A Story of the Lord Bringing HOPE to the Hopeless.

A Story of the Lord Bringing HOPE to the Hopeless.

by Bethany Joy, CFCI Short-term missionary to Costa Rica

(from her blog) 

I know I just wrote, but I have to tell you about something very special that the LORD did yesterday. It is all because of Him and HIS faithfulness, praise The Lord.  It's going to be kind of a long story, but all parts must be told because I just think its so cool to see how each part worked together for the Lord's plan, so hang in there! :)

Yesterday morning started out how my days normally start out, a shower, some breakfast, and some time in the Word and praying.  I was reading in Scripture about Paul, Moses, Job, and David and about how they (although not perfectly) were faithful to The Lord.  How they followed The Lord day after day.  And so, I prayed for The Lord to help me follow Him and trust Him with whatever the day held.  Also, as I was teaching the children the Bible story about Moses the simple, rich truths struck me anew.  "God was with Moses and helped Moses to obey Him."  Dear Lord, I prayed, help me to obey you today.  Also, as I read from Jesus Calling on my bus ride to Carpio, God reminded me to be in constant communion with Him throughout my day.  So throughout the day I talked with Him.  About the kids who were having trouble paying attention, the last minute changes in plans that are always occurring, and a myriad of random things.

After English in the morning, Lindsay and I joined Jenna and some girls at the local theme park for a day of fun and fellowship.  Although, because I had eaten Pizza on our break day in San Jose, the past couple days I've felt pretty bad.  So I was very unsure about how the roller coasters and the twisty, nauseating rides were going to work with my already unset stomach. I went on the first one, and felt a bit nauseous, so I was debating going on the next ride.  So, while I was in line I was debating if twirling upside down and all around would be okay or not.  So, I talked to my Abba about it and what I should do.  I didn't want to be a party pooper and felt pressure to go, but I was just very unsure.   While praying I just really felt like The Lord didn't want me to go on the ride, which I thought was because of my stomach, so I walked backwards out of the line and stepped to the side to wait.

All of the sudden, this older man walked up to me and asked me if I spoke Spanish.  I told him only a little and so then he started talking to me in English.  He went to The United States to learn about community development in Idaho and had done community development work in El Salvador and a couple other places, but is a Tico himself.  Then he asked me why I was here, visiting friends, touring places, etc.  So, I told him why I came.  To teach English to kids in Carpio and help Christ for the City.  I told Him that The Lord brought me here and that I wanted to share the joy, peace, and hope with those I encounter here that The Lord has given me even after this very rough past year with the deaths of Mrs. Joyner (one of my best friend's momma) and Samuel (my good friend and mentors first born baby boy).  He thanked me for being so open and then began to tell me about the tough road he's had.  

Meanwhile, his friends had finished riding so he began to leave, but they decided to go again and he didn't want to, so we continued to talk.  After talking for a while I had found out that after having a hard time meshing the community development work he was doing with all the poverty and problems in the world and became discouraged about it, and so he began to drink.  I'm sure their were more reasons too, but this is all I had gathered from this conversation.  He become and addict.  He was at the park with other recovering alcoholics to have a fun day away from the center, where they lived.  He felt so discouraged by how he couldn't "be good,"  he had tried to stop drinking, but had only ruined a lot of the family relationships that he had.  He felt alone, uncared for, and HOPE-less.  I could see the pain in his weary eyes and The Lord gave me compassion for Him.  At one point, after talking through the gospel and how it wasn't about what we can "do" at all and how it's all about what Christ did for us, I asked him if he wanted to have this same hope that had carried me through so many rough patches in my life.  And he said, "Yes, yes, I really would."  

So we prayed, right there, in the middle of the loud, hectic park.  He prayed first, a simple heart-felt prayer.  "Dear God, help me.  I need you.  I want you to come into me and stay.  I need your help.  I need you to change me.  Please help me.  Thank you for your love for me.  Amen."  It was a little longer then that, but those are the parts I remember.  Then, I prayed for him.  He said, "I feel like I've been talking with an Angle."  I smiled and said, "No, I'm just a servant of the only true God and because He is in me He shines out."  After that we said goodbye and gave each other a nice firm handshake.   However, as I walked away he called out and came over and said, "This is weird, we just talked and prayed together and now we are saying goodbye."  (Not in a weird way, but in a sincere manner) It felt odd to me too because the Holy Spirit was SO present in those moments that just walking away was weird.  I assured Him that we have the same Heavenly Father now and so even though we both will encounter tough times God would be there to help us through.  

Well, there's what The Lord did yesterday, exciting isn't it?  :D  SO much has been going through my mind since then.  I will try to get some of it out of my mind and into this letter the best I can.  First of all, once again I saw that the Lord's plan for my life is so much bigger than I could ever dream.  I was thinking about a fun day, relaxing with some friends in the park (which it was!).  But my Abba Father knew that there was a man there whose heart The Lord had began to mold and He just needed someone to speak through.  Second, I was definitely filled with the Holy Spirit and it was Him doing the talking and not me, I couldn't even tell you half of what I said.  Also, how many times do I, do we, give into peer pressure (even when it's not bad peer pressure) when yeah, it's fine and we will have fun and be okay, but The Lord has something better in mind if we will only listen and obey.   I also saw how much The Lord had prepared my heart, not only yesterday, but in the days prior for that very moment.  Even looking back to last Tuesday when I had gluten, The Lord used the pain that it brought to me to further His kingdom.  In the same manner, from all the pain I've felt and grieved this past year and even longer with my grandmother Hazel's passing, what a blessing it is to see their testimony live on even though they aren't here and bring this man to eternal life.  It makes me cry every time I think about it.  Joyners, Doreaus, Paw-Paw Alms, know that this man came to know Christ in part because of the impact of your families and the deaths of our loved ones.  Through death there is life. Praise the LORD!  

Yes, this world is very broken, but their is HOPE.  At the start of this journey the Lord gave me a vision (not an actual vision, but like and idea) of how He wanted to use me to bring hope and joy to the people I encounter here.  I am so grateful and humbled by how The Lord worked through me yesterday and how He did restore hope and joy.  WOW.  Our Abba Father is amazing.  It is ALL Him, He gets all the glory.  I just couldn't wait to share with ya'll about Rudolf so that we can all celebrate together His new life, new hope, new joy, and new peace in Christ.  

Great is the LORD's faithfulness, He is mighty to be praised. 

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." - Romans 5:5