Les & Diana Morris

While Les and I are in NH, life goes on in Costa Rica, even in a poor community like Los Anonos.  In the midst of what is often extreme poverty, the hand of God is actively moving in lives and changing a people into His own image.  Just 2 days ago, 4 people were healed.  Pretty amazing!  1 woman called up Rodney, the “man on the ground” for Harvest Hands ministry and the pastor of Vina Anonos.  She wanted to set up an appointment so that he would pray for her and she would get healed.  And she was healed!  Yes, God is definitely moving and changing lives in this community that locals refer to as – ” the community under the bridge.”

You see, there is a bridge that goes over the river from San Jose to Escazu, a wealthy community.  Many people drive over it, but very few people venture down into it.  They are fearful and with good reason.  When the police receive a call to come into the community, they come enmass … so that they will be able to leave without … mmm … trouble.  Yet over the last 5 or 6 years, since Harvest Hands has been working in the community, they’ve  seen a change.  The “fear factor” has been greatly reduced.  How did this happen?  A breath of light and life was breathed into this community by the Holy Spirit and through the people serving as His hands.

Above are some photos.  They paint a picture.  A poor community, treacherous footpaths in places, dirty ones in others.  Poor construction,  a little shack, a window lovingly decorated with lace curtains.  Young women needing to learn what it means to be daughters of the king, wearing a crown and studying God’s word. A fairly non-technical way of identifying vision problems, through volunteer missionaries examining young and old and providing donated glasses.  Young men who have come to know Jesus as savior with a positive outlook on life, one of hope.  There are weddings and baptisms. 3 lovely brides thankful for donated gowns.  Did I mention that they were marrying their sweethearts, after many years of living with them and raising children together?  They wanted to serve God better and they knew that their way of life needed to change.  We can lay this at the feet of the Holy Spirit too.  Why a touch of lace? a crown? a smile? a sparkling white gown? baptisms?  1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

Well, this is where we will be returning as soon as God lets us.  We have the privilege to join God in what He is doing there.  Why us?  We often ask that question.  We only know that He has called us there.  And that’s enough.

But, it’s been fairly difficult to get back there.  Everything seems to take longer than we want.  After all our family visits during the holiday season, it was time for Les to have surgery for prostate cancer.  This he did on January 18.  He is recovering well, but there was a bump in this road.  The pathology report came back and showed additional cancer in the prostate, along with a tumor on the outside of the prostate.  Starting in March, he will need to undergo 5 weeks of radiation.  But the prognosis is excellent and we are thankful for the fine care he has been receiving, the skill of his surgeon and God’s hand in directing us to go for the surgical approach.  The question now is, how do we visit churches to raise funds while all this is going on?  While we went to language school, we paid our own way, with a handful of people who blessed us financially.  To return, we need full financial support, plain and simple.  People who will not only commit to regular financial support, but who we know will hold us up in prayer faithfully.  So we ask you to consider being one of our “partners” in this part of our journey and ministry.

We know in whom we have trusted, that He is faithful and that what seems like a road bump to us is absolutely nothing to Him. And we turn our eyes to Him and focus on His plans and His ways, the return He has all laid out for us.

There are many famous quotes about returning.  They are running through my mind as we think about this return.  Here are just a few.

Life is made up of meetings and partings.  That’s the way of it.  Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit in Muppets Christmas Carol

I’ll be back. Arnold Swarzenegger as the Terminator

 I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you.  Hawkeye to Cora in Last of the Mohicans

All those movie quotes about returning … maybe the people return, and we know that sometimes they don’t.  But there is one return we can have absolute confidence in and that is the return of Jesus Christ.  He’s coming back.  He promised.  In Matthew 16: 27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward everyone according to what they have done.”

And so, we pray for our return to this mission field of Los Anonos, Costa Rica, where He who is faithful, called us.  And as always, we look to His coming again.