We're home! It hasn't even been 24 hours since the team separated, and I'm already missing each and every one of them. I keep expecting a funny face from Hannah, a joke from one of the boys, an interesting fact from Joni, or the sound of everyone laughing at one of many inside jokes!
As we continue to think about and digest the incredible three weeks we've just had, I know that there will be many lessons to come-- hopefully some of which we will even continue to post here. We learned, grew, and were challenged in ways that will continue to impact us and change us for a long time to come. Thank you for joining us in this journey. We appreciate your prayers, support, and encouragement more than we can say. Here is a rundown of our last few days in Costa Rica...
We finally finished the wall! In case you forgot, here are some before pictures:
Hannah, Kirsten, and Joni in front of the primered wall, creating the grand plan for painting
Before we painted there was mortaring to be done...
Lots and lots of mortaring
It seemed like we cleaned paint brushes just about as much as we painted
KJ with her amazing "Nala" the lion!
JT made this volcano--and if you look very closely, on the left side of the tree you can see the snake he painted resting on a branch. Unfortunately, we weren't quite able to finish the leaves on the tree because we ran out of paint.
Nala is finished (with amazing surrounding grass painted by Hannah)
One of the monkeys swinging over bamboo
While most were painting, we also stained the jungle gym so it was ready for use! We were blessed to get to see some kids use the jungle gym during the church service on Saturday morning.
A view of the children's play area from above
Matthew 19:14 and our hand prints
The group in front of the finished wall!
On Saturday morning, we had the privilege of sharing with the women of Rahab at their monthly church service. We focused our message on the way the Lord changes lives. We each shared a poster board that on one side had a description of our lives before God changed us, for example, self-centered, insecure, looking for love and acceptance, worried, rebellious, abandoned. Then, JT and Joni each gave a message about how no one's life is ever too far out of the grasp of God. JT focused on how we are dead to the old ways of life, and that God sees us as His children and wants to love and accept us. Joni focused on her own life and shared the way she depends on God as her protector and provider. We then each flipped our posters to reveal the way we now walk with Christ: accepted, secure, Christ-centered, hopeful, and resting in the arms of God. KJ, Hannah, and Michelle then shared the ways our trip and time at Rahab impacted their lives specifically. They thanked the women and staff, and shared the lessons they will take home with them. Finally, we spent time in small groups hearing prayer requests from the women and praying for them. Even though the language barrier made these groups difficult, we were so blessed by this time and felt like it was such a powerful ending to our time at Rahab.
JT speaking
Joni speaking-- I was especially blessed to overhear a woman telling Joni that her talk had had a powerful impact on her life.
There are two very important people in this picture-- Shelley (third from the left) and Marlitza (fifth from the left). We will miss Shelley's funny and kind personality. Martlitza was especially a blessing to us! She is Rahab's full-time cleaning woman, which means she had A LOT of messes to clean up as we tracked mud and paint everywhere throughout the building! I bet she swept the floor after us at least ten times a day. She also took care of us whenever someone wasn't feeling well, and had endless patience for our bad Spanish. Bless her heart and many thanks for her hard work and love for us!
Saturday night we celebrated the end of our amazing trip. Fernando, our driver extraordinaire, took us to a restaurant in the mountains with a beautiful view. We were actually IN the clouds-- it was incredible! The food was delicious-- just ask JT, Matt, Joelle, and Julie who had an eating contest and consumed more steak than I have ever seen anyone even attempt to eat in my life! Somehow miraculously none of them got sick. I wish we had pictures of their plates because I am telling you, it was a sight to see.
One of our last rides in the van with Fernando
That's the famous Fernando in the middle--we will miss him so much!
Saturday night was bittersweet as we packed and prepared to leave. We were so anxious to return to our homes, but also sad to be leaving our ministry in Costa Rica and especially sad to be leaving each other. We stayed up late laughing and talking about our experiences, ones we hope to never forget. As I've said before, we could see the Lord's perfect plans for EVERY detail of this trip from the biggest decisions about where in the world to go and how to get there, to the small, tiny details of where to go to lunch and what to paint on the wall. We felt overwhelmed at His provisions in every way way during the last three weeks, and we saw Him answer prayers in mighty ways! I pray that we continue to seek Him and consider the ways He would have this trip impact our lives and our futures. I also pray that our short time in Costa Rica and at Rahab will produce much fruit and an overflow of blessings to all those we met. We trust that God will finish the work He began in us during this trip, and also continue the amazing work He is doing at Rahab.
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