We (Linda Penn, Lora Warkentin, and JoAnn DeMarco) arrived at the airport at 4 AM on March 11, 2010. Our boarding time and check-in went smoothly. We flew into Atlanta and again had a smooth check-in.

Our plane sat on the runway for half an hour, 20 planes were ahead of us. Weather was rainy, which contributed to a late take-off. We are now almost to Costa Rica.  Linda is tired and getting silly.

Linda and Lora are going over their teachings for the Friday night and Saturday, all day retreat with Pastor wives’, their women’s ministry leaders, and missionaries retreat.

When we arrived Thursday evening, we joined NFL players who were visiting and doing service project for SCORE International new complex.  They conducted sport workshops in the San Jose area.  We were privileged to have dinner with plays from the Bills, Buccaneers from Tampa Bay, and the Chicago Bulls. The players completed a fencing project around the new complex.

An additional separate building is being constructed to house two missionary families that are part of Score International.  The complex has been constructed to be very functional for the different types of groups who come during the year.  They will continue to add needed fixtures and necessities as funds are made available.

On Friday morning we hopped into the bus and began our journey to the retreat location.  The picturesque ride included scenic slopes of Costa Rican terrain of beautiful mountains and deep valleys.  The non- existent guard rails prompted a serious prayer session as we continued to twist and turn on our journey to the top of the mountain.

We had a beautiful conference room overlooking the valley and city of San Jose.  It was breath-taking during the day and even more picturesque as the lights glistened in the darkness over the city.

Fifty-eight women from area churches participated in our weekend retreat. This year’s emphasis included a two- part Biblical message on prayer, two sessions on Mentoring, a seminar on Eating Disorders plus an intense session in Leadership Development as we shared Renada training material.

The messages on prayer promoted self-evaluation of each woman’s prayer life.  At the end of the first session women were encouraged to partner together by two’s and use the acronym ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication).  Another “S” was added as we asked God to help us surrender to His Will not only for the weekend but in our prayer life.

Before they left that evening, the women were challenged to go back to their rooms and spend time in prayer asking God to show them what He wanted for them in their prayer life.

We experienced God moments throughout the weekend.  The prayers that were offered in preparation for the conference manifested itself in the women’s heart as they responded to the Holy Spirit’s promptings and convictions in their lives. The food prepared for us was delicious, the games were hilarious, the women showed their creativity with the crafts, the music was inspirational and the fellowship so very sweet.  This is our fourth year with the women and it felt like coming home again.  Even though we are in another country with a difference language, no barrier was felt from any of the women as the “C” (His big Church) came together for the weekend.

Two ladies came from Los Guidos who formerly lived in the “hole.”  They have come to know Jesus and have grown considerably in their faith.  Los Guidos is preparing them for ministry.  Homes have been constructed for them from a government agreement between Costa Rica and Canada.
CR (Costa Rican) Regional Prayer campaign was offered to them for next year’s emphasis during the 40 days before Easter.  All the opportunities and options for the campaign were explained. Testimonies were shared on how God is using WNY Prayer in the Buffalo area. Each church is taking the notebook for transcription and they want to implement this in next year’s programming.

Our weekend concluded with many testimonies as they shared their appreciation and thanks for the retreat.  Testimonies were also shared on how God worked in their lives during the weekend.  Many expressed great appreciation for previous information and training as they have then gone back to their local church and implemented change in their ministries.

This year was no exception!  Their love and appreciation was expressed by many hugs and kisses on our faces.  We felt that we have known these women all of our lives.

Sunday morning the Team traveled to Church Desamparados. Our Children’s Ministry Team planned lessons, crafts, and stories for infants and children up to age twelve from 9:00 until 12:00. The remaining team joined the Sunday morning service upstairs. Sue Pruet and JoAnn DeMarco shared their testimonies during the morning service.

It was so amazing to see everyone worshipping together regardless of the language barrier. We were even able to get the main points of the pastor’s message as he spoke out of Colossians on how we are to live and directly talked about forgiveness. We witnessed the Holy Spirit working from the beginning of the service, before the pastor even got to share God’s Word. At the end of his message he invited those who wanted to respond to God in forgiving themselves or others to come forward. Many responded to the invitation, as well as two people who prayed to receive Christ. It was obvious that God has been working in this church and they are so blessed to have such a great Bible teacher.

After Sunday morning service, the church prepared a small snack for us, and again we received many hugs and kisses on our faces. After saying “adios” we enjoyed delicious Costa Rican pizza. It was delicious! Our next stop was to the grocery store where we stopped to buy coffee, vanilla, and most importantly, supplies to make 150 sandwich meals for the homeless.

Feeding the homeless people in downtown San Jose evoked mixed emotions from the team. Providing a bagged meal for their physical sustenance was what we had to offer them, but we pray that they will read the tract inside. We know that one meal won’t solve all of their problems, but we are asking God to help them so they will call upon Jesus. We do realize that others are sharing the love of Christ with them, as they too, bring food and witness to them on repeated occasions.

We returned to home base and prepared for our day on Monday.

Monday started bright and early as we jumped on the bus at 7:30 am and made our way to Los Guidos. We quickly set up our medical clinic stations, the children’s ministry area, haircut lesson area, and sewing seminar. As the people lined up, everyone took their places in the heat and humidity to be of service. (The temperature is quite a bit higher than last year, and the humidity is fairly uncomfortable.)

