Jump rope, beads, pipe cleaners and more captured the children in Ruiz this week.  Kids Club took place at the church in Ruiz where fifty children gathered for games, crafts and singing. The team from Kansas practiced their Spanish with the children through interactive activities and acting out the Bible story in a drama.

The children learned about the life of Saul and the fruits of the Spirit by creating their own fruits of the Spirit with cut out fruits.  In addition they heard the story of the lost sheep and lost coin. In order to learn the memory verse the children came up with their own actions to present in front of the group while saying the verse. 

Songs got the group energized and excited as they tried to sing louder and faster than their neighbor. One new song talked about all the animals that God has created and lastly stated, “los ninos que aman a Cristo, oran, alabran y se van al cielo (the children who love Christ, pray, praise Him and go to Heaven).”

Missionary Trips
It has been interesting to see in person how big and mighty of a God we serve. Teams experienced this first hand last week as the Lord continues to provide just what we need at just the right time. One of our new work sites sits in an area called Bambu. While the work there is similar to other work projects, the biggest challenge comes in getting the teams there and back, as only cars and one public bus are able to travel the rocky distance.

The mission teams must also take a short boat ride across the river in order to finally get to their location. On Wednesday afternoon, due to heavy rains, the public bus (which was the team’s way of getting to their site) was unable to make the return trip to BriBri. Our team found themselves stranded in the middle of the jungle, in a country where they didn’t speak the language and had no way of contacting us via telephone.

They were forced to fully rely on God to provide a way for their safe return. Putting their faith in God and in their Costa Rican maestro, Tachi, the group was amazed at their adventurous return back. Through a series of various forms of transportation, the help of the community, and the power of God, the team arrived safely in time for dinner.

God had not only provided transportation but had also provided a way for the BriBri people to be part of an answer to prayer. Not only did the team experience how precisely God places people at the right place at the right time, but they also got to be blessed by the community. They left this mission trip with a greater faith and trust in God to know and meet our needs no matter where we are. 

Seeing God’s Provision,

Alex Moses

Upcoming adult mission trips are available on our website at www.ExperienceMission.org.

This last week in Costa Rica, we had two different teams come down. While Chris and Thatia remained in the BriBri/Cahuita area with a wonderful team from Long Island, I had the privilege of climbing up “Tiger Mountain” with a group of six amazing people. We were a combination of Texas, New Jersey, Washington, and Illinois that was mosaically placed together. Words don’t seem to be able to express the memories and experiences we had this past week.

The journey as a team began with a three-hour hike Sunday morning. Muddy, tired, wet, and yet full of excitement for the coming week, we arrived at Leopoldo and Carlos’ house. They opened up their home to us with a love for Christ that overflowed into their love for us. Days were spent constructing a 36 square meter post house at the top of a mountain. Nights were spent in a time of fellowship with the father-son duo as we shared praise songs in both English and Spanish, and simply enjoyed loving each other. There is so much that I would love to share and am still working to process from the week but what I most want to share with you all is an example of love that I witnessed throughout the week.

There is a song by the band Wedding that says, “if you love me then just love me, don’t you give me pretty words, lay your life down at the altar, let me see how serious you are.” This song has been a challenge to me throughout this summer, and I have seen many examples of it being displayed throughout Costa Rica however the most distinct display appeared this week. So many times, Christians make following Christ difficult or “foo-foo” so to say. It becomes more of a show than a love relationship. This week, we had the pleasure of simply loving God.

Leaving behind all comforts and climbing into the unknown, for at least one week we were unable to “put on a show” and simply love God. Carlos and Leopoldo demonstrated such a love for Christ that was so simple and yet so genuine. No pretty words, no “foo-foo” just simple love for spending time with Christ. A love for Christ that is so real that it’s contagious to everyone around. I hope that I live my life with such a contagious faith that God’s love for me and my love for God overflows into the lives of others. May God be given all the glory.

Desiring Contagious Faith,

Alex Moses

Check out upcoming Christian mission trips for youth groups!
www.experiencemission.org

Mission Trips to Mexico
For the past week, our two small teams of women from Canada and Kansas have been doing their best at staying true to the old saying “When in Rome do as the Romans do.” Their commitment to experiencing the Mexican cultural has produced a week of activities that can only be found in Ruiz.

We started out the week with a tour of the local market. The group of eight got up early and we walked through the stands of fruits and vegetables, meats, and craft supplies. The market is usually buzzing with activity by 6:30 am and the bright colors of tropical fruit mix with the smells of tamales and the sounds of quick barters in Spanish. Our group walked through, briefly stopping to sample some pan dulce before heading out to breakfast and our day of work. Though our official tour ended that day, many of the girls returned the following morning for souvenirs, gifts, and more experiences with the sights and sounds of early mornings in Ruiz.

