Hola mi Familia, 

     Would like to tell you that God has truly opened my eyes and has given me a different perspective on life and that as Americans we are greatly blessed to have the things we have back home. This whole trip has really just showed me that I have no room to complain when I miss a meal or something just doesn't go the way I planned. 

     During the week we helped with the feeding centers put on by 6:8 ministries and the local churches they partner with. Between 75 to 100 kids come to these centers to be given the only meal they will probably have for the day. We would also go around to different parts of town and play with the local kids. Here we would play soccer, draw with chalk or jump rope with the kids. It was so fun to see us all interact with the kids. Even though we both never really understood each other, it seemed that there was still a bond and friendship made. Amazing what God can do when His will is being done, no matter the cultures. 

     Today we started the day of by going a senior home and got to interact with them. Always nice to pay a visit to the elderly,  LOL. One of the men there is really good with math and numbers. If you tell him your birthday, he can tell you the day it will fall on this year and the day it fell on the year you where born. Later, we went around to the different families that 6:8 keeps in contact with. Two of the families we took to the grocery store and bought food for them. We them went to a family that 6:8 and another missions team will be building a house for. This family has 6 people living in a house that is basically falling apart. There are almost no walls and when it rains water pours on to the kids bed and there is not much the family is able to do about it. This part of the trip really hit me the most. This house was in really bad shape. I told myself I'm so glad for the house and blessing I have back at home. 

We ended the night by attending the youth service at celebration church down the street from the team house. The service was awesome!!! So cool attending a service in another language and seeing the youth jump around. 

Buenos Noches!!

Chris Fernandez

     On Tuesday our team woke up and took a trip to the town square before going out to pray for families. First we went into the big Catholic church on site and looked around. The people of Alajualita were having a month long festival celebrating Senior' jesuschristo de negro, or "Lord Black Jesus." My spirit self cringed when I saw the crucifixes and the glass coffin of Jesus dead with the piercings in his hands and feet.  I really wanted to scream, "He's alive not dead!" but I decided that wouldn't have helped anything so I prayed over the church and we left.  About a block behind the church we came to a coffee field that was filled with garbage.  Our leaders explained that this was the place were the homeless crack addicts stay and because of the drugs there has been a lot of people stabbed and murdered in the field.  We all spread out and started praying.  As I was walking down the fence, I found the entrance and started praying over it.  As I was praying a man came out with blood shot eyes, smelling of alcohol. I was really scared so I started running towards Brandon. When Brandon was in between me and the man I noticed that the man started talking to one of our leaders. We all came over because we received the signal to come pray. The man's name was Mario and he said that he normally rents a room but some nights he has to sleep in the coffee field.  He was addicted to cocaine and alcohol.  We started to pray over Mario, breaking of the spirit of addiction and proclaiming that Satan has no hold on him.  He started bawling and and said that he could really feel the Spirit.  The funny thing is, Mario doesn't speak any English and we didn't have someone interpreting our prayers over him.  God was there and he felt it.  You could see, even physically, that a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. We had to move on but some of the 6:8 leaders stayed back to talk with him.

At lunch we helped a small church feed about 50 kids.  I helped by chopping the ingredients. The ladies who were making the meal kept laugh and Mike and me because we were terrible. It was a blast! Well... until I started chopping onions and my eyes were pouring so bad that I couldn't open them. To make them stop I went outside and started taking pictures of our team playing with the kids.  Seeing how happy these Tiko kids are with just a jump rope and each other made me realize how much we take for granted.They have so much joy without having a xbox or wii. Man did I feel selfish.

