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! :-))
posted by James at 7:01 AM

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...
posted by James at 6:58 AM

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!
posted by James at 8:37 AM

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.
posted by James at 8:23 AM

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.
posted by James at 8:14 AM

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
posted by James at 6:00 AM

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!
posted by James at 5:51 AM

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. ;-)
posted by James at 11:57 AM

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!
posted by James at 6:54 AM

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!
posted by James at 6:38 AM

Leader prayer requests
A couple of prayer requests for those in leadership.

Jonathan
Jonathan (our lead Ministry Partner, for those that don't know), is such an awesome guy. He is truly a servant of God. I have met Jonathan the few times he has come to Colorado and always been impressed with him. My respect grew as we exchanged a few emails setting up the worship side of things prior to the trip. I have come to understand him in a totally new way, watching him as he "works in the field". Jonathan leads teams throughout the summer. Doing what he does with us is his "full time" summer job. He takes teams from the US (and I think perhaps local teams as well), around his country, as well as teams into surrounding countries.

Jonathan is "at work" pretty much 24 x 7. He is coordinating all of the behind the scenes things, which can be exhausing in and of itself. But then he is also the main interpreter... If he is awake, he is pretty much interpreting. We are constantly asking him quesitons, and he is constantly thinking in Spanish and talking in English. No matter how late, no matter how long he has been up, no matter how tired. He rarely gets any down time. This will be especially true this week, as I am gone and he has taken over as room leader for my room. Please pray that he gets some down time. That he has a chance to turn off his brain and just relax. It may be hard to understand... but he could really use it.

The other thing is that he is such a servant. He is always the last on the bus, the last to take a shower at night, the first in the morning (if no one wants to get up first). I sat back and watched him serve time and again. Butting the desires and needs of the team ahead of his own. From the smallest thing to the largest. If anyone ever says, "You take a shower first, I can wait."; "You take this, I don't need it.", etc., he always replies with "No go ahead. Really, I don't want it. I'd rather shower later. etc." If you don't watch, you might not catch it, because it isn't obvious. But as I sit back and watch, I catch the pattern. He is always giving.

It is an amazing thing he does. Not only is he helping us minister, but he is trying to make sure we do it in the right way. Running interference, giving advice, helping us through his culture and people.

Please pray for him this week... and continue to pray as God puts him on your heart. He is truly one of God's workers, out harvesting.

Married Leaders
Please lift up Richard and Barb. About 1/2 way through the trip, we were back "home" (at the hotel), on a rest afternoon. Sitting in the hot tub, just hanging out. One of the kids said, "Not to be mean, but I really don't miss my parents all that much. I love them... but I just love it here so much. I just love Costa Rica and these people." Our kids are focused, hanging out with all their friends, and doing God's work. They are having a great time! The kid went on to say, "I could stay here forever!". Richard replied, "Not me. I'm ready to go home now! I miss Marsha and my kids so much!"

Keep Richard and Barb in your prayers this week. We leaders are not necessairly called to missions. We are called to our youth, and we go to serve them... But we leave behind part of ourselves. Part of our "one flesh". It is a shame that not everyone in our country or even our body has strong marriages.... but Barb, Richard and I do. Speaking for myself, I have a wonderful marriage. Tina and I are truely one. I know that as the time got close for me to go home, I really started to lose focus. I started to think of her more and more and miss her. I couldn't wait to get home - even though I was having an amazing time in Costa Rica - and will go back some day. I still missed "part of me". And I was going home almost a week before Richard and Barb. I know that three weeks doesn't sound all that long. It gives me a new respect for Jacque and Spanky (and other military families) who were apart from each other for so long... But it still feels like a "long time" while you are in it.

So lift both of them up this week... as they are still apart from their families and are out ministering with your kids. Making it possible for them to do God's work and not miss being at home! (Which is actually a hugh blessing. I'd much rather have Jamie so focused, so much doing God's work, that she doesn't even think about me. Than just being there and being homesick!)

