Extra, extra, read all about it! Below is the November edition of my Pura Vida newsletter. Check back soon for more pictures and video from FundaVida's Creative Worship/Talent Night!
Pura Vida November 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
TOMS in La Carpio and Christmas at FundaVida
I've been wanting to post this for awhile, so figured I might as well get around to it! Awhile back I went into the office at the center in La Carpio where I teach English and saw a plastic bag full of black shoes. I asked the director what all the shoes were for and she told me they were a donation of TOMS shoes for all the students.
WOW! It hit me de nuevo (anew) the difference between working in the States with teens and working in poor communities in Costa Rica with teens. In the States, my Young Life kids bought expensive (or what I would consider expensive!) TOMS shoes (http://www.toms.com/) because they loved the styles and the fact that for every pair they bought TOMS would donate to a pair to a child in need. And now the kids I work with here are on the receiving end! The girls LOVE their TOMS and wear them a lot. The boys aren't quite as convinced of the fashion statement that is TOMS shoes, but they've discovered they make good shoes for playing soccer :)
And I actually got a pair as well as there were some leftover!
WOW! It hit me de nuevo (anew) the difference between working in the States with teens and working in poor communities in Costa Rica with teens. In the States, my Young Life kids bought expensive (or what I would consider expensive!) TOMS shoes (http://www.toms.com/) because they loved the styles and the fact that for every pair they bought TOMS would donate to a pair to a child in need. And now the kids I work with here are on the receiving end! The girls LOVE their TOMS and wear them a lot. The boys aren't quite as convinced of the fashion statement that is TOMS shoes, but they've discovered they make good shoes for playing soccer :)
And I actually got a pair as well as there were some leftover!
Isn't this kid the cutest thing ever? They got some for some of the girls who have kids as well!
And, as you all might know, I LOVE Christmas! And I don't love mornings :) As I was heading in early for a teen club meeting with FundaVida I was dragging my feet (don't get me wrong, I love what I do, I would just rather do it later in the day) To my great delight, the ladies in the kitchen had decorated for Christmas. Yes, Costa Ricans have all their decorations out in early-mid December. It's amazing!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Pura Vida Newsletter--September and Submission
Hey friends! Below you will find my latest newsletter! Enjoy!
And a note about submission. As some of you who read this blog have found, it often acts as my diary (open for the world to read). So I feel compelled to share a word about submission with you today. Perhaps if only to put it out there for public record so that I am held accountable to what I feel God leading me to do.
It's an off-putting, dare I say alienating word--submission. It conjures up a whole host of images and emotions. And yet it is something we are encouraged to do, compelled to do, as those who have chosen to follow Christ. And I am, once again, being called to do it. It.is.NOT.fun!
I read this morning (after an insightful and convicting message last night and affirming talk after with my pastor) about submission in (....yes, you guessed it) My Utmost for His Highest:
"First be reconciled to your brother...' Our Lord's directive is simple--'First be reconciled...' He says, in effect, 'Go back the way you came-- the way indicated to you by the conviction given to you at the altar; have an attitude in your mind and soul toward the person who has something against you that makes reconciliation as natural as breathing.' Jesus does not mention the other person-- He says for you to go. It is not a matter of your rights. The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus."
OUCH! He always cuts right to the heart of the matter. "It's not a matter of your rights." But doesn't he know that I AM right. Doesn't Oswald know that what he's [my neighbor and brother in Christ] proposing is ridiculous, dare I say outlandish. Why would I submit to that? No one would disagree with me (particularly no one who lives in the US). It's unfair!
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?...Submit yourselves then to God."
-James 4:1, 7
"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority..."
- 1 Peter 2:13
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." -Colossians 3:23-24
Amen. There's nothing left to do than submit. And oh, how it hurts, the injustice of it all. In fact, it reminds me of another injustice, an even greater one, the fruits of which I now live in each day, I drink in morning and night. And I remember, it is for FREEDOM that Christ has set me free. And that includes a FREEDOM to submit--not for my sake, certainly not for the unjust, ridiculous, law-keeper's sake, but for HIS sake, to bring HIM honor and glory, to love and obey HIM, and to live in the light of His truth and grace.
Pura Vida September 2012
And a note about submission. As some of you who read this blog have found, it often acts as my diary (open for the world to read). So I feel compelled to share a word about submission with you today. Perhaps if only to put it out there for public record so that I am held accountable to what I feel God leading me to do.
It's an off-putting, dare I say alienating word--submission. It conjures up a whole host of images and emotions. And yet it is something we are encouraged to do, compelled to do, as those who have chosen to follow Christ. And I am, once again, being called to do it. It.is.NOT.fun!
I read this morning (after an insightful and convicting message last night and affirming talk after with my pastor) about submission in (....yes, you guessed it) My Utmost for His Highest:
"First be reconciled to your brother...' Our Lord's directive is simple--'First be reconciled...' He says, in effect, 'Go back the way you came-- the way indicated to you by the conviction given to you at the altar; have an attitude in your mind and soul toward the person who has something against you that makes reconciliation as natural as breathing.' Jesus does not mention the other person-- He says for you to go. It is not a matter of your rights. The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus."
OUCH! He always cuts right to the heart of the matter. "It's not a matter of your rights." But doesn't he know that I AM right. Doesn't Oswald know that what he's [my neighbor and brother in Christ] proposing is ridiculous, dare I say outlandish. Why would I submit to that? No one would disagree with me (particularly no one who lives in the US). It's unfair!
