TJ Gause  

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That’s right, I’m taking off again! On June 15th I’ll be heading back “home” to Puerto Viejo to host a short-term mission team from Calvary Jupiter, in Florida. Since hosting teams was my main responsibility for the 3 1/2 years I lived in PV, I know & am excited about the impact we will have on the long-term vision of the ministry. The team’s plans include teaching ESL at the local high school & spending each afternoon intentionally building upon the relationships with the students. Their purpose? To make disciples & help to get them “plugged-in” to the youth ministry at the skate park. To view pictures of the Skate Park & life in Puerto Viejo, click on the “Photos” tab at the top of this website.

In addition to hosting this team, I will be spending my first few days visiting

with the staff & local friends. This year has been tough for our staff since there are only 2 long-term staff families. My plan is to spend 4 days catching up with the staff & encouraging them (as well as helping with logistics). I also hope to re-connect with some of the youth & local friends in whom I invested so deeply while I lived in Puerto Viejo. While many have grown in their commitment to Christ, a few have reverted to their old life-styles and addictions to drugs, alcohol & sex. I can’t wait to meet up with all of them & continue encouraging them in their commitment to Christ.

I will be adding pictures during our trip to this blog entry, so please come and check us out. Feel free to leave a comment while you are here.

Please be praying for the staff & I during these weeks.

Serving Joyfully,

TJ Gause

 

Tuesday, June 17th

I finally arrived in Puerto Viejo last night after over 24 hours of travel. Costa Rica may not seem very far away, but getting to Puerto Viejo is literally like reaching the end the world!. I’ve had the chance to visit with a number of people and feel so loved & remembered. Puerto Viejo is such a fluid place with people coming and going so often that it’s not unlikely for people to forget about you the minute you leave. I’m so thankful to have the opposite experience and cannot wait to see more people that I know & love. What’s amazing is that I have a number of foreigner friends who live all over the world and a handful of them are in Puerto Viejo this week!!! I can’t believe that I am able to see them here & look forward to deepening our relationships and continuing to share Christ’s love. Please be praying for my conversations with various people….if this may be the last time I see them, I want to be sure and share whatever it is that God would have me share with them.

 

I’m also back to work, preparing for the team that arrives on Friday. Below is a picture of me in my “office”….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, June 19th

The team arrives tomorrow and life will jump into action with team logistics and ESL classes….as if it wasn’t already busy. I’ve kept busy preparing for the team and visiting with various friends. I was able to attend Makena Cruce’s 5th birthday party yesterday and spent today visiting with another staff family. During my 3 1/2 years here I became an Auntie to their girls and have loved & missed them. What a joy to see how much they’ve grown!

I’ve also been able to see a number of youth from the Skate Park and old neighbors & friends. Life in Puerto Viejo is quite the opposite of stagnant and it has been both joyful and sorrowful to catch up with these various friends. For some, life is going well and they are learning to fall more deeply in love with God. For others, this life is hard and they are having a hard time staying away from the drugs, alcohol and sexual life that so easily ensnares them. Such is life here in Puerto Viejo……and such is the reason that this place needs Jesus! Please be praying for more people to join us here as long-term staff since the “harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”

Below are some pictures from the past couple days…

 

This is the new deck to the Skate Trailer that was build just after I left. It’s so nice!

 

 

 

 

Below is a picture of a man named Roland I have befriended over the years. I was amazed that he remembered me. Please pray for Roland as his life is extremely hard & he hasn’t made the best decisions. He is living on borrowed time…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a picture of the hotel where our teams stay. I’m actually standing on the beach while taking this shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 21st

The team finally arrived last night after a long travel day. They seem like a great team, mostly adults, some of whom came to work with us last year. We’re planning to teach ESL classes in the local high school starting Monday. Based on their work last year, I expect that they will do a phenomenal job of teaching English and building relationships.

One of the things I look forward to with this team is their availability to build relationships with some of the high school students and other local friends. Unlike most outreaches, they will not be doing any construction. Instead, we scheduled in a lot of “purposeful free time” for this group so that they can spend time with the people they meet. Here in Puerto Viejo, it takes a lot of hard work and time to build trust with people. Years of hosting teams has shown me that although teams may only be here a short time, they are able to connect with new people in town that the Alternative Missions staff may not yet know very well. The relationships that they build this week, the Alternative Missions staff will be able to further develop. It’s really a great plan.

Today the team will spend time praying over the town and hanging out a bit at the skate park. Today will also be my first Skate Session to attend since I arrived. I am MORE than excited to see a number of kids I haven’t come across in town. Please pray that each of my interactions with old friends & kids are purposeful and helpful in their journey toward knowing Christ. I have already noticed that for some of the kids who have slipped back into their old ways of life, they are more timid around me due to shame (as well as the rest of the Alternative Missions staff). Since their former knowledge of God was based strictly on rules & regulations, they are ashamed when they make bad decisions. Please continue praying that the eyes of their heart will be opened to understand that God is in love with them and that they understand the truth of Romans that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Tomorrow will be my only opportunity to attend the house church where I led worship for a number of years. I hope that those who have been ashamed to return would come tomorrow to visit with me (and recognize that this was a place where they so comfortable sought the Lord previously).

