As I continue to reflect upon my time in Costa Rica, one theme continues to reverberate within my soul. That is the theme of true Christian worship. Now, let me state from the outset that I am not one of those who relegates worship as the time that the congregation sings songs to the LORD. I have come to understand that worship is so much more than that. Worship is the very act of breathing in and out the breath of God and realizing from whom that breath emerges. However, this post is not about the nuances of worship or when it occurs.
This post is more about part of the act of worship that I experienced while I was in Costa Rica. Obviously, the language barrier was something that I could never fully breach. Even though I was able to follow about 50% of the sermons and songs, that left 50% that remained a mystery to me. Despite this wall that was erected between me and the Costa Ricans, there was a sense in the worship experience that was without walls. One thing that impressed me so much during the worship times was how incredibly vocal my brothers and sisters were. When the leader called for a time of prayer, he or she would begin to pray and everyone would join in. Even in the most "contemporary" services I have attended here in the United States, I had never seen or heard anything that compared to how these people pray. Of course with my limited Spanish, it made it that much more difficult to discern what was being said by the pray-er. But in reality, I came to appreciate the fact that it really didn't matter whether I understood or not. What mattered was that these wonderfully vocal people were pouring out their hearts and souls to the savior of the world and did so without an ounce of embarrassment or hesitancy. I have come to relish that time of prayer that I had while in Latin America. I miss the shouts of joy, the cries of pain, and the willingness to be filled with a joy and peace that wrapped my heart within it. I realize that in most of the church settings I will find myself, this kind of prayer is not acceptable and yet I yearn for it. How do I recapture that and balance it within the cultural setting in which I find myself? I'm not sure I can...
Along the same lines, I found the time of singing to be rejuvenating and exciting. One thing that was fascinating about the times of worship in song that was different for me was that many times, the Costa Ricans will begin their time of singing with slow and heart wrenching songs. Songs that cry out to the LORD for salvation and for intercession. Songs of lament that explains the deep sorrow that we find ourselves in when we are disobedient to the calling that God has placed on our hearts. At the end of those songs, with the tears still wetting the checks of those in need, there would be a drastic change in direction. A direction that took us from the pit of despair to the joy of salvation. The last song before the day's lesson was always upbeat. It always had the beat of a war march; the cry of victory coming from the same lips that had recently confessed sins and cried out for mercy.
However, no matter what kind of song that was being sung, I was a little remorseful. I was relegated to the sidelines, unable fully to participate in the time of singing or praying. The most I could do was clap my hands and periodically shout an "Alleluia!" Throughout my time in Costa Rica, Psalm 47 became my psalm. It became my expression of the emotions that were wrapped up within myself.
"Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.
God is king over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted."
Even though all I could do was clap my hands, I was united with these beautiful people of the God of Abraham. He was our king and we were united in our diversity. We were united in our sinful past and in our journey of sanctification. We are the people of God and we certainly shouted loud songs of joy together...theirs with their lips and mine from the heart.
Just in case you're curious, here is one of the songs that we "sang" together.
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Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
"May God be gracious to us and bless us..." Psalm 67:1a
After we landed in Costa Rica, it was really easy for me to spot the differences between the culture that I had been plopped down into and the culture that I'm familiar with. While I am not a stranger to the Spanish language, it sounded so much stronger than it does in Texas. The crowd outside of the airport doors with taxi drivers, families calling hello and weeping goodbye to loved ones, and the sheer number of people hanging around, not moving from their location was a little unsettling to me. No one seemed to leave or arrive as we stood around waiting to be transferred to the Methodist Center.
I continued to be bombarded with differences as we traveled a few miles to where we would be staying. The traffic was incredibly erratic and seemingly without regulation. People were everywhere. They lined the side of the streets, sat around in the public parks, and rode their motorcycles on the sidewalks to get around the slower cars in the street. I'm not sure that we stopped at any of the stop signs as we traveled along the narrow road, but we finally did make it okay. The first time I held the Costa Rican colones in my hand, I was shocked at the weight of their money. At approximately 500:1 exchange rate, I was constantly having to check prices in order to figure out what things cost. Eating beans and rice for EVERY meal was so strange (as was the hot dog we had for breakfast one morning).