"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?...Submit yourselves then to God."
-James 4:1, 7
"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority..."
- 1 Peter 2:13
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." -Colossians 3:23-24
Amen. There's nothing left to do than submit. And oh, how it hurts, the injustice of it all. In fact, it reminds me of another injustice, an even greater one, the fruits of which I now live in each day, I drink in morning and night. And I remember, it is for FREEDOM that Christ has set me free. And that includes a FREEDOM to submit--not for my sake, certainly not for the unjust, ridiculous, law-keeper's sake, but for HIS sake, to bring HIM honor and glory, to love and obey HIM, and to live in the light of His truth and grace.
Pura Vida September 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Lis: A Changed Life
One of the things I am doing with FundaVida (www.fundavida.org) in addition to helping with their programming for at-risk teens is collecting and writing stories about kids whose lives have been changed through the holistic presence that FundaVida has in some of the poorest, most violent communities around San Jose. Below is a story about Liseth, one of the girls who participates in the bi-weekly discipleship program I help lead.
I'm excited to be joining the other teen program leaders and youth leadership/discipleship kids on a trip to serve the indigenous Bribri people who live in a remote area called Talamanca in the southernmost part of Costa Rica later this month. It will be a challenging trip, taking kids from the inner-city to experience poverty and need on a whole new level as we serve alongside a local church and nonprofit seeking to provide educational and income opportunities to these communities. Many lack sanitary living conditions and struggle from subsequent illnesses and malnutrition.
Please pray for us as we seek to bring hope, light, and tangible assistance to this area, as well as help these young FundaVida leaders better understand that leadership starts with serving. Our tentative theme is it is better to give than receive (Acts 20:35).
Monday, July 16, 2012
Pura Vida Newsletter--July 2012
Extra, extra read all about it! An update on ministry with at-risk teens in Costa Rica!
Pura Vida July 2012
Pura Vida July 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Pura Vida Newsletter--May 2012
Here's the latest edition of my Pura Vida newsletter. If you would like to be added to my email list and receive regular newsletters, please email me at ali.c.campbell@gmail.com. Happy reading!
Pura Vida May 2012
Pura Vida May 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
There are no coincidences!
Don't you just love that?! In living a life of faith you know that there are no coincidences. God says that He knows every hair on our head and every day of our lives. And on top of that, He's so good!
As I was sitting in church last Tuesday at my young adult group, SuperNova, they were announcing that Crossover (a famous Costa Rican worship band, several of the bandmates lead worship each week at my church!) was going to open for the Jesus Adrian Romero concert on Friday. WHAT?! How did I miss this? (Oh, yeah, I was in the US most of April :)
Jesus Adrian Romero is a huge Christian artist and I love his music, and of course, I love Crossover as well. My next thought--oh, but I have FundaVida Teen Club on Friday night AND a birthday party for a good friend after that. Sigh. Oh well, next time....
So I go to club on Friday night and there are just a handful of kids. The director, Alvaro, pulls me aside and says, "Hey, what do you think about us going for a drive? Maybe go to the national stadium and sit on the steps, get some soda, and do our lesson there?" Great idea! The kids were really excited about doing something different and fun. The national stadium opened last year and it is a HUGE deal in Costa Rica. It was a gift from China and is one of this soccer-loving country's most prized possessions.
As we got close to the stadium, though, we realized it was teeming with people. Did you figure it out yet? Yep, you're right--the Jesus Adrian Romero concert! I, nor Alvaro, had any idea the concert was at the national stadium! So we got out, set down a tarp and soaked up the music from outside on the lawn as we discussed how a supernatural God does supernatural things in our natural lives and world.
There certainly are NO coincidences with God! Not only did He bless us abundantly through the music, but it was a great example for the kids of the fact that God is always at work around us and desires to give us good gifts.
As I was sitting in church last Tuesday at my young adult group, SuperNova, they were announcing that Crossover (a famous Costa Rican worship band, several of the bandmates lead worship each week at my church!) was going to open for the Jesus Adrian Romero concert on Friday. WHAT?! How did I miss this? (Oh, yeah, I was in the US most of April :)
Jesus Adrian Romero is a huge Christian artist and I love his music, and of course, I love Crossover as well. My next thought--oh, but I have FundaVida Teen Club on Friday night AND a birthday party for a good friend after that. Sigh. Oh well, next time....
So I go to club on Friday night and there are just a handful of kids. The director, Alvaro, pulls me aside and says, "Hey, what do you think about us going for a drive? Maybe go to the national stadium and sit on the steps, get some soda, and do our lesson there?" Great idea! The kids were really excited about doing something different and fun. The national stadium opened last year and it is a HUGE deal in Costa Rica. It was a gift from China and is one of this soccer-loving country's most prized possessions.
As we got close to the stadium, though, we realized it was teeming with people. Did you figure it out yet? Yep, you're right--the Jesus Adrian Romero concert! I, nor Alvaro, had any idea the concert was at the national stadium! So we got out, set down a tarp and soaked up the music from outside on the lawn as we discussed how a supernatural God does supernatural things in our natural lives and world.
There certainly are NO coincidences with God! Not only did He bless us abundantly through the music, but it was a great example for the kids of the fact that God is always at work around us and desires to give us good gifts.
The view from outside the stadium!
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