Christmas in June (Calvary Baptist)
Feliz Navidad! Christmas may be six months away according to the calendar, but it came early for the SCORE missionaries in Costa Rica.
For months our group from Calvary Baptist Church in Red Bank, Tennessee, prepared to minister to the people of Costa Rica. With most of the group being veterans at mission trips, we prepared the usual: skits, games, crafts, songs, testimonies, etc. We desired to be a blessing and to share the good news of salvation with the lost.
This trip, however, was to have a brand new aspect. We were told early on that we would be bringing Christmas to all the missionaries and their families. A little confused by the timing, they explained that since no groups travel during the week of Christmas, there is never the opportunity to share this holiday with them. We were very excited about this privilege to be a blessing to the missionaries, but we had no idea how it would impact us as well.
When the day came to buy the gifts, we were given lists that Trey and Jose had compiled for each person. We covered all of the windows in the cafeteria at the Villa and prepared all the decorations, complete with a Christmas tree. None of the missionaries were allowed to enter as it was to be a surprise. Everyone worked together and we headed to the Costa Rican version of Wal-Mart and divided in groups to complete the shopping.
That night, we greeted the entire staff with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and began to divide up their gifts with several of the youth acting as “elves”. With God’s incredible provision, we bought laptops, cameras, clothing, toys, mp3 players, and many other things that the missionaries would never considering buying for themselves.
As we watched the families open their unexpected gifts, there was hardly a dry eye in the room as we felt the inexplicable joy that comes from sacrificial giving. While we ministered to them, it was really our own hearts that were impacted in an unforgettable way.
