YOUTH BLOG UPDATE - Only 10 days to go!
This week has been a very exciting one in terms of preparation (although the learning Spanish hasn’t really happened...!)
Firstly, we received some more specific project details from Latin Link about what we’ll be getting up to with them. The highlight for me is that we’re going to be working with an indigenous community of the Bribi tribe, who are not only an almost completely unwesternised people group, but they have had very little contact with the rest of Costa Rica, to whom they are known as ‘the hidden people’. This isolation means they have a really rich Latin American culture, but at the expense of poor health care and education. Apparently it is only in the last few years that the Bible has begun to be translated into their language, so it is an exciting time there. We will be involved in a construction project and will be supporting a local indigenous church there – although I’m not sure how!
Secondly, everyone has been allocated roles on the team, and I’m chuffed with my roles as ‘report writer’ and ‘main devotions co-ordinator’. As report writer I’ll be in charge of putting together a group diary to track our adventures and what God’s been teaching us and how we’ve been seeing him working throughout our time in Costa Rica. It also means that I’ll be sending back weekly emails to Latin Link when we’re on their projects, and this will go on a blog on their website. As main devotions co-ordinator I will be deciding how we shall study the Bible and build each other up in our faith while we’re there, which is a massive task, and I would love it if you could pray for me and for the team as we meet together each day.
And thirdly, we had a group team meeting for the first time, as Becky doesn’t live in Oxford like the rest of us, she travelled up especially, and we had a great time having fun, planning, and praying together. What is really special is that everyone is committed to this project and we share the same desire of wanting to go and just love people, and hope that God will change our hearts into more loving ones in the process. It’s really just been a good week: people continue to be astoudingly generous with their money, I’ve had my last injection, and sun cream is buy one get one free in Boots!
Ciao!
BLOG POST: ONE DAY TO GO!
It's been a crazy week which has looked a bit like this: Oxford --> Malmesbury -
-> Oxford --> Belfast --> Oxford --> Swindon, and tomorrow is the day that I
fly for the more exciting destination of Costa Rica!
The team went to Belfast on Friday and Saturday for a training session, and we
had a great time hanging out together, getting to know each other better, and
praying together. We also thought about just why we're going to Costa Rica and
how to make sure we keep fixed of being Christ-like in all that we do; how as
individuals we should relate to each other as a team, and how as a team we
should relate to the Latin American communities that we meet. Living in close
proximity to the same 7 people for 5 1/2 weeks is going to be a real challenge,
and we are expecting God to teach us a lot about ourselves, each other, and
about sacrificial love for one another.
We also spent some time becoming more familiar with Latin American culture, for
a better understanding of its people. One thing that particuluarly struck me
was their completely different approach to time. An example of this is that if -
on the way to church - the pastor met someone who he hadn't seen for a long
time - who perhaps had stopped coming to church - he would stop and talk to
them, even if it made him extremely late for the church service he was supposed
to be leading. This is because in Latin America people are considered more
important than events. This is an attitude that I think I could benefit from
taking on board a little bit.
So with great excitement, and a little bit of nervousness about what I may have
forgotten, I write from England for the last time in six weeks!
I would love it if you could pray for:
* a safe and straight forward flight and arrival at the Educacion Plus office
tomorrow.
* that I would pick up more Spanish easily and be able to communicative
sufficiently
* to place all my trust in God, and open all of myself up to be used by him,
even when it's scary
Thank you so much for your prayers, they are worth so much.