This is not to diminish anything any of the other leaders are doing! They are all giving of their time and helping to watch over our kids and make things run smoothly. But just give a special prayer for those with spouses from which they are separated for these three weeks - and pray for their focus. I know how easy it is to start thinking of home as the time grows closer and closer!
posted by James at 6:25 AM

Shopping and orphanage
Today is a shopping day in the morning and Marieanne's aunt's orphanage in the afternoon. I think they are going around 1:00, but things change daily, sometimes hourly. :-) This will mostly be a "hands on ministry" event. Meaning the youth will do some skits and then just hang out with the girls. There are 11 girls in the home.

It is amazing the connections that can be made in a few hours! Last week we went to "Friendly Hands", which is a home for abused girls. There were 9 girls there. We were there for 2 hours. In that amount of time our girls really connected with their girls. Girls that were hanging back, looking at the ground, and not speaking to anyone; were playing games, chatting and having a great time. It is amazing what some interest, ministry, and just showing the love of God can do for these girls! After a few short hours girls were crying as they separated and promising to email each other. Our girls made a strong impact on their lives.

Today I expect it to be similar. At Friendly Hands all the girls were teenagers, mostly around the same age as our girls. I *think* at Marieanne's aunt's, they will be younger. I also think the entire team is going, not just the girls. This gives our kids a chance to be "big brothers and sisters" to these kids. Pray for strong connections. Pray that kids will come forward to receive the Lord, and that some great ministry will go forth.

At Friendly Hands Nicole brought in the net and did a fantasic job. Two key phrases she used that were so God and so right on, "God is the King, and you are his princesses" and "You are so beautiful to God". Wow... to be so used of God and have the Holy Spirit speak through you. There were some pretty hurting girls there, judging by their spirit. And here comes a Spirit filled, young teenage missionary girl from the USA, telling them that they are princesses and God really loves them and thinks they are beautiful. It effected them in a big way and was JUST what they needed to hear.

It is amazing how God uses you when you are a "missionary". Here many people in your home town may look at you as just another person. "Isn' t that Joseph and Mary's son, the carpenter?". But when you are doing missions work (and this happened to me in Chicago as well, so it isn't just an 'out of the country' thing), people pay more attention to you. They believe you are sent by God and that you have a word for them. Our team impacts so many people's lives by flowing in the Holy Spirit and telling them what God wants them to hear!

As we walked out to the bus, girls were crying, running to their rooms to get something personal to give to someone. "Just a minute, don't leave yet. Just a minute!" I always am one of the last to get on the bus, making sure all our youth are aboard, that the last ministry teams are done, etc. Same here, I'm just hanging out, waiting for the girls to get on the bus. I'm standing in the gate of the girls home, watching our last girl receive something from one of their girls. I look back to the bus and there is a girl that Jaime and some other girls have been ministering to. She is about 14. She is standing our here toes, reaching her hand up, and Jamie has got her head in the window, her arm outstreched, and is grasping the girls hand. It is a very good day.

It is a scene I see over and over. Our kids effecting the youth and people of a nation. What cost can you put on such a thing. It is worth the time, money and energy to send out kids out. To send our youth leaders out.

Pray for similar connections today. Our youth are so diverse in their hearts, their attitudes, their gifts. They are truly all parts of the body. We have the ability to effect each and every child at the orphanage today. Pray for focus and for listening to the Holy Spirit. What does God want to do today in minstry. What does He want to speak to this set of kids? And pray they also have a fun time and just make connections.
posted by James at 6:07 AM

Sign my Guest Book please!
Near the top of this page, under the Blogger and Halo Scan icons, there is a line that says, "Sign my Guest Book!" and after that it currently says "No comments". If you click on "No comments" (or 1 comment, 2 comments, etc. - as it changes), you can leave a comment - basically just signing my guest book. I don't care if you leave much... Just "Hey, I'm one of Michael's supports", or whatever. Just so I have an idea of how many people are reading the blog.

Thanks! James.
posted by James at 7:05 AM

Itinerary update
Sitting in my office, singing Let it Rain, in Spanish. That's cool. :-)

As it turns out, the trip itinerary was pretty much as published. Not always exactly the same, we went to a different villiage and some of the days were a little different... but praying based on that was a good thing! We redid the itinerary the day before I left, so here is an update so you know what is going on.

