This is a journal of our time in Costa Rica.  Our team this trip was Carl and Sheila, Pablo, and me, Fred.

Costa Rica 2-15-09      

Pablo arrived at 2pm and spent the afternoon with the father of a friend while he was waiting for me to arrive.  I arrived at 10:30pm and we were picked up at the airport by Margaret and Roxana.  We are staying with Alejo and Roxana in a little town called Cipreses.  Pablo grabbed me a few minutes after I came out of the airport and we looked around for Margaret and Roxana and could not find them,  We looked for 15 minutes and then decided maybe we should pray.  Within 1 minute these two ladies walked by and when they saw us they held up a piece of paper with Carl’s name and I said that’s us.  I explained that we were Pablo and Fred and that Carl and Sheila were not on the flight and would be in the next day. 

2-16-09

After we got up we had a nice breakfast and got settled in.  Alejo had just returned from the doctor because something had bitten him and his arm had swollen and he was in great pain.  Pablo and I prayed for him to be healed in the name of Jesus Christ.  When we saw him that evening he told us that the pain had gone away and the swelling had gone down.  We walked about an hour and went back to the house to meet with a group to go up into the mountains for a nice drive.  They drove us around to see the beautiful country side and we stopped at a restaurant on the mountain side with an open air seating and had a nice late lunch.

When we arrived back at the house, we walked down the dirt road about a third of a mile to Margaret and her husband Peter’s home.  We were drinking coffee and talking about the word of God and as we went along, there were three that asked for prayer.  God brought deliverance and healing to those that asked and there were tears of joy and much thanksgiving for what God had done in the name of His son Jesus Christ.

At 9pm Roxana drove Margaret and me to San Jose to pick up Carl and Sheila at the airport as their flight arrived at 10:30pm.  We got back to the house late, had introductions, and visited a bit before we turned in.

2-17-09

This morning we were visiting at Peter and Margaret’s home when we received a message that a young woman who was pregnant needed prayer.  She had been barren and last year was prayed for and got pregnant right away.  We prayed for her and at the end we prayed for all of the household that was gathered there.  She was very pale and weak when we arrived and when we left she was healthy and strong.  We also had a prayer for her mother who was in intensive care since we were not allowed to see her in the hospital. 

From her house one of the adult women that was there asked if we could go down the street and pray for her family too.  So, off we went to her house.  When we got there we prayed for the whole house, having a salvation prayer after ministering to two men (one struggling with alcohol and the other with drugs).  The parents and the children all received blessings and healing and deliverance in the name of Jesus Christ.  The Costa Rican people are so gentle, calm, peaceful and kind that it makes it a joy to be here and bring the power and love of the Lord Jesus Christ to them. 

We don’t have an extensive pre-planned schedule and this allows us to minister as the Lord directs and it seems there are always plenty of situations that we get involved with so that we are not sitting around.  The spirit of Christ in us keeps us on the move.
In the evening we went to a local church for their Tuesday evening praise and worship service to meet their pastor and arrange to go and teach and minister on Thursday evening.  As it was ending we were introduced and told them to come Thursday expecting healing and to bring any of their relatives that were sick.

2-18-09

This morning we went in to Cartago with Roxana to buy groceries and a few other things.  It is about 15 miles  into town.  At 3pm we went next door where a group of Christian women (there were 20 of us all together) meet for prayer each Wednesday.  Carl taught for a while on prayer, faith and believing and then we had a group prayer.  At this point he asked if any of the women wanted individual prayer.  Three were healed of hip problems.  One was asked how long it had been since she had bent over and she said after bending over and twisting she could not remember because it had been so long.  One woman who could not hear was healed and was hearing very well after prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.  Several were delivered of many things as demons were removed and healing was ministered to them.  In all, as it has happened so many times when we have ministered in the name of Jesus Christ, all those who asked for prayer in faith were healed and many made whole.  I left a little saddened though because there was one who needed prayer but was not ready to ask for it, for whatever reason.  I pray the faith and love of the other women will bring the answers from God that she needs.  It was a very sweet group of ladies with a great love for the Lord Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father.

