Being the hands and feet (and body) of Christ

The visit to Costa Rica that I just returned from on Wednesday was full of a lot of things.
I was able to find a safe, affordable place for my family to live when we move down on July 6th.
I was able to take possession of a used car that I bought and drive around to get familiar with the car and the crazy roads and rules.
I was able to meet and reconnect with some old friends and make a bunch of new ones.
But above all else, I was able to literally be the hands and feet and shoulders and head of Jesus to some of His most precious children.  Some of the communities that we serve in can only be described as hellish.  These precious kids are living in tiny shacks that are filthy, crowded, dangerous and spiritually very dark.  There is just a sense of hopelessness and despair hanging in the air.  Most of these communities have one way in and out.  It might be a broken road or a rickety bridge that separates and isolates them from the rest of the society and the world.
Through a boldness and confidence that can only come from God, 6:8 ministries has been bringing teams of people into these places for years.  Many of the locations are completely isolated and the police will not even go into them.  However, if there are children there, we will go.  When the kids see us coming, the bold ones will make their way out of the little structures that they live in.  Once we start to play with them, then we are soon over run by many more kids.  We are not there to give them tangible stuff.  We give them an unconditional love that may very well be the only positive thing that some of them experience.  It is hard to choose which child to pick up and spin around and put on your shoulders when there are 10 hands reaching up for you.  We stay until they have had their fill of hugs and laughter.  We sing songs with hand motions and they try to follow along even though we speak different languages.  We break out paper and some old markers and they immediately sit patiently and wait to get a chance to color.  We sit and color with them and tell that that we love them.  We tell them that Jesus loves them even more.  There are a few moms watching on the perimeter.  Some even sheepishly join our gathering and sit and color with us.  The kids love to smile for our cameras, and so do the moms that have joined us.   There are almost never dads there.
It is likely that the kids that will end up at the Children's Ranch will come from this community.  It is an awesome feeling to think that one of these kids might someday call me dad if I am blessed to raise them at the ranch.  It is an awful feeling to know that most will be left behind to grow up in these hopeless places.

Please pray for these kids.  Please pray for their parents.  Please pray for 6:8 ministries and the weekly mission teams as they show the love of Christ to these people.  Please pray for the staff of 6:8 (my family included) so that they can persevere and somehow shine bright in this darkness.

Through all this we are certain of one thing.  God is good!

-rob