However, as the week progressed God began to show me a few things about Costa Rica and his own diversity. I began to see fewer differences and began to see the similarities that I have with these people. I saw the pride in their eyes as they talked about their children. I heard their laughter when I told them a joke and they heard mine when they told me one. I sensed the excitement of learning something new and then applying it to Bible study as we worked in small groups. I felt the warm embrace of the little children when they came to VBS each day and felt so special when their screams of "Otra!" reverberated through the classroom after we had finished a skit and they wanted to see it again.
So one of the blessings that I received on this trip was simply seeing that even in the diversity of God's creation, we are still alike in so many ways. We all need air, food, water, and shelter. People need one another and enjoy being entertained. The love that God has for people is made evident in so many ways.
After I got back to Wilmore, I stopped by the bookstore to get my books for this semester so I could start reading. One of the first books due is one called "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It is about a homeless man and a rich art dealer whose lives intersect in an amazing way. Towards the end of the book, Denver Moore states this about Ron and his wife, "...I worried that I was so different from them that we wadn't ever gon' have no kind a' future. But I found out everybody's different--the same kind of different as me. We're all just regular folks walkin down the road God done set in front of us."
This statement sums up one of the lessons I learned while in Costa Rica...they're the same kind of different as me.
Until next time...
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I continued to be bombarded with differences as we traveled a few miles to where we would be staying. The traffic was incredibly erratic and seemingly without regulation. People were everywhere. They lined the side of the streets, sat around in the public parks, and rode their motorcycles on the sidewalks to get around the slower cars in the street. I'm not sure that we stopped at any of the stop signs as we traveled along the narrow road, but we finally did make it okay. The first time I held the Costa Rican colones in my hand, I was shocked at the weight of their money. At approximately 500:1 exchange rate, I was constantly having to check prices in order to figure out what things cost. Eating beans and rice for EVERY meal was so strange (as was the hot dog we had for breakfast one morning).
 |
| The public park in Alajuela. I never saw this park empty of people while we were there. |
 |
| One of the streets in Alajuela. Notice the gutters. They are about a foot deep because in the rainy season they get several inches of rain over a series of days. |
However, as the week progressed God began to show me a few things about Costa Rica and his own diversity. I began to see fewer differences and began to see the similarities that I have with these people. I saw the pride in their eyes as they talked about their children. I heard their laughter when I told them a joke and they heard mine when they told me one. I sensed the excitement of learning something new and then applying it to Bible study as we worked in small groups. I felt the warm embrace of the little children when they came to VBS each day and felt so special when their screams of "Otra!" reverberated through the classroom after we had finished a skit and they wanted to see it again.
So one of the blessings that I received on this trip was simply seeing that even in the diversity of God's creation, we are still alike in so many ways. We all need air, food, water, and shelter. People need one another and enjoy being entertained. The love that God has for people is made evident in so many ways.
 |
| Myranda with one of her girls. |
After I got back to Wilmore, I stopped by the bookstore to get my books for this semester so I could start reading. One of the first books due is one called "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It is about a homeless man and a rich art dealer whose lives intersect in an amazing way. Towards the end of the book, Denver Moore states this about Ron and his wife, "...I worried that I was so different from them that we wadn't ever gon' have no kind a' future. But I found out everybody's different--the same kind of different as me. We're all just regular folks walkin down the road God done set in front of us."
This statement sums up one of the lessons I learned while in Costa Rica...they're the same kind of different as me.
Until next time...
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
A Few Reflections on Costa Rica: Printable Version
I have decided not to share some of the insights I gained from my mission trip to Costa Rica in this blog. Instead, I'm going to take a few more days to meditate and reflect on how God worked in mine and Myranda's lives while we were there. Instead, I am posting some pictures for you to enjoy!