When we finished we went to a local mom and pop restaurant and had a quick dinner as we had no time to cook and eat before going into Cartago.  We took bread as our contribution to a street preaching where a church group feeds street people and addicts after preaching God’s word to them.  I had the privilege of bringing eternal life to an older man who confessed Jesus as Lord and believed God raised Jesus from the dead and I also ministered healing to him.  We prayed for a few individuals and arranged to preach at the pastor’s church on Friday evening.

(A few words from Pablo) Here we are (Fred and Pablo) after 10 already and a little tired, but wanted to add a few tidbits too.  God has really done some great things and I am really at home with the Latinos of Costa Rica.  The interpreting has been going great and Margaret and I are learning together since she also speaks Spanish.  One of the best parts of being the interpreter is that I get to be right up where all the action is and while we were at the women’s meeting, at one time, one of the women did what Carl asked her to do in the name of Jesus Christ before I had a chance to speak it out in Spanish!  I think that for at least that one moment language ceased to exist in the spirit and the Spirit of God just moved how He wanted to.  Needless to say, she went home healed today.  Tonight was also a blessing.  There are just some things that seem to be the same in all of the Hispanic cultures south of the U.S. amongst the Christians.  One of those things is the time that they fellowship together and how they love to praise and worship.  The amount of youth blessed me so much tonight as they really wanted to minister to these homeless people.  They shared the Word with them and sang and they were out praying for those who wanted prayer.  We prayed for a young man (maybe 19 or 20) who was obviously drunk.  I’ve never had this happen before, but he just wanted to speak to us in English, but he was so drunk that I couldn’t understand, but we let him do it as long as we could make out what he was saying.  Otherwise I told him we needed him to speak to me in Spanish.  There was one teenage boy in particular who stayed with him the entire hour or more and another that came along half way through and this guy didn’t smell real good.  That is patience and love-the kind that Jesus would have shown.  He would have chosen the tough ones and been patient.  We got rid of a lot of demons and at one point, Carl just took his head in his hands and looked him in the eyes and spoke in tongues over him and he calmed right down.  He received Jesus Christ and from past experience with people who have been set free from demons, I know that though he didn’t appear completely delivered when we left, he will end up serving the Lord because some very real deliverance did happen.  Carl blessed him by giving the young men (who were trying to help him) some money with the understanding that it was to buy him some food and whatever else he might have need of.  Carl also charged them to look out for him on the streets to be there for him because he would be coming around.  Overall, we are just so blessed and honored to be a part of what God is doing within the hearts of these wonderful people, and not just the individuals, but their entire families!  God bless you for your prayers.  The fruit that we are seeing and will see is to your account.

2-19-09

This morning we had to go to Cartago to take care of some business and run some errands.  Afterwards we drove up to the local volcano which is inactive.  As we drove up the mountain at about 7500 feet we drove into the clouds so we could no longer see into the valley where we are staying.  We stopped at the restaurant that was near the top and had lunch.  We were at about 9700 feet.   We were told that when it is clear up there you can see the Pacific Ocean which is about a five hour drive away.  The afternoon was spent in prayer and preparation for the church service to which we were invited to teach and minister.

The church service started at 6:30pm with a reading from the scriptures, prayer and singing.  Then I shared a few verses from I John before the main teaching by Carl.  Pablo did an excellent job of interpreting for us both and also lets us know what is being said and sung in Spanish.  

