Going Bananas For Jesus

For whatever reason, I have kept a journal of all of my mission trips and end up ranking them in the order of most influential in my life. There have been numerous trips to Mexico, several domestic trips, and gorgeous trips all through the Caribbean and Central America. Number one was steady at the top since April 2002.  This was when I went to Honduras with a group of Baptist Men from North Carolina, and on the way back home, I met my husband! I mean, how much more influential can you get than that? Thus, even the best of trips have ranked at number two and three... 


I was reminded yesterday of trip #2 on my list! My old youth pastor tweeted this yesterday...

"Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness & Self-Control. The fruit of the Spirit is not a banana..."

(Be sure to check out his blog! You can also follow him on Twitter at @YouthGuy07)

This tweet took me back to last May when I went with a group of college students from Herndon United Methodist Church to Costa Rica. This was my second trip to Costa Rica, as I had just been with a group of adults from HUMC that March. Our trip was sponsored by Costa Rica Mission Projects and the Wil Bailey, whom I dearly admire despite his choice of seminary! 


Before the trip, I was so excited to go to Costa Rica for so many reasons...


1 - I came into HUMC in June of 2009. I spent most of that summer on a mission trips, VBS, Upward Basketball Camp and trying to get to know the junior high and high school students that I would be working with daily. Thus, I had managed to let the college students slip by and really hadn't gotten to know them as well as I should have. I had tried college visits throughout the year, but unfortunately had not made it to see everyone... This trip would be a building block to great college ministry! (...and then we moved!)

Day One of the trip.... Check out those awesome t-shirts.

2 - As I said before, I had participated with a group of adults in Costa Rica in March. It was a trip that would rank in the top five, and I could not wait to go back to Costa Rica. I had made plans for our college group to visit the site where our adults had worked... It was a part of my plan to build the bridges between the generations of our church and show a common interest!


3 - We were going to go to the beach! While we had gone to a fabulous volcano in March, I was stoked to see a Costa Rican beach!


4 - Our theme for the week was "Goin' Bananas For Jesus!" How can you not get excited about that?! I had made up a prayer journal for the week that included a devotion each day on one of the fruits of the spirit! Genius, right? The t-shirts were even better! (Thanks, Kylee Horstman!) 


The pre-trip events turned into somewhat of a nightmare. Copa Airlines cancelled our flight reservations with no reason. (Thankfully, we were able to book flights again...) One of the key members of our group lost his passport the night before we were to leave, and we left him tearfully at the airport in DC. Things were not getting off to a good start...BUT...God always has a way of turning unexpected misfortunes into greatness.

From the moment we arrived in Costa Rica, it was pure joy. We were in the hands of Daniel, the greatest driver in all of Costa Rica. The sights were as beautiful as they had been in March. Our devotion time each evening consisted of deep, vulnerable, open sharing...thanks to the fruit of the spirit! The work each day was FUN, and even though we didn't have a coffee pot, Papa Hugo made us coffee each morning in the pouch! Without the "usual leadership" of our lost team member, other students stepped up to be leaders and fill the various roles of our team. Midweek, Sean, the super intern, made it to Costa Rica after finding his passport. The friendships made and the bonds formed were so tight that only God could have weaved us together in such a short time. Even when our bus broke down on the curvy side of the mountain in the dark, we knew that everything would be OK! God was with us.

The attacking monkey...

And then came Friday... Friday will go down as one of the best days of my LIFE. We had finished our work for the week and made the trip back to San Isidro. We woke up bright and early and drove to the coast. Daniel drove us to Manuel Antonio National Park. We were assured to see monkeys...and monkeys we did see. The beach was gorgeous, and we found a perfect spot on what I would call a cove. The kids went in the ocean, we played, and then we left for lunch... This was, by far, the best lunch I have ever had, and the culmination to a beautiful week. At dinner that evening, we stopped at a local restaurant, which just happened to be the restaurant we stopped at on our last night in Costa Rica in March. It was perfect.


After a week like this, how could you not be "Goin' Bananas For Jesus!" God showed himself to us through the friendship and compassion of each other and those that we worked alongside in Costa Rica. He showed himself in the beauty that was all around us. There was love. There was pure joy. My heart felt at peace through the kindness and goodness that was shown by everyone on our team. 


While I won't be with the college team going back to Costa Rica this year, I will still be Goin' Bananas for Jesus, and praying them through the week and hoping that their hearts will be open to HIM as much as they were in the last year. For this group of young adults, I am so very thankful. 

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.