Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Costa Rica la Minita!

actually that’s just a really good coffee blend I love getting from a coffee shop called Herman’s Boy in Rockford Michigan.  they also sell the coffee that’s pooped from monkeys or cats or something.  that coffee is NOT called Costa Rica la Minita.

ANYWAY – I’m headed to Costa Rica for a short, 1-week missions trip in July!  check it out:

Howdy!  Ok I’m kidding.  I can’t pull off the “howdy” greeting.  I may be living in Wyoming right now, but I am totally not “country” – not yet, anyway.  :)  I want to let you know about an opportunity I have to go to Costa Rica this summer!

Since July 2011, I have been interning with Continuous Worship ministries, a ministry my cousin (Cristine) and her husband (Paul) started in 2010.  When I first came out, we were based in Cheyenne, WY.  Recently, we’ve moved to Torrington, WY where we a part of a new church plant that started in the summer of 2011.  I am loving it!  There is a crazy hunger for God in this community.  Week after week, we continue to see new faces on Sunday morning.  As an intern, I’m getting to learn and grow in the gifts God has given me, specifically in the area of music.  Leading worship has been something I’ve felt God asking me to do for years upon years, but always told Him “no” out of fear (I love being in front of people – and that is a totally not true statement. Ha J ).  But I came to the point where I knew I had to be obedient to the passion God had placed in my heart, and be obedient with the gifts He has given me to use for His glory.

And so here I sit, in Torrington, WY.  Land of…cows.  And rodeo.  Feeling totally out of place but feeling more alive than I have in a long time.  I’m learning what it means to step out in faith, doing hard things, and relying on God’s strength and not my own – because, after all, He is shown so strong and magnificent in our weaknesses, isn’t He?  (2 Cor. 12:9)  I’ve been trying to capture some of the things on my blog, getstoked.blogspot.com – check it out!

I am really excited to share with you what God is doing in my life and ask that you would consider praying for me over the upcoming months as I prepare to head to San Jose, Costa Rica for a week in July (the 6th-14th).  

Why I am super excited for this trip:
·         I have been praying for an opportunity to go to a Spanish-speaking country for a couple years now.  I really enjoy the warm, Hispanic culture and the language.  Over the past year or so, I have been working on learning the Spanish version of worship songs.  I am hoping to be able to lead others in these songs of worship while I am in Costa Rica.
·         Of the 8 people going on this trip from our church, 6 of them have never been on a missions trip outside of the US.  I am SO excited to walk with them through this adventure, because I know how God has used these types of trips to radically change my life.  Additionally, 2 high school girls from our church are going and I am hoping to get to disciple them in and through this opportunity.
·         We are also partnering with SportReach, a ministry that uses sports as a mean to share the Gospel.  We are hoping to run a sports camp for the week we are down there and this would include volleyball – a sport I could play all day, every day if I could.  :)
·         The organization we are, E3, is dedicated to truly partnering with the churches they minister with.  This means returning to the same place over and over, building relationships and encouraging the local believers.

The cost of the trip is $2,100. $2,100 seems like a lot for a 1 week missions trip to Costa Rica, right?  After talking with those involved with E3, I now understand where the money goes.  Yes, it goes toward airfare, lodging, food, travel insurance, etc.  But it also goes toward equipping us with ministry tools (sports equipment for sharing the Gospel, eye glasses to give out at an eye clinic, Spanish Bibles, etc.) as well as equipping the local church in San Jose that we are partnering with, leaving them with resources to continue with “I am Second” small groups and other evangelism tools.

I would be incredibly blessed and strengthened if you would partner with me in praying for our team, the people in Costa Rica we will come in contact with, and for myself.   If you feel led to give financially, I would also be incredibly blessed.  If you feel God is giving you this opportunity, please send checks to our church and make a note of my name on the check or on an enclosed slip of paper: SONrise Church, PO Box 415, Torrington, WY 82240

Thank you so much for taking the time to read all this!!!

keep it real.
-Jen
E3: http://e3partners.org/ 
My email: stokedauntjen@gmail.com

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