Fusion Worship - Costa Rica 2003

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Journal of preparation, activities, and the missions trip.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 40:3

Por tanto, id, y haced disc?­pulos a todas las naciones, bautiz??ndolos en el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Esp?­ritu Santo; Mateo 28:19
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   Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Service this Sunday
This Sunday (the 27th) will be the "Costa Rica" service. Pastor Rick will be conducting the service. The youth are doing worship. We'll be showing some videos, some pictures, and I believe each person who went on the trip will get up and discuss something about the trip. If you aren't a member of Impact, are local, and enjoyed this blog, you should definately come. It will be a great time of sharing and hearing from the youth themselves all about the trip! (And if you are a member of Impact, well then you of course don't want to miss this service! :-))
Missing Costa Rica
I was talking to Jaime last night about missing Costa Rica. She was too. It is great being home, but you can like where you are and still miss being somewhere else. It is amazing how close you get to some people in a few weeks, and then you don't see them at all, or maybe briefly on Sunday, and you start missing them! And for Jaime, who is dealing with teenage type stuff, it is also a matter of being somewhere and focusing totally on God, vs being home and dealing with everyday "stuff".

Because I associate a lot of things with food, "Philly is really cool because you can get great cheese steaks!", "The Market in Seattle is so great!", "Fishermans wharf in S.F. was really awesome", etc. - I did the same with Costa Rica. The taste or smell of some dish or food, reminds me of when I last ate it, first experienced it, etc.

So I'm missing Costa Rica - and start craving the food.

One day on the villiage trip... probably toward the end. We are hanging out one afternoon, some time before dinner. Marieanne is working on Barb's nails. Painting them I think. They are sitting in class room straight-back chairs, along one side of the outside kitchen. Youth goofing around, warm day, jungle plants 10 feet away. I'm just sitting there, watching them, listening to them chat and hanging out.

Natillia is doing something in the kitchen. She comes out and sets a bowl on the counter. It is "tuna and tomatoes". Barb and Marieanne both let out an excited "Oh!". I ask, "What is it?" "It is kind of like cerviche, only made with canned tuna". Natillia goes to get soda crackers. "It is tomatoe, tuna, red onion, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Lots of lime juice." Natillia brings back the soda crackers, Barb tastes it and says, "Oh... this is great. Much better than the stuff the bus driver had the other day." We proceed to polish off the bowl in nothing flat. Carlos spots us, comes over and we say, "Well there is one bite left." We kind of inhaled it!

So... the smell/taste of tuna, tomatoes and lime juice brings back Costa Rica. The feel of just hanging out, a warm summer day in the tropics, and the feeling of a new taste - salty and tangy - kind of like a Costa Rican brushette :-). It was SO good, especially after eating beans, rice and eggs for a number of days.

I'm thinking about this as I leave work on my way home. What to make for dinner... I call Tina, she wants McDonalds. So, I stop at the store, pick up the ingredients for me, McDonalds for Tina, and come home and make it. Not as good as Natillias, but still good. I'll improve the recipie over time. :-) For a minute, I'm back in Costa Rica...
   Saturday, July 19, 2003
Thanks!
Oh... and in case I forgot to say it before. Thank you so much for all your support - both prayer and finiancially. Not just for those people that supported me, but for the entire team. Each and every person on this trip was so valuable and contributed so much. No matter how "small" a role someone played, or how "spirtitual" some were compared to others. Each and every person was needed and it just wouldn't have been the same without them. To the parents - thank you so much for letting me spend this time with your kids and getting to know some of them so much better. As I continue to say, they are truly awesome!
Flight info
The flight I believe they are on:

Flight 2166, SJO to DFW, 8:56 AM to 2:12 PM.
Flight 739, DFW to CSO, 3:43 PM to 4:33 PM.

And the other flight for the day:
Flight 2164, SJO to DFW, 1:17 PM to 6:30 PM.
Flight 515, DFW to CSO, 7:55 PM to 8:43 PM.

These were the same flights I was on last time. This means the team was up early, as I had to leave the hotel at 5:30, and I was taking a shuttle. They'll be on a bus, which will require more time to get to the hotel and take longer to load!

I checked the flight status, and the plane took off on time - so they should have no problem making the connecting flight and being in at 4:33. If you are interested you can check the later flight status via the web.
They are back today
Today the "kids" (many of them actually young adults) and the leaders get back. According to the American Airlines web site, they get into COS at 4:33 PM. I'll do a bit more checking and see if I can verify they are on time. That was the same morning flight I was supposed to take, and because of a late start out of SJO I missed the connecting flight at DFW!

