Investing in Eternity: There are no strangers, there are no outcasts, there are no orphans of God

My sister, Candace, shared this song with me yesterday. I had just gotten home from our trip up north to the Guanacaste area and this was such a strong reminder to me that there are no strangers, outcasts, and orphans with God. Many of the men, women, and children that we work with on the streets or within villages have no example of a loving parent in their life. It is my heart that everyone of them would come to know the unconditional, constant, selfless, and all-surpassing love of our Father and Lord.

This past week we had the opportunity to share this love with a small fishing village near the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border - Cuajiniquil. We were holding a safety fair at the public elementary school where we raised awareness about sexual abuse. A friend of the girls let us borrow his car for our trip, and Megan was voted our driver since she was the only one who knew how to drive a manual car (note to self: learn how to drive a manual when I get home)! It takes about 4 hours to get to Coco from San Jose. We were so blessed to be able to stay in a cabin that is next door to a family who was our contact and access into Cuajiniquil. It is such a beautiful area up north, and this family showed us such generosity. Wednesday night we put 300 snack bags together for the children filled with juice, cookies, and candy. The next morning we woke up at 5:30am and headed farther north about an hour to this small fishing village. The safety fair was run almost like a VBS. Anna gave a message to the children first and taught them 4 key points - my body is my own, body secrets are bad secrets, touches are for the whole world to see, and I have the right to say no. After the lesson, the children (1st-6th) were split into 4 groups and rotated between games, crafts, snacks, and face painting. There were 300 children, and half went to school from 7:30-12, and the other half went to school from 12:30-5. I was in charge of games, and was filled with love as I watched these children smile and laugh, which many may not have done in a while. It was such an exhausting day, but hearing some of the responses from the counselors, teachers, and children at the school showed that God's love is needed in this forgotten area. Anna was telling us that because this little village is hidden away, darkness has been allowed to dwell in this area and drug/sexual abuse are rampant. We had a time where the children could ask questions, and Anna told me that one little boy said, "I feel pain in my heart and I don't know why." Another asked, "who can I trust and who can I tell if something happens?" Yet another little one questioned, "Is it wrong if my uncle is touching me?" These precious children have been exposed to things far beyond their years, and all I can do is close my eyes on the bus ride home and yell out in my thoughts, "why has this been allowed to happen!?" We live in a fallen, broken, sinful world where darkness has permeated, but we have a light within us that shines brighter than the darkest places. When we left the school that evening, Anna told us that one of the school counselors said that out of the 280 students, 80 have filed sexual abuse reports, and 16 of which consisted of rape. This is only the amount that has been reported. It was painful to think back about all the boys and girls that I played with that day laughing, smiling, and yelling....that these same children have been and were being abused. When we left, they were all asking "when are you coming back!?" It made it easier to leave knowing that this safety fair was only the beginning of a partnership between LightForce and Cuajiniquil. God is bringing hope, restoration, and healing to this small fishing village tucked away in the corner of Costa Rica.

We left bright and early Friday morning to head to Conchal, where Laura and Anna were meeting with a connection there. Megan and I got to explore this beautiful beach during that time.....what a treat! As we left Playa Conchal to head home, Megan said that the clutch was being weird and the car was having to rev to get up the hills. We stopped three times and called all the guys that we knew in the area that might now something about cars. We had to pull into a gas station where they told us that the clutch and gear box needed to be replaced. We had to drive all the way back to Liberia (only going 40mph) where the Toyota dealership was and leave the car there. The Lord was looking out for us, because Pati used to live in Liberia and had friends there that we could stay the night with. We had to take the local bus the next day home with all of our luggage and equipment. It was a long and exhausting trip home, but as I wrote in my journal waiting for the bus, the Lord was saying, "patience Brooke, I am teaching you patience." When things don't always go perfectly according to plan, will I still declare, "God you are good ALL the time?" That night we went out on the street to minister to the prostitutes, and about 15min. into the trip, we ran over a sharp metal embankment and blew a tire. We all got out and at this point began to laugh because of how many car problems we were having. :) Ironically, one of the main pimps in San Jose ended up coming to our rescue because we didn't have a jack in the van with us. When I was up in Coco, I read the passage in Romans 8 titled "More Than Conquerors." Throughout all these setbacks, God's voice was in my ear saying, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose." ALL THINGS, even broken down buses, broken clutches, and popped tires. My beautiful friend, Christine Bolander, is doing similar work in Gulu, Uganda this summer with women and children from the Congo who have been in sex trafficking. She wrote in her last blog about finding joy in the Lord, and not in your location, circumstances, friends, family, or activities. I think I will take her wise advice and have my joy rooted solely in the Lord.

Cambiare mi tristeza, cambiare mi verguenza, los entregare por el gozo de Dios!
I'm trading my sorrows, I'm trading my shame, I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord!