of walking away from a bully on the playground, or ignoring a rude driver on the highway, or even holding your tongue with a fellow classmate. However, in the context of some of the things we run into here, that black and white clarity is engulfed by huge areas of grey.

At English speaking Church last week we read the parable in Matthew 18 about the ungrateful servant who is forgiven his massive debt by his master yet fails to show mercy on his own debtor. Jesus uses this illustration in response to Peter’s question about the parameters of forgiveness. “I do not say to you seven times,” declares Christ, “but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:27). Our master, Jesus Christ, has extended the most hideously undeserving gift of mercy upon us so that we may, in turn, be unscrupulously forgiving towards others. Especially in light of some things that have happened here recently, my question for GOD is ‘what does it mean to forgive?’ I feel a little like the lawyer in Luke chapter 10 asking Christ to specifically define neighbor so that he can still follow Christ’s instructions to love your neighbor as yourself and inherit eternal life with the least amount of effort possible. I want to know exactly what Jesus means when he tells us to forgive someone up to 490 times. I want a black and white answer that allows me to easily determine when someone has just crossed the line. I want to know if forgiveness is an act only from the heart or if it must also be manifested in actions. Sadly we have had a couple people steal from the ministry recently: pots, pans, kitchen knives, rice and beans for the feeding center, phones… Is forgiveness pardoning them from within my heart and giving them another chance, putting them right back in the situation where they were tempted in the first place? Is that what it truly means to forgive seventy times seven? I am sure many of you know what it feels like to be lied to and used, taken advantage of. When that happens I am so far from being in a place of forgiveness. I am so far from wanting to ‘turn the other cheek’ when I know someone has been playing me for their own benefit. It is really tough stuff and I am unfortunately without any clear cut answer to it all. If I have learned anything about following Christ, though, it is that the answer to my questions is probably not the easy one. When the lawyer asked Jesus to define neighborhood I am pretty sure he was hoping to hear something along the lines of “your neighbor is anyone who lives within a three kilometer radius of your house.” That makes it easy; it is clear cut in black and white parameters. The only thing that I feel GOD is telling me is to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you” (Matthew 5:44). To be honest, at home I probably would have had trouble thinking of people who “curse me” or “despitefully use me” but GOD has definitely given me the opportunity to try my hardest to put this in practice here. It is more challenging than I can explain and I am so thankful to all of you who constantly pray for me. Please continue! I love you all. GOD BLESS.

Becca

Psalm 147

First of all I want to praise GOD for a safe and fun trip to Nicaragua last week. As a non-resident of Costa Rica it is a requirement to leave the country every 90 days for at least 72 hours (although we have been hearing different stories about that stipulation) in order to renew your passport. The Gammages, the Boulters, Anton and I all needed to leave the country in some way around the same time and we decided to make the trip together to Nicaragua. It certainly was an adventure and I would not use the word "smooth" to describe those travel days crossing the Costa Rican/Nicaraguan border, BUT, after two days enjoying the coastal city of San Juan del Sur we are all back in country safely with 90 more days to legally reside in Costa.

For good or for bad, those of you that know me well know how much I love organization and plans. Especially when I am in charge of something I want things it to go exactly according to my plan. Although (I think, or I hope!) I have gotten better and become more flexible here in this very laid back culture, I have been so humbled the past couple of days by my display of inflexibility. After much anticipation my parents and their group from my home church of RCC arrived on Monday. I think, to be brutally honest, that I really wanted to impress not only my parents but also everyone else on the team who is supporting me and constantly keeping me in prayer while I am here. Luckily, GOD knows exactly how to show me that I am not in charge and that it is only when we rely on his strength, his gifts, his power that we see incredible fruit from our actions. Whatever talents GOD has given me, He has given me in order to bring Him glory, not to edify myself. I think this verse in Psalms captures what I have been learning the past couple of days when I become blatantly aware of my inability to translate perfectly, be an ESL teacher, or organize a medical clinic. "GOD delights not in the strength of the horse, nor is his pleasure in the legs of man, but the LORD delights in those who fear him, and in those who hope in his steadfast love." (Psalm 147:10-11) When I read that I am so convicted! I don't want to end up looking back on my life and see a list of things that I did on my own accord; I want to be a person who loves and fears the LORD with all my heart and can look back and see a list of things I never could have done apart from GOD. That is what I have been thinking lately. Please continue to pray specifically for me to surrender my plans to GOD so that I can allow Him to be in charge. He is way more equipped than I am and things always turn out better than I could ever imagine when the plans of GOD, not of man, are fulfilled. GOD BLESS YOU ALL,

Becca

Divinely planned Coincidence

I have a quick, encouraging story to share that happened a couple of weeks ago during the Ministry Scavenger Hunt. The Scavenger Hunt is a list of ministry related tasks (buy lunch for a homeless person, deliver food to a family in need, pray for a senior citizen etc.) that the two teams strive to accomplish during the day.This are one of my favorite things to do because it encourages us to look for opportunities to be Christ that we otherwise might miss. This is a perfect example of how on any other day I would have passed up this opportunity.
The group saw an elderly woman sitting on her porch and began a conversation with her, asking her name, how old she was (ninety four, by the way!). As we were talking with her on her porch her Granddaughter, Cristina, came out and began telling us about her eighteen year old daughter, Nataly, who had been in a horrible accident in June. Cristina visits Nataly every day in the hospital as her daughter is slowly recuperating. We were able to pray with her that day and get her phone number to call her and check on Nataly. When the next team arrived Cristina took us to her house and told us more about her life and struggle with everything since the accident. Her faith is astounding and despite all that she is going to she continually thanks GOD for Nataly and the miracle that she is alive. The doctors predicted a month until Nataly would be able to return home but.... Nataly came home this Friday! Both Cristina and Nataly were at church on Sunday and I had the opportunity to finally meet Nataly. Please continue to pray for Nataly's recovery; She needs to gain a substantial amount of weight after being on a feeding tube for three months, her mental and physical capacity is just not what is was before the accident, and she still must go through extensive therapies. I feel so blessed to have been able to meet this family and I know that it is by no coincidence. I am so blown away by GOD's timing and his divine providence. He is so good! Thank you all for your prayers!