I'm sitting here in my office at home - window open to get a little bit of a cool breeze. It is currently 71F at 8:22 AM. It was in the high 90s yesterday. In my mind I would think of Costa Rica as being hotter than "home", but in fact, it has been much hotter here. Especially the hotel, which is up in the mountains. Our kids will be coming home from a "trip to the jungle" and walk into a heat wave. Not what you'd expect. :-)

I sit here and reflect on my "missions trip", after being back in the "real world" for almost a week. Has the trip really "changed my life", has the "impact" really lasted - even though it has only been one week? Yeah, I think so. You might ask, "Why question it, its only been a week?", but the "real world" comes back in a real way.

Down there, its all about serving. Serving God, serving the people, serving the team. Don't ask questions you don't need to know (it just causes "noise" and there is enough going on), don't question leaders (youth, youth leaders, MPs, anyone - do what you are told, we are here to do God's work), don't whine, keep a servants heart and do things that need doing. This leads to a general atmosphere of team work and looking out for each other.

Also, down there, what is important is different. Schedules, deadlines, getting a document just right, what and where you will eat - are not very important. What is important is making sure things flow, the team is doing well, that you are hearing from God, that you make connections, that people get prayed for. And in an intimate/lower-level way, what is important is that you take some food to the little bare-foot boy with the big grin. That you interceed while Jonathan is talking to the police: a) so we'll get to do the drama, b) so they'll get saved in the process. That you interceed while our youth are Deanne are praying for that man - who looks so hopeless and is crying - because as he finds out that God loves him, his asthma is healed, his chest no longer hurts, he accepts Jesus as his PERSONAL savior, he finds out that God loves HIM, and he has joy in his life. And you sit and look directly into the eyes of a woman. A woman who knows God, but doesn't know about her walk. Who is desparte for her 7 year old who isn't dealing well with the possible divorce. Who isn't sure if she should pray for restoration of her marriage to an abusive alcoholic husband, or should she leave it alone and go with her loving boyfriend? As you look into her eyes - and her soul - you hear the voice of God. You tell her how much God loves her. How beautiful she is to Him. How He wants what is best for her and her boy. And you pray with her.

Down there, its almost all about God, and less and less about you. And some of the things in the "real world", seem very unimportant. And as you are down there, you honestly start to worry about coming home to the "ugly americans". People worrying about unimportant things. People swearing at each other in traffic because someone doesn't step on the gas pedal the *second* the light turns green - and is therefore delaying someone on their important journey by 3 seconds. And people in church getting so upset over the slightest offense. Is the fact that someone slighted you by sitting in your chair, not saying hi to you, or telling you your kid isn't perfect in children's churh... all that important compared to a little boy who is struggling to survive and live in a dump?

But you get back, and you find out that this *is* where you belong. That some people are called to missions full time, but many of us are not. God has called us to where we are. To be impacted by the mission trip (and perhaps to do trips on occasion) and learn from it. To be stronger in our belief, in our walk with God, and in our compassion to others. To make this our mission field and be more of a light in our every day life. And yes, to serve whole-heartedly in those things that seem "less important". Because those everyday things pay our bills, impact other peoples lives, fund our church, make it possible for us to bless others, afford to go on mission trips, etc. Even though it doesn't always seem as important as "doing the drama" or "ministering to the people" - we are all part of the body, and God has us doing what we are doing for a reason. All parts are needed to make the body function as a whole.

So... that is some of my prespective after one week. Kind of personal, so why did I write it? I wrote it to give a little insight into how I feel... and in doing so maybe give you some insight into how your child, spouse, friend might feel as they return from Costa Rica. I know a majority of the kids and their families, and I know most of them live in a very supportive environment. But one of my biggest fears for kids, as a camp youth leader (having done 5 or 6 summer camps), is the fire/joy that gets quenced in them as they return from "the mountain top" to the "real world." I see it every year returning from camp. And I worry about it even more for some of these kids. Camp is a one week strengthing of your relationship with God. Costa Rica was a three week experience of "doing the ministry". Finding your call. Learning to minister. For many of them, more responsiblity than they have ever had in their life... and perhaps more trust and more expectation. What happens when they return from that and come back to school, paper routes, flipping burgers, etc. Return to sibling rivalries, getting yelled at for not picking up their room or doing other chores. How important is that compared to being used by God to minister to someone? Well... the truth is, in many ways it is just as important! But sometimes it takes a while to realize that!

So keep the team in prayer over the coming week. Not all of them come from loving, supportive, Christian homes! Pray someone will listen to them as they are all excited about what they did... and let them have some time to adjust to being away from their friends 24x7, from not doing the ministry every day, and to get use to "being home" again. I know all of you reading this are excited about their experience... otherwise you wouldn't spend the time to read this! But that may not be the case for every child! And many of them had life changing experiences that they need to process as they return home!