Our first Sunday worship service. Most of the group is pictured here. A couple of them were still visiting to the side.
Sunday lunch at a local restaurant. It's hard to see in this picture, but the food is served on wooden boards covered with a banana leaf. The food was very good; although I've never had as many beans and rice in my life. Literally, we ate them 3 meals a day.
This is a picture of the head chef while we were at the center. He is an excellent chef and the perfect host. I visited with his wife one morning and asked her where she got his hat. She told me that she got it in one of the local stores. I told her I was going to see if I could find one like it. She grabbed it off of his head and gave it to me. I couldn't believe it. She also gave me one of his aprons. I am so proud of my hat and apron.
This is one of the women who helped in the kitchen. Like all of the staff, she was so sweet and welcoming.
Bonnie, one of the members of the group, picked up my camera one morning and took several pictures. This was one of them. I'm not sure what I'm listening to, but it must have been important!
Myranda was able to experience the IBS class alongside the Costa Rican pastors. She has not had the opportunity to take a class while we've been in Kentucky, but she did get to while we were there.
Kim is one of the many new friends that was on our mission team. She is listening to the daily devotional message that we had each morning.
Dr. Steve Gober and Dr. Mike Matlock are presenting the IBS material to one of the morning sessions. Dr. Matlock is a professor on the virtual campus at Asbury and was the teacher of our Psalms class before we left for Costa Rica. Dr. Gober was a missionary to Costa Rica for about 17 years and now serves on the Orlando Campus. Dr. Gober is translating for Dr. Matlock here.
This is one of the girls who came to VBS every day while we were there. She brought her dog, Benji, with her. On the first day, the kids made Benji a name tag and placed it around his neck. You can see the colored string on his back.
For three of the days we presented a story from the Bible illustrating how God is "wild" about people. Waleska, on the right, narrated the story in Spanish while a few of us acted out the drama. This is a shot of the final day. We showed the kids that God is so wild about them that he sent his son Jesus to teach us, die for us, and redeem us through the power of his resurrection. We received an encore with the chant "Otra! Otra! Otra!" We obliged by doing it again.
This is part of the group that I helped with each day. My buddy and I had the older boys in our group. They really enjoyed the crafts but couldn't wait until it was futbol time.
My partner in crime, Ed. He and I worked together each day at VBS.
Many of the buildings have a wall or fence to protect them. On one side, this church had a large wall in place. One of the members of the group had the idea to make it into a prayer wall. We bought chalk and had the kids write and draw on the wall prayers of thanksgiving. In this picture, you can see that the little girl drew the story of the day.
The kids are lined up for snacks at the end of VBS.
This man came to VBS with his family. He enjoyed working on the crafts as much as the kids did. Myranda entertained him with her Spanish speaking abilities.
Myranda and I both fell in love with this little girl. Her name is Ashlie and she just melted our hearts. I think she would have fit right into the Wilhite household.
This little boy was having a rough afternoon. He was standing over to the side crying on the last day. I'm not sure what happened, but he was tattling on someone for making him cry.
The kids loved on us before they left the last day. I was so blessed.
Myranda with part of her crew before they left for the last time.
This is the ramp that leads to the upstairs Sunday school rooms. I'm not sure it would pass inspection here, but they didn't have any problems with it.
It wasn't all work. Part of the group decided to go zip lining through the jungle. I chose not to participate in this activity but Myranda was gung-ho about it.
While the others were zip lining, the rest of us went into La Fortuna. As we waited in one of the cafes, the bird landed across the ally from us. I'm not sure what kind he is but he was beautiful.
Some plants growing in La Fortuna.
Waleska was such a treasure to all of us. She is originally from Puerto Rico and is bilingual. I'm sure she got tired of me asking her "Como se dice..." but she never complained.
That's it for now. I will be posting again soon.
