Here’s a quick little video with some footage I shot with my work group. You may not see your child in this one, but trust me - there have been hours of video and thousands of photos of this trip.
But in the meantime, enjoy this. See you on Friday!
It’s Wednesday, and San Carlos has awakened to a bright and sunny day! When it is clear, from our hotel we can see Mt. Arenal, an active volcano about 50 miles away that is in a constant eruption. Smoke pours from the top and, if it is ever clear at night, we’ll be able to see lava flowing down the side!
The only other day that we could see Arenal in the morning was the day we had no rain at all - so we’re hoping this is a good sign. There is a lot that needs to be done today in our three work groups, and rain would provide us with another opportunity to improvise! We lost a lot of time yesterday afternoon to an incredible rainstorm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it rain that hard, with thunder and lightning included. But the Ticos (locals) did not seem to think it was out of the ordinary (except for all of the lightning). So if you read this on Wednesday, please offer up a prayer for no rain.
That being said, our group projects are coming along great and our work teams have done some amazing work. Group 1 has done a tremendous job at the playground rehabilitation. It doesn’t look like the same place already, and they have one more day to put on the finishing touches. All of the vegetation has been cleared, and the equipment is already repaired and most of it painted. There is also some concrete to be poured today to complete steps leading from the street. The community has been there observing (and even helping). It’s been wonderful.
Group 2 has been having a great time at the elementary school. They have about 70% of their paint project done - and since it is all under cover, should be able to complete it today without a problem. The bigger challenge there is when the kids take recess, all work stops - which is a good thing! The children love the interaction with our groups, and there have been some bonds created there that will never be forgotten - on both sides.
Group 3 returns to the special needs school. Activities in the classrooms are engaging for our group and for the students. We start each morning with some time of worship - even though it’s a public facility, we haven’t held back in singing praises to our God. We’ll complete one outside project there - clearing a sidewalk of debris so that students with physical mobility issues can have better access to the school. Then, in the afternoon, group 3 will return to the orphanage and do a paint-blitz of their indoor playroom. Prime, paint and clean up in 4 hours - at least that’s the plan!
Tonight, the entire group will have dinner at the hotel, then head out to a night soccer field where the church has been doing some community evangelism. There should be 30-50 Ticos there (including a number of the church members), our groups and a bunch of children. So it should be a good night to promote the church and help it build community.
Our team has done fabulous work. Some things I’ve noted:
1) an overall spirit of joy and servant’s hearts
2) a “roll with it” mentality with factors out of our control
3) a willingness to leave comfort zones and allow God to be in control and to be shown
4) relationship-building with children and the other people whom we are privileged to serve
I’ve been on a number of mission trips, and my experience is that day 5 of a 7-day trip is usually the hardest day. Members are tired. The end is now closer than the beginning. The “newness” is worn off the mission. But it can also be the best day when the reality of all that you are experiencing (and what God has done in you and for others) comes to the front. So send up a special prayer for us today, that we would surrender to Him, and that His will would be our sole, driving force in all that we do.
Hola from Costa Rica! I thought I would send you a quick update on the trip so far.
It’s funny. Aprill and I brought the computer thinking that in the evenings, one of us would have time to give the Church at Charlotte family some updates on things that happened during the day. This is my first real chance, and I’m writing when I should be in bed.
We’ve had three great days. A few bumps and bruises along the way, and lots of rain - but all in all we’re off to a great start.
Today (Monday), our three work groups started work in three distinct areas. Our first group is doing a community-service project in an area near our partner church to rehabilitate a soccer field and playground, repairing dilapidated equipment and creating a greater access for the children of the community. In the afternoons, the group returns to the area where they’ve been working and plays with the children, making contact with parents and others about the church.
Our second group is assisting a school in the same area with some much-needed repairs and maintenance that is not funded. This group is doing a lot of painting and, during breaks, spending time with the children, looking for other needs in the school, and creating relationships with the faculty and staff as an outreach for the church.
The third group is spending the week working at a special needs school, assisting in work projects such as clearing a sidewalk, used by all of the wheelchair-bound students, that has become overgrown and dangerous. They are also working with the staff in crafts and activities with the students.
In the afternoons, members of all of the teams are working at an orphanage, showing the love of Jesus to 12 orphans ranging in age from 1 month to 7 years. This includes both interacting with the children and staff, as well as a painting project to help improve the indoor play area used by the children during the rainy season.