And one final caution... don't be upset if your kids didn't miss you! I remember when we went to pick Jaime up the last trip. We missed her so much, especially Tina who spends so much time with her every day. All the kids are getting off the plane, most of them crying as they come up to their parents, "I missed you so much!". And there is Jaime. Walks up, straight face, no tears, hand on her hips, "I just want you to know. I AM going back there." It wasn't that she doesn't love us or didn't miss us. It was just that Costa Rica, the people, the kids, the CALL, impacted her in such a big way. It was something she knew she wanted to do with the rest of her life... And it has effected other kids the same way this time. They are older... they are finding out what they want to do with their lives. "I miss my parents, but I just LOVE it here. I love the country, the people, the ministry. I could stay here for ever!" Be happy that your kids have found such passion in a call to do God's work!

Our kids ROCK. They impacted a generation, a people and a nation. And they'll impact us as well, as we let them walk out their call and listen to their wisdom. their passion, and the voice of God that comes through them. All the time supporting them, guiding them and helping them to grow into who God wants them to be.
   Thursday, July 17, 2003
Costa Rica info
Just some background on where we were, etc. Found this by doing a google of Costa Rica and just looking around. I'll add more info as I find it.

Spent most of our time in San Jose.

The villiage trip was in San Isidro. 134 km from San Jose - took 12 hours to get there!

Beach trip was on the pacific side. Looking at a map, probably somewhere between the closest beach to San Isidro and maybe half way to Puerto Quepos.

About 4 million people in Costa Rica. Country is about the size of West Virgina. I believe San Jose has about 1 million people.
Something I just read said that San Jose has 340,000 - but I'm thinking that is like saying Denver has X people... but when you count in Aurora, Littleton, etc. it is much higher!

Our white water rafting trip was with Rios Tropicales
Today
3 dramas today, maybe 4. This will be the last day of doing multiple dramas - and the last day for one of the creation teams, as tomorrow there is only one drama. Breakfast is at 8:00, lasting about 30 minutes. Then devos - probably a few worship songs, about 5 minutes of teaching by the devo team (Ashely Harden and Jason) and then 5 - 10 minutes of filling out the devo note books. After this there is makeup for an hour, and on the bus by 10:00. So first drama site somewhere between 10:30 and 11:00.

Typical scenario is talking and hanging out for most of the time - which the ministry team figures out who will do what at the next site: Usually assignging two testimonys, who is bringing in the net, which creation team is performing, and what skits will be performed and who is doing them. About 10 minutes of praying happens before getting to the drama site. Once there, everyone off. The props team gets all the props out from under the bus and Zach and Micah's sound team grab the sound boxes off the bus. Richard and the ministry team for the day pick the site, and the sound is set up, forming the front of the "stage". The music is turned up to start drawing people in. If we are tight on time, the creation team not performing goes out to invite people in, while everyone else squares off and gets ready. If we have some time, everyone will go and invite folks in.

Many times a park will have about 20 people visible, hanging out. Once the music starts, people come out of nowhere and you end up with 100 people or so. That is in neighborhood parks. If down town, there are tons of people hanging around, and usually a few hundered stop to watch the drama.

Usually if there is some time, the girls tend to go talk to moms with little kids, play with babies etc. If someone is playing basketball, a few guys will go over and start shooting hoops. And if anyone happens by with a skateboard or anything resembling a skateboard, David usually has it a few minutes later and is playing with them. :-)

We run the "program" (skits, testimonies, drama), bring in the net and pray for people that came forward. Usually during this time, most of the youth go out and pray with people. Some that raised their hands do not come forward... or maybe some connection was made while playing ahead of time. Also, while in the "pods", the youth pray ("who does God want me to talk to"), get words of knowledge, etc. And they'll go talk to those people. Some times we are tight on time and spend about 10 minutes in prayer and then head out. Sometimes we have quite a bit of time and may pray and talk with people for 30 minutes to an hour. Usually as soon as the drama is over the kids head out to pray with the MPs and a few leaders. The rest of the leaders start packing up the props. Zach, Micah and Nathan will pack up sound, or if they are needed to pray some of the leaders will.

At the second drama site a few of the leaders will start making PB&J sandwiches, and once prayer time is over youth will start filtering over and getting something to eat. Also usually be the second drama site (as we arrive) someone tries to find a local business that will let us use their bathroom and people start filtering over. Usually in small groups - "emergencies" first.

