Rowdy Faith

Costa Rica was a wild month. Everything from evangelizing the streets to making organic compost to watching Jesus heal the ones we touched to learning how to cut metal to seeing people receive the Holy Spirit to building barbwire fences to experiencing Pentecost-like worship to playing with kids to encouraging others to share the gospel to igniting childlike joy in elders to learning how to worship through dance to discerning spirits and casting out demons.

Only a couple days in, the team did some vision casting for the month. After several minutes of listening prayer, we all had seen ourselves as six flaming swords. Only speculating what this could mean, we went about our day with high hopes. This theme of fire stuck throughout the month. The fire was evident in our hearts and in the spiritual realm that we couldn’t see. The fire was so evident that we were, as a unit, drawn to the Lord’s presence almost every moment of every day. The fire was so prevalent that our ministry hosts became driven to evangelize the streets. The fire was so bright that other people we encountered would have visions of 6 fiery angels surrounding them before we would arrive. The fire was so hot that everywhere we walked became the ground and territory of the Lord.

Let’s start from the beginning. April was an all-gender month, which means that once we got to Costa Rica, I was on a team with only the men of God on the squad. There’s six of us. The first night we got there, we got out a soccer ball and started kicking it around and causing a ruckus. It didn’t take long to realize that our host and everyone living at the site were no younger than 60-years-old. The man was quick to call for quiet hours at 10pm. The next night, we all went into the room to finish the chill day with a casual time of worship. We started on our feet with our hands lifted high. We finished with our faces flat on the ground. The best way to explain the experience was that tongues of fire had filled the room. Sometime in the middle of all this rowdy worship, we had all circled up on our knees praying in tongues over each other and screaming “FIRE OF THE HOLY GHOST” at the top of our lungs. Messy, rowdy, unorganized, unplanned and LOUD. That’s what happened when six men stepped into the presence of the Almighty as one body. The next morning, we went into the same room, turned on the light, and saw what looked like a black circle that had been seared into the ground where we had circled up the previous night. All I’m saying to that is this: something so intense and fiery happened in the spiritual realm that night that it bled into the physical. In that moment, we had become unified sons of fire. The fruits of this seeped into our ministry and changed the course of the entire month, and I dare say, shifted our trajectory for the rest of the year. 

The next day, we brought more ruckus to the ministry. We went to a park for a women’s church event. We brought a soccer ball to play with the kids. Before the event started, we were casually shooting the ball. However, none of us are professional soccer-players here. As women started arriving, we pummeled one older woman straight into her cane-holding hand. As for the other woman, we pummeled her to the ground with that soccer ball. What had happened was, we missed the goal by a long shot, and the old women became the ball’s next target. It happened once, so we apologized. It happened twice, so we were told to sit down. These were the great first impressions that were made. A bunch of rowdy men who don’t know how to act around old women. What I didn’t realize at the time, however, was the amount of excitement and joy that all of our childlike shenanigans brought these women.

When our month of ministry officially began, our host explained what our schedule would look like. Monday to Wednesday would be construction on the farm. We would be building a giant storehouse. He also envisioned a new house being built so he could host more missionaries. Thursday would be our ATL day (the day we intentionally sit and ask the Lord what He wants us to do that day) and Friday would be our Sabbath. Saturday and Sunday would be church ministry days, where we would lead youth groups, small groups and other churchy events. It seemed like a good plan, but we all know God had a better one. Guess which one prevailed. Once God anointed us with fire, every single plan that we tried to make fell through. After the first week, we finally approached our host and told him that the Lord has something else for us here. We used the word evangelism, but God did so much more with us. Our host was enlivened to hear we wanted to go out to the streets more than do construction on the farm. He was so thrilled by it that he even proclaimed he would make this the new ministry for all future groups that he would host. His focus would be evangelizing, spreading the gospel and praying for those in need. That’s what the rest of our month looked like.

This had me pumped because, somewhere along in my walk with Christ, I let doubt creep into my heart and I knew this would grow my faith. The doubt was not in God’s power, but in His willingness and in the authority and power that He has given me. Doubt is being eradicated. I’m actually getting a little nervous with the amount of boldness He is walking me into. I might do something crazy.

