Our regular rhythm here in Costa Rica is to be told to be in the parking lot at a specific time and then we kind of just wait in anticipation about whatever the day will hold. This past week, we spent all day Thursday and half the day on Friday walking up and down the rural neighborhoods near us praying for people and giving Bibles to people that don’t have one but want one.
And Friday was a good, good day.
We got to the parking lot at 8:25 to find our very punctual brothers already there waiting for us. In the van, Jason and Chris (two of the program graduates who street witnessed with us in San Jose), along with Jacob (the intern we were with in San Jose) and the co-director of the men’s program, Tito. Myself and 4 teammates hopped in the van ready to join them in whatever our morning would look like. We picked up Mar (the woman who was also with us in San Jose) and drove far down a gravel road to a small community hidden away from tourists and Ticos (Costa Ricans) alike.
After we parked and prayed, we broke into smaller groups–I was paired with Tito and Jacob.
We had a great time walking around, learning about each other’s lives, and meeting people as we could.
We were invited into a young father’s house, a man named D*. (*name withheld for privacy) I asked him about his cross necklace, he said he wore it just because he liked the way it looks, and he proudly told me that it’s gold. I got to explain to D the significance of the cross, and ask if he’s ever thought much about God before. He told us that he knows God is protecting him, because he’d been shot and then later was in a bad accident, and he feels he should have died both times but didn’t. D told us that he smokes and drinks and feels like his heart is hard towards God, but that he feels like Jesus is going to come into his life soon. On the brink of breakthrough, is what went through my head.
The conversation made me think of the verses where Jesus says “I’m standing at the door and knocking” in Revelation 3:20.
I asked Tito to share his own testimony–once drug addicted and living on the street, now 6 years sober by the grace of God, leading a program where other men can experience freedom from addiction and sonship in Christ.
We got to pray for D and his young son, I prayed blessing over their home and D’s business. I prayed that D’s heart would be broken open to the grace and mercy of Christ. Tito got directions of where to find D’s barbershop in a nearby town.
As we walked away, Tito explained to me with joy overflowing out of him how much he loves to go to the barber shop because he always gets to share about his work, his testimony, and Jesus–even though he could get a free haircut from the guy in the program who cuts all the other guys’ hair at the house.
Our little trio got to meet an elderly Christian woman and pray for her husband who is sick and her son who is an alcoholic. Tito again shared about the men’s program and got to share the power of Jesus in his own life.
We then met a man who calls himself Catholic but doesn’t really go to church. I shared with him about how Jesus made a way for us to be in relationship with the Father God, and that God is big enough to handle every worry and concern we could ever have. I asked if there was anything that weighs heavily on his mind and heart. He immediately said yes, and we prayed for his 95-year-old dad who lives in a different part of the country. He has a trip planned in June to go visit and celebrate their birthdays together, we prayed that it would be a sweet reunion and time of celebration.
We met another man who shared with us that he used to go to church and have a relationship with Jesus, but feels now like he doesn’t have time for it. We shared with him that God is not mad at him for wandering away, and that it’s never too late to make the decision to turn back to God. Tito encouraged him to start again by reading the Proverbs. We prayed he would turn back to Christ and that his whole family would be changed because of it.
Our morning continued in this pattern, until we got to the end of neighborhood. We made our way back to the van and started the path back down the long gravel road. One of my teammates asked Tito if there was anything else we could do for the rest of the day, as we didn’t have any plans.
“Do you like pancakes?” Tito asked.
We said of course we like pancakes, and then Tito invited us over to the mens house to make pancakes and hang out with the guys. We immediately jumped at the opportunity and said yes!
So far in Costa Rica, my favorite times of “ministry” have been when we’ve gotten to spend time at the men’s program house–in Spanish, Taller del Maestro, in English, the Master’s Workshop.
31 guys live there right now, along with a small handful of other staff and interns. They’re men in various stages of a year-long discipleship and rehabilitation program. They live in a house that gives off major treehouse vibes, out in the middle of nowhere in the rainforest. They eat, sleep, work, learn, cook, worship, and pray alongside one another.
When we got to their house, the men were all in the middle of the afternoon classes. We snuck our way into the kitchen and started whipping up pancakes and coffee for our brothers in Christ. When we were ready, they took their afternoon coffee break and we served them pancakes with peanut butter and chocolate syrup (because Tito said the store didn’t have any regular syrup). A few minutes later they sat back down with their studies and we cleaned the kitchen and chatted with Tito and some of the guys who didn’t have to be in class.
At 4 o’clock, one of the guys who leads gathered all the guys into a circle and they prayed to end their time together. Then they set about cleaning the house–literally a stunning and well-oiled machine to see every little thing get done in less that 15 minutes.
Dinner started cooking and we finally had the chance to hang out and play games with the guys. I played Rummy, and then Uno, and then some of the guys taught me their version of dominoes.
