TAN Mission to Costa Rica
                        

The Costa Rica mission was a joint venture of Charis Bible College of Colorado Springs and (a Kingdom Transition Ministries of San Jose, Costa Rica, (founded by Jim McHood, a Charis alumnus) to take two dozen students to experience a week of life on the mission field.  The mission actually began before we arrived in Costa Rica as a couple of the students led their seatmate on the plane to salvation and the baptism in the Holy Spirit while still airborne.  On the ground, the mission got underway with a two-day outreach to the families of the students form a local school that had opened its doors for evangelism and discipleship by team.  On Friday, we visited the school and had a special assembly program where the college students presented the gospel through skits, music, and testimonies to the elementary school students and their parents.  Following the assembly, the families were invited to designated classrooms where they received individual counseling and prayer.  Each student also received a special gift of a Spanish New Testament and some school supplies.  On Saturday, we were back at the school for a full day of activities, including a high-energy rally with games, puppet, dramas, music, testimonies, teaching, and prayer followed by a fun-filled time at the newly constructed obstacle course on the school grounds.  The low-ropes course, funded by monies raised by the mission group, was designed to not only challenge the students physically but to also teach them spiritual lessons about teamwork, determination, and skill development.   

The tour was accompanied by Bible studies after each physical exercise with a time for the students to discuss their own personal feelings about what they were learning through facing the challenges.  After providing a hotdog lunch for the elementary students, a group of high schoolers were welcomed to the course for their chance to tackle the obstacles and explore the lessons associated with each task.  The evening concluded with a free Christian movie and a time of ministry to the families from the community near the school.

Sunday was a full day of ministry, beginning with a service at a local church where the students presented special Spanish music that they had learned for the mission, testimonies, and a skit dramatizing Christ’s willingness to free us from the guilt and condemnation of sin, and a time of prayer for the church members.  Almost the entire congregation came forward for prayer, and many received significant instantaneous answers including salvation, baptism in the Holy Spirit, and healings.  One man walked away from the altar carrying the cane that he had to depend upon when he hobbled forward for prayer.  Another lady who came forward with knees so stiff that she could barely bend them was able to walk briskly across the stage after a simple prayer of faith by one of the students.  After a tearful goodbye at the front door of the church, the students boarded the bus to head to a remote village for a tour of a parcel of land where Kingdom Transitions Ministries is in the process of building a campground.  The visit was highlighted by a refreshing time in the river and watching Delron’s antics on the rope swing.  But even while we were having fun in the river, some of the students were busy on the shore sharing the gospel with a couple of local residents who stopped by to see what was happening.  While we were getting soaked in the river, they experienced what Jesus described as the river of living water that would flow out of their innermost bellies.  Next, we visited a rehab for men who were recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.  Dramas, testimonies, and preaching were followed by a time of prayer and personal ministry to the men.  All the men received prayer and at least one of them was baptized in the Holy Spirit.

On Monday, the team visited a rehab center for women, most of whom had been rescued from prostitution and drug addiction.  All the ladies were touched by the dramas and the testimonies of the ladies on our team who shared their own stories of past injury, abuse, addiction, and sin—with the victorious testimonies of how they had been set free through Jesus Christ.  All the women were blessed through the prayers and love of our team.  Several of them were slain in the Spirit as the students laid hands on them and commanded that they be released from the bondages which held them captive.  Meanwhile, a few of the team accompanied Jim as he traveled outside the city to visit businesses where his ministry is holding discipleship training with the business owners and their employees.  The day closed with a relaxing time in the city of San Jose where the students got a flavor of Valentine’s Day in Latin America.

Tuesday was our last full day in Costa Rica, and for many it was the most memorable day of all.  We started our day early by loading the bus by 7:30 AM to head for the Pacific coast.  Once we reached the beach, we found a place where we could present our dramas and music to the passersby.  Even though we weren’t able to secure power for amplification, we certainly didn’t lack power in our ministry.  A few people stopped to watch the dramas, but the action really began once the first person came forward for prayer.  As we prayed for him, others started gathering around to see what was happening.  They, too, began to ask for prayer, and soon every member of the team was actively ministering to them.  Bicyclers stopped to see what was going on, and drivers stopped their cars right in the street causing a mini traffic jam as they called our team over to pray for them right in their cars.  One man who came to the Lord was soon back asking for us to come with him to talk to a gentleman up the street.  Excited about his newfound faith, he had already shared with a friend of his who also wanted to know Jesus.  Since the man was running a store, he couldn’t leave to come to us, so we walked up to his shop and ministered to him.  As wave after wave rushed to the shoreline on the beach, wave after wave of seekers kept rushing to the CBC students to ask for prayer.  In fact, we had a difficult time trying to leave the site to head out for lunch and our trip back to San Jose as more and more people kept coming up for prayer.  We saw a number of alcoholics delivered and several instant healings.  One man came limping up with a bandage wrapped around his ankle and leg; after prayer, he pulled off the bandage and walked away without any haltering in his step.  After the bus trip back to San Jose, we gathered for one “last hurrah” before our early-morning flight back to Colorado—a farewell banquet of typical Costa Rican fare accompanied with traditional Latin music and dancers.  As the students shared their final goodbyes with the interpreters and other team members who had assisted us during the week, the constant theme was how much they had all been impacted by the love of the Costa Rican people.  When ask to share what was the most impactful moment during the trip, one student told the story of how his heart had melted when a little girl had reached up to grab hold of him during the children’s program, another shared about the little boy who reached up to hold his hand during the movie night, and one lady described the moment that she “melted like butter” as one of the women at the church hugged her after the service.

The Costa Rica mission was a powerful time of ministry to the locals; just one of the teams recorded fifteen salvations, nineteen baptisms in the Holy Spirit, six physical healings, five emotional healings, and two deliverances.  In addition, I was able to leave behind a deposit of Teach All Nations publications in both English and Spanish to bless the church leaders in the country.  However, the mission was just as impactful to the students who made up the team—the exact reason we love to lead mission teams to foreign countries!