Ever since I took Spanish I my sophomore year in high school, I have been obsessed with Costa Rica. One of my goals in life is to be fluent in Spanish and travel to Spanish speaking countries. My Spanish I teacher was from Costa Rica, and throughout the semester we studied the culture, looked at pictures, and learned all there is to know about Costa Rica. I decided that one day I was traveling to Costa Rica!
In my room I have a giant Costa Rica flag hanging on the wall that I got from my friend's dad's flag company. My mom told me she liked it, and I told her (jokingly at the time) that I was moving there after I graduated. I began joking about it more and more.
During this past semester, my faith has grown so much. My prayer life has grown, and my eagerness to share my faith has grown. As I am growing in my faith, I have felt this calling to become involved in some mission field. I had been praying for God to show me where he wanted me to go, and one day I looked at my flag and heard God say, "Hey! Why don't you make going to Costa Rica after graduation a reality instead of a joke?" I was then determined to move to Costa Rica after I graduated. I was set on moving there, and my thoughts were consumed of when I was to go to Costa Rica in the future. I began getting more and more excited about how God was going to be use me and the great things God had planned.
I was reading Radical by David Platt (if you haven't read it, then I strongly recommend you do). The book focuses a lot on the Great Commission. Go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. Surely I will be with you to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20. At the end of the book there is a challenge that last a year that Platt gives the reader. The challenge has five parts to it, and one of the parts is "Praying for the World." This part of the challenge is when the reader prayers for every country in the world over a year. When I was reading the section about this challenge, God spoke to me again. I heard God say, "Why are you going to wait till after graduation to spread my name to Costa Rica?" It got me thinking, "I am so excited to be going to Costa Rica in 4 years, but there are people there who don't know Christ who won't be in Costa Rica in 4 years (because of whatever happened to them, unfortunately), and they won't get the chance to experience eternal life in Heaven because nobody went and told them about Christ." After reflecting on what God had told me, I began praying immediately for the people of Costa Rica, the missionaries there, and just for the country itself. After this I decided that because I can't be in Costa Rica physically to spread the Gospel I am going to be praying for those there and supporting the missionaries who are there.
I decided that I was going to adopt Cost Rica as primary focus of my ministry, though it is not my only focus of ministry because Christ commanded us to go to ALL nations. I plan on supporting the ministries there, and I am praying for Costa Rica everyday. I know God has great things planned for Costa Rica, and I am praying that I have an opportunity to one day go and be able to share the Gospel in person.
God has great things planned!
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