San Jose, Costa Rica

This week has been even more amazing than the last!!! God is moving SO mightily that you just can’t ignore it. We left Panama Friday night at 11 p.m. bound for San José, Costa Rica. Central America YWAM bases gathered to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of YWAM.

The bus ride was long (17 hours), but it was fun. We got the chance to catch up on sleep and spend some quality time with other classmates.

When we got to the Costa Rican border we had to get out of the bus and get our passports stamped to leave Panama. Then they pulled some of the luggage out of the bottom of the bus to do a random search. They brought out their “drug sniffing dog” and I was TERRIFIED!!! It was about a 20 lb. brown…..COCKER SPANIEL. It was the FUNNIEST thing I’ve EVER seen!!! Our bags came back clean and we loaded up the bags back in the bus. Then we walked ¼ a mile to the immigration offices in Costa Rica, where we got a stamp to come into the country. At this point we had to take ALL the luggage out of the bus (our family has 7 bags, 2 backpacks, and a purse!). The guy who searched our bags looked like the Fonz! He asked if we were with the church group and we said yes, so he just let our bags go through! PRAISE JESUS for his grace!!!!!

We got to San Jose Saturday afternoon and were taken to the YWAM base where we would be staying.

One of the biggest fears that I had coming here was leaving my family. I had NO idea that I would be gaining NEW family. This REALLY is a family! There were people here who hadn’t seen each other in years, but they caught up to exactly where they left off. There were so many new people to meet and SO many stories of God’s faithfulness!!!

After dinner Saturday night the married couples were taken to a hotel off base. It was really nice! Although we were just really excited about the HOT showers (even though there was a tree in ours!)

Sunday morning started early with breakfast at the hotel, then back to the base to practice the drama that we’d been working so hard on (I’m anxiously awaiting video to post!!) Practice was a little rough, but David sat us down and we talked about why we were doing what we were doing.

When Loren Cunningham was 20 years old he had a vision of waves of young people crashing onto the shores of the different continents. The waves kept coming and coming and they eventually consumed every bit of land. At the time he didn’t know what that would entail….but God has been faithful for the last 50 years! YWAM has touched the lives of EVERY continent and EVERY country.

Worship was amazing!!! (it’s soooooo much better in Spanish) and then we were able to hear from Loren himself. He is in his mid 70’s now, but has more energy than I do!! He is an EXTREMELY humble man and realizes that everything that has happened in the last 50 years has been at the hand of God!

He spoke about obedience. He encouraged us that as we said “yes” others would be able to bless us and encourage us by saying “yes” as well. He shared a story about some land in Hawaii. The University of the Nations (YWAM’s university) is located on the island of Kona in Hawaii. He shared that at one time Hawaii’s land laws were not very good and it was quite the reality that one could lose everything that they had in a matter of days. A problem arose with some land that the YWAM campus had buildings on, and as is Loren’s first thought….he prayed. He then received a call from a businessman friend. The man asked “What is your greatest need?” Loren responded “5.2 million dollars.” The man confessed that this number was a little higher than he was anticipating, but God had told him to call Loren Cunningham and ask him his greatest need. This man said “yes’ to God and 10 days later released 5 million dollars to YWAM.

God affirmed Loren’s calling with this man saying “yes.” And this was only one instance of God’s faithfulness.

As the conference progressed we were blessed to hear from Loren’s wife, and partner in ministry, Darlene. We also heard a word from their oldest child, David Cunningham. He’s currently a director and working on a major motion picture telling the story of David. (Lion of War)

As the conference came to a close on Tuesday afternoon Loren explained to us a situation of need within our own gathering. He told of how the giant tent that we had been eating under for the last few days wasn’t paid for yet. He shared that the balance was $5,840. My mouth dropped!!! I was sitting in a room of 175 missionaries. Most of them were under the age of 30. Loren said that we needed to reach deep and do two things. First, ask God if we are allowed to participate in this gift. Second, ask God how much we can give.

I immediately (without thinking) asked God, “Can we participate?” (I asked this because Mark and I have not yet finished paying for our schooling here.) God IMMEDIATELY said “Yes!” I then asked God, “What do you want me to give?” And He resounded “Everything in your pocket.” (This was weird because I don’t EVER carry money in my pocket. The day before I got money out of my wallet to purchase a shirt, and put the change back in my pocket. It was a late night, so that morning I just grabbed the money back off the night stand and shoved it in my pocket again.) I asked God again, “I’m sorry….how much?” And he responded, “Everything in your pocket” (I knew it was well over $20) I told Mark what God was telling me, and he said, “Do what God is telling you.” So I did.

I stood in the back of that meeting place and watched person after person say “yes” to God. I had NEVER in my ENTIRE life seen God move like that. It wasn’t pushy, it wasn’t long and drawn out, no one was saying “we’re going to stay here until it’s met”, it was just a 15 minute line of people willing to give according to what God instructed.

Y’all, $6,135 was raised!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

During this time God REALLY spoke to my heart. I have left money in our bank account ‘just incase.’ God spoke to my heart and said “If your hands are grasping onto something then there’s not enough room for me to fill them up.” God just told me that I have to COMPLETELY empty my hands for Him to be able to fill them up. Which takes an AMAZING amount of faith!!!!!! But I’m up for the challenge, I know that he is going to bless us more than we can imagine.

We look forward to sharing with you the AMAZING things God is doing. We are SO open to Him moving…..are you?