Stranger in a Strange Land

A few days ago I caught a glimpse of the world of Alajuelita to which I am still a foreigner. Although I have been here for over two months (not an eternity by the stretching of anyone’s imagination), feel comfortable in my routine, and am accustomed to many nuances of the Costa Rican culture, I remain so very naïve to the profundity of the evil present in Alajuelita. I cannot even begin to grasp with my feeble mind everything that occurs beyond all of the hurt and pain that is visible on the surface. I say all of this not in a spirit of discouragement but from a place of acknowledgement. GOD has chosen to reveal more of the struggles that occur here in Alajuelita and I have come face to face, again, with the fact that I am incapable of doing anything about it: the problems are too big, the hurts too all-encompassing, the mindsets too engrained. The only thing I can do is fight against it with prayer. Someone on this last team gave me a verse which has so encouraged me these last few days and I would like to share it with you. “Work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). I am certain that GOD has called me to Alajuelita with purpose and I will continue to try to love when it is hard and to be the hands and feet of Christ but I am also commanded to pray for the welfare of the city in which I am placed. I can see that GOD is totally transforming Alajuelita; he is casting out demons, converting witches into Christians, restoring ex-prostitutes, saving crack heads from the chains of addiction, and healing the wounds of sexual abuse. But, these problems are SO prolific here that we as a staff and a church family need to be unified, dedicated in prayer and supplication for the welfare of Alajuelita. What is scary to think about for me, as well, is that I am capable of that very same evil apart from Christ. It is only through my life in Him that saves me from depravity. My desire is that GOD will continue to remind me that I must be committed in my prayers for this city because it needs Christ in the same way that I need Christ to save me from my own depraved and evil ways. Please join me in my prayers for Alajuelita, thank you.
Becca

Love, Love, Love, Love, Love

These past couple of weeks have been crazy, for lack of a better term: back to back teams, hard news from home, and just pure Alajuelita craziness. Through all of that, though, GOD is showing me more than ever that I need to depend solely on him to be my rock and solid foundation when everything else around me is… crazy. Last week included a knife fight between two men at the Refugio, a man possessed by a demon, and the death of a fifteen year old friend of my sister’s back home. Each of those situations rocked me and I want to explain how GOD was in each of those events, but please forgive me in my omission of details about those incidents right now. Right now I want to explain what happened today.
We are building a house for a man in the Celebración Church family with the team this week. The site is up on the mountain with minimal accessibility requiring the team members to either be shuttled there in the ministry cars or to make a substantial walk from the nearest bus stop. Today I ended up being left at the site with a small group of guys as they finished putting up the walls of the house. With very little to contribute I was feeling pretty useless and really wishing I had somehow found a way back down earlier in the day instead of standing in mud and rain with no purpose. Dan, a group of team members, and I started the walk to head back down via bus when we stumbled across a woman lying face down in the dirt on the side of the road. After initially passing her by, Dan suggested we turn back to make sure she was ok. With a crack pipe in one hand and a lighter in the other it wasn’t surprising that it took quite an effort to wake her up. After struggling to understand her slurred Spanish slang, we managed to invite her to have lunch with us and then pay for her taxi home.
Last week, Dan and I had a conversation about his passion for beginning a ministry similar to Freedom 424 (check out their website if you want more info: www.freedom424.org) to reach out to prostitutes and women on the street of Alajuelita. When we were talking I was incredibly excited about the idea and very interested in helping out. Interestingly enough, however, when GOD placed a street prostitute right in my path I was having so much trouble loving like Christ. I don’t know why but when I imagined the kind of women and girls we would encounter I imagined them to have a sense of robbed innocence about them, eager to receive love. In my fairy tale idea of a prostitute (if there is such a thing) I did not imagine her smelling like she lives on the streets, I did not anticipate her to be high on crack, and I did not think she would be carrying a knife. So when we met this woman and began walking down the mountain I had a legitimate fear that she was going to pull a knife on us, and the fact that I couldn’t understand most of what she was saying did not help assuage my fear that she was out of her mind. In my head I was thinking, “GOD, this is not really what I meant when I said I wanted to reach out to the community of prostitutes in Alajuelita.” And if I am truly honest with myself what I really meant by that was “GOD, I want someone who is easy to love.”
My heart began to thaw towards her as I saw the way that people treated her; men called out rude things from store fronts, she got nasty looks from elderly women sitting on their front porches, everyone acted as if she had the word PROSTITUTE tattooed across her forehead. Once we sat down at the little soda to eat she turned to Dan and said plainly “Thank you for your respect.” My heart completely broke. She is a human being, a child of GOD, just like me, and she is used and abused like a piece of property. Most likely, her only human interactions include prostituting herself and buying drugs and no one takes the time to just sit with her and ask her name. This is the kind of person who needs the love of GOD more than anything else. Yes she is a prostitute, she is a crack head, she smells, and she is impossible to understand but GOD loves her and calls us, as the body of Christ, to love her as well. I am humbled by my reluctance to love when it is hard and so grateful for the experience I had to learn how to do just that. Thank you all for all of your prayers, I apologize for the sporadic nature of this blog. I hope this finds you all well. GOD BLESS.
Becca