My team (EK) took a 10 day ministry getaway. Our time in Jacó was set up in a rotation to go do ministry in San José, a time to focus on our team and to do more ministry in a different area of Costa Rica. However, EK was presented with a unique opportunity to spend our time away in San José or ATL. See, our week away was during Holy Week and being a Catholic nation here, it’s a big deal. Everything is shut down for that week. The ministry in San José said they had nothing planned for us so we as a team could decide where we wanted to go. After a team time, it was an overwhelming rule of ATL-ing.
Where did the Lord tell us to go?
Great question- I’ve been introduced to a prayer called listening prayer. It’s where I ask Jesus, God, Holy Spirit a question and I just sit and listen. It can be 2 minutes or hours. It’s a wonderful exercise to see if I’m in tune with Holy Spirit. It’s also necessary to ask someone if what I heard or seen was God. Sometimes it comes as words, but most of the time for me it comes as images. I write down everything I see.
As a team we did a listening prayer and we received a lot. Somethings came true and others did not. This is what we heard during our listening prayer: camping, mountains, woman and her business, rain, jungle, windy road, go South, rest, dancing lights, flowing water, refill, laughter, the letter C which we took as chocolate, orange building white trim, and finally feed my sheep.
Christ showed up. Our first two nights were here in Jacó camping on the beach. Playing in the ocean at 8am was amazing.
Then we moved South to the Puntarenas Province to a camp site in the mountains call Mono Titi Park. It was in the jungle and the beautiful mountain view for the sunset. We camped two nights where there was flowing water (a creek) where we cooled off during the day. There was a lady that had a beautiful smile that a teammate, who was the woman with the business.
Finally, we spent four nights in Quepos in a beautiful hostel called Wide Mouth Frog. That is where we rested and I personally was fed by the Word along with some amazing adventures.
Our Easter as a team was very sweet. We were going to stay with a church for our week but they canceled because of reasons but we were blessed to go their Church. This church was not an ordinary Church but a buildingless Church that was on the beach. I thought it was just where they had their Easter service but I found out that every Sunday they meet there, at that spot on the beach. They have only been rained out twice since they have started. They don’t have a building but an office space for dinners if needed. They are a Church under Foursquare Mission International. We spent the whole day there getting to know them along with another mission group that was there. It was a very blessed day and filling. My team stayed for sunset where we did worship then communion. It was so sweet. We also saw our dancing lights when we left to catch the bus, they were lighting bugs!
We also met people along our way where we shared the gospel with. Like Alex who was our roommate from Austria in our hostel. She actually spent the whole day with us when we went to Manuel Antonio National Park. She also went to church with us but left after service.
It was an amazing time where I was able to see Christ work, not only in me but my team and the people around us.
My encouragement is for you to try a listening prayer. Go to a mentor and friend and talk over what you received. See what you hear or see. It’s an amazing exercise.
