CHANGED LIVES!
God blesses GO TELL Ministries’ Costa Rica team
with wonderful harvest.
Ministering love and hope overseas is a vital aspect of GO TELL Ministries. During a recent overseas trip to Costa Rica, 23 volunteers were blessed to lead 165 precious Costa Ricans to Christ while distributing much Christian literature and humanitarian aid.
“Only 3% of Costa Rica’s 4.5 million people claim to be Christians,” says Rick Gage. “As long as God gives me strength, I will continue to take GO TELL Teams of volunteers overseas to countries like this where the Spirit of God is moving and precious people are hungry for the gospel message.”
“When I signed up to go to Costa Rica, I really didn’t know what to expect since it was my first mission trip,” said Lisa Parrish. “What I walked away with has changed me forever. I came home with a new appreciation for my many blessings and a new appreciation for the work of evangelism. I saw many hungry for the gospel and the truth of Christ, and witnessed many accept Him as Savior. The dedication, love, and commitment of the missionaries serving in that area was unbelievable.
GO TELL Mission Trip RESULTS
• 165 first-time professions of faith in Jesus Christ
• The gospel shared in 12 schools, churches, orphanages, a nursing home, a juvenile jail, on the streets, in homes, and in town squares
• Over 1,000 pounds of food, clothing, and medical supplies distributed
• More than 500 New Testaments given to the Costa Rican people
• 1,200 gospel bracelets given out
• Hundreds of tracts distributed
• 23 team members
“I was particularly moved by two young girls who accepted Christ at a juvenile jail facility. One had murdered a man and was serving a 14-year sentence. She was absolutely amazed to learn that Jesus had died for her sins and that they could be forgiven and washed away. As we prayed with these them and they accepted Christ as Savior, you could feel the strong moving of the Holy Spirit. It was an unforgettable experience to see their lives transformed forever by God.”
One million Costa Ricans, many of them children, live in the refugee camps of San Jose which are literally sunken garbage holes. Their homes are tin shacks.
“What touched me the most about the trip was The Hole,” said Tracy Steward. “It was heart breaking. One particular house we visited had a mom alone, trying to take care of four children. The 18-year-old daughter tried to help out. She spent three days braiding a bag fabric for which she was paid one dollar. Their home had a dirt floor, with some pieces of tin for a roof over some old boards. When it rained their house would flood. It rained every night we were in Costa Rica, and every night I thought of those people. This trip changed me. I had never felt God’s power like I did there. He is an awesome God who loves people and wants us to take them his liberating message.”
“The most heart-touching scene for me was Los Guidos, ‘the Hole.’ It was a dump with people living in it,” wrote 15-year-old Melissa Medley. “I had never left the country, been on a mission trip before, or left my parents for so long, but I knew it was God’s will for me to go, so I left my fears with Him. And the trip was the best thing that ever happened to me. Seeing the look of shock on the faces of the people when they heard that there is a way to heaven and that Jesus loves them and wants to save them, is indescribable. They were so receptive of the hope we gave them and so thankful.
“My whole view of life is different now. I know that God wants me to spread His Word like wildfire. Because of this trip there will be many more mission trips for me.”
Most American children cast a wary eye at big Phil Keown who could double for “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. That’s why Phil was deeply touched when God allowed Costa Rican’s children to be drawn to him and realized his greatest ministry with them. Speaking to a group one day about the love of God, Phil witnessed four adults and several children accept Christ as Savior. “One of the highlights of my trip,” summarized Phil, “was ministering love and hope to a little girl named Cynthia who crawled up in my lap and sat there for two hours while we watched a movie which presented the gospel. That little girl needed the love of Jesus and the human touch to convey that love to her. While seeking to bless her, I was enormously blessed myself.”
Ginger Squires and her two daughters have been attending GO TELL Camps since 2003. “It was at camp that we heard about the Costa Rica trip, and I just knew we all had to go,” said Ginger. “We love GO TELL Camp because Rick Gage’s priority is reaching people for Christ. Our lives and churches are dead without that. I knew this mission trip would be one of the greatest gifts we could give our daughters. Anything you do with GO TELL Ministries leaves you with a changed heart and life forever.
“God often works in strange ways to accomplish His purposes. The greatest impact on my youngest daughter’s life was the outpouring of love she experienced when she got dehydrated. The local pastor and his family took her into their home. Filled with hearts of love, the pastor’s little girls cooled off Roxanne by lovingly washing her hair and caring for her. At the pastor’s request, a disabled, one-armed man brought her fresh coconuts on his bicycle. The demonstration of love my daughter witnessed by people truly sold out to Christ is something that left her changed.”
A school teacher, Laynne Earnest had her summer completely planned out when she heard about the Costa Rica trip. “I wanted to go,” she said, “but there was no way with my schedule.” A sudden illness opened the door for everything to change, and Laynne was able to follow her heart to obey God’s command to “Go.”
“What Satan meant for evil, God used for good,” said Laynne. “The blessings of the trip are too numerous to count. I will never forget witnessing to people on the street. One man in particular will forever be etched in my heart. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I was sent to Costa Rica for this divine encounter which resulted in his glorious salvation. George had been contemplating suicide before meeting Christ. Oh, the joy on his face! From darkness to light! To God be the glory!”
God will go to untold lengths to see that people whose hearts are hungry hear the truth of his Word. Laid off from his job of 27 years on June 29th, Alan Cothran was in the midst of a job search when he felt led to go to Costa Rica. He decided to go anyway and to wait on the Lord. Two hours before he left for Costa Rica, Alan received word from a company that he had been hired and that they would gladly wait for him to return from his mission trip. “What a tremendous thing it was,” said Alan “to know that God is always on time in our lives. The trip was such a blessing. What a great thing it was to see the Lord bring 23 different personalities with different lives and stories together in a common bond, with one purpose—to invite others to accept Jesus as Savior. Many of us are already planning to return next summer.”
Pastor Michael Bowen and his wife, Jennifer, took five people from their church who had never been on an overseas mission trip. They already have over 20 who plan to go on a GO TELL mission trip next year. “It was a great trip,” said Michael. “It is so wonderful to be able to minister to people who are hungry for the gospel. They are amazed at the message of hope in Christ Jesus and amazed at the words of Scripture. What a tremendous blessing it was for a girl on our team to lead her first person to Christ. I don’t know who was happier—she or the teenager she led to Christ.”
“This mission trip was absolutely amazing and life changing,” said Brookes Brinson. “The elderly people at the nursing home captured my heart, as did the orphans who have nothing. My heart was broken for little children living in The Hole whose mothers leave them alone while they go out trying to earn a meager living. All of them were so eager to know and learn about Jesus. The missionaries and the translators work so hard and are so dedicated.
“A precious memory for me was of a lady on a bench in downtown San Jose who motioned to me to come and talk to her. As I told her the story of Jesus, I could just see her heart begin to melt. After we prayed and she accepted Christ, she got up and began to skip around. She was so happy she kissed both me and the translator on both cheeks before she skipped away. How you can ever be the same again after that, I don’t know.”
“The Lord blessed and moved in powerful ways in San Jose and the surrounding areas, changing precious souls for all eternity,” said leader Bob Thompson. “It was an awesome thing to be in on what God is doing around the world in the lives of people hungry for the gospel message. I count it a great privilege to be used to usher people into His Kingdom.”
For more information about GO TELL Ministries, call 1-866-I-GO-TELL; email at info@gotellministries.com or visit the website at www.gotellminitries.com.
