Jaco, you have been so good to me. You have seriously become home in so many ways. I remember the first day I arrived on the bus a month ago & I saw 2 kids, a puppy & about 30 people welcoming us at the gate, cheering & throwing our packs down a line. I was put in a room with 8 people from a different squad who I didn’t even know. I slept in the rooms of my own teammates for the first 2 nights because I couldn’t imagine falling asleep in a new room and in a different country with a bunch of unknown faces. I quickly learned that God placed me in this room to produce fruit. If it wasn’t for my placement I wouldn’t have been able to share something so close to my heart with Kailee or Amanda wouldn’t have been able to check on me constantly when I was sick or I wouldn’t have had a place to get away from my squad when I wanted to be alone or had dance parties with colored lights. There was so many things about the room that I once wouldn’t even sleep in that I would’ve missed out on if I was placed with my own team room but thank God that He has direction for my life. I’ll never forget making our own meals at the property & the terrible spaghetti Cat & I made on the first night we arrived after a full travel day…. good times. Hannah, your heart is amazing. You sacrifice a lot of your own to meet each person who comes to Ocean’s Edge Ministry on a personal level. You never missed a beat & I admire your ability to know all 54 of us by name when we lived here with the 11n11 squad. I’m going to miss ministry days when we would go to the parks to paint & play with all the kids. Brandon, Matthew & Ethan, I’ll never ever forget about you boys. You have been a light in my life since the first day I met you & I pray that you grow up to know the Lord & know how much you are loved. I’ll miss your laughs fore sure. Even though you constantly broke my ankles in soccer, I’ll always want to return to the joy it brought me. The Muni, man, I’ll definitely miss the recycling center. Great times, great times. Between Horizon Church & the ministry where we live, I’m not sure which I’ll miss more. Anytime I walk on the grounds of the church or home, I instantly feel a sense of security & presence of God like no other. Thanks to those of you who created a space so perfect. Most of all, I’m going to miss the people of this town. I’ll forever think about the days I spent at the beach surfing & talking with the Rasta brothers, the early morning walks to Pachi’s to see Marlon & get the best caramel filled churros & fresh croissants, the mid day refreshing smoothies that Darlin made so fire, our amazing zip-line tour guide Daniel, man you were hilarious & the casual walks around town on our off days. It was easy to do ministry even when I wasn’t thinking about it because of all the people I would run into everyday. There’s a billion other experiences that I went through here & I would love to share more through conversation!! So feel free to ask!! Overall, I am overjoyed with month 1 of my trip. God was, is & will forever be so good. Thank you Jaco, Costa Rica for welcoming me with huge open arms. You will forever hold a spot in my heart.
God, I see the net that has been thrown over the town of Jaco. I see you in conversation, in the “pura vida” & most of all in the ministry that has been built in the center of a town that was once a hot spot for drugs, partying, sex-trafficking & prostitution. I pray that you continue to bring life to the town of Jaco & more & more people start realizing & questioning the purpose behind our hands. I know you’re presence is here & I pray that people feel it in the atmosphere. In your name, amen!!
Love always,
<3 P