+God bless each one of you and please remember to pray for Costa Rica.
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This is the cross on top of the chapel at the Methodist Center where we stayed. The bougainvillea in the foreground was blooming all over the Central Valley. It was so warm that I forgot that it was still winter in the United States.
Our first Sunday worship service. Most of the group is pictured here. A couple of them were still visiting to the side.
Sunday lunch at a local restaurant. It's hard to see in this picture, but the food is served on wooden boards covered with a banana leaf. The food was very good; although I've never had as many beans and rice in my life. Literally, we ate them 3 meals a day.
This is a picture of the head chef while we were at the center. He is an excellent chef and the perfect host. I visited with his wife one morning and asked her where she got his hat. She told me that she got it in one of the local stores. I told her I was going to see if I could find one like it. She grabbed it off of his head and gave it to me. I couldn't believe it. She also gave me one of his aprons. I am so proud of my hat and apron.
This is one of the women who helped in the kitchen. Like all of the staff, she was so sweet and welcoming.
Bonnie, one of the members of the group, picked up my camera one morning and took several pictures. This was one of them. I'm not sure what I'm listening to, but it must have been important!
Myranda was able to experience the IBS class alongside the Costa Rican pastors. She has not had the opportunity to take a class while we've been in Kentucky, but she did get to while we were there.
Kim is one of the many new friends that was on our mission team. She is listening to the daily devotional message that we had each morning.
Dr. Steve Gober and Dr. Mike Matlock are presenting the IBS material to one of the morning sessions. Dr. Matlock is a professor on the virtual campus at Asbury and was the teacher of our Psalms class before we left for Costa Rica. Dr. Gober was a missionary to Costa Rica for about 17 years and now serves on the Orlando Campus. Dr. Gober is translating for Dr. Matlock here.
This is one of the girls who came to VBS every day while we were there. She brought her dog, Benji, with her. On the first day, the kids made Benji a name tag and placed it around his neck. You can see the colored string on his back.
For three of the days we presented a story from the Bible illustrating how God is "wild" about people. Waleska, on the right, narrated the story in Spanish while a few of us acted out the drama. This is a shot of the final day. We showed the kids that God is so wild about them that he sent his son Jesus to teach us, die for us, and redeem us through the power of his resurrection. We received an encore with the chant "Otra! Otra! Otra!" We obliged by doing it again.
This is part of the group that I helped with each day. My buddy and I had the older boys in our group. They really enjoyed the crafts but couldn't wait until it was futbol time.
My partner in crime, Ed. He and I worked together each day at VBS.
Many of the buildings have a wall or fence to protect them. On one side, this church had a large wall in place. One of the members of the group had the idea to make it into a prayer wall. We bought chalk and had the kids write and draw on the wall prayers of thanksgiving. In this picture, you can see that the little girl drew the story of the day.
The kids are lined up for snacks at the end of VBS.
This man came to VBS with his family. He enjoyed working on the crafts as much as the kids did. Myranda entertained him with her Spanish speaking abilities.
Myranda and I both fell in love with this little girl. Her name is Ashlie and she just melted our hearts. I think she would have fit right into the Wilhite household.
This little boy was having a rough afternoon. He was standing over to the side crying on the last day. I'm not sure what happened, but he was tattling on someone for making him cry.
The kids loved on us before they left the last day. I was so blessed.
Myranda with part of her crew before they left for the last time.
It wasn't all work. Part of the group decided to go zip lining through the jungle. I chose not to participate in this activity but Myranda was gung-ho about it.
While the others were zip lining, the rest of us went into La Fortuna. As we waited in one of the cafes, the bird landed across the ally from us. I'm not sure what kind he is but he was beautiful.
This is a house at the end of the ally in La Fortuna. I really think I could live here.
That's it for now. I will be posting again soon.
+God bless each one of you and please remember to pray for Costa Rica.
