Day 8 - Winding Down a Bit

Today began with the Farmer's Market promptly at 6am! Only James managed to get out of bed that early and go with Rodney to take care of the weekly task of buying vegatables and fruit for the ministry house. At 9:30 we headed into downtown San Jose' to go the artisans market to do a bit of "tourist-type shopping". It is filled with handcrafted items from around Costa Rica as well as other Latin American countries. This is just a short stop before we head back to Los Anonos. We have a lite snack and then prepare to go tot he Men's Rehab Center for a big BBQ that we have been looking forward to all week.

At the Men's Rehab Center, we gather in a grassy area of the center and Lester & Tito lead in worship. Maximo, the leader of outreach at CCA shares the fact that we can all come together as Christ-followers and Christ-seekers and find unity in spite of our cultural differences. James shares his testimony in a really impactful way that obviously hits the 45 men in the Rehab in a way they understand. Addicts in recovery have a special way of communicating that is amazing. They just get each other. I get to share for a few moments and then the director of the Rehab shares. The theme throughout the time is threefold: 1. We need to stay connected to Jesus to succeed 2. We need to stay connected in church community to succeed and 3. We need to stay connected with at least one other strong believer who will challenge us to continue growing closer to Jesus. No matter where we go in the world, the principles of transformation are the same.

We return to the house for a relaxing evening that includes a time to debrief with Rodney and Cindy about our week here. We again talk about the people we have connected with and the joy we find in watching God work here. We end the evening praying for a young guy names Dago, who is suffering with what seem to be migrain headaches. He had not had one all week, but is suddenly hit by one. This young guy has a hard family situation and very little support at home, so after extended prayer that God would touch him and keep him from being fearful about this, we try to help him practically with some time of rest and some medication. Imagine being a young guy and having no one there to explain the massive pain, blurred vision and even trouble swallowing that comes with migrains.

We close the evening in a circle of Gringos and Ticos praising God for His grace. May He continue to spread it in Costa Rica and Ohio in miraculous ways!