It's A Small World

Sort of.

Check this out… clouds rolling in. One of my favorite things is to be on the hills on the beaches around Santa Cruz, CA, when clouds come rolling in. They hit the cliffs and seem to explode upward and you’re caught in the mist. This was similar. But at 8000 feet, clouds coming in make the temperature drop big time. You can feel them before you see them.

__________

Upon arrival at the AMCA house in San Jose, it's a frenzy of activity. All the luggage is unloaded off the top of the bus, handed down, and the kids form a bucket brigade to put it in the garage.

The kids reunite with family. Friends say goodbye. It's a little weird for us because we won't be back at the AMCA youth group next week. Hopefully, I will be invited to speak again, because it is a special time with great kids and adult volunteers. Nadia has a hard time leaving; she has such a great time, is close to some of the kids... and for a year will only see them on a zoom girls' bible study.

At the camp, I got to know a boy named Ferdinand. As he talked about his family, I said, "Wait. I know your dad." At the 2024 General Conference of the Global Methodist Church--which was held here, in San Jose, Costa Rica-- Jessie, Ben Bowman, and I had pizza with some guys who work with ILI, International Leadership Institute. ILI has some great training for church leadership. Anyway... one of the ILI guys is Carlos Cunningham. We talked a bit because his daughter was going to Asbury University. I LOST HIS BUSINESS CARD!!! I could not for the life of me remember his name. When Ferdinand talked about his sister at Asbury, I thought, no way am I talking to a kid whose dad I have been trying to contact so we can welcome his daughter to Kentucky!

So, at the AMCA house, Ferdinand introduces me to his dad and we have a good laugh.

But wait... there's more! Carlos tells me, "my daughter went to your church this week. She called and said, 'the pastor wasn't there but he made an intro video for the guest preacher, and he was at the AMCA house!'"

Here’s a picture of clouds coming into San Jose

And then one of my fave scenes, San Jose at night, from Heredia. Our friends are moving back to the States, so this is the last time I get this view.

Of course, I will miss Costa Rica, but I am stoked to get back with the people of Trinity Hill! Crazy stuff is happening. A key piece of multiplication thinking is setting in: the people in our fellowship have the callings and gifts to do what God purposes to do among us.