Beach or Mountains? How about Jungle!

My dear friends, family, blog subscribers, supporters, and fellow adventure followers. I want to give you a quick update of how I ended up committing to and leaving for Costa Rica in one week. Here is just a quick look at where it all started and where I’m headed as well as some other quick tidbits!

I had no idea when I arrived half-asleep in Penshurt, Costa Rica at 2 o’clock in the morning in the middle of a jungle I would be returning to this place just a few months later. I soaked in the sound of the choir of birds in the cool of the morning, monkeys talking in the trees at night, the rain drops falling on the metal roof. I built community with local brothers and sisters, spent nights in worship, learned new card games, traveled to small villages to help with manual labor projects and so much more thinking I would never return. This had been my pattern more or less the past three months so I knew the ropes. Giving everything, leaving everything behind, knowing I’ll be doing the same thing the next month in a new country with their culture and people and ministry. 

But this time, things were different. Within the first few days of being in Costa and learning about the Teen Challenge ministry we were partnering with for the month, we got the opportunity to go pray over the land where they had just broken ground on a home for Women with Children. They currently have a men’s home and a women’s home in Costa but this is the first Women with Children Home. While we were there praying and learning about the vision, purpose and need for this home, I felt a strange stirring inside me and desire to serve at this Home. For months I had been struggling with what I wanted to do after my quickly approaching end of the Race and had felt no pull to anything before this moment. I kept the news between myself and the Lord for about a week before I dropped a bug in the missionaries ear about my interest in coming back and serving at the Home. I knew it was still a long shot for me to actually come back and serve but…I was willing to knock on the door and see if the LORD opened it. 

Fast forward to a few short months after I got back home from the Race. I got in contact with the missionary from Costa, we worked some details out, we took some more time to pray about it and then I bought my ticket for my flight out there. I’ll be flying out August 8th and planning to return to the States on December 8th. I don’t have a specific “job description”, however my main focus will be helping prepare the new Home to be ready in November for the first residents. This will include preparing staff with all the necessary training and preparation, team building, preparing/furnishing the house, etc. There are also a handfull of other ministry opportunities I will hopefully be involved in in some capacity. 

My home for the four months will be a little cabin by myself near the missionaries’ house and also near the Home in the Bocuare jungle. It’s way out there and I love it. It’s peaceful and so beautiful. These four months will be a trial period of sorts so when I get back to the States in December I’ll pray about either committing to return to Costa for the next six months or if the LORD is ending my time there and leading me to something else.

To those who have been praying for me so faithfully for years, maybe just these past five months, or maybe you haven’t but want to, THANK YOU! Your prayers have opened doors, brought salvation, built community, put protection around me, and so much more than I’ll ever even know. Please continue to intercede for me as I follow the LORD on yet another adventure. 

For those who have so generously financially supported me, THANK YOU! I wouldn’t have been able to do all the LORD has called me to do without you playing a part in it. The LORD still has so many adventures for me so I pray you will continue to join. For these next four months on the field, I will not be actively raising support. Not knowing if this is something that will turn into long term serving or not, I feel the LORD asking me to not actively raise support at this time. Unfortunately, Costa Rica isn’t as cheap as living in Mexico was but the LORD has been good to provide all that I need. If you would still like to give (maybe for a coffee on my sabbath day or something:)) I’ll put my Venmo name at the bottom and you can give there. (Just an FYI, the donation button at the top of this blog page is for my support raising of my last World Race.)  As the Home gets closer to completion, there may be opportunities to give for specific items that the house may need. Things that aren’t necessary for opening day but that would be nice little extras for the residents to make it feel more homey like some wall art, pillows, small decor items, etc. I will provide more details on what that may look like when the time gets closer. 

I’m no longer with the World Race but I plan to continue posting my blogs here. I’ll be posting update on what I’m doing, progress with the house, prayer requests, and more here on my blog as well as on FaceBook. Would love to have you continue staying up to date on what the LORD is doing there and how He uses this Home to bring his lost daughters into His Kingdom. I know it’s going to be a long road with a lot of bumps and potential stop signs ahead but I know through the power of prayer and daily surrender the LORD will do great things. I’m so blessed to be a part of it and I hope you jump on board as well cause it’s going to be a crazy ride.

 

Venmo name: @Khurry-Bullard