Mon
They were going to try and do 4 drama sites. The last one was by the "Honey and Wheat" bakery, which will be fun for the kids when they are done! These dramas were mostly at parks. Probably was a long day!

Tue
Breakfast @ 6:30, which means up at 5:30 for most of the youth. That is a very early start! No devos this morning, they'll do it at night. They are starting so early because they have the children's hospital at 1:00 and they want to do two dramas before then! They will drop Creation Team A at the hospital and continue on to the third drama site, about 1 hour away. They'll be back around 4:00 to pick up Team A from the hospital. Team A will have 2 hours in the hospital and hang out for an hour after. There are 300 kids in the hospital and they will try and minister to them all, in 3 teams. 1 MP, 4 youth in 2 groups. 1 MP, Richard, and 3 youth in the 3rd group. Also Deanna works there, so she will be there as an employee and not count as one of the MPs! This is the first time they've let a church group in there in about 2 years. The last time it was a disaster, so they are really trusting us and using this as an experiment to see how things work out. Please pray for our kids in these areas:

• They must be quite and not disruptive. They can't be loud in the halls, etc. I don't think they'll have a problem with that. They do so well when told that something is important.
  
• Don't hand out a toy, etc., unless there is something for everyone. We have 300+ beanie babys left. Pray we have enough for everyone. These we can actually hand out a ward at a time, so most will get them... but pray there is enough for every ward!
  
• And the hardest part... No tears! They are going into some really hard areas. Kids with cancer etc - The staff isn't worried about that, because it is on the inside and shouldn't effect our youth... Well it will. They will look into these kids souls and know how they feel. And then things like VERY bad burns - "We don't need your kids crying when they see someone's face. It just depresses them more!". So, our youth have to be smiling, happy, at all times. Bring some joy!

That last part will be very hard for some of the youth. They cry just seeing a hurt child! So just really pray for the ones going in. They have an hour afterwards to hang out, debrief and cry if needed. But while in the hospital they will have to be strong. Also pray for the ones that don't get to go. Some of the girls want to do this so bad... but they can only send 11 youth in, and the drama is being done, so it really limits who gets to go besides Team A. They will get to minister to babies as well!
Probably dinner at 6:00, and then debrief - which could take a while due to the Hospital.

Wed
Shopping in the AM. This will let people sleep in, because breakfast is "late"... Wasn't scheduled, but probably 9:00. We did shopping on Sunday, so this will just be for those that still have some shopping to do. The rest will probably just swim... and eat steak sandwhiches (more on that in another entry). In the afternoon they will do a "hands on ministry" day, meaning no drama. They are going to Marieanna's aunt's place. A girls home/orphanage. There are 11 girls there. So they will go play with them, do some skits, games, etc.

Thur
3 dramas, maybe 4 if they can squeeze it in. Up at 8:00.

Fri
Breakfast at 6:30. No devos. No makeup. Have to be at the place at 8:00 AM. They are going to a soccer field or something... Some group is holding a conference / youth rally. They expect 3000 kids to show up! We have to be there by 8:00 to talk to the people in charge. While Pastor Rick, Jonathan, maybe a few other leaders do that the rest will be doing makeup, and then going into the surrounding areas to invite more people. The drama will be preformed at 10:00.
Originally they said we had time to do the drama and that was about it. But last we heard, we can do the drama and take as much time as we want! I think Pastor Rick is going to talk a little, and David is going to do a "preach-imony"... basically a testimony that is kind of long and where he preaches. He is awesome at this. If he goes after Pastor Rick, then David will probably "bring in the net." Pray that many will accept Jesus, that we'll have time to minister as lead, and that we'll be able to go into the crowd. Our kids do so well at going into the crowd and praying for people. Also pray for as many MPs as possible. We can actually break into teams of 3: 2 youth and an MP... if we have enough MPs. We usually don't, and end up with larger groups. But here, it would be important, since there are so many youth. These are Christian and unbelievers mixed, so there is the potential for a lot of kids to be saved this day!

Friday is packing day, and the last dinner with the MPs. So, there will be no other drama after the 3000 event. Especially given we don't know how long it will take exactly. At this point, the MPs do not get to go to the airport, so this will be "good-bye". Probably going to be a long night of ministry, debrief, prayer and saying good-by.