Whether or not we do 3 or 4 drama sites today will depend upon how close they are to each other, and if Jonathan can get permission for that many sites. In the neighborhood parks you have quite a bit of freedom. Downtown you have 20 or 30 minutes from start of playing the music to being broke down and loaded on the bus. (Although you can spend extra time hanging out and praying with people). Usually at those sites there are a few police officiers standing on the edge, watching over you to make sure you obey the rules. At once site we were told, "Make this fast. No skits. If we go long, they will confiscate all the equipment... so sound guys be ready to break down and load it up ASAP." At that site Jonathan spent most of the time talking with the officiers during the drama, and at the end led them both to the Lord. Yeah, God is good!

I suspect dinner will be around 6:00, maybe 7:00 if they go for a 4th drama site. Tonight we'll do debrief and then devos. Devos tonight rather than tomorrow, because tomorrow is such an early start. Also, because it is an early start, lights-out might be fairly early - maybe 9:00. While 9:00 may seem kind of early, many nights most my guys are asleep 30 minutes before lights out!

So... thats pretty much how the day will go. People are probably starting to wake up right now, getting showered and ready to go. (Showering usually takes an hour in the guys room - with leaders usually going earlier than that). A few leaders are early risers and will already be up, praying, reading, walking the hotel. Barb will probably be out sitting in one of the two chairs in the hallway, along the wall opposite the rooms, that has a little table between them. This is her "office" where she hands out advice, answers questions, passes out medicine and just generally gets the day organized.

Standard prayers for a drama day: focus, organization, no problems at the sites, access to bathrooms, prayer in the pods, make connections, hear from the Holy Spirit, flow. And answer this question and tell God, "What do you want to see today? How do you want God to use you?" - Not a bad question for each of us to ask ourselves every morning... whether on the missions field or here at home!
   Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Oops
When I was posting Married Leaders, I mentioned Barb and Richard, but forgot to mention Mary Nien. Please say a special prayer for her and Bill as well. And be praying for Bill on the 19th, as he said that will be his, "Mary is coming home today, I better clean" day. ;-)
Pictures - none posted yet
Wow... Cindy Fisher signed my guest book on WorshipJunky. How cool is that! Someone is France reading about our trip to Costa Rica. :-)

Cindy asked if I have pictures. I do have some but have not posted anything yet. I have a CD from the rafting trip that has 600 pictures on it! (Many of the people on the trip bought the CD as well). I will upload some of those this week as I get time. Besides that I have 3 "throw away" cameras. I'm not sure how well those will turn out, but once I get them developed I'll try and post some of them. Most people had throw aways and no one had a digital camera. Meg had a nice camera (as well as a few others) and she was taking tons of pictures.

Last time they put many of these pictures onto a CD in powerpoint. I know that Jaime was looking at it right before we left on this trip. I'm pretty sure we'll do something like that again. So I'll probably post some of those as well.

Picture taking is a weird thing on a missions trip. There are really several kinds of pictures I took:
  • The country - it is so beautiful and I didn't want to forget the sights
  • Friends - youth on the trip hanging out, and our MPs
  • Ministry - drama sites etc.

Ministry pictures are a hard thing. To me it is a balancing act of wanting to capture something so important and in many instances precious, with not wanting to intrude on something so personal. I mean - how appropriate is it to walk in close and take a picture of someone who has tears running down their face as one of our youth prayers for the person's son to be healed, etc? Plus I didn't want local people to get the feeling that this was just another "photo op". We are there asking people if they want to receive Jesus, and at the same time we have 10 people snapping pictures like crazy! It just felt weird some times... so I tried to be very lead as to when to do it and when not. Anyhow, I will post some as I get them developed.

It really made me wish I had a digital camera and knew how to take pictures. So many scenes reminded me of "Life" or "Time" or something. A child walking through the dump, little dog following along. A flower. A mom and baby on the side of the road. Just things that you'd like to capture. Maybe next time!
Thanks!
It touches my heart that so many people are reading this blog and that it helped you feel like you were there with your kids. Thanks for all the kind words! I wish the internet connection would have been better. Next time I'm definately taking my own laptop and will try and do more blogging.

It is a strange mixture of trying to report what is going on, without stealing the thunder from the kids. They so much want to tell you about things when they get home. "Please don't tell everyone everything that has happened when you get home!" "I won't!" So I pretty much try and tell things from my point of view while leaving out numbers and specific details! But I also know you guys really want to hear how your kids are doing!

Anyway... I'll continue to blog this week, adding scenes and impressions which I have written in my paper journal, and asking for prayer requests as God puts them on my heart.

And I'll leave this site open, posting updates perhaps now and again, as I hear from Jonathan, etc. I know for me personally, it will be great to come back here when I'm down, something is bothering me, etc. and relive what happened in Costa Rica. Hopefully it will be good for others who have been there too.

Well... off to work. Have a great day and know your kids are in great hands (MPs, our leaders, and most importantly God's) as they go to do the ministry today and the rest of this week!