Landing in a War Zone

I wish you could feel it, the rise and fall of goosebumps on your skin as you look at Le Loft in Jaco, Costa Rica. As the tallest, brightest building in town, it’s not hard to miss. The building itself is designed in such a way to leave you feeling eerie and angry with its bright red paint and pitch-black windows. I’ve yet to see a single light flicker from those things. Le Loft is the prostitution hub of Jaco, as it is legal here. Many women, teens, and children end up victims here at some point. Le Loft isn’t the only thing to blame for these cases. The culture in Jaco is highly sexualized in general. 

 

We have been here three days and have already had to go through courses on identifying sexual abuse with the children we minister to / how to prevent grooming them for people whose intentions are not as pure as ours. It’s some heavy stuff. 

 

Despite Jaco being one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen, with sunsets on the beach that are right out of a postcard that reads “paradise,” the atmosphere doesn’t feel so much like paradise. It’s heavy and sexual. It’s edgy and rebellious. We landed in Costa Rica and landed in a war zone. I’m in. There’s something exhilarating about being placed in a city that most people try to avoid. It’s messy to minister to the avoided ones, but if your ministry is clean, you might want to reconsider if you’re really doing ministry. Jesus always got his hands dirty and hung out with the avoided ones. How clean are your hands and your friend circle? 

 

Oceans Edge, the ministry we are partnering with, was founded with this philosophy. Hannah, the founder, was in her young twenties when she felt burdened for Costa Rica. She begged and pleaded with her local church to send her to Jaco, and their response was, “Absolutely not. Anywhere but there.” Hannah saw this as a trend among Christian ministries. They all said Jaco was too dark and too much of a liability. This made Hannah more and more determined to reach these people. 

 

She finally made it down here, and we are getting to do ministry as the fruit of her labor. In orientation, she told us, “It is really dark here, but we are running a victory lap now compared to where we were before.” What a perspective! In the few days I’ve been here, I feel challenged and excited to take on the weight that Oceans Edge paved a way for us even to pick up. 

 

This blog is not an update friends. It’s a desperate cry for prayer. My team and I officially start ministry this week, and we can use all the support in prayer we can get! If your heart burns for children, pray protection around the little ones. If your heart burns for women/prostitution, pray for deliverance and freedom / an overwhelming realization of the father’s love. If your heart burdens for furthering the kingdom of God and pushing back darkness, PRAY! Prayer is the most powerful weapon, and I hope you are warring for my team and this country. 

 

Jaco, Costa Rica is going to see the fruit of your prayers. How much fruit are you planting with us?