Justin Weekly

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It gives me great joy to be writing you from Los Angeles de San Rafael de Heredia, Costa Rica.  I have been here since June 3, and loving every bit of it.  Allow me to share with you how I got here, what I’m doing, and how God is moving in this place.

More than a year ago, I knew I would be traveling to Costa Rica.  The plan was to be a participant in a study abroad trip offered every year through my university (The University of Memphis).  I would study for about 5 weeks, living with a local family and enjoying the abundant beauty of this tropical paradise.  As God picked my life up and started running with it in the last year, these plans developed into something more and something beautiful.

About 4 months ago, I felt God’s conviction in my spirit to go to Costa Rica prior to the start of my classes at the University of Costa Rica.  So I went about looking into different organizations here to volunteer with.  God threw one in my lap, but I wouldn’t see it this way until after trying my hardest to do things on my own.

I called a friend of mine about volunteering for about a month prior to my studies.  He sent an email to his contact in Costa Rica.  This contact wouldn’t get back in touch with me for a couple of months.  During this time of waiting to hear back, I grew impatient.  I then got in touch with a friend of my uncle, who has another contact in Costa Rica.  He got me in touch with a missionary living and working in Costa Rica.  Within 24 hours, I was in communication with the missionary here in CR.

I thought that something this easy must have come from the Lord, but as it turns out, time kept passing along and I wasn’t hearing anything back from the missionary.  Eventually, the first person I contacted in Costa Rica got back in touch with me with an opportunity to work with YWAM (Youth with a Mission) in Heredia, C.R.  But because I had already done so much work with the missionary, I initially declined the invitation to apply for a summer staff position for YWAM.

Long story short . . . through an act of faithlessness, I pursued working in Costa Rica in a manner against God’s plan.  Thanks, however, to the grace of God, He set up every appointment divinely and in His perfect timing so that I would be right where I am, working with YWAM.

I made a short, informational video about this particular YWAM base if you are interested in learning and seeing more specifically what it is we do here.  You can find it   For now though, I would like to share with you some photos of what the volunteer youth team has been up to recently.

In this photo, a youth volunteer team from Indiana went into the inner city to do some children’s ministry at a place called La Roca.  La Roca means, “The Rock.”  This is a place where kids can some and hang out after school everyday.  It serves as a refuge for at-risk youth, kids who need clothes and food, children who need after-school tutoring, and also a place where pregnant teenagers can go to receive vitamins and counseling and other types of moral and spiritual support.

The team did a reenactment of the Biblical account of David and Goliath.  Guess which one is David . . . 

In this photo Mario, our trusty leader/tour guide/bus driver is selling avocado on the streets.  “Why?” you might be asking . . .  Well, if you look behind the girl in the teal colored shirt, you’ll see a man wearing yellow.  This is the owner of the fruit in the wheelbarrow.  A couple of team members took an opportunity not commonly taken, to evangelize to a fruit peddler.