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A Few Reflections on Costa Rica
I have decided not to share some of the insights I gained from my mission trip to Costa Rica in this blog. Instead, I'm going to take a few more days to meditate and reflect on how God worked in mine and Myranda's lives while we were there. Instead, I am posting some pictures for you to enjoy!
Our first Sunday worship service. Most of the group is pictured here. A couple of them were still visiting to the side.
Sunday lunch at a local restaurant. It's hard to see in this picture, but the food is served on wooden boards covered with a banana leaf. The food was very good; although I've never had as many beans and rice in my life. Literally, we ate them 3 meals a day.
This is a picture of the head chef while we were at the center. He is an excellent chef and the perfect host. I visited with his wife one morning and asked her where she got his hat. She told me that she got it in one of the local stores. I told her I was going to see if I could find one like it. She grabbed it off of his head and gave it to me. I couldn't believe it. She also gave me one of his aprons. I am so proud of my hat and apron.
This is one of the women who helped in the kitchen. Like all of the staff, she was so sweet and welcoming.
Bonnie, one of the members of the group, picked up my camera one morning and took several pictures. This was one of them. I'm not sure what I'm listening to, but it must have been important!
Myranda was able to experience the IBS class alongside the Costa Rican pastors. She has not had the opportunity to take a class while we've been in Kentucky, but she did get to while we were there.
Kim is one of the many new friends that was on our mission team. She is listening to the daily devotional message that we had each morning.
Dr. Steve Gober and Dr. Mike Matlock are presenting the IBS material to one of the morning sessions. Dr. Matlock is a professor on the virtual campus at Asbury and was the teacher of our Psalms class before we left for Costa Rica. Dr. Gober was a missionary to Costa Rica for about 17 years and now serves on the Orlando Campus. Dr. Gober is translating for Dr. Matlock here.
This is one of the girls who came to VBS every day while we were there. She brought her dog, Benji, with her. On the first day, the kids made Benji a name tag and placed it around his neck. You can see the colored string on his back.
For three of the days we presented a story from the Bible illustrating how God is "wild" about people. Waleska, on the right, narrated the story in Spanish while a few of us acted out the drama. This is a shot of the final day. We showed the kids that God is so wild about them that he sent his son Jesus to teach us, die for us, and redeem us through the power of his resurrection. We received an encore with the chant "Otra! Otra! Otra!" We obliged by doing it again.
This is part of the group that I helped with each day. My buddy and I had the older boys in our group. They really enjoyed the crafts but couldn't wait until it was futbol time.
My partner in crime, Ed. He and I worked together each day at VBS.
Many of the buildings have a wall or fence to protect them. On one side, this church had a large wall in place. One of the members of the group had the idea to make it into a prayer wall. We bought chalk and had the kids write and draw on the wall prayers of thanksgiving. In this picture, you can see that the little girl drew the story of the day.
The kids are lined up for snacks at the end of VBS.
This man came to VBS with his family. He enjoyed working on the crafts as much as the kids did. Myranda entertained him with her Spanish speaking abilities.
Myranda and I both fell in love with this little girl. Her name is Ashlie and she just melted our hearts. I think she would have fit right into the Wilhite household.
This little boy was having a rough afternoon. He was standing over to the side crying on the last day. I'm not sure what happened, but he was tattling on someone for making him cry.
The kids loved on us before they left the last day. I was so blessed.
Myranda with part of her crew before they left for the last time.
This is the ramp that leads to the upstairs Sunday school rooms. I'm not sure it would pass inspection here, but they didn't have any problems with it.
It wasn't all work. Part of the group decided to go zip lining through the jungle. I chose not to participate in this activity but Myranda was gung-ho about it.
While the others were zip lining, the rest of us went into La Fortuna. As we waited in one of the cafes, the bird landed across the ally from us. I'm not sure what kind he is but he was beautiful.
Some plants growing in La Fortuna.
Waleska was such a treasure to all of us. She is originally from Puerto Rico and is bilingual. I'm sure she got tired of me asking her "Como se dice..." but she never complained.
