COSTA RICA 2017 REPORT

We're back with stories and lessons and we're ready to report back to you friends and family. But first I want to say "thank you" for partnering with us in ministry. Knowing that you were supporting us gave us tremendous confidence in our purpose and sustained our faith. While I know you want to read a 1000 page update, i'm just going to give you a 3-point highlight for your reading sanity.

I'm not sure if you know how this trip was started but it simply a testimony of God's sovereignty. Sometimes words like "fate" or "serendipity" are used to describe things that just so happen when things work out to your favor unexpectedly. Sure you can use those words but sovereignty points back to a God who knows and orchestrates all things and that was exactly what happened.

One day I needed someone to come and fix my security cameras at home and this handsome-looking technician shows up at my door and was like "Hello, i'm here to fix your cameras...is your father home?" After explaining that I was the homeowner and trying to prove my age he began to work and we naturally started to talk. I asked him what he did and he looked at me like i was stupid. Right. And then he asked me what I did and at first I wanted to say "life-coach for teenagers" (which is what I normally do when I'm not sure how receptive youth pastor will be) but I went ahead and said I worked for the church. With that response he lit up and started to talk about how he was recently build his retirement home in Costa Rica but after talking with his pastor he decided to turn it into a place for mission teams and use it as a training facility.

Few things came out of that initial conversation that I've learned. One was that every single opportunity is an opportunity to learn and listen. Again, this was a "random" afternoon where a "random" guy came to fix something for me and we had a "random" conversation. But of course God was doing something bigger than that conversation. I had also learned that he normally doesn't take service calls in my part of town and for whatever reason that day he just decides to do it.

I shared with my team while we were in Costa Rica with Luis listening in that God is always doing something. It is whether we are paying attention and joining him in his story that we get to see and experience what He's doing.

You want to know what stresses out a pastor? Take a team of 32 people out of the country during Spring Break. Our team had 12 adults and 21 students. The age range was from 7th grade to past 7th grade. Many of these attendees had never been on an international missions trip much less out of the country. Many of our students were coming without their parents and needed other adults to step in as their legal guardians.

I knew from the start that one of the biggest challenges to this trip was going to come from the internal community. Our team had loud and soft personalities. We had parents, admin, and leaders. I knew from the year that we had people on our team that had a hard time communicating with each other and would naturally avoid each other. I knew that there was going to be conflict. It was inevitable.

It was inevitable. We had times when especially we were tired or it was late that tempers would fly and patience would be tested. But this is what I was looking forward to as a pastor. Not that I wanted people to fight or there to be drama but that I was able to walk through this with our people. Why? Because this is what community really is. It is a group of people doing life together and that life includes that good and the bad yet we covenant with each other to see it through and accomplish our mission. This team was a small picture of what we're trying to do as CBC Youth day in and day out. We're trying to show the world that no, we don't always get along but yes, there is a love that supersedes even our own wants and our own preferences. It is the love given to us by Christ that not only binds us together but sets us on a path together to accomplish our mission.

If you see it like that, then yes, our team was perfect.

Want to know what is one of my favorite things to witness as a youth pastor? Students stepping in to do something they didn't even know they could do.

There were multiple times on this trip where I had asked our juniors and seniors to step up and lead and without hesitation or reservation they met and exceeded expectation. We had them lead work projects, devotionals, come with us to train local youth pastors in the slums, and disciple their own youth.

I don't even know if they know this but I saw a lot of their former training come out. They knew how to articulate theology, implement leadership responsibilities, and do what they have been trained to do. If you're a leader who works with youth, I always want to encourage you that what you're investing in is never in vain. While it may be frustrating on the day to day level, continue to be faithful for you don't know when and in what context the student you're investing in will turn around and disciple others. In the meantime, give them opportunities to lead, resources to digest, and shower them with love that binds all of this together. These youth are NOT the future of the church, they are the CHURCH and it is our responsibility to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry."

We've easily met all of our expectations on this trip (vision casting, building local and internal community, partnering with local churches, and meeting real physical/spiritual needs). Our next step now is to pray through how we're going to continue to support Luis and this organization.

If you are a team leader, parent, or anyone who is interested in a very practical trip please talk to me or any of our team members who went on this trip and we've love to tell you more. Blessings

Website: http://laranch.org/
Location: Santa Isabel de río cuarto 100 mts este de la plaza
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Laranchcostarica/