We stopped first at a park where the transvestite prostitutes stand. These are males who dress as females, and Laura thinks that many of the transvestites are trafficked into Costa Rica; whereas, the women prostitutes are working this business on their own. However, every single one of the women we talked to had been sexually abused as a child, and within CR, the statistics show that 1 in 3 children are sexually abused. These individuals are exploited as young children, and when they have no money and need to feed their families, they run to what they know - the streets. We took turns getting out of the van (2 or 3 at a time) to go talk. Everyone was so friendly and accepted coffee, tea, and cookies and openly talked to us about their situation. Costa Rica is a very sensual culture, but at the same time, sex is taboo and these women are shamed by their business. They don't have people just come up and talk to them as friends, they are seen as objects to be used. One woman told me (in Spanish) "you don't know how standing here on this corner strips every bit of dignity you have." Another girl we talked to was twenty and already had two kids - she had been on the streets since she was 13. One women was 53 and had 9 children. I could go on and on with their stories, all heartbreaking, but Jesus came to bring hope to the hopeless and healing and love to the brokenhearted. The mission of LightForce is to bring light into dark places. San Jose is very dangerous at night, and the places we are in you can feel the darkness and evil presence. However, God's light and protection surrounded us as we shared His love with these people.
Sunday we woke up early and rode with Ricardo y Jimena to a church in Coronado, a small town beside the mountains. When we walked into church, I felt a love for these people and I didn't even know them. Everyone worshiped with hands raised, dancing, singing, hugging, and crying. It was so refreshing - no one was worried about what others would think. It was from 10-2, and I took in every minute. I LOVE Spanish praise music, it is beautiful. This Sunday the church had a missionary from Arkansas (currently doing work in Mexico) preach the message. He was done with his message and before he went to sit down, he looked at me and said, "girl in the white shirt." I was so surprised because he called me out of the entire church in a crowd of people. He said to me, "God gave me a word that I need to tell you...missionary. He is telling you to pursue missions and to listen to His calling for your life." I didn't know what to say or do, because I knew it was God's confirmation that my life was meant to serve Him in missions. I began to cry because this is what I have desired for so long, and God spoke to me through someone I don't even know to not fear the future and that He has a calling on my life. I have never had someone speak so directly into my life from God. I am reading through Acts right now, when the first missionaries are commissioned, and they performed signs and wonders. Many times we place God in a box and limit his power, but He is still capable of miracles, signs, and wonders. I don't want to limit God, I want Him to open the floodgates of heaven and let it rain on my life, the lives of the men and women in Costa Rica, my friends back at school, and the whole world.
"I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness" (Isaiah 42: 6-7).
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| view from my apartment, overlooking San Jose |
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| view looking out of my apartment door |
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| view from our front window (2nd floor of the apartment building) |
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