Hello Everyone welcome to another blog update regarding outreach. We are so glad you are here! We have decided to do two outreach teams one in Malawi and the other in a rural part of Costa Week. Weekly updates regarding both teams will be shared here. With our many different backgrounds, culture and spiritual gifting we have come together in this season to serve one Lord. Keep reading to hear what the Lord is doing through us!

Costa Rica Update

Week 3 Report

This week was a bit slower having to cancel events due to mechanical problems with our main mode of transport the base van and as well as the vehicle of one of our local team members car getting backed into and needing repairs. Despite that we were still able to help lead a children’s program and sharing about how our bodies are our temple and that the Holy Spirit can live in them. The children soaked in all the activities and we had fun getting to interact with them. We’ve also gotten the opportunity to help with various construction projects. The first helping mix and pour a concrete floor for a single mom with a young man with a disability and poured another concrete kitchen floor for a family. Helping replace a tin roof for another family is the current project. We had the opportunity to lead a gifts of the Holy Spirit test at a ladies event. This resonated with the ladies helping them be more aware of their gifts and different ways to express them. At the mens rehab this week we shared about the belief tree and the men went through their own examples going through different beliefs and what kind of actions occur due to specific beliefs. In the schools this week we discussed self-esteem and bullying, shared testimonies, and did different activities with the children. We got to visit again with the locals about diabetes and healthy eating habits they can create. At a youth group we lead another spiritual gifts test and it was encouraging to see the youth seeking to use their gifts to glorify God.

Malawi Update

Week 3 Report

This week has been eventful, as we have moved from our previous accommodation  to our new home for the next few weeks. One of the many highlights this week was the kids ministry which involved playing football in the streets, being taught Chichewa, and generally having a jolly time. Since we have arrived at Whitney and Kossi’s house, long-term missionaries based here in Blantyre, they have been nothing short of kind, joyful, and hospitable. They have 3 wonderful kids that are full of life and energy, very curious and a delight to be around. One morning we went to a river cleanup, and in just the couples hours we worked we made a visible difference in the area.  The banks of the rivers are covered in trash accentuated by the recent cyclones, leading to trash that was above our very heads! At one point Alison climbed up a tree that was up on a 10ft pillar of trash and dirt. We started to tear the trash off, and by the time we finished most all the trash was off the tree and column. This tree was a beautiful and hopeful sight representing the work we did that morning showing that in just a few hours a difference can be made. We then visited Brothers-in-Arms, an organization in which the goal is to take in street kids and provide them with a strong biblical education so that they may be able to serve themselves, their families, and their communities. While we were there we were given a tour of their classrooms, animals, farming, and housing. At one point we joined the students for their music session, at which point Benji was asked if he could teach them a song. What followed was a raucous session of loud, passionate singing of the absolute classic, “I like the Flowers”. It was amazing to see how the boys fully threw themselves into the music and were clearly loving the whimsical music making. What we saw in these boys was hope for the future in their eyes and there are many words that describe the feeling we got when they all started talking about their different aspirations and hopes which they beautifully labeled as their “purposes”. Afterward we ate lunch and made our way home. However there is currently a fuel crisis in Malawi and we only had a 1/8th of a tank left, and the return home we noticed a tanker depositing fuel at a station. So we rushed home as quickly as we could and hopped in our car and booked it to the gas station, we then preceded to wait 4 hours for gas and once we reached the pump and filled up the tank we all felt victorious. We have spent the last couple of days renovating Whitney and Kossi’s garden by planting some new plants and flowers, organizing and planning a new compost system, and building a fire pit alongside collecting firewood which was used later that evening for a young adults worship night that Whitney and Kossi’s hold weekly. It was a cosy evening where we joined a large group of young adults  while sat around a fire, sang worship, chatted, and prayed for one another. All of this was led by Whitney who shared a word of encouragement. Her and Kossi opening up their home to us and these young adults has evidentially been such a blessing. In just the few days we have spent here we have all felt incredibly welcomed to our new home, and have also seen how much of a blessing just one Christian family can be to their community. Finally on Friday, we finished what we think will be our last workshop with extending hope, we taught them seed starting and we finished planting in the zai holes. It has been wonderful being able to teach about agriculture and spreading the word and teachings of God.