Sat
Everyone comes home! I'm not sure of the flight info, but I'll try and get it before Saturday and post it!
posted by James at 6:37 AM

Back
I'm back. The internet in the "business center" was down at the hotel since last Wed. They are so laid back there! We called the tech. Maybe he'll come out and fix it today. Jonathan offered to fix it for them (it was just some configuration stuff), but they didn't want him to.

Anyway, after a long plane ride home (up at 4:30 to catch the plane, delayed plane, long lay-over in Dallas), I got back in the Springs at 9:00 PM. I'm back in the real world, and have to go into work today, so won't blog much... but I will start adding things that I've jounaled on paper. I also have the itinerary for the rest of the trip, which I'll post next.
posted by James at 6:07 AM

Listening to God
It happens time after time. Teen after teen give the same testimony.

God told me to talk to a person and when I did they said that they told God if he existed, to send someone to talk to them. They said, ¨You were sent by God.¨

Kids listening to God and then telling people, ¨God does exist.¨, ¨God loves you.¨, ¨God wants you to know he forgives you for what you did.¨, ¨God wants you to know that you are going to get your children back.¨

There are so many people that hang back. That don´t come forward. They are waiting for a sign from God. For someone to come up to them and confirm something in their life. The thing they are asking God about. And time after time our kids do it. God speaks to these people through our kids. Telling them things that only God could know, and meeting them right where they are at. And our kids are bold enough to do it.

I watch it happen day after day. I´m in awe. It amazes me.
posted by James at 7:44 AM

Scenes from the dump
Nicole: I´ve been waiting all my life to meet these people.

Christine (tears running down her face, but smiling): I´m ok. Really, I am. I´m just feeling the Father´s heart so strong.

Emma: walking by me, hot sun blazing down, makeup streaked with tears, going to play with some more kids.

Jaime and Meg: taking two packs of food and leaving them off in the bushes after spotting two little girls who are too afraid to come in. They run off, but come back when they see Jaime and Meg leave, and get their food.

Lindsey crying on Jonathan´s shoulder later that day: I take SO MUCH for granted. I complain because I´m FORCED to eat 3 meals a day here. (We watch how much they eat and really keep after them to keep their strength up). I was talking to an old woman today who said she is lucky to get ONE meal A YEAR that is this good. Jonathan talks to her and after she leaves says, ¨If nothing else would have happend, that site was worth it just to show her that.¨

The site: There are vultures everywhere. It is surreal. D8 moving trash around. They take off in a flock when the D8 gets near.

The dump is hilly. There are little communities on the different roads. Kids stand in their turf, where they are safe, and watch us from a distance. Some come in, some just crawl up the garbage and poke their heads over to see what is going on.

Yellow D8, workers laying on it, watching the drama. Leaders guarding things, watching the people. Kids on bicycles. Bare feet. An old man working on a rusted out washing machine. He is pulling all the wiring out. Banging away at it with a shoe. Little boy running around, chasing our kids. Little dog chasing him. Both looking for what they can find.
posted by James at 7:33 AM

Dump
Ok... it is 8:00 and I´ve been on for an hour. Was going to get off, but I read the comments. I´ll ¨be your eyes¨a little more. :-) Since I don´t have to get kids up till 9:00.

Things are pretty laid back here. Plans aren´t finalized until right before you leave for the day... and then they change a few times before they are actually executed. Yeah... as a ´P´ I´m being stretched!

So we get down here and they talk about the sites that we´ll visit. Drug rehab, children´s homes, parks. They also have another suggestion... If we can stomach it. We can go out to the dump. The city dump is massive. Some people live there, some just come to scavage. Yeah, we can handle it no problem. This is why we are here. The kids are excited. So... we´ll be doing that on Saturday. The kids are excited.

Friday we take an offering and use the money to buy food. A meal is: juice box, cookies, hot dog and bun. (The bun is actually more like a small sub bun... much closer to real bread than a US hot dog bun).

We head out, takes us about 30 minutes. (Everything is either 30 minutes or 3 hours away). We are praying as we get close.

Don´t act like we are giving them hand outs. Don´t make faces. Don´t hold your noise, but your bananas over your faces, etc. This is their home. Treat it with respect.

