Take up our Cross and Follow me

Well, we made it to Costa Rica and have been here for a little over a week now! I already love it here so much and have really enjoyed the ministry. 

I wanted to recap a few things from Nicaragua before I share what we have been doing in Costa Rica. Our last week in Nicaragua was so sweet. The Thursday before we left, we did some prayer walking and I went with a different group than usual, but it was exactly what I needed. Before starting ministry at REAP, I shared with my group a passage from Acts 17 that talks about how there is allotted period and boundaries of our dwelling place so that they make seek God and feel their way toward Him. Nicaragua was our allotted dwelling place for that time, so that others may seek God. So, on our second to last day of ministry, as we were prayer walking a woman said, “Because you all came to my house, I am going to start going back to church and I am going to seek God with my whole heart.” What a full circle moment. She used almost the exact wording in Acts 17. What a gift that we got to be the ones in that place at that time so that she may seek God. 

On Friday, we had our last day doing dump ministry and it was really sweet. The people were so impacted by the fact that we left our families and the comfort of our homes in the US to be there with them at that moment. Experiences like that make it all worth it. I will also always remember the microchurches we attended and spoke at in Nicaragua. They simply gather some chairs in a house, play some worship music on a speaker, sing loudly, and talk about the Word of God. What a beautiful picture of hospitality and community. I learned so much from my time in Nicaragua and the people there will always have a special place in my heart. 

After a 14 hour travel day, we made it to Costa Rica! We are staying in a little cabin in the middle of the jungle. Our time here so far has been incredible. We ended up switching ministries and are now working with Teen Challenge in a town near Limon and Cahuita. The ministry here looks a lot different than what we did in Nicaragua. We are primarily doing manual labor, but are also building relationships and doing some Bible distribution and evangelism. Teen Challenge is a Christian rehab program all across the world that helps people recover from addictions. It is an intensive year long program that also incorporates practical skills so that participants can successfully reenter society after the program. We are working with about 40 men in the program here. Their ages range from 20s to 60s. The men in the program here learn construction, as well as how to make and sell chocolate. We go over to the men’s house on Thursdays for dinner and worship and on Sundays for church, lunch, and games. We also get to work alongside of them throughout the week as we do manual labor. Teen Challenge is currently building a center for women and children called Dorcas, so several days a week we work on the house with some of the men from the center. 

On Tuesday, we went to an indigenous community near the Panama border and did manual labor for an organization called The Nest. The Nest also works with women and children in the community and they are currently building about 14 foster homes. We carried lumber up a mountain for those homes to be built. It was not easy, yet it was such a joyful day. My team and I couldn’t help but think about Jesus carrying His own cross up to Golgotha for his crucifixion and how he calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him (Matthew 16:24). It felt like we were really living it out in that moment. It was a reminder that our walk with Jesus isn’t easy, but just like Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him, we can do the same as we keep our eyes fixated on Him (Hebrews 12:2). We were just carrying pieces of wood up a mountain, but Jesus was beaten, mocked, and spit on before he carried his own cross and died for our sins. Because Jesus not only died for our sins, but also rose again, we can now be steadfast and immovable and abound in the work of the Lord knowing that our labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). 

We had no idea what we were stepping into when we arrived in Costa Rica, but it has been a sweet surprise. I am really passionate about caring for women and children in need and so it has been so amazing to have the opportunity to work at the Dorcas house and with The Nest. 

Please join me in praying for the work that is happening here. For the women and children that will one day fill Dorcas house. For the foster children soon to live at The Nest. For all the men in the Teen Challenge Program. For strength for my team. Thanks for following along!!

All for his glory,

Madi