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Beach UMC Missionary Testimonials:
Just want to say thanks for the great experience. I have been blessed to have been able to participate or lead numerous projects and mission trips during the past 10 years. I can tell you with out a doubt this experience was at the very top – it was truly soulful – your spirit and love made it happen.
I would like to leave you with the following poem that I have kept with me for a number of years – it helps me be grounded:
“Service is the virtue that distinguished the great of all times and which they will be remembered by. It places a mark on nobility upon its disciples. It is the dividing line which separates the two great groups of the world – those who help and those who hinders, those who lift and those who lean, those who contribute and those who only consume. How much better it is to give than to receive. Service in any form is comely and beautiful. To give encouragement, to impart sympathy, to show interest, to banish fear, to build self confidence and awaken hope in the hearts of others, in short – to love them and to show it – is to render the most precious service.”
As we continue our path of service in our home land – it is important to note that God never asks about our ability or our inability - - just our availability! I believe Isaiah 6:8 says it all “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
I will pray for each one of you as you follow God’s path of Love and Human Kindness. You have a brother in me.
- Ed Perez
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God is definately working through the people serving in these missions. No one would do this just for the sake of doing it. We believe that God sent us to. Donations help, but the physical labor helped just as much. Just as much as was done for the people we spent time with there, probably more was done for us who just spent 6 days around them.
There are so many things we cannot choose in this world, who, when and where we are born is not a choice. What we do with the life we are given is a choice. Being grateful and thankful for the smallest of things, day by day, is what the Tico people do. They believe and are learning about the love of Jesus and God I am pretty sure that the think that God is providing and has sent people to making living conditions better for them, providing food, clothing and shelter. They don't plan for anything, I think they just let God provide.
Like the birds, they think about what they will eat for the day, and wash their clothes, and clean their little homes as best they can. I cant say I would change places with them, but I can say I am very thankful for the life God put before me, and will trust and try to have the faith to believe that everything happens for a reason, which is many times not in my control at all. We just have more choices than most have. If every American could have the opportunity to see the difference in being born into less, and see the difference in attitude, they should take the chance to go.
- Kimberly Hartwick
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As I packed for the Costa Rica trip, I had a very heavy heart. Going through a divorce after twelve years is not easy, especially when the other party is being hurtful and manipulative. Missing my child doesn’t make it any easier. With encouragement, though, I resigned myself to go on the trip with an open mind.
And so the adventure began…
I don’t know if I can truly express my experience with mere words but I intend to try. The week began with a little anxiousness, butterflies as I was unsure of what the week would hold. Little did I know that I was merely a vessel for His work. We toured the Bajo and saw firsthand the poor conditions of the homes but, at the same time, saw the strong spirit in the smile of the people.
The kids, waiting for us at the gate, were ready for love and play. Hours passed and relationships had been formed. The joy in their hearts can easily be seen, reflected in their faces. VBS went beautifully and, as we rode from Bolio, we could not wait to return the next morning.
We played soccer and jumped rope and had a water fight with the kids. We laughed and hugged and teased one another. Most importantly though, we were there, smiling and loving them with all that we were.
Then, the one experience that will forever change me- Little Jeffery crying. Ashley taking the four siblings home to find there was no food. And, there was a fifth child with a disability, unable to care for herself. The oldest, Jorge, is only ten and helps his mom to care for the others. Mom is doing the best she can, but cannot make it alone. We enter, bringing what we have with us, and I hand Fernando some nuts, a mere snack, a small gesture. His face lit up with such gratefulness as he threw his arms around my neck. Fernando broke my heart but restored my spirit in one simple action. I cried so many tears…but left the house a changed person.
Fernando is a free spirit, so strong, filled with love and trust and such an inspiration to me. I released all my personal burdens…I surrendered to God’s will, something I had been struggling to do. I fell in love…all over again with the innocence in this child’s face.
Surrender…such a powerful word and such a difficult thing to do. But, a five year old child taught me how…with no struggle, with no fear, he had happiness and faith in his heart.
I am so grateful for this experience, for the personal lessons and the growth I experienced on this trip, and for the wonderful relationships that were formed in this week. I have some of the most amazing friends, both here and in Costa Rica, and I am forever indebted to those that made this trip possible.
- Jennifer Kolessar |
