Crossing a Creek with Celebration!

Sunday - 23

Church was amazing again with the amazing Spanish worship and the great message by Pastor Miguel! I am really learning all the Spanish songs here and am able to sing the songs without looking. One of my favorite things here in Costa would have to be being able to worship in Spanish. God knows all languages and it’s just amazing to be able to have the ability to do so now!

In the afternoon the Celebration team went to Lagunilla to do kids ministry and pour into the kids there. We have truly been blessed to already have gained so many great relationships with families down there in the 3 weeks we have been doing down there!

We ended the day with dinner and chapel at night.

Monday – 24

This morning, we took the team back to San Martín since it was close by and we needed to get to the feeding center kinda early (read: actually on time) today. The feeding center was pretty awesome because today was the first time that we had the team sit down with the men and women on the bottom floor. Usually we have the teams sit on the top floor during feedings because usually the groups are too large to put everyone down there, but this time we were able to have everyone there.

After lunch, we went to Juan Pablo for the first time since I’ve been back this year. It was incredible.

For those of you who don’t know, Juan Pablo is where Spencer first started getting really heavily involved here in Alajuelita. And because of that, some of our most long-standing friendships are in Juan Pablo, including Victor and Cynthia and their family. The only problem with Juan Pab is that, at some point, the people there began to see everything that we were doing for the community and treating it as something they deserved instead of a blessing. People began to expect us to do favors for them or give them things, and when we didn’t they became angry. And so because of that, we were kinda forced to retreat from there for a while. But over the past year we’ve been rebuilding a healthy relationship with the community, and hopefully we’ll be able to start seeing the fruits of that relationship again

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At any rate, it was incredible being able to go back there, even though it rained. I was able to see a lot of my good friends again. The team loved it as well, so hopefully we’ll be heading back again sometime in the next few days

Tuesday – 25

In the morning we went to Verbena. We split into two different groups. One being medical and another doing kids ministry. Verbena is my favorite community (You have heard that many times I’m sure… but its true!!) and everything time I love playing with the kids, especially one kid named, Jeremy, love him so much!

In the afternoon, we went back to Juan Pablo and were able to bless a family that the group knew from years past with food. We also got to play with the kids in the community house because it rained.

We ended the day with dinner and chapel, were Kyle and Brandon lead worship and Spencer preached.

Wednesday – 26

The Celebration Women’s group, Brandon, and I got the opportunity to climb the mountain to the 3 crosses in the morning. It was an amazing experience. It took from 7:30 in the morning to about 1:00 in the afternoon to climb and get back to the team house. It was amazing to be able to see another part of God’s Creation here in Costa. The View was amazing and to be able to see the beauty God created was incredible!

At the first Cross - Cross Hike

Brandon and I at the Second Cross - Cross Hike

Big Cross at the top of the mountain! - Cross Hike

Brandon and I at the top of the Mountain! - Cross Hike

In the afternoon the Cross Creek team arrived as well as Spencer. We had orientation and a prayer walk to round out the afternoon.

Thursday – 27

This morning we all went down to Tiribi for the feeding center/kids ministry. One thing that happened today that was really cool was that Spencer starting finding out who owned some of the empty land close to the bottom of the community, and he began to talk with him about the possibility of 6:8 renting out some of the area to build a playground for the kids that’s near the area where we hold our feeding center. I’d love to see that idea follow through.

Playing basketball in Lagunilla

This afternoon, we took the team down to Lagunilla where we began to repaint the existing playground equipment and construct some of the equipment that had fallen by the wayside over the past several years. I’m excited to see Lagunilla have two basketball goals that actually have good hoops as opposed to one hoop missing and the other barely hanging on. Also, it was just good to be doing something constructive. As much as I love kids ministry, I love building things and seeing something tangible being done!

Painting the playground in Lagunilla 

Jacob and Caleb with the kids in Lagunilla

Friday - 28

On Friday, the Cross Creek team and staff started painting and fixing up the playground in a community called Lagunilla. I had an interesting fall from about 15 feet while painting and scratched my back up pretty well. Spencer and I came back to the team house to clean it up and while Spencer was going back to the medicine cabinet to get something I took another fall, I fainted. From the words of Spencer, "You fell and smacked your lip on the speaker and then smacked your neck on the desk and fell to the ground!" I was fine; I just don't like the sight of blood, but makes for another great story to add to my fainting story list!

In the afternoon, Victor and I went to the airport to pick up the South Dakota boys, Caleb and Jacob! I was super excited and greeted them with some Spanish; they acted like they weren't impressed! In rest of the afternoon, I got them settled in and we had dinner and chapel.

Saturday - 29

On Saturday I had the opportunity to visit the future site of the soon to come Children’s Ranch. We left at 6 o'clock in the morning and started our two hour journey. After a beautiful drive through the rainforest, which included driving over several sketchy bridges, we made it to our destination; a resort near the Children's Ranch property. We had a quick breakfast and headed to the stable to hop on a horse and ride to the property. I named my horse Betsey, which is the greatest name you can name a horse and she got the job done. We then rode our horses through the beautiful rainforest to a waterfall where we went swimming and had lunch. After lunch we took a tractor ride back to the resort in the pouring rain. 

Part of the waterfalls near the ranch - Horseback Ranch Ride

Caleb, Jacob and I at the ranch! 

It was amazing to be able to see the Ranch for the first time! This ranch is going to be amazing, and it will change the lives of so many kids that grow up so disadvantaged from a lot of kids. With this ranch, we can take those kids out of that situation and give them a good education and a Christian foundation, which in turn will break the system or cycle of poverty! God will use this ranch and I pray that many of my friends and my Church will someday get on board with this ministry; it is going to be huge! If you want to know, message me, and if you want to support this ministry let me know! If you didn't know, I totally indorse this ministry and have put my stamp of approval on it. I will be helping and supporting it for years to come, so why not join me?!

Riding Horse at the Ranch!

Riding in the Ranch

Looking back at this week, there has been many different things that have come to mind. I have had the topic of Radical Christianity and what that means for the "American Dream". What if we lived for what was eternal everyday of our lives and not just on Sundays or Wednesdays. What if we lived for a purpose far from our own? What if we lived for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that showed us many times that servant hood is the Kingdom of God? WHAT IF we threw the "American Dream" and focused on what truly mattered... Radical Obedience to Jesus and His calling in your life! So I ask you this, "Are you living the American Dream or are you living for the Dream of the American Dream? Either way, it leads to a path that many will follow and many will go. Will you choose the path that is narrow and that isn't full of just dreams but PROMISES?

Until Next Time,

Cody Perman