We get closer and you can see vultures everywhere. Circiling over the dump. The dump is very large. (A mile across?). We drive in and head part way in. There are little kids running by the bus barefoot. Nichole and I are praying. She looks out the window. Gets choked up. Turns to me with tears in her eyes and says, ¨I´ve been waiting all my life to meet these people.¨Man... just tear my heart out.

The kids head out to invite people in. I stay to guard the equipment. We get the system up and sound going. People start coming up over the hills of garbage. Most very shy.

We do the drama and people come forward to get saved. We end up spending 3 hours there. Maybe 30 - 40 people. God just wanted us to minister to them. We have food for 200. We sit and eat with them. One little boy (7 maybe) is wondering around with a bag of food. He keeps coming back for more. He can suck down a juice box in a second. He keeps grinning. Most his front teeth are missing. He comes and gets food and then runs it back to the older kids, then comes and gets more.

What an awesome time.


posted by James at 7:20 AM

Quick villiage report
So many things happend. So many people were healed, so many came to Jesus. There are too many things to blog right now. And too many things that your kids need to tell you before I blog them. Just know it was well worth the time, money and effort to get your kids down here. They ROCK like nothing I have ever seen. I learn so much from them every day. Their hearts, compassion, desire, and BELIEF is so strong. They are so strong in the Word and in the gifts. They hear God so clear. They changed a town, and a nation. They set a local youth-group on fire like nothing else could.

It is one thing to have someone tell you that you can do something. It is another thing to have someone your age do it, and then tell you that you can do it as well!

All the kids are going awesome. You would think that some would be getting homesick,tired, etc. And I´m sure they are, to some extent. But it is so awesome to DO the ministry. They may be tired, but when it is time to do the drama, they ¨square off¨and go for it. They are praying so hard in the pods. They are listening to God and watching the people. ¨Who am I supposed to minister to today? Give me a word for someone. Let me know who I´m leading to You today.¨And God speaks to them. They have words of knowledge. They walk up to complete strangers, tell them what is going on in their life, heal them, and get them saved. Wow!

The bus has broke down twice now. Nothing to worry about, no big deals. Nothing dangerous! But both times it was an appointed time. Both times people got saved.

It is incredible to see your kids with smiles on their faces, joy all over them. So excited that they just prayed with a family of 5 and all of them came to the Lord. Another walking back in forth in front of people. ¨Who is it God. Who am I supposed to talk to. OK... On of these three. Nope, not that one. OK... which of these two. OK, this one.¨walking up to them, and just knowing everything about them. What is going on in their life. What they are struggiling with. And just really ministring to them!

Well... I´ve been on for an hour and have to get around. There is so much to tell. Everyone will have stories when they get back. Continue to pray for us... your kids have almost 2 more weeks! So much more to do.

We love you all. We feel your prayers. Keep them up. Your kids are a bit tired, sunburned, and a bit scratched here and there... but they are playing hard and working hard for the kingdom of God. We are all doing so well!
posted by James at 7:04 AM

Back!
We are back in San Jose! Got back last night at 10:00, ate dinner, shuffled things (luggage, etc.) around, took a HOT shower (the first one since we left) and then hit the sack. Our room pretty much stinks like dirty laundry and wet towels - and looks like something exploded in it; but today is a free day for the guys so we´ll get organized, get some clothes washed, and take a few more showers!

We came back last night to a dinner that started with a salad made of lettuce, carrots, gargonzo beans, white asparagus, hearts of palm, tomatoes and cucumber. Then hot showers, real beds and clean sheets. It is good to be home!

But the ¨villiage¨(I don´t know the name, but I´ll post it eventually) was so incredible and we did such an awesome work there. I would go back to normal food and a concrete floor in a heartbeat to do it again!
posted by James at 6:51 AM

Off to the villiage
Today, well in a few hours, we leave for the ¨villiage.¨I´m not sure how big a town, but I think pretty big.

Breakfast at 6:00, bus at 7:00, 4 hour ride, then lunch, drama at a school in the afternoon, and then maybe worship tonight. Pray for technical details... although everything just ¨works out¨, so I´m sure it will be fine! 24 channel board, they have keys and drums. Its looking good.