Then the little dinner bell sounded and all the games were quickly tidied up.
We stood in a circle right before dinner and Tito asked the guys, “who wants to start?”
I was expecting someone to volunteer to start praying. One of the new guys volunteered and recited a Bible verse aloud. Then the guy next to him recited a different one. Then the guy next to him recited again a different verse.
A chorus of “Amen” followed each verse.
One-by-one, 35 men and the few women from my team there shared a verse from memory.
Guys who have been following the Lord for years, months, and some for only weeks reciting Old and New Testament scripture from their hearts.
To hear the 63-year-old “OG” from the streets of San Jose (who accepted Christ literally last week!!!) rattle off scripture without hesitation filled my heart.
To hear my new and once drug-addicted 23-year-old friend recite all of 1 Corinthians 13 from his heart really just blew me away.
I couldn’t help but smile at these guys–once drug dealers and addicts, some covered in tattoos and scars from their years on the streets and in prisons–now standing in front of me with more scripture buried deep in their hearts than I’ve ever had in my own.
The same guys who sit beside me at meals and ask me about my day, and joyfully and painfully tell me about their own.
The guys who always give me pointers and tips as I learn their games, simply because they want me to win once or twice (or maybe they want their buddies to lose? Not completely sure, but that’s okay).
The ones who pray boldly and with a fervor that makes your soul yearn for more of God.
The men whom my heart breaks for as I learn their stories and listen intently as they share the gospel with strangers.
12 years in the streets, addicted to cocaine and an alcoholic.
20 times in and out of jail, a drug user and dealer.
Decades as one of the most powerful drug dealers in San Jose.
Years trapped in a gang, abusing power and people.
Young guys whose lives got caught up early in the darkness of the world.
Older men who lived decades of their lives chasing money and power and women, while simultaneously numbing every emotion with every substance under the sun.
These are the guys who launch straight into the story of how Jesus changed their lives as soon as a stranger says they have a few minutes to listen to us talk.
And they’re the same guys who buy my snacks when we stop at the tiendas halfway through the day.
The ones who insist on washing my dishes after meals, and will insist that even the blandest pancakes we could ever make are the most delicious they’ve ever had.
The guys who come home after a long and tiring day walking around and selling chocolates, yet still want to tell me about how much joy they felt randomly seeing their niece for the first time in years and then about how terrified and emboldened they were to share the gospel with a woman crying by herself in the park.
The ones who laugh at just about everything and won’t give a real smile for one dang photo.
These are the guys who are seeing kingdom come in their own lives and the lives around them. They’re the ones who are chasing a Hope more real and better than anything this world, or the streets they once knew too well, could ever offer.
They’re world shakers and kingdom bringers. They’re good men, and they show me hope and love and the radical goodness and depth of the gospel.
As I finished eating dinner, Jason sat across from me with a checkers board, and another guy quickly said “I’ll play the winner.” I ended up playing a few games of checkers and without me even noticing, someone had taken my dirty dish and washed it for me.
At 7 o’clock, it was time for the evening devotional. Tito shared a word with the guys about how important it is to draw near to God during their time at the program, and warned them that it’s going to be hard to stay close to God when they’re finished and back around the distractions of the world again. Then we had about 45 minutes of worship and prayer before the final “Amen” was said.
We gave all our final high fives and fist bumps for the day, said our “see you later’s” and hopped into the van again to head back to the women’s program house that we live at.
As we drove home and I reflected on the day, I couldn’t help but marvel at these men who have endless scriptures embedded into their minds. The ones who have the truth written on their hearts.
I was stunned and convicted and encouraged to get on their level. To be able to recite the Daily Bread before eating every meal.
The men of Taller del Maestro–goodness, do they blow me away!! We jokingly (and also not really jokingly) amongst our team say “these men of God” whenever they do something heartwarming and pure, goofy and childlike, honorable and noble, strong and courageous. We’ve started translating it for them, and calling them “fuerte hombres de Dios” (strong men of God) to their faces. They normally smile and humbly try to deny the compliment.
They are definitely a group of fuerte hombres de Dios, and I think I’m going to dearly miss these brothers of mine.
Pray for:
- Tito–he’s the codirector of the men’s house and an incredible leader and man of God. Pray for wisdom and discernment for him as he leads and makes decisions. Pray for peace and strength and gentleness as he disciples the men around him to know the Lord and make the Lord known.
- the men of Taller del Maestro. They are doing something so incredibly difficult–choosing to give up the world in order to follow Jesus and find freedom from addiction. Pray for their spiritual resilience and for the peace of God to guard their hearts and minds.
- team Zeal. We have just under a week left in Costa Rica before we meet back up with the squad and continue on to the Dominican Republic. Pray that we would continue to pursue one another and hold one another accountable to what we desire to grow in.
