Coming Home From Costa Rica

Coming back, there is so much to think about. As I came home yesterday on the plane, I really did see the change there is between here and there. So much is different. We really do have so much more than them, and so much of it is just a big distraction from who God really is. When I was there, I saw God in the smiles of the people, in the beauty of nature, in the thunder and in the lightning, in the rainfall, and in the sunsets and sunrises and so much more. There was so much during my trip that made God so evident in what He was doing. I couldn’t begin to tell you how much we have.

I have always heard people talk about this kind of stuff when they came home, but I never really took it seriously, but looking at it, there really is so much more that we have that so many people don’t. But is it really of any good? I mean, yes, it’s great that we are so blessed by having so much, but is it really any good to us? When I was in Costa Rica, there really was never a time when I missed anything here. I mean, sure I didn’t really love the fact that we had cold showers every morning, or that we had to throw our toilet paper away instead of flushing it. I mean yes, I didn’t really like it at first, but, there is so much more to the people down there. They are full of so much love and God is present in a million and one different ways.

I don’t understand how our world can be so different when I only spent 5 hours on a plane to get there. I’m not really sure what to think. I learned so much during the trip. One of my main things I learned was about the many parts of the body. There really are so many jobs that the body has and must do. In our team, I really saw so many different parts of the body. Without each one we wouldn’t have been able to do the many things that we were able to do. We had all of the many people who could make us laugh till our stomach’s hurt, but to contrast, we had the people who really wanted to run after the Word, and were serious about what they were doing. We had the mixture of people who could speak Spanish in their sleep and the others who struggled to even get a few words in Spanish out. We had people who wanted to lead, people to follow, people to sing, and people to play guitar, people to listen and people to talk. We had people full of energy and others quiet and watching. Although there was so much to us, we all formed one perfect body.

Our group leader, Mr. Stoner was talking about on Sunday night (the day before we left) that when we go home, things are probably going to be the same as when we left. People here aren’t going to have changed and they aren’t going to be able to understand the things that you went through, because they weren’t there to experience it. At first, I didn’t think that was true, but now I see just how true it is. When I came home, I didn’t feel anything. I felt the same way I did when I left. Nothing had changed. None of the people here had gone through a dramatic change in their life, like I had watched time and time again in Costa Rica. I saw and even began to feel many of the same pain I had felt the day I left, and many of the same emotions, but yet I was changed.

Honestly, when I was down in Costa Rica, I didn’t feel like anything had changed at all. I felt as through what went on was nothing, but when I came home, I saw that I was wrong. God had opened my heart and given me a passion to love the people down in Costa Rica. Maybe I couldn’t take away the pain they felt, and maybe I couldn’t give them all the attention that I knew they needed, but I could give them Jesus. I could share with them, even if it was only for a brief moment the love of Jesus and who He was. I could share with them what He had done in me, and they could see who He was and some of the many things He could do, in a life that allows Him to live and dwell.

The way they would stop and watch when we came into a room is still vivid in my mind. The way they wanted to be with us, and wanted to make us feel at home. The way they desired to hear each word we spoke, and the passion they had for the love of God. But coming home, people aren’t like that. People don’t have a huge passion for the love of God, or desire to know Him, or any of that. They don’t know who God is, and they don’t see Him.

When I came home and sat down to think, I realized that I didn’t want to let this just be another thing I let float away and pretend nothing happened. I am trying so hard to cling to all that happened, and all of the joy that was so present in Costa Rica. Not only that, but also the passion that I felt and all of the love and energy I felt for the Gospel, and how I had no fear about anything that I was going to say. It all was something that I want to continue, bu I’m not sure how.

I saw God work in amazing ways down in Costa Rica, and I felt closer than I have in a long time with all of the amazing people that were around me, and loving and supporting me. I felt as though I finally had that place where I belonged and it was all right, and perfect. However, back here, there is so much distraction that begs to in my way, but I don’t want to let it. I want to chase after God and only God and not let any of life get in my way. I want to know God more and more and not let Costa Rica be where I just leave all I learned behind and move on, but I want to continue to grow and serve God.

But how?