Matt/Mateo/Mattio & Veronica/Victoria/Vanessa

God moment, Week 4

This past week, God blessed me with the presence of two great friends from U.Va., Matt Henry and Veronica Rivera.

Matt came to Costa Rica after a four-week vacation in Colombia, and Veronica came to Costa Rica after a four-week service trip in Nicaragua. I could write about the entire week as one, all-encompassing God moment with Matt and Veronica (because it was), but, instead, I’m going to point to one specific incident where God showed up big-time.

Matt, Veronica and I were able to spend all week working construction at the orphanage, helping the visiting mission team to run Vacation Bible Schools, and enjoying the jokes and fun that accompany three, traveling college friends who have been speaking another language for the past month.

On our last night together in Costa Rica, we decided to get together and pray for one another. As we were circling up our chairs, one of the high school girls from the mission team pulled up a chair right next to us and looked at us with those expectant eyes of someone who’s about to take part in an incredibly joyful, thrilling moment. Unfortunately for her (or so I thought), we were only circling up to pray. But as soon as we told her we were praying, she jumped right in, asking, “Can I pray with you guys?”

“Absolutely!” we responded.

After 10-15 minutes of prayer, we looked up to see tears in the eyes of the young girl who joined us. She’s about to enter her senior year of high school, and she’s been asking God for years to provide her with true Christian friendship. She said that even though she only got to know Matt, Veronica and me for one week, we were a beacon of hope for her, and a confident reassurance that God is going to answer her prayers.

And, rather than stop there, she continued to share with us that she’d like us to pray specific prayers for her and her family. She was comfortable opening up to us and being real with us, because our bond of friendship was based in Christ and nothing less. There was no need to hide behind a façade or put up a wall because, in true Christian community, the job of each believer is to love those around him/her. This young girl knew the power of that love, and she could see it within the friendship that Matt, Veronica and I are able to share together.

As Jesus said in the book of John, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

How amazing is it when God’s Word becomes real in our lives?

Thank you, Lord, for making yourself so apparent to the four of us this past week. I will not soon forget it.