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 John Kilmer |
 Kids Listening |
 Group Discussion Time with Teens |
 Beautiful Faces |
 Kids being Goofy |
 Janine, John and some Kids |
 Janine, John and Faithful Church Ladies |
 Chidren and Crowns |
For This We Came
September 29 2006 / ShareHim in Costa Rica, Sep. 8 - Sep. 23 '06 #67by John Kilmer
Personal Testimony of John Kilmer.
When my friend Janine Leonard invited me to go on a ShareHim Evangelism Crusade in Costa Rica, I was dubious. I’d been on a couple of Maranatha projects, and enjoyed the tangible, physical aspects of building a church. But preaching was a different matter altogether.
“Oh, but they supply all the materials,” she assured me. “All you have to do is stand up there and follow the outline! I’ll even buy your plane ticket since you don’t have the money now. You can pay me back later.”
Before I quite knew what had occurred, Janine e-mailed me our flight itinerary. Wow, I was going to Costa Rica to preach….ready or not!
The child of missionary parents, I traveled widely in my youth. There’s an expectant sort of familiarity with humid tropical nights, tin roofed buildings, and acrid diesel fumes amidst a deluge of rain. Costa Rica did not disappoint! Its rainforests, coastlines, and bird life require a poet’s tongue to describe.
The first night of the campaign in San Martin, only a smattering of people appeared…and nearly all were church members. Undaunted, we persisted, trusting God to bring those who needed to hear. But He had other plans. Attendance dropped severely. Yes, a few curious community folks came by to sit awhile, but only one non-Adventist lady stayed for the entire campaign. We certainly felt foolish preaching to a handful of church brethren who sat before us, smiling and nodding sleepily night after night. The tin roof of our ramshackle structure leaked in the heavy downpour. There were rats in the walls. We learned that the local church had been given insufficient time to prepare the neighborhood for our campaigns. Moreover, most adults worked in the Dole pineapple and banana plantations during the night shift. Our hearts sagged. Why were we here?
And then the children came….a slow trickle at first, then streaming through the door in great, laughing throngs! Such clean, shiny faces, bright smiles, eager questions. Such pushing, shoving and chanting!
“Help, God!” We cried. “We’re barely prepared to teach adults! We’re not ready with children’s materials!”
And yet He with such love, and a bit of a chuckle, He replied, “These kiddos are mine. I’m bringing them to you. I’ll give you the resources to help them.” And indeed He did…praise to the Omnipotent One, Whose power is made sufficient in my own anxious weakness!
A fellow campaign lady “just happened” to have Truth 4 Youth scripts with her. Could we make copies? Of course! Janine “just happened” to have connections with Young Disciple, where Truth 4 Youth was born. A Spanish translation “just happened” to be hot off the press. And somehow, at a little internet café in downtown Guapiles we “just happened” to download Power Point presentations for children from the internet.
Ladies of the church came forward to help with craft and story time. The pastor assisted with leading discussion groups for the teenagers. And we settled with uneasy gratefulness into the unfamiliar nightly routine of child evangelism.
The children raised the roof in song! They stood to give their hearts to Jesus. And our own questioning hearts were stilled. For this we came to San Martin.
“Oh, but they supply all the materials,” she assured me. “All you have to do is stand up there and follow the outline! I’ll even buy your plane ticket since you don’t have the money now. You can pay me back later.”
Before I quite knew what had occurred, Janine e-mailed me our flight itinerary. Wow, I was going to Costa Rica to preach….ready or not!
The child of missionary parents, I traveled widely in my youth. There’s an expectant sort of familiarity with humid tropical nights, tin roofed buildings, and acrid diesel fumes amidst a deluge of rain. Costa Rica did not disappoint! Its rainforests, coastlines, and bird life require a poet’s tongue to describe.
The first night of the campaign in San Martin, only a smattering of people appeared…and nearly all were church members. Undaunted, we persisted, trusting God to bring those who needed to hear. But He had other plans. Attendance dropped severely. Yes, a few curious community folks came by to sit awhile, but only one non-Adventist lady stayed for the entire campaign. We certainly felt foolish preaching to a handful of church brethren who sat before us, smiling and nodding sleepily night after night. The tin roof of our ramshackle structure leaked in the heavy downpour. There were rats in the walls. We learned that the local church had been given insufficient time to prepare the neighborhood for our campaigns. Moreover, most adults worked in the Dole pineapple and banana plantations during the night shift. Our hearts sagged. Why were we here?
And then the children came….a slow trickle at first, then streaming through the door in great, laughing throngs! Such clean, shiny faces, bright smiles, eager questions. Such pushing, shoving and chanting!
“Help, God!” We cried. “We’re barely prepared to teach adults! We’re not ready with children’s materials!”
And yet He with such love, and a bit of a chuckle, He replied, “These kiddos are mine. I’m bringing them to you. I’ll give you the resources to help them.” And indeed He did…praise to the Omnipotent One, Whose power is made sufficient in my own anxious weakness!
A fellow campaign lady “just happened” to have Truth 4 Youth scripts with her. Could we make copies? Of course! Janine “just happened” to have connections with Young Disciple, where Truth 4 Youth was born. A Spanish translation “just happened” to be hot off the press. And somehow, at a little internet café in downtown Guapiles we “just happened” to download Power Point presentations for children from the internet.
Ladies of the church came forward to help with craft and story time. The pastor assisted with leading discussion groups for the teenagers. And we settled with uneasy gratefulness into the unfamiliar nightly routine of child evangelism.
The children raised the roof in song! They stood to give their hearts to Jesus. And our own questioning hearts were stilled. For this we came to San Martin.