Later in the week, a few of the girls bought some embroidering threads, needles and napkins. Many women in the community embroider decorative tortilla napkins to use in the house, so making these napkins has become a hobby of some of the interns. Although the napkin itself might be used for other purposes when we return to the states, it has certainly been fun learning the craft from other women in the community and passing it along to the groups this week.

One of the activities that brought the most laughter was an informal tortilla making session. Since the cooks typically make handmade tortillas for a meal at least once a week, we asked if the small group could join in on the fun. The simple task of balling the dough, flattening it in the tortilla press, and flipping it onto the grill turned out to be much harder than the women made it look. Everyone took a turn at the process and almost everybody lost their tortilla on one step or another, whether by smashing it too thin, ripping it while taking it from the press or folding it over while placing it on the skillet. 

Overall, this week has been a lot of fun. Though we come to Mexico to serve the community, it has been a great week to also experience what Mexico has to give.

-Emily Ruehs

Go to www.experiencemission.org to view our Christian youth mission trips to Mexico.

This week has had a different, but good, atmosphere, as this is our first week with only one group at a time. They traveled all the way from Maryland, and despite wrong turns, tornado-like wind and rain and the treacherous mountain roads of West Virginia, they made it!

They came prepared with knowledge, skill and tools to take on some pretty big projects, and that’s just what we had planned for them. Monday morning got off to a slow start with divvying up just where everyone was going to work, but after all that was sorted the groups took off in a blur of excitement.

The devotional lesson the night prior had been about seeing others around us through God’s eyes, and respecting and loving them just as they are because that’s exactly how God made them. I encouraged the group to get to know the people, and as these past few days have progressed, I have seen that happening even more than I was expecting.

I noticed relationships forming in kids club, which has been smaller than usual but the group from Our Savior Lutheran Church has taken it all in stride and has used this to their advantage. “There have been some really awesome individual connections made between the kids and my group,” said leader Natasha Bowlds when asked how she thought kids club was going. “Ya know, we may not have as long of a story or song time, but we’re playing with the kids, and spending time with them, and that’s what they’ll remember when we leave; that someone took time to care about them, and to really want to spend time with them, and that’s what we’re doing out there.”

I also got a chance to visit the work sites today, and was in awe of what I saw when I arrived at the second one. I walked up the road to the old broken down house where the group has been building a needed new porch for a small and broken family. As I got to the front yard I noticed two of the girls sitting up on the finished portion of the porch talking with and getting to know the daughter and mother in family. They were dirty, and one could tell they had not washed for days. It is also well known that the daughter is a prostitute and crack dealer. None of this held back the two high school girls from Maryland though, they all sat together playing with the dogs, talking, and sharing their lives with one another. I could see the love of God flowing out of them as these may be some of the only people this family meets, especially the younger daughter that are showing them true affection and not asking for anything in return.

Needless to say, these first few days have already been exciting and that makes me more excited for the remainder of the week! God is definitely at work here! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Lovin’ the Lord in West Virginia,

Leanna

Last Sunday, 57 junior highers and 9 adults finished a trek across America in a charter bus, rented vans in San Diego, and crossed the border into Tecate.  The sheer size of this group enabled us to plan a massive project in an inner-city neighborhood in Tecate.  No other mission organizations or social programs have ever worked in this neighborhood besides Experience Mission, and our contacts in the area were extremely excited to have this group paint and refresh parts of their community. 

During the week so far the group has transformed a drab, rundown neighborhood into a brightly colored, cheerful place for children to play and people to gather and socialize in the evenings.  The basketball court has been freshly painted, two playgrounds have been renovated with fresh paint, wall murals, sand, new swings, and fences.  The group even thought to use old tires as stair steps down a steep hill. 

While it is exciting to observe the work the group has down in this community, even more importantly it is extraordinary how many relationships have been formed with the locals.  Children have helped paint the walls, adults have opened their homes for us to use their restrooms and store our supplies overnight.  Several youth have begun attending the evening programs, and we have been able to translate the messages.  During free time, there is always a soccer game going on in the street with both youth from the community and the church group. 

We have been able to help a community in need this week, which is exciting and a privilege to be a part of God’s work, but the lessons that both us as an EM staff have learned this week and this group has experienced has reminded us that through love we can all learn from one another.  The generosity the people of Tecate have extended to our group this week has been tremendous and a powerful lesson for these youth to experience and strive to model with everyone they meet. 

We’ve had a great first week – thank you for your prayers, and we are excited to see what God has in store for the remainder of this week.