Many Mini Miracles

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog. So here’s a flashback to our month in Jacó. Our time was filled with piloting business classes, working on a Jaco Beach Info website, helping at a surf club, praying for people on the street, house church, cooking team meals, and so much more. We  met so many sweet people and really got to see the Lord work  – which leads me into what I want to share about this month. As you can see from the title, God worked in so many little ways in Jacó. I hope that as you read each of our “many mini miracles”, you get to vicariously witness the Lord’s faithfulness.

• Sam: It was 4:20 am, we had called the taxi company to come pick us up to take us to the Bus Station. Everything was lined up for the travel day, with the first major piece being the Bus leaving at 4:50-5am. We had already purchased tickets and just needed to get there. We waited and no taxis were coming, locals were trying to help us call them and there was none anywhere, despite them telling us they were coming.   With not much time left the construction crew that had been working at our place pulled up early, with their boss who spoke English. Long story short, God provided us with a ride and if we were a minute later we would have missed the bus.  

• Carson: i will admit that when i heard about the main part of what our ministry was going to be, my heart sank a bit. i don’t think of myself as a very business-minded person, or someone who is in any way interested in starting a business. in the midst of this more business-minded ministry, ive picked out things that Jesus has given me to “make up for it.” painting lightposts, helping choreograph a dance for surf club, getting to do childcare now and then, getting the opportunity to lead my own team time about love languages, learning to surf, being a lifeguard, having random time that we usually wouldn’t have to do creative things, getting basically the entirety of the early morning before class, and probably more. he saw that i was struggling to be passionate so he threw in some things that i’m passionate about. creative freedom, kids, brains, swimming, recharge time, and other random things i probably haven’t even noticed yet. even more than space or whales.

• Erin: Last week, I felt like I just kept getting hit left and right by the enemy. There was a lot of stuff going on back home and I was struggling deeply with not being able to be there. On top of that, Jacó is spiritually heavy in a lot of ways and we were doing a lot of mentally taxing work for ministry, so it felt like everything was compounding. There was one night in particular where I was exhausted and my attitude was reflective of that. Me and my friend Nick were doing dishes, and I was fighting the enemy in my mind. I wear my emotions on my sleeve, so Nick picked up on it very quickly. He kept asking me how I was doing and I just kept saying I was fine. I did not want to talk, and so it was silent. A few minutes passed by and I heard Nick humming “lean on me”. I kind of laughed to myself because I knew he was trying to get me to smile, and when he saw me do that, he sang the song out loud and gave me a hug. Then David and Taylor joined in and they were all hugging and singing over me. And in that moment, it felt like I was receiving a hug from Jesus, and its something I will never forget 🙂 

• David: Sadly not too long into our stay in Jacó, my bag with Libbie and I’s phones, as well as my wallet was stolen one night at the beach. Over a week later from the incident one of the guys from the community that I play basketball with each week was approached and offered money for the wallet. My newfound friend saw that my ID was in the wallet and took it to give to me the next week at basketball. Even though I didn’t get our phones back, I received my wallet with everything still in it. I definitely see this as a “mini miracle” and am blessed to not only get my wallet back but also make new friends who have my back.

• Libbie: Coming into the trip, most of us were not sure what we were going to do when we got home. While in Jacó, one part of our BAM classes was talking about our passions and what fills us up. We also worked on writing a mission statement for our lives and came up with smart goals. I thought this was a “mini miracle” because for the first time I was able to really think about what fills me up and how I want to live in the future. I finally had the room to dream and think about how God wants us to live an abundant life. Even though I don’t know for sure what my future looks like, for the first time I actually feel excited to see how God is going to work.

• Nick: About a week before our time in Jaco was over, our squad was informed that our trip’s last month would be spent in Costa Rica instead of Panama. During our first night in Turrialba, Costa Rica, our host told us that he had been praying for a squad to host for the sake of completing a few projects within his church’s budget. My miracle is that God listens to our prayers. He is the Good Shepherd that KNOWS what the members of His flock needs. He switched the directory of our trip to answer Pastor Armando’s prayer and to serve the church we’re living at. Praise be to God!

• Haleigh: My mini miracle was during the first church service we attended in Jacó the pastor said “So often we come to God with our problems but we don’t leave them at his feet” and I realized how much I am still holding on. So I committed to leaving them with Jesus and only then I started to see answers!

• Taylor: One day in Jacó, David and I were walking back to the house after lunch. We happened to be talking about some of the hard things we were both facing at the time when we passed two puppies inside a fence. We stopped for a bit to pet them and watch them play together. In that seemingly insignificant moment it felt like God was saying “Hey, I know life is hard sometimes, but I got you – here’s some puppies to make you smile”. It’s such a sweet reminder that the Lord cares about our hearts on such a personal level that He will speak to us in the little things. I think that when our eyes are fully on Jesus, we will see Him in everything. 

I encourage you to seek the Lord in the small victories, or as I like to call it – mini miracles. The ones where the world would say its a coincidence, but we know our God is too good to allow things to happen without purpose. 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – ??Romans? ?8:28?