Tonight, we shared the experiences of the day. One line that was memorable was from one of the boys who said, “when all of the kids came to the playground in the afternoon and saw how much different it was from just this morning, the light finally came on.”
I love that statement: “the light finally came on.” There are lots of lights coming on, and we have nothing but high expectations for what God will continue to do in the lives of all of our team members.
I’ll try to write more later. Keep us in your prayers!
Anna Dalton lives in Hong Kong where she works with ministries that Church at Charlotte supports. She recently shared an experience that showed her the power of the Gospel.
It was hard to believe the hilly landscape we encountered when we stepped off the bus was less than an hour away from a city that was home to several million people. Grandma Mudslide (a name I gave to the woman) warmly welcomed us into her little home where the floors were made of dirt and the remnants of the day’s laundry still hanging to dry. One bed was piled with blankets and buckets of pickled leftovers stood next to her kitchen. We tried to imagine the daily life she lived with her adult daughter and the young boy she adopted.
Translated first from her dialect to Mandarin Chinese and then to English, she told us her story. Grandma Mudslide always lived in the same area, struggling to make a living since she doesn’t own land. Several years ago rural church planters shared the Gospel with her as they passed through her village. She spoke of her unwillingness to believe.
Then she told us how her son-in-law was stabbed in the side by a drunken man, leaving him with a wound that never healed correctly and caused him constant pain. The church planters heard her story, had compassion and raised money for hospital care. Soon after, her son-in-law was completely healed. Grandma Mudslide told us she knew it was the work of God and because of that, she put her faith in Christ.
Most of the families in her “neighborhood” are Muslim and no longer accept her because of her decision to believe. She is isolated. She cannot read. She doesn’t even own a Bible. Still, flapping her arms up and down with every word, she joyfully explained, “I can’t read, but give my praise to God in everything I do. When I wash, I give it to God! When I sweep these dirt floors, I give it to God! When I take care of this boy, I give it to God!”
In Mark 10:14, Jesus calls the children to him and remarks that the Kingdom belongs to those who are ready to receive it. As we left the village, I found myself trying to understand Grandma Mudslide’s simple faith. She was the only person we were able to visit that afternoon and it could have been easy to feel disappointed that we spent a morning bouncing around in a bus to see just one woman. But God showed me the bigger picture. I left the village with mud on my shoes and a deeper understanding of the breadth of the Gospel and God’s power as He creatively fulfills the Great Commission.
Partnering Ministry: Lois’ Lodge
Lois’ Lodge provides Christ-centered support services for young women and families facing an unexpected pregnancy. The Lois’ Lodge Maternity Home provides young women a safe place to live and the Mom Shoppe Learning Center offers support services to women throughout the community - including Bible study, first aid and CPR classes, childbirth and parenting classes, vocational training and more. For more information on how you can get involved, contact Tamea Bock - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Supported Missionaries Geoff and Connie Griffith
Geoff and Connie met in high school and were married in December 1969. After a time in the Army, Geoff returned to school to pursue missions at Western Baptist Seminary. The Griffiths joined the Africa Evangelical Fellowship, which later merged with Serving in Mission (SIM). Currently, they serve with SIM as trainers for national church leaders, traveling throughout the year and teaching at the SIM Korea Training Institute, at Union Bible Institute in South Africa and at Columbia International University. Please keep Geoff and Connie as well as their family - two daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren - in your prayers.
Zach and Amy Fulginiti
Zach and Amy were recently married on May 2, 2009 and they are on staff with Campus Outreach, where their primary ministry involved serving their staff team administratively. Zach is the region’s financial manager and the Missions Agency Director for South Africa, acting as a liason for the U.S. staff. Amy volunteers in the Campus Outreach office, meeting many of the organization’s administrative needs. Please pray that college students would come to know Jesus; that students they invested in would invest in other students; and that they would be able to adjust to ministry as a married couple.
Focus Countries: Costa Rica and Cuba
Church at Charlotte recently adopted Costa Rica and Cuba as our third and fourth countries of focus where we have both compassion and church planting initiatives, totaling $100,000.
You can find a complete list of Church at Charlotte’s Partnering Ministries, Supported Missionaries and Focus Countries on the ServeGlobal page.