I´m on the phone last night, tears running down my face, talking to Tina. Man... what an awesome trip, and this has only really been day 2 of missions work. I am so touched. God just ROCKS so much.

Standing in a park, watching an older man ask for prayer. Our kids are praying for him, he is crying. A ministry partner (not translator, but ministry partner... because they are really missionaries to their own country, helping us and God minister to their people) is translating, then gets a prophetic word. I feel in my spirit SO strong that this guy just needs to know what has been preached at Impact lately. Sozo. It is a full package. With forgiveness of sin and salvation comes healing. Later on the bus Deanna (an MP) is sitting next to me, telling me about her word for him. How God told her she was supposed to come with us today. That she is going into medince in college and she needed to heal someone today. And that when she was translating God told her to explain it was a total thing. It was salvation, but also healing, freedom, abundance. Yes... God´s word is HIS word, and He is putting into the hearts of all his people across the world. It is a reasurring, comforting and awesome thing to see we are all part of the same family.

Watching our kids lay hands on people... some with tears running down their faces because they are SO filled with compassion - some yelling and just going for it because they are so filled with Fire - and some praying so hard because they so want it to happen, and then somebody gets healed. Yes, God is real, his Word is real, and He still heals today. Why? Because He still needs to show who He is and because Jesus died so that we would be whole!

Watching our kids come running back to the group: ¨I prayed for someone and God just healed them!¨, ¨This is the first time I´ve lead someone in the sinners prayer... and I did it 5 times today!¨

A little girl standing on the rock so she can see the drama better, and then pulling her older sister forward so they can both be saved.

A mom dragging her two kids forward, stopping and waving to her older kids, and the whole family goes forward and is saved.

Teens raising their hands... but too cool or nervous to go forward, and Pastor Reek (MP joke) spotting them, grabbing some kids and MPs and talking to them. They all get saved.

Seeing Jonathan talking to the cops ferverently. Please... just let us do the drama here. It will be ok. The cops saying OK, although they usually don´t let people do dramas here. And then after the drama Jonathan leads them to the Lord.

And this is just the first full day of ministry we´ve had. This is SO different from the US. It just blows me away. I have to say, it is just crushing my unbelief. The first drama site... not too much excitement (that I could feel) and Pastor Rick calls in the net. I´m thinking after a few seconds... ¨No one is coming forward¨, and then all of a sudden hands just start shooting up all over. Wow... this does work. These people are hungry. God is so awesome. Kind of sounds ünspirtual¨of me perhaps, for even doubting... but I´m just being honest. It just rocks your world.

I can´t share too many specific details because I want to let the kids share it first. But I am journalling on paper and will share more after the trip. But I will continue to share some things, and what I see, as time and oppurtunity permit. I don´t think I´ll be able to connect again till we get back, which is probably about 6 or 7 days. Keep up the prayers. This rocks so big time. You guys have no idea what this is doing for your kids, for us leaders, or for the people of this country!
posted by James at 4:35 AM

Signing off
Gotta go. Still wanted to blog the service at Oasis. And talk about yesterday. Briefly, a tough first day (which is usual). But you learn from the first drama and make improvements. Overall very good. 35 people got saved. We are doing great. Today will be better. I´m late so better take off. Thanks for the prayers!
posted by James at 5:35 AM

My prayers
My prayers during all of that. Strength, help with my unbelief, let me see someone healed. And mostly, I am so humbled by Your trust in us with these people and this churchs trust. These are your people and their people. And you are letting us come into their country and minister to them. We make mistakes without even knowing it. Please help us be humble in everything we do with them. Let us never offend anyone. This is such a beautiful place and the people are so friendly. Let us not be arrogant or the ¨ugly americans¨.
posted by James at 5:34 AM

Preparation
Yesterday started with breakfast. Then the plan was 3 worship songs, 30-45 minutes of devo time, 5 minutes of community devos, then free time for swimming, etc.

God had a different plan.

By the 3rd song it was obvious God wanted to do something different. Michael just kept us in worship and waited on God. Nicole gave a word, then Jonathan, then Robin. Michael started to stop once, but Pastor Rick motioned to keep going.