Over 96 women, men, and children were seen as the medical stations, and our pharmacy was quite busy as we dispensed many antibiotics, topical creams, anti-inflamatories, pain relievers, and cold and allergy medicines, as well as vitamins for everyone.

Christine DiGiore shared her testimony, Sue Melancon shared a devotional, and Pam Walck instructed the people in a lesson about posture and proper body movement—taking care of God’s temple. The Gospel was presented and an opportunity to pray and receive Christ was given.

Many ladies received haircuts, and instructions about how to cut hair. Others learned basic sewing techniques, and each one was able to sew and make herself a backpack.

In the late afternoon, Linda Penn shared a devotional on prayer-walking. Women from the Chapel and the Los Guidos church paired up to pray for Jesus to reveal Himself and break through oppression, so that people would come to know Him.

At around 5:15, we packed up and boarded the bus for our trip home. We were so thankful that when we arrived at 6:30, dinner was waiting for us, compliments of SCORE International.

We had a group sharing time and headed for much-appreciated showers—hot or cold.

God is revealing so much to us: not just in our personal lives, but seeing the world through His eyes. He is revealing the Truth.

Tomorrow is our free day and we are going to enjoy the zip line, lunch out, and souvenir shopping.

Most of the Team headed for Fossil Land to zip-line at 8:30 am. We were greeted by a dancing chicken, who turned out to be Andy from Sacramento, CA. A very animated character named Otto was our guide for the day and provided entertainment and laughter.

Guiding us though moderate exercise seemed like a fun way to start, but little did we know that it was a warm-up for the challenging hike ahead.  Walking through a creek bed (where shiny really does mean slippery) came first. Trudging up a rocky dirt road for about a half mile was followed by a race up a 40-foot cliff with a rope. The two teams also had to jump a ravine, and the losing team had to sacrifice one of its players to lying down in the stream—soggy, but cooling for JoAnn DeMarco! Swaying metal bridges, a Native American war-dance, war paint, more uphill climbs on rocky roads, and a very steep rock staircase continued to try and prove our endurance. Other than inevitable nerves that accompany being strapped into a harness and hooked up to a half-inch cable, the strenuous part was over. Everyone went, but Christine DiGiore, being a bit fearful, was accompanied by our guide, Otto. She appreciated his assistance at the next cable, but then went on her own the rest of the way. Sue Pruet, the adventurous one, accepted the offer to free-style and actually went upside-down!

At the end of our adventure, Jackie Hitchcock asked Andy if she could pray for him and he accepted that offer.  We found out later that Sam Urban had witnessed to him earlier during the hike and he said that he is still seeking. We will keep him in our prayers.

We learned from Gabby, Pastor Jose’s wife and partner in ministry at SCORE Int’l., that Fossil Land has commented in the past about the groups that come through SCORE--they seem to always be smiling and speaking of Jesus.

A short walk down the hill led us back to our bus and to our much-anticipated lunch at Frescas. We enjoyed very plentiful meals out on the sunny patio.

After an amazing meal, we headed off for some souvenir shopping. Some bought a lot, a few bought nothing, but it was fun to see some of the Costa Rican art, jewelry, and natural wood articles. From there, we went to Pops for ice cream.

Arriving back at Coronado, many took much-needed showers, while others restocked supplies for Wednesday’s medical clinic. Lunches had to be made for Wednesday, along with last minute plans and supplies for children’s crafts.

A very early departure had us on the bus by 7:00. Our bus ride of nearly two hours brought us to Iglesia Bautista in Naranjo. Set up quickly took place with our children’s team, haircutting and sewing seminars, and medical teams.

Before we began, Kathy Cieslak and Sam Urban gave their testimonies, followed by Mary Dowd’s devotional. Gabby then led the people awaiting the clinic’s opening in the prayer to salvation. Most affirmed what they heard with “Amen” and nodding heads.

The sewing seminar was a huge hit, and our women worked alongside the women from the church in teaching those interested. Some ladies were so proud of their project that they encouraged their friends to come, and returned so that they could all have their picture taken together with their projects.

Many people received haircuts amidst challenging circumstances, but Kathy Cieslak was persistent in her ministry to her willing clients. The children enjoyed stories and crafts; many showed up for their medical visit with painted faces and their crafts in hand.

The people were very patient as they waited to be seen by Pam Walck and Shannon Polk with PT concerns; or Mary Dowd and Lora Warkentin with a variety of medical questions. As of this, our second medical clinic, 171 people have been served by the medical team.

Several people prayed to accept Christ, including a precious nine-year-old girl, her mother and her aunt. In their suffering they seem so hungry for hope-the Holy Spirit was working in a might way at that church.

An afternoon prayer walk through the neighborhood coupled some Costa Rican church members with part of our team. Prayers flowed from mountain to mountain, up the streets, and even into the homes. Some were invited to pray for a woman who would be raising her granddaughter after her 34-year-old son’s recent death. She was not ready to accept Christ into her heart, but we trust that the Holy Spirit is working there.

Our interpreters, whether GAP students, SCORE workers, or church volunteers have been excellent. Some of the medical questions, symptoms, and advice can be particularly challenging; we could only be effective with their help as they work beside us.