When Carl finished teaching he did a group prayer and prayed for many ailments, broke curses, and cast out spirits.  He then invited anyone who wanted to have individual prayer to come forward.  It was only one at first, but when God healed him, then others came up one after another.  A lady whose eyes were in pain and burning and that could barely see, was totally healed. She started to tell us she was healed and Carl turned her around and said ”Tell them”.  So she told the whole congregation how God had healed her.  When she came up her eyes were terribly bloodshot and I saw her when we were leaving and they were both clear and white and pain free.  Several with infections and several with gland pain were healed.  One man who could not hear was delivered and healed and could hear a whisper.  One lady came forward with a very young boy and before Carl prayed for the woman God revealed that the little boy was a prophet.  Carl prayed over him and had a word of prophecy over him.  Then he healed the mother in the name of Jesus Christ.  A woman came up for prayer and Carl called her husband to stand with her. When we were leaving the man wanted us to know that he had a headache and as soon as Carl anointed him the headache went away, and oh yeah, his wife was healed also.  There were so many healed we just don’t recall all the individual details of each one, so these are just some of the healings.  Glory to God the Father and his son Jesus Christ for the healing power of the holy spirit He has placed within each of us.  God’s word says that when we pray in the name of Jesus Christ that whatever we ask in believing he will do.  Thank God and praise Him for giving such power unto men.

2-20-09

We spent the day preparing for a weekend trip to Fortuna and doing errands before going to a church in Cartago Friday evening.  There was a lot of praise and worship before Carl started teaching.  This is the church that does the ministering to the people on the street where we were on Tuesday night.  This church is mostly young people and they really love the Lord.  Carl taught for a while and then we ministered to those who came forward for prayer.  One young man we prayed for when told he was healed, was asked to breathe deep and hold the air in, so he did.  The tears were rolling down his cheeks because the Lord had healed him.  Carl handed him the microphone and he told the church that he was not going to come that night because he had left his bible at home and it was always a struggle to get to church.  Before he was healed he could only walk 50 meters and would have to stop and rest because he was out of breath.  He could not go on and could not get enough air because of bronchitis.  Now he was taking deep breaths and praising God for his healing.  Many of the healings in this church were spiritual not physical.  A lot of heaviness was lifted and curses were broken. 

The pastors in the churches were very cautious about us at first, since they don’t know us.  They are  protective of their flocks, but once they heard the Word of God we taught and then saw the signs, miracles, and wonders they were full of thanksgiving and asked us to return.

2-21-09 

We got up early this morning to drive about 4 hours to Fortuna, mostly a tourist resort town near an active volcano.  We stayed with some friends of Margaret, Charles and Faynier who live across the street from the volcano.  This area of the country is in the plains and is near sea level and much warmer than the mountain village where we are staying.  We spent the afternoon doing various activities as we all went different directions doing different things.

2-22-09

We went to this town to minister at the church where our host family goes.  After some of the best Christian music in Spanish Pablo has ever heard, Carl taught God’s word and we followed that up with prayer and ministering.  One woman, when her shoulder was healed reached over to the lady next to her and put her hands on her ankles and legs for them to be healed.  It was wonderful!  Many were healed and delivered.  It seems like I am just repeating myself but like in the bible, all those who had the humility and boldness to come forward and ask for prayer received physical and spiritual wholeness.  The afternoon was spent ministering to the family and then a drive through the rain forest and around a local lake.

2-23-09  

The morning was spent driving back to Cipreses to what we have come to know on this trip as home.  We cleaned up and rested before the evening meeting at Pastor Eric’s church, where we were on Thursday.  We started the service at about 6:45pm and we got home at 10:45pm after a full evening of teaching, ministering, and fellowship.  We had told them on Thursday there would be instruction on how to minister healing and to bring the sick and they would be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. 

After the teaching I went to the back area of the church and pushed a lady to the front in her wheel chair.  After she was prayed for, she stood up and took 8 steps.  She sat down for a minute or two and then stood and took another 12 steps.  It may not seem like a lot, but that was the first time she had taken any steps in over a year.  We told her to add a couple more steps each day and soon she would be walking as much as she wanted to.  Since Margaret speaks both languages, we split into two teams.  Pablo and I ministered together and Margaret interpreted for Carl since there were so many asking for prayer.  Pablo and I prayed for a man who had six operations on his eyes and they still told him he would be blind in six months.  What a choice: eye surgery and blindness, or healing in the name of Jesus Christ.  I am thankful he chose to have prayer and healing and I am sure he is too.