That's it for now. I will be posting again soon.
+God bless each one of you and please remember to pray for Costa Rica.
This is the cross on top of the chapel at the Methodist Center where we stayed. The bougainvillea in the foreground was blooming all over the Central Valley. It was so warm that I forgot that it was still winter in the United States.
Our first Sunday worship service. Most of the group is pictured here. A couple of them were still visiting to the side.
Sunday lunch at a local restaurant. It's hard to see in this picture, but the food is served on wooden boards covered with a banana leaf. The food was very good; although I've never had as many beans and rice in my life. Literally, we ate them 3 meals a day.
This is a picture of the head chef while we were at the center. He is an excellent chef and the perfect host. I visited with his wife one morning and asked her where she got his hat. She told me that she got it in one of the local stores. I told her I was going to see if I could find one like it. She grabbed it off of his head and gave it to me. I couldn't believe it. She also gave me one of his aprons. I am so proud of my hat and apron.
This is one of the women who helped in the kitchen. Like all of the staff, she was so sweet and welcoming.
Bonnie, one of the members of the group, picked up my camera one morning and took several pictures. This was one of them. I'm not sure what I'm listening to, but it must have been important!
Myranda was able to experience the IBS class alongside the Costa Rican pastors. She has not had the opportunity to take a class while we've been in Kentucky, but she did get to while we were there.
Kim is one of the many new friends that was on our mission team. She is listening to the daily devotional message that we had each morning.
Dr. Steve Gober and Dr. Mike Matlock are presenting the IBS material to one of the morning sessions. Dr. Matlock is a professor on the virtual campus at Asbury and was the teacher of our Psalms class before we left for Costa Rica. Dr. Gober was a missionary to Costa Rica for about 17 years and now serves on the Orlando Campus. Dr. Gober is translating for Dr. Matlock here.
This is one of the girls who came to VBS every day while we were there. She brought her dog, Benji, with her. On the first day, the kids made Benji a name tag and placed it around his neck. You can see the colored string on his back.
For three of the days we presented a story from the Bible illustrating how God is "wild" about people. Waleska, on the right, narrated the story in Spanish while a few of us acted out the drama. This is a shot of the final day. We showed the kids that God is so wild about them that he sent his son Jesus to teach us, die for us, and redeem us through the power of his resurrection. We received an encore with the chant "Otra! Otra! Otra!" We obliged by doing it again.
This is part of the group that I helped with each day. My buddy and I had the older boys in our group. They really enjoyed the crafts but couldn't wait until it was futbol time.
My partner in crime, Ed. He and I worked together each day at VBS.
Many of the buildings have a wall or fence to protect them. On one side, this church had a large wall in place. One of the members of the group had the idea to make it into a prayer wall. We bought chalk and had the kids write and draw on the wall prayers of thanksgiving. In this picture, you can see that the little girl drew the story of the day.
The kids are lined up for snacks at the end of VBS.
This man came to VBS with his family. He enjoyed working on the crafts as much as the kids did. Myranda entertained him with her Spanish speaking abilities.
Myranda and I both fell in love with this little girl. Her name is Ashlie and she just melted our hearts. I think she would have fit right into the Wilhite household.
This little boy was having a rough afternoon. He was standing over to the side crying on the last day. I'm not sure what happened, but he was tattling on someone for making him cry.
The kids loved on us before they left the last day. I was so blessed.
Myranda with part of her crew before they left for the last time.
It wasn't all work. Part of the group decided to go zip lining through the jungle. I chose not to participate in this activity but Myranda was gung-ho about it.
While the others were zip lining, the rest of us went into La Fortuna. As we waited in one of the cafes, the bird landed across the ally from us. I'm not sure what kind he is but he was beautiful.
This is a house at the end of the ally in La Fortuna. I really think I could live here.
That's it for now. I will be posting again soon.
+God bless each one of you and please remember to pray for Costa Rica.
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