Les & Diana Morris

As I look out our office (officina) window, it’s another overcast day.  Large rain clouds are forming over the mountains that surround San Jose.  I know that today they’ll be moving in earlier than usual, as we already have another group of dark gray clouds overhead and I can hear the ping of some rain drops on the corrugated tin roof right outside my window. The cooler refreshing air is a welcome change too.

Some days, the rain just isn’t convenient though – like when you need to go shopping, or wait for a bus.  Really any time you have to walk somewhere.  When you don’t have a car, this means that even with a giant umbrella, you’ll be wet when you get where you’re going, sit on a wet seat on a bus if you’re riding a bus, or just be generally soaked by the time you get home – at least from thigh level on down.  This is because the rains come so hard and usually at an angle, that they bounce off the street.  On the other hand, being NJ-NH folks, this rain is different.  It isn’t cold. Nice.

Jesus '73 Latter House Singing in Front of 10,000

But today I’m thinking of a spiritual lesson.  When we were new in the kingdom, part of the Jesus People or Jesus Freaks we were always hearing about the folks in the Latter Rain movement.  I remember learning about how they’d sometimes find out that God was moving powerfully in a church 3 hours away.  They’d hop in their cars in the middle of the week to go experience what was happening.  They were hungry for God’s Kingdom to break through in powerful ways in this present age, in their state, in their town, in their own lives. We wanted the same thing … to know and feel God’s presence.

40 years later, we continue to hunger for the same thing.  We’re not looking for a neat package – everything working the way we want or think it should or even according to our theological training and understanding.  We’re simply longing for HIM, for his Presence.

We were young.  We didn’t have all our theology right. But we had been purchased by the blood of our Lord and like Paul we could say: 

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit ⁶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.  1 Cor 2: 2-7

And so why am I thinking of rain?  and of God’s rain?  For one thing, elections and politics are on the English speaking news stations and we find more than ever that we want God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit.  For another, statistics around the world, in the US and here in Costa Rica having to do with Family and Marriage are terrible.  Meanwhile the statistics on Drug Addiction, Alcoholism, Prostitution, Theft and all manner of crime is numbing.  The statistics on Human Trafficking – even in the US and here in Costa Rica are appalling!

BUT we are reminded, that:

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, Rom 5:20

And so, we invite you to join with this heart cry:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL-xZxJpl-s[/youtube]

24Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! ²⁵ All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. ²⁶ So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.  1 Cor 9: 24-26

It’s been awhile since we last posted and it has been hectic ever since.  We finished out the 2nd Trimester (All A’s and a B for both of us), had a wonderful time with Manchester Vineyard’s Missio Dei Costa Rica Jovenes group down here, taking the bus or a taxi over to Rodney and Cindy’s each night and even had the opportunity to serve with the team over the weekend doing community clean up and helping a little with translating at the Sunday morning service.  Well worth it, even though our grades suffered a bit.

Following this adventure was a whirlwind trip home for Trimester break, where we had a wonderful time reconnecting with some of our family (those in NH), a very fast trip to SC to see Les’s folks, church camp, preached and taught a song in English AND Spanish and tried to rest as much as possible.

We’re now back and in our final Trimester!  Hard to believe we’ve been down here since January 4 (4 enero).  This Trimester promises to be the hardest one yet.  We were warned, but you always think it can’t be THAT bad … but it is!  Nevertheless, we are on home stretch with language school – to be followed by a lifetime of really learning  the spanish language.

Oh – and did we mention that Les is the Director of Worship at the school this Trimester and Diana was elected as President of the Student Council – just a little extra for both of us.  Please continue to hold us up in prayer as God puts us on your hearts and that we will run this home stretch with grace and excellence!  We pray that each one of you will run your own races in the same manner.

Blessings,

Les & Di