"Being with God"

(from Thursday, January 27, 2011)

There are always adjustments to sleeping patterns when you travel overseas.  Often, it is the time change. Your body needs several days to get used to the new hours of sunrise and sunset.  In our case in Costa Rica, it is not the time change, but the noise of buses all night long that has made our sleep patterns erratic. With so many people unable to afford their own cars, public buses are the means of transportation for much of the population in San Jose. With a bus stop right in front of the church where we are staying, these large, noisy machines come and go 24 hours a day. Yet, while they may interrupt our sleep, they also take thousand of people a day right to the front of the Centro Cristiano Center Tiribi (Tiribi Christian Center Church of God).

I have been so impressed with the sponsors on this trip. Their genuine interest in the children and their desire to be of service has been inspiring.  Thank you, team.

Today we met the children from two churches in San Jose - Tiribi and Los Guido.  It was a wonderful time for me personally as I met with the children and parents of Tiribi, where my wife and children and I served and worshipped from 1995-1999.

Let me introduce you to Andres from Los Guido.  Andres is 12 years old.  He lives with his mother, father, two sisters, and two brothers in a community that began as a squatter settlement.  As time has passed, the lean-to shacks made of scrap metal have changed  into small cement block houses.  Andres attends the Church of God in Los Guido, where 10 children are sponsored.  Andres loves Social Studies.  He also loves futbol (soccer), like most Tico boys his age.  He plays on a team in the community on weekends.

He first really piqued our interest when he told our interview group that his favorite thing about church was the preaching.  (12 year old boys usually have other interests than preaching!). We learned a bit more about him when he told us that he wanted to be a lawyer because he wanted to help people.  And then, he brought smiles to all our faces when asked what the best thing that ever happened to him was. He responded, "Being with God." He then shared how he had accepted Christ into his life.  There was so much more to this boy than his shy smile would indicate.  A depth.  A faith.  A path.

Sponsors, I hope you can see, along with us, how influential and significant your sponsorships are.  As children are offered a helping hand by the local church, the hand that reaches out to them is actually the hand of Christ, reaching, loving, and inviting, all through your support and the loving acceptance of the local church people.  You really are being the hands of Christ.  And when children of all ages encounter those hands of love and comfort, their lives change.  They're suddenly in good hands, and life has purpose and direction.  Thank you for caring so deeply for your sponsored children.

We've taken a day off to enjoy the natural beauty of Costa Rica in the form of the beach on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.  This country is extremely blessed with evidence of God's creative genius.  We see it at every turn in the road.

Friday we will return to San Jose and continue interviewing the children from Moin and Nicoya, two communities on opposite shores.  Moin is a small community on the Caribbean coast, while Nicoya is a community on the Pacific coast.  Both groups will make long bus trips into San Jose on Saturday in order to meet with us.

It's so great having you along on our visit to Central America.  Thanks for coming with us.  Oh, and don't forget, it is your turn to do the group's dishes tonight after dinner.  :)

Dr. Paul Maxfield
Executive Dinner