St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel. And if necessary, use words.”
It’s one of those quotes that have stuck with me ever since the mid-1990’s, when Michael W. Smith produced a song based on that line. So powerful… let your life proclaim Christ.
When I first met Pastor Marcos Avila and his wife, Ira, I thought: What an incredible couple. I can see the love of Christ all over them. I can’t wait to get to know them this week.
Later on during the week, I thought about how much I’d love to hear Pastor Marcos preach.
Not even a day later, I remembered this quote and realized that beyond anything he could have preached, I saw the Word of God lived out in his life the entire week. I have never felt so welcomed by a host, so celebrated and served. I have never felt like “part of the family” like how I did there. It went beyond hospitality; it was the pure, welcoming, powerful love of Christ.
This is was not only just how they lived, but it was so evident in the lives of the congregation as well. Sunday morning, the service was the most incredible meeting I’ve ever been a part of. Usually when overseas, one of two things happens in the church services. You either witness a service in another culture/language (super cool!) or are asked to run the service so in order to bless the congregation (also super cool). But on Sunday, the service was shared. The worship was sung and posted and led in both English and in Spanish, as was everything else. It was a shared, corporate service, much like what I imagine it will be like one day with all nations, all tongues, all tribes, all music and dancing around the Throne. There are no words for how amazing that church service was.
Pastor Marcos and Ira called us their family; their children. I found myself thinking of and relating to them as Mama and Papa. Our last night in Costa Rica was Father’s Day. Instead of leaving to spend time with their family (instead of going home every night, Pastor Marcos actually stayed at the church, sleeping on a mattress in his office in case we needed him for anything), the Avila family chose to serve us. They decorated the dining hall and made a special meal, lit candles, greeted us as their family, and then served us food. It was beyond humbling. The pictures directly above are of the portion of the youth group who stayed at Pastor Marcos’ church and of Connie and I with our Costa Rican parents.
Not only will I never forget these hosts, but I truly hope that God will give me a chance to return to Costa Rica one day and spend time with my family there. I feel so blessed to have met them and miss them a lot. What an incredible thing the Body of Christ is, and the connection we have because of Christ’s love. It is a beautiful, wonderful thing.
Stay tuned for more stories!!!
