But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8
Why not take the typical act of purchasing and turn it into an act of giving? Experience Missionpartnered with SwipeGood, the company that maximizes your loose change for charity. To get started, all you have to do is go to our page on Swipegoodand sign up your credit or debit card. SwipeGood rounds up your purchases to the next dollar, and lets you donate the change to Experience Mission. How good will it feel to go about your every day shopping knowing that each purchase you make helps Experience Mission runs short term mission trips and spread Christ's love by connecting people together from diverse cultures and backgrounds, developing leaders, and assisting those that live in under-developed communities with resources and support to enable them to reach their own communities and actively participate in extending out to the world.
Experience Mission and members from Calvary Community Church of Port Townsend shared their faith with the Haitian people by actively showing them the love of God by building relationships of trust and mutual respect.
The Beginning - Building Bridges Alto Coen, Costa Rica
Since 2007 Experience Mission has had the privilege of working among the Bribri and Cabecar people of Talamanca, Costa Rica. In the last few years, many volunteer teams have assisted with various significant work projects, but perhaps the most crucial was a suspension bridge in the remote village of Alto Coen, deep in the Costa Rican rainforest. An isolated community of about 130 people, Alto Coen is only accessible by an hour boat ride, a half hour bus ride, and a four hour hike.
Yonathan Moya who served with EM as a summer staff member recalls the first time he hiked to the village in the spring of 2009. "I was with my fellow EM staff member Josh. He and I were leading a group of college students from Indiana Wesleyan University. The local leaders shared their vision for the construction of a 100 meter suspension bridge, which had been a dream of the Bribri families for more than 6 years."
The project had been a prolonged, complex process for the Bribri as they fought to find aid and funds to build this much-needed bridge. With the addition of a bridge, families would no longer be constrained by the powerful river that divided their village. The children from the far side of the river would be able to attend school regularly, and doctors would be able to reach the entire village to provide medical attention for the ill.
Desiring to come alongside the community and help complete the bridge, EM assisted the Costa Rica Emergency Commission who procured US military helicopters to deliver the necessary supplies which were primarily donated by the Costa Rican goverment. EM then began sending specialized contractors and volunteer teams to assist. After many hot summer days and endless hours of intense labor, the bridge in Alto Coen is complete. EM staff and volunteers played a crucial role, but equally important were countless local organizations that contributed.
By far the ones who labored the longest and the hardest were the people of Alto Coen. It has been nearly 9 years since they first began planning for the apparently impossible endeavor, yet they never gave up. They accomplished tasks by hand that most people would only consider undertaking with heavy equipment. Experience Mission came alongside the people of Alto Coen to empower them and connect them with the necessary resources to achieve their vision. They had the dream and the motivation; EM helped provide the means. Together we were able to make the bridge a reality.
It is an uplifting feeling every time we return and see them eager to work and accomplish a new project that will empower their community. Continue to pray for the people of Alto Coen, as Experience Mission continues to partner with them.
The month of August has been filled with adventure and excitement. It's been wonderful to be part of God's work in Costa Rica. Time after time God shows me why He keeps bringing me back to the Bribri reservation. I truly feel like I have a family among the indigenous people of Costa Rica, from the community in Watsi at the entrance of the reservation all the way to Alto Coen, one of the remote villages in the Talamaca mountain range.
The week of the 5th - 13th I was in Coroma, Talamanca. Experience Mission has been working in this community for the last few years helping build a high school. Currently there are about fifty-five students attending the Coroma High School. A couple of years ago when the high school was started there was only twelve students and there was only a couple of standing building. Currently there are four functioning classrooms, and one kitchen with a small dining room.
Our project this week was to help in building a two-story classroom at local high school. The First level will be used as a classroom, the second level will be used for dormitories since the three teachers that are currently teaching have to walk about an hour and a half to teach in Coroma everyday.
There was a couple of highlights of this trip, one of the main highlights was that the local church in Coroma received 2 proclaimers. The Proclaimer is a digital player dedicated to playing God's Word in the local language which in this case is the Bribri language.
Here's the way it works:
An installed microchip contains Scriptures in the Bribri language; the chip will not erase or wear out from frequent playing.
The battery will play for 15 hours and can be recharged enough times to play the entire New Testament more than 1,000 times.
The Proclaimer has a built-in generator and solar panel to charge the battery.
The solar panel, in addition to charging the battery, will run the Proclaimer even without battery power as long as there is sunlight.
The sound is digital quality and loud enough to be heard clearly by groups as large as 300.
This device is perfect for the Talamanca area since there is no electricity. This will be a great tool to share the gospel in the reservation. I felt so excited and privileged to be part of this project to take this playback device to people who may not have any other source to hear God's Word.
There are many other highlights of this week, so if you have a chance call me up or lets sit down and talk since im always open for a conversation and a good cup of coffee. There are more updates to come about this last month in Costa Rica so stayed tuned.
My Child ~
You may not know me, but I know everything about you ~ Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up ~ Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways ~ Psalm 139:3
I have always been Father, and will always be Father ~ Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is ~ Will you be my child? ~ John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you ~ Luke 15:11-32
Love, Your Dad, Almighty God