(BTW: This is my element. Sitting in a conference room, vines on the rock walls, lizards scurring around, a monkey in the tree outside, bare feet, playing my drum and just seeing what God wants to do. Yeah, I´m in heaven!)

So we stayed in worship for a while and then Pastor Rick got us in a big circle. ¨Pray for yourself! What do YOU want from God. What do you want to see him do in YOU while we are here. Don´t pray for the group, pray for yourself. And if you have anything to confess, do so now.¨To summarize, this lasted about 90 minutes. At first it was mostly people just praying for themselves. Give me strength, help my unbelief. I want to heal someone, see miracles. I want to cast demons out of someone. (Yes, we have very bold children). I want to see thousands saved. Then the youth started asking for forgiveness for relationships, not being a better leader, sibling relationships, relationships with parents, each other, etc. Not being prepared, being mad at God for stuff in their lives, how people treat their parents. It was pretty heartbreaking to hear some of it. They have real issues and real problems. But it was SO awesome. I talked to the kids at the end:

• God used ordinary un-educated men. People just like you. This is HIS trip. He will do what he needs to do, if you are willing.
  
• James said to confess your sins and you will be healed. So, BE HEALED. Don´t carry any of this. You´ve confessed it, it is behind you, move on with the trip.
  
• Leaders are real people too. The biggest mistake leaders make it holding things in and not sharing with someone. Thinking they have to be prefect, and then it is too late. Don´t make that mistake. Learn it now. If you are having problems, come talk to us. We don´t expect you to be perfect. Yes you have a higher calling and standard, but you will have issues. That is why we are here. To help you though that stuff.

They were just so awesome!

This was God preparing them for the trip. Getting things right with Him and each other so they could move on and really focus.

We then had some free time, swimming and hanging out. Lunch was at 2:30 and then we went to the Oasis for church.
posted by James at 5:31 AM

Food
People that know me, know íts all about the food!

No worries about the food. They are feeding us great! Plus some of the youth packed a small grocery store in their luggage. ;-)

Scrambled eggs, fresh pastry, pancakes, rolls, fresh juice and coffee for breakfast.
Burgers and fries for lunch.
Traditional at a local place for dinner. Wow... very cool. Tom and Jennifier would have loved it!

Grilled chicken, corn, white rice, black beans, a portate/corn hash. Great food and plenty of it. Plus I had some chevice(sp?) as well: raw fish ¨cured¨with lime juice, cilantro, red onion. Yum! I´m loving it.

As a side note, this keyboard is not what I´m used to, and I usually don´t think while I type. It is slowing me down. I probably won´t fix many mistakes, because I´m interested in speed. So much to say, and only 15 more minutes before I have to get going for the day!
posted by James at 5:20 AM

Sights
It is so beautiful here. I grew up in CA with parents who landscaped for a living. Drawing plans for landscapes as a little kid: waterfalls by pools, ficus, hibiscus, flowering plants, trees, bushes. It is one of th ethins I miss in CO. I´m reminded of it here. 15 foot ficus trees. Plants we grow in our cubes at work! There are flowers everywhere. It is so cool.

San Jose, what I´ve seen of it so far, is a sprawling huge little town. Its big (contains 1/4 of the population of the country), and yet I´ve seen no large roads, stores, etc. It is like it just grew and grew and grew. Little narrow streets (which are fun to navigate in a large bus!). There are small crops growing everywhere, next to peoples homes. Corn, mangos, avacados, bird of paridise, coffee, bananas. I keep asking Marianna, ¨What is that?!¨, and she looks to see what I´m talking about, but doesn´t see anything out of the ordindary. ¨What?¨ ¨That bush!¨ ¨Oh, that is coffee.¨ I think it amuses her!

posted by James at 5:15 AM

Good Morning
Roosters crowing
Birds chirping
Monkeys chattering
Boys lightly snoring
Its 5:00 AM in Costa Rica
and God wakes me for the day!
posted by James at 5:09 AM

Hi again
Couldn´t get on Monday, so I wrote stuff down. I´ll enter it, then enter for today, yesterday, if I have time. Up at 5:15, now it is 6:00 and we have to go set up in 30 minutes. It is great here!
posted by James at 5:08 AM