Day 4: Joy and Pain and Brotherly Love through Christ

From the grass hut where I now sit, this place looks like a beautiful resort. The hotel swimming pool helps, but it's not man's architecture that gives my surroundings their paradisaical appearance...it's the palm trees, the vines with their massive leaves, the banana trees, all swaying gently as if to the music of the tropical birds. On the walk from my room I saw again today an iguana bigger than a housecat sunning herself on the "front porch" of her warren.

God has also decorated the Capulin neighborhood this way from the coconut palms to the formations of parrots swooping and chattering overhead. But the dirt streets, the garbage strewn lots, the corrugated metal fences and the coils of razor wire lend to it an entirely different aspect. The hotel setting bespeaks wealth and comfort and a carefree life...at least for its temporary residents. Capulin portrays poverty and deprivation, decay and hardship.

The building where Comunidad Internacional de Adoracion meets to worship Jesus. To a Texan, it resembles a garage or an airplane hangar. To the people of Capulin, it's a refuge of love and the grace of Jesus Christ. The other side of this barren lot is bounded by an unpainted cinderblock wall topped with coils of razor wire. 

And yet the children of capulin (and their parents) smile and play and find joy in simple games, and in the stories of Jesus they're hearing this week.

Children of Capulin line up in age groups at the start of Tuesday's vacation bible school. 

After our first day's experience, we changed our plan to use the morning for games with the children of Capulin and the afternoon for vacation bible school. In the morning, we don't have access to the well-groomed soccer field (nor the restrooms), which lie behind a locked gate. So we use another field comprised of dirt patches and weedy grass, but no one complains. The children (mostly the boys) run and play futbol (soccer) and American football, and Frisbee, and they visit stations where they can play with bubbles, or get their faces painted with the design of their choice -- lots of butterflies, flowers, hearts and Texas flags.

Our facepainting crew worked hard to satisy the demand for butterflies, flowers, tiger faces, and Texas flags. 

We dined again at the restaurant in Liberia with our Costa Rican friends. Last night, our dinner was interrupted twice by pain. Adam, one of our adult leaders, slipped and fell on a broken jar, cutting his hand and leg deeply. Praise God that our team nurse, Linda, was there to patch him up. Others helped to mop up the blood, and pray for Adam. Meanwhile, outside on the curb, our Costa Rican friend Manuel was groaning in pain as his body struggled with a kidney stone. Again, Linda leaped into action, to determine what we could do for him. Others stood nearby and prayed for Manuel.

Carlos, our indispensible translator and friend, serves dinner personally, although we are at a restaurant. He is always active in doing good. 

The youth team members returned to the hotel with single adults, while married couples attended a mini marriage retreat at Comunidad Internacional de Adoracion with some couples from the neighborhood. We played games, heard testimonies about the power of Christ to save souls and marriages, and then we watched the movie 'Fireproof', complete with popcorn and drinks. We were delighted that our busdriver, Rodolfo was able to join us along with his wife Milagro and his young daughter Maria. Rodolfo has truly become part of the team.

Here are some more pictures...

Nad, a bilingual Costa Rican teen who serves as one of our translators, shows children how to make prayer journals.

Frisco Bible team member Brenna, with a new friend, Abril, a girl whose family is part of Comunidad Internacional de Adoracion, the church in Capulin.

Riley and Amanda with Caleb, who I call 'el profesor' because he's teaching me how to speak Spanish. Caleb got a big cut on his leg early in the week, but it didn't slow him down. He's a joyful, helpful young man.  

Michelle (left) and Raquel with a Costa Rican friend they met while going door to door in Capulin to share the good news about Jesus, the savior whose death on 'la cruz' [the cross] provides the believer with 'seguridad y certeza' [security and certainty]  that she has 'la vida eterna' [eternal life]. Michelle has been a joyful presence in all circumstances. 

Pastor Jesse Jimenez learns the painful price of crossing Brian Behrman. This playful wrestling match ended with Jesse tumbling on the rain-soaked grass. The brotherly love we have experienced in Capulin with our fellow Christians is wonderful beyond description. 

Wendy poses for a picture with a young man, Billy, she met while going door to door in Capulin, sharing the good news about Jesus who saves us from our sin, and grants us eternal life if we only believe. The card in his hand describes, in Spanish, how we must be saved. Billy believed and was saved. 

Shane, with Jury, a young woman from Capulin who trusted Jesus as 'su salvador' [her savior] for 'la vida eterna' [eternal life].

Linda, our team nurse, telling children about Jesus, the Great Physician. 

Carlos wants to be Noah, adopting his glasses and his nametag. Pray that he adopts Noah's savior, Jesus, as well.