“Generacion De Fuego” - A Post By Jennifer

If waking up was not a big enough blessing then definitely today’s experience was. We started off the day gathering food supplies and basic necessities that we would need to deliver to the homes. After fitting everything we needed into the vans we loaded up and headed out on our journey to bless others. When we got to the church the first thing I saw was “generacion de fuego” meaning a generation on fire and that’s exactly why we were there, to be the generation on fire for GOD with a willingness to serve. We plopped ourselves down on the warm tiled floor and listened to our translator as we were introduced to a few members of the church that would be joining us on our journey. Like clowns into a clown car everyone packed into the van and we were on our way. Being squished in was not even on our minds as we sat in silence thinking of what was about to come. As we traveled, in the distance the once small blurs became clear houses of tin and wood. As we drove through the bumpy narrow roads we came to a stop in front of what looked to us like rusty tin barely adequate to provide shelter from the outside world and yet to these people they called it home. Not one of us could fathom what our eyes would see and then stepping into the house was when reality set in that the stuff we see on commercials about poverty was real. The situations that these families are in was more then I expected to see but what surprised me more was the positivity and delightfulness these people covered us in as we stepped into their homes. We were given the opportunity to bring food, clothing, and basic essentials and yet after giving these families these things we had only wished that we could keep giving. Children couldn’t go to school because they didn’t own shoes, single mom’s struggled to provide for 6 children because the father had left or in one case was in jail because he didn’t have enough money to pay the bills. Before leaving each home we asked what we could pray for and as we layed a hand on each member of the family you could see tears making a path through the thin layer of dirt covering their face as each tear hit the ground as the prayer came to a closing.  After saying our goodbyes still wishing we could give more, we were greeted by children walking on the streets. We gave out lollipops and stamps and even with the littlest of things like a lollipop or a stamp they were happier then a child back home receiving a new X BOX or an iPhone. This made me personally realize how gratefully blessed I am to have what I have and sometimes I have everything I want and yet I’m not as happy as that little girl who received a toothbrush and toothpaste. Coming out of our last house Ben, our youth pastor, asked me to pray over the family of 11 living in one hut and as I prayed I choked because even though I knew how strong prayer was I only wish I could have done more, I had so much to say and yet I couldn’t speak. After Laurie gracefully continued the prayer tears streamed down my face as we walked off leaving them a blur in the distance, and as we stumbled back into the van the thought of what we just laid our eyes upon still lingered in our heads as a cloud of silence fell throughout the van while continuing on to our next adventure to the most magnificent waterfall. After feasting on our PB&J sandwiches we headed down a rocky path to our destination as the growing roar of water filled our ears. When reaching the waterfall the water was first cold and yet relaxing due to the location and scenery. As the end came near we could all at least say we crossed off our bucket list that we jumped through a waterfall and lived to tell the tale! As we headed back up the rocky path, which seemed far more difficult now that we were going up hill, the reality of everything that we have been doing in Costa Rica was for a purpose. Yes we have had our time of fun activities and we have also had our time of doing Gods work and that is a blessing all on its own, knowing that God put our Harvest youth ministry in Costa Rica has made all the difference in not only my life but the life of others and I could not have asked for a better day here! So to reiterate, waking up was a blessing, but getting the opportunity to do what we did today was a blessing and so much more. - Jen