Sisters On A Mission

Last January my husband and I spent our 1 year anniversary in Costa Rica.  Each morning we would wake to the sound of howlers monkeys.  We would cut up fresh papaya for breakfast and go out to the back veranda overlooking the rain forest with the ocean in the distance. This is where we would open our Bibles and spend time with God in His word.  Afterward, we’d venture out to waterfalls in the rainforest where we discovered all sorts of creatures, from spider monkeys to spiders as large as our hands. Once the sun made it too hot to hike, we would head to the beach for an afternoon in the waves.  There were surfers and tourists and locals with their families.  Rather than bake in the sun, most sat in the shade of palm trees.   We found two restaurants that became our favorites where we enjoyed local dishes like ceviche, raw fish that has been marinated in lime juice, and patacones, fried green plantains.  I had fun trying to resurrect my rusty Spanish with our servers.  It was at one of

Recently God was reminding me of a conversation I had with Him years ago while living in Kenya. “Christianity is not a popularity contest.”  Those were the words that He spoke to me one evening as I tried to understand why I had not been invited to the farewell party.  Even though I had been in Kenya as an independent missionary (not with an official agency), several months prior I had been welcomed into a weekly worship gathering comprised of people from various mission’s agencies.  It was a God-send at the time as I was feeling lonely and isolated.  A typical worship night would begin with a game of volley ball followed by a very meaningful time of worship and prayer.  After several months of attending this gathering, one of the single missionaries was returning to the U.S. and threw a party.  It seemed like everyone in the prayer group, including my house mate, was invited except me.  As I stewed over my hurt feelings that night, and some may say even rightly so, God made it