Surprise Blessing for Costa Rica

God has surprised us in many ways after being in the States nearly four weeks.  The first two weeks were spent on a road trip from Arkansas to Montana.  This 10-state marathon ended at the beautiful Glacier National Park on the Canadian border.  Though I’ve also driven through the Southwest, the vastness of the landscape with its rounded, rolling mountains was a new and incredible visual experience.  On the way back, our story took an unfortunate turn when the car broke down near Mt. Rushmore in rural South Dakota.  It was a trying time for everyone’s patience, but we thanked God that it died in front of a mechanic’s shop… and miles away from the next one.

Andrea and I are very fortunate to have such supportive families.  We’ve been very generously hosted in Costa Rica and now the United States.  Of course, some of the best times have been shared with friends and family around the dinner table.  There’s nothing like hearing what God’s doing around town and around the world while enjoying Vietnamese omelets, Moroccan bread, or maybe a glass of cas.  Thank you to all who have blessed our lives with prayer, ideas, fun, and food!

Last Friday night we had a fun surprise.  We always love spending time in the prayer room in Siloam Springs, but our schedule hasn’t allowed as much time as we’d like.  We considered going to bed on the early side, but instead scratched that itch to visit the 10 pm – 12 pm prayer time.  Apparently, this weekly set is called “Exodus Cry” because the joined worship and intercession is aimed towards the ending of human trafficking and slavery.  After the first two worship songs, the prayer leader stood while the music continued and said, “Today’s prayer focus will be for San Jose, Costa Rica.”  What a surprise to have our two homes connected in prayer!  The leader then began praying out of Isaiah 61:3 that beauty would be given in place of ashes and that joy would be the expression of the Gospel in the streets.  When they opened the mic for prayer, I briefly shared about the work of our friend, Mariliana, who founded Rahab Foundation to share the love of Christ with the prostitutes in the city.  Because the house of prayer encourages prayer to extend from the Bible’s text, I prayed from II Thess. 3., that God’s word might run swiftly in San Jose.  As the band continued, the leader invited people to come forward for “Rapid-fire prayers” for Rahab Foundation.  It was so fun to see college students, a retiree, and elementary school kids join together to pray for God’s favor over our friends in Costa Rica.

One of the common themes that I’ve been sharing is God’s work across the globe cross-pollinating the Church.  It’s not so much about who has the resources and who has the passion.. it’s about a family coming together.  Most importantly, it’s about our Glorious Father orchestrating the whole matter.  This “coincidence” on Friday was a wonderful reminder of this.  Please pray for us as we’ll be travelling to DC to finish visa work and head east.  We’re working on a fun bunch of pictures from our time here… so check back soon!