Guapiles is located on the Caribe side of Costa Rica. Being tropical it is much warmer and humid compare to the high altitude location of San José (the capital), or the Orosi valley. Ginette and I were invited by a local pastor to visit and help this newly started local church (about two years). The weekend was ‘busy’ but fruitful and full of God’s blessings. As the guest speaker, I was involved in two main events; bringing a gospel message at the Youth Rally and Sunday preaching. What a blessing to see a young man of 18 and a young girl of 7 years old responding to the invitation to receive Jesus as their personal Savior. 

On Sunday morning, about 95 people, including then children, were present. Church service lasted only two hours, instead of three, as usual. God moved in the life of the people. After service, a middle age business man came crying asking prayer for his adult daughter that doesn’t follow the Lord presently. Pastor José and is wonderful family, and this church will remain very closed to my heart. I would not be surprised that God would call me back to visit them again.

After Church we were invited into Don Cambronero’s house; there we tasted some very typical Tico’s meal. I also learned that coo water is very good to lower high blood pressure. Costa Rican are very joyful people, probably the happiest in the world. We will certainly miss these great brothers and sisters in the Lord. But thank God that for all eternity we will live together in heaven. Next time you buy a pineapples from Costa Rica, it came from that part of Costa Rica.

Guapiles is a tropical town is located in the province of Limon. It is located on the Caribe side of Costa Rica. Being tropical it is much warmer and humid compare to the high altitude location of San José (the capital), or the Orosi valley. Ginette and I were invited by a local pastor to visit and help this newly started local church (about two years). The weekend was ‘busy’ but fruitful and full of God’s blessings. As the guest speaker, I was involved in two main events; bringing a gospel message at the Youth Rally and Sunday preaching. What a blessing to see a young man of 18 and a young girl of 7 years old responding to the invitation to receive Jesus as their personal Savior. 

On Sunday morning, about 95 people, including then children, were present. Church service lasted only two hours, instead of three, as usual. God moved in the life of the people. After service, a middle age business man came crying asking prayer for his adult daughter that doesn’t follow the Lord presently. Pastor José and is wonderful family, and this church will remain very closed to my heart. I would not be surprised that God would call me back to visit them again.

After Church we were invited into Don Cambronero’s house; there we tasted some very typical Tico’s meal. I also learned that coo water is very good to lower high blood pressure. Costa Rican are very joyful people, probably the happiest in the world. We will certainly miss these great brothers and sisters in the Lord. But thank God that for all eternity we will live together in heaven.

At the beginning of my trip in Costa Rica, my blood pressure went quit high. As a result I had to cancel a few engagements, modify my medicine prescription, and rest! When you are away from home, very easily we can become concern. After you’ve been praying and planning, and not able to achieve your goals can be frustrating! But we need to remember that God in His sovereignty had already everything under control. To begin with I must admit that the health system here in Costa Rica is really good. What surprises me the most is how the doctor treats you; I didn’t feel like a case number, but a person. Dr. Salgado truly cares for their patient.

So how did God manifest His sovereignty? Well-being in a Bible school environment, you take for granted that most people would have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. But that’s not the case! Suddenly in the midst of a group of wonderful young people, there was a young 18 years old German young man. We invited him to go come joint the group in the living room. After introducing each other, the conversation rapidly turn about the person of Jesus. He shared that he came from a Protestant background family, but that he moved to become a Humanist instead. Frederic (fictive name) obviously didn’t seem to have a personal walk with the Lord Jesus; but was a very delightful person.   The discussion was respectful yet very open; Frederic had very intelligent and honest questions about Christ. We’ve made certain that it was more about a relationship with Jesus than simply observing religious rituals.

In his book ‘Show and Then Tell: Presenting the Gospel through Daily Encounters’ Kent Humphreys comment that, “He (God) placed you where you are and He knows why He put you in that place”. That helps me accept my limitations and understood that God kept me from traveling to my appointments, because He had plan a time for me to have time with that young German man. I could easily be upset! Yet, instead it is so encouraging to see God’s hand leading our life in so many details, details that we don’t always understand. Lately I read that <Our plan ‘B’ our often God’s plan ‘A’.> Is in it good news?