There is a responsibility on the part of the one asking for prayer and the one praying.  They both have to believe God’s word where Jesus said that if we ask anything in his name he would do it.  Again as we sit and recall all that we did in the name of Jesus Christ (healing, blessing, casting out spirits, breaking curses and soul ties) so that God’s people might be free and live in the greatness of God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness, it is very humbling.  I remember once when I was with Carl in Romania.  There was a line of people for prayer and Carl was ministering.  All of a sudden he turned to me and said “You pray for this woman.”   I guess he could see me thinking “You’re doing fine, just keep going.” because he told me I could do it.  The Christ in me had the same power and experience as the Christ in him.  This is true for all Christians, we have to rise up and do what God’s Word says we can do.  I am reminded of a poem I learned when I was younger.  I am sorry that I do not remember the author.

God has no hands but our hands with which to give them bread
He has no feet but our feet with which to walk amongst the almost dead
We say that we are His and He is ours
Deeds are proof of that not words
And these are the proving hours

2-24-09

We went into Cartago for breakfast as one of the couples we prayed for last night owns a small soda (we would call it a café in the USA) and wanted to bless us with breakfast.  After eating we prayed for them and their business, for blessings and prosperity.  They were so blessed that we would take the time to go and see them. 
After that we went to the house where the young lady that was pregnant lived.  She had delivered the child, and the baby, the mom, and the grandmother all came home from the hospital the same day.  We prayed for them all and they asked that the child be dedicated to the Lord and so we did that also while we were there.
After lunch we went to buy a pregnant goat with money that was sent with us to bless the people here.  A family of great believers were not getting enough protein and so the goat milk will be used for cheese, drinking and yogurt.  This will help out the family a lot and soon there will be 2 or 3 kids (baby goats) that will grow up and produce.  There will be enough milk to sell some and provide a little extra money for them.  We also left enough money for them to buy another 2 goats as we were leaving to return home.

In the evening we went to Cot to minister in the church where we were last Thursday.  When we left we told them to bring the sick and they would be healed, and they did.  As we were waiting for the service to start, two ladies led in a friend who was blind.   We were expecting great things.  Pablo and I had talked before we left to go to the church about how God was going to do some wonderful things this night.  After some of the kids did a dance with the girls who were singing worship songs, Carl taught God’s word.  When he finished he did some group prayer and several we spoke with afterwards said God healed them during this time.  Many of the people were healed of diabetes not only this night but every day while we were here. 

The second person we prayed for was the blind woman.  It turned out that the blindness was caused by diabetes.  Once she was healed of diabetes, her eyes were commanded to see in the name of Jesus Christ.  She was afraid to open her eyes at first, but when she did, boy did the tears start running.  First hers, then her friends who were standing there with us, then me, I don’t know if there was a dry eye in the church.  She wanted to tell everyone there what God had done for her, so we gave her the microphone and she told us all that she had been blind, she woke up this morning and could not see and now she sees!  God is so good!  She could feel in her body that she was healed of the diabetes and now she can see.  It reminded me of the record in the gospels, where the men lowered their friend who was on a bed, down through the roof so Jesus could pray for him. 

People were healed from infection in their jaw, bad hearts, bad muscles, and bad lungs.  Another night where we kicked the devil in the teeth and brought deliverance and healing to God’s people in the powerful name of our resurrected Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  Just to say it again, because it was true for us night after night and day after day, when someone steps forward and asks for prayer with believing, we can heal them.  In Mark 16 it says “these signs shall follow them that believe….they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover”.  We saw this promise come to pass everyday we were in Costa Rica.  It was hard to go home and go right to sleep that night. 

2-25-09

This was our last day here and we had four families that had asked for us to come to their homes and pray with and for them.  God was faithful to the end.  We prayed and there was healing and deliverance right up until bedtime.  We had no evening meeting as we needed the time to prepare for a 3:30am wake up call to go to the airport on Thursday the 26th.

2-26-09

Today was our travel day out of the country.  Goodbyes are always hard when you grow so close to people, even those you have just met.  The first time into a country is always a challenge to get something going.  We did not know any pastors and had no idea how the people would receive God’s word when we arrived here. 

Isaiah 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

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