Here is the team from Calvary Chapel in Jupiter, FL during orientation.

 

 

 

 

Sunday, June 22nd

The team went white water rafting today, which enabled me to spend more time visiting local friends & to attend house church. Every Sunday evening, there are about 10 people that meet at the Cruce’s house to eat together & then spend time worshiping & studying the Bible together. When I lived here, these evenings together were some of the most special times that I enjoyed deeply. Tonight was especially meaningful after having been gone for long. We ate together, talked and laughed hard together before beginning worship & getting into Bible study. It was encouraging to see Sebas practicing a few new songs while a few others sang along & encouraged him. Before I left, I spent some time teaching Sebas to lead worship, so to see him still practicing & even leading in one song was absolutely wonderful. Here are some pictures from our evening together.

 

 

Monday, June 23rd

Yesterday was our first day teaching English at the local high school. Re-arranging the one-room school house and getting the attention of all of the 20+ students is always a challenge, but the team really did a great job. Last year, I spent the majority of my time helping with crowd control….breaking up many fights & make-out sessions in the middle of class. These students lead ridiculously difficult lives & sometimes it shows in their behavior. However, this year, we ended up with the 7th and 8th grade students who were well behaved. We definitely started the week off well & the team was able to really connect with the students in the classroom & then hanging out together afterwards. Praise the Lord for this! Based on their difficult lives, most of the students are fairly closed to building new relationships with North Americans who they know will leave them at the end of the week. But yesterday was different - whether through time in the classroom, playing basketball or just hanging out at their houses afterwards, this team was able to really connect with the local students. Please continue to pray for these opportunities to deepen relationship as this is the way in which disciples are made. God so readily reveals Himself through the friendship and relationships that we have & this is the exact purpose of our time here this week. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

Wednesday, June 25th

I’m amazed at how great the English classes have gone this week! This team has a great ability to engage the students and are very well prepared. Rochira, the school’s only English teacher has praised the team for their abilities and says that her students feel much more prepared to take their exams next week. Working in the Puerto Viejo high school or “Colegio” can be quite a challenge comparable to working with inner city kids. Last year, I spent the majority of the week in “crowd control,” breaking up various fights & attempting to keep the students from leaving class. On the contrary, this year, the students are completely engaged with this team, learning their English & building some great relationships. Already, there have been many discussions centered around having a personal relationship with God and everything that entails. Please continue to pray for this team as they begin to share their own personal stories and how they know God.

Having spent years as a long term staff member here, I have seen the importance of weeks like this & spent this morning encouraging the team in their endeavors. In fact, based on similar outreaches we’ve done in the past, Alternative Missions has been invited to come & spend time in group counseling with the students once a week. Sometimes I am amazed at the open doors & opportunities we have to teach the Word of God and share the joy of knowing Him. Please be praying for more long-term staff to join the work here in Puerto Viejo so that we can follow up on these types of opportunities.

Here is a picture of the local high school & one of the students.

 

 

 

In Conclusion…

Looking back over the past 2 weeks, I have nothing to say but praise to God for all He has done. What a joy and a privilege to return to Puerto Viejo and re-connect with people to whom I poured myself out in love and service. Thank you for your ongoing prayers for the people of Puerto Viejo and the continued work of the Holy Spirit in this town.

As I mentally review my trip, these highlight moments come to mind:

• Meeting Jose’s girlfriend and new baby girl, Valera. When Jose first began coming to the Skate Park, his addictions kept him from speaking coherently. I felt drawn to Jose based on his desire to know God more and clean up his life; not to mention that I did a lot of translating for him. Although Jose continues to struggle with various addictions, he is continuing to grow in his love and knowledge of God. With the arrival of his new baby girl, Jose’s commitment to God has deepened.
• Visiting with the Spence’s and witnessing, once again, how Mr. Spence encourages fellow Christians with the Word of God. I had the privilege of renting my very first room from the Spences when I first moved to PV. Last week, there were a number of team members from the visiting church who were encouraged in specific areas in their lives due to their conversations with Spence. What a gifted teacher!
• Spending time with my former team members - the Cruces and McLaughlins. I was able to spend time catching up with each of the adults as well as play with each of their children. They were my family while I lived in Puerto Viejo and I feel deeply connected to them all.
• Witnessing every student at the colegio stand outside & wave to us as our bus pulled out of town ready to head back to the airport. The week of ESL classes were about so much more than simply teaching English. Praise God for the ways we were able to connect with these students and encourage them in their journey toward knowing God.

In the same way that a landlord checks his property to view the status of his investment, I plan to maintain relationships with friends in Puerto Viejo. I have invested myself into the people of this town and pray that God will allow me to continue to see the fruit of this investment over the years. Thanks again for your ongoing prayers for the people of Puerto Viejo and the continued work of the Holy Spirit in this town.

Serving Joyfully,

TJ Gause