In my last post I shared that “God uses both planned and totally unplanned situations to bring people to Himself. We just have to be sensitive to what God is doing and to what part He wants us to play in His plans.”  I do not say that it is easy, we normally like to keep things organized and under control. Learning to be sensitive to what God is doing is a learning process.

Today I had to go all by myself to the pharmacy by bus. This seem a rather simple process in our own country, but when the country you are visiting is not speaking your own language, it could be a challenge. On my way back, walking in a narrow street, I meet two men. The youngest one was in need of a walker. So I stop to have time with them, using my extreme limited Spanish, I ask him what happened. He explain that he got shoot four years ago. I notice that he had some tattoos, one of them was a face representing Jesus. At first I ask him to explain the meaning of the other tattoos; then I focus on the one representing the face of Christ. I told him the importance of trusting Jesus as Savior. I wish that I could go explain the gospel in more details using the Wordless Book, but my limited Spanish did not allow me.

That unplanned situation was a highlight in my day!  A good friend of mine gave me a very timely Bible for this trip; it is called “The Traveler’s Devotional Bible”. In Mark chapter 2 the author ask this question, What will it take for Jesus to get you to get going?

Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word.” Proverbs 16:1

Prophet Jeremiah used different words to communicate the same idea, “O Lord, I know that the way humans act is not under their control. Humans do not direct their steps as they walk.” (Jeremiah 10:23)

On July 8 we finally arrived to Costa Rica!  But, “my” nice elaborate plans weren’t working as schedule. The morning schedule for departure, my blood pressure went way up! I was starting to question if it was wise to fly that day. I never before experienced such problem.  But, by faith, we believed that God lead us so far in this trip; so we got aboard the plane. To be honest, it was not with some concern. We finally made it to San Jose; what a joy to be received by our youngest daughter Ruth and her wonderful friends from Torchbearers Bible School.

After relaxing a few days, because how I felt and because a Tropical storm taking place in the Caribe side of Costa Rica, it became obvious that I couldn’t keep my first engagement, it has to be postponed. I feel sorry for Pastor Jose and all the trouble he went to received us. Ginette had a sewing class booked and I was responsible to train Christian’s on how to do street evangelism and peach that Sunday.

The following Monday I was directed to a medical clinic called “Jerusalem Hospital”. Dr. Salgado took such a good care; he is a pleasant man, able to communicate in English. New medications were prescribed, and time to relax in the beautiful environment of Portantorchas. (http://www.portantorchas.org/english/index.htm)

What do you do when a project doesn’t go the way “you” had plane? Well a person could panic, or better, learn to trust God.  In his book Show and Then Tell: Presenting the Gospel through Daily Encounters, Kent Humphreys said “God uses both planned and totally unplanned situations to bring people to Himself (serendipity). We just have to be sensitive to what God is doing and to what part He wants us to play in His plans.”

Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will share more about amazing encounters God allow me to experience in Costa Rica.

Brigitte Marcelin, une très cher ami à nous, a écrit dans sa dernière lettre de nouvelles c’est quelques lignes. “À trente ans d’écart, une jeune femme suit les traces de ses parents. Jean et Ginette Gaucher partaient en 1984 pour servir au Bénin avec la SIM. En 2014, Anne Jisca leur fille, son mari Josiah et leur trois beaux enfants partent pour servir au Niger. Que c’est touchant de voir les parents aider aux derniers préparatifs et revivre à travers leur fille ce qu’ils ont vécu trente ans plus tôt ! Et c’est encourageant de voir cette famille qui a su transmettre cet héritage et cette vision missionnaire.” Un grand merci à Brigitte pour ses paroles fort encourageantes. Notre fille Anne Jisca ainsi que Josiah sont arrivé sain et sauf à leur destination jeudi le 3 Juillet 2014. Je dois avouer que sans la grâce de Dieu rien n’aurait été possible.