Tico Times

Vista Previa was a huge hit! Though four of the participants cancelled at the last minute, we still had twelve people join us for the missions exposure event. The weekend was full of various activities designed to help the participants see the world with new eyes. One particular activity included a tour of 5 different countries set up around the campus. We started at an Operation Mobilization booth where we watched a short video and heard a testimony of a Costa Rican who spent 2.5 years on OM’s ship. Then we went to a hut in Africa where we heard about other Costa Ricans who are serving there. Following that we took off our shoes and walked into Central Asia (getting a stamp in our passports at each country). Later we were off to China where our Bibles were confiscated and finally, much to the relief of the weary travelers, we arrived in Central America where we ate tortillas filled with beans and cheese.

During the weekend we talked about what it means to have a call from God, what God is doing through International Teams around the world, and the importance of discipleship. We also read through three case studies of missionaries who did not make it on the mission field for one reason or another. To end our time together we created an underground/persecuted church simulation. We met upstairs in a dark room and conducted a church service with whispery voices and without our Bibles. Immediately following were two representatives from Voice of the Martyrs who showed two heart-wrenching videos about the persecuted church.

While I am extremely pleased with how well all the activities and talks turned out, what was most meaningful for me was to hear the hearts of the participants as they shared how God is working in their lives. One 17-year old shared that his dream is to reach out to gang members. Another shared that he is going to pray about attending our missionary training program that starts in August. Two others talked of how they can be more proactive about being missionaries in their own country. Nine of them wrote in their evaluations that they will continue researching the possibility of becoming full-time missionaries. Praise God!