One noteworthy experience that occurred during evangelism was a woman named Beni. She had been bedridden for 6 months. Here’s what happened: we went, we prayed, she stood and we praised. The bible is simple, and so is the command Jesus gave us. This also happened with a man named Don. The doctors said he had only days to live. When we met him, he sure looked like it too. Here’s what happened: we went, we prayed and we praised. However, something different happened because something different was present. It wasn’t just the Holy Spirit, but a spirit of darkness was present. Our team felt the distorted presence. There was an evil spirit latched onto an item in Don’s house. Here’s what happened: we went, we prayed and we praised. Then, for symbolism and for fun, we burned that idol to ashes. We saw Don a few days later and, unsurprisingly, he was standing and looked as if life had flowed back into him. The bible is simple, and so is the authority and power that Jesus has given us. On another occasion, we met a woman named Meli. She had been bedridden for 5-6 months due to her inability to eat or drink for that amount of time. Here’s what happened: we went, we prayed and we praised. There was something different about this experience as well. There was no spirit of darkness in the room that we could sense. Rather, the joy, peace, hope and faith in the room was overwhelming. This 21-year-old girl was unfazed by her condition. In fact, her faith inspired us more than I feel ours inspired hers. After leaving her house, we were told that she had a vision the night before. In her vision, there were six angels that looked like flaming swords surrounding her bed. We never saw her stand up. The most we got was a confirmation a few days later from her mother, stating that Meli was feeling exceptionally better and was returning to the hospital for another checkup. 

Man, as I’m writing this, I’m realizing I could go on and on with all the experiences we had out here. So, I’ll keep going. We spent an ATL day in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. I’d say about half of the time was spent worshipping while the other half was spent evangelizing. The one encounter I’ll share about this time is the man who was possessed by numerous demons. Here’s what happened: we went, we prayed, and we cast out. I was on the sidelines interceding for this one. I would love to say this ended with the man walking in total freedom and surrendering his life to Christ. However, the encounter ended with the man’s unwillingness to let go of unforgiveness. The bible is simple, and so is the freedom that He freely gave us. We have freedom, yet so many of us choose to live without it. 

A beautiful wrestling match I had with the Lord in Costa Rica was my ability (or lack thereof) to hear and to discern His voice. I was actually brought to tears one night out of desperation to hear Him speak to me. All I wanted was to hear His voice when I would evangelize. I longed to know what He wanted me to speak over the people we would encounter, yet I felt totally blank and empty-minded at every house. I was silent at almost every encounter. I became so determined that He told me I needed to do a voice fast. So, I shut my mouth for three days straight. I learned a few things, but I’ll just share the fruits of my pursuit. There has not been a single encounter this month in the DR in which I did not hear the voice of the Lord as I would evangelize and speak life into people. The bible is simple. Our Father cannot deny a heart that is desperate for Him.

We have been in the Dominican Republic for about a week now, and we have new teams again. Our schedule is pretty set in stone, but thankfully I love what’s on it. Church on Sunday, evangelism Monday through Thursday, ATL on Friday and Sabbath on Saturday. I am thrilled to be evangelizing more than half of the week, and I think that’s hilarious. Before I left for this trip in January, several people would ask me what I was most nervous about, and my answer was always evangelism. Now it has become my favorite part about this trip. I believe it’s because this is, simply put, what the Lord has called all of us to do: to share the gospel. I feel the most alive when I’m evangelizing. We just go around loving, encouraging and leading people to the Savior. What better way is there to spend your life, your life that isn’t even your own?

We have already had such incredible experiences this month. Our encounters with people have been precious, and the love and move of the Lord is prevalent in all of us. The best way I can describe my relationship with the Lord right now is this: I feel like I’m dancing with Jesus in the throne room at the feet of the Father. I encourage you all to remember and to cling to this: the fruits that I’m seeing out here are being produced from your prayers. One common theme I’ve learned out here is the power of prayer. I’ve probably mentioned this in every blog post so far. Prayer is POWERFUL. When a beloved son or daughter of the Most High God boldly steps into His throne room, how can He not be moved? You move Him. Thank you for your passionate prayers. He reminds me frequently of all the support I have back at home, and I cannot express my appreciation enough. Wherever you’re at with the Lord, keep pressing! Keep pushing! Keep wrestling! Keep praying! Man, how He loves you.