That afternoon we went on what they call a discovery walk.  This is where we go to a neighborhood loaded down with soccer balls, Frisbee's, jump ropes, and toy cars. These are areas where the 6:8 team have not gone before.  We walked through the streets trying to find kids to come play in an open area with us.  The kids are so fun! I played Frisbee with a big group of little boys who were having the time of their lives. They constantly tried talking but we had no idea what they were saying.  Instead we communicated through action. We gave them love and attention and they soaked it up like they had never had it before. They really liked it when I tried to teach them "Texas" words like "Howdy partner!" When our team left the area some of the kids followed us for a little bit to say their good by's and even asked when we were going to come back to play.  When we reached the main street we decided to pray over the neighborhood.  A lady came up to us and told one of our translators that we needed to leave because we were not safe there.  So we finished praying and got out safely.

This trip has changed my outlook on so many different things. God is so good! I'll be sad when we leave, I could get used to this simple lifestyle. :)

 Keisha Crowell

How, where, and what does one begin to write when their entire journey has been influenced by a power so awesome that it cannot be comprehended by the human mind?  If one believes that God is directing the journey, then one should also believe that it will be God that forms the words transferred to paper about it.  That is what I find myself believing here and I pray that through Him I'm able to capture just half of what He has shown me as our team moves to the back end of our trip to Costa Rica.

 I have been on missions before.  However, these missions weren't aimed at saving humanity by bringing them to the love of Jesus Christ.  These missions consisted of fifty United States Marines touching down in a hostile country armed to the teeth with the intent of saving humanity from itself.  We lived by the credo, "Let God sort 'em out," as we sighted in on potential targets without giving a second's thought to whether or not they believed in Christ, Buddha, or Santa Claus.  Two years ago I would have mocked a Christian and called him a fool for believing in such imaginary things.  Now I find myself in a foreign country helping to bring others to a fire that for so long I had tried to extinguish.  

There are really no words in the human dictionary to describe exactly what this trip has done for me.  "Overwhelmed in the most powerfully awesome way," would have to be the closest fit... if the feeling I was trying to relay was dumbed down by about a thousand percent.  To look out on a majestic third-world cityscape without a rifle in my hand for HIM.  To see past the shacks and tin-roofed shanties to the sprawling mountains blanketed by soft white clouds.  To touch a 17-foot crocodile, a dinosaur, a veracious predator, a pure killing machine that was made by God long before He created man.  To watch a sunset from a mountain top overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  To hold the hand of a child as he leads me to sidewalk chalk and a cement canvas after random strangers led by Jesus Christ gave him the opportunity to draw.  To feel His grace every waking moment knowing that just fourteen short months ago, after twenty-seven years of running, He stopped me, looked me in the eyes, and told me to come home.  To see God at work everywhere I turn and finally realize that it's been Him all along.  Looking back now, "Overwhelmed in the most powerfully awesome way," while dumbed down, still doesn't even begin to describe or define the feeling inside of me.  I'm so honored to be a part of this trip. 

God is doing great works in Costa Rica and the experience has been completely priceless.  The kids here are growing up with almost nothing to their names yet they remain so happy about everything and are a joy to be around.  They love to laugh as they play soccer on concrete fields while their toes literally hang from the fronts of their ravaged shoes.  We as Americans live in a country plagued by pride and self-importance and I almost dread going back to it.  I can do nothing but once again reclaim my life to Christ and promise that I will stop at nothing to be where He wants me and wait until He calls on me to be wherever He wants me next.

Brian Tagliaferro

    Em`pow´er - to enable or permit; to give more opportunity for independent action. On this trip God has given me a fresh new meaning of empower and how important it is for me as a leader to continue to empower this team. He has taught me that only secure leaders give power away and insecure leaders focus on themselves and feel consumed with how they look and wheather people like them. So many leaders are afraid of letting go of the power they hold and it causes those under them to not grow. During this trip I have took the back seat and it has been the most amazing expierience ever. Just sitting back and watching these students just being led by God to take the reigns at whatever opportunity comes at them; praying, serving, loving and leading. This shows me that God is using me in a mightier way then I realize. If you as a leader don't feel empowered by your team then you are not empowering your team. These past few days I have felt an empowerment beyond I have ever felt before and it has come from God allowing me to step aside and give these students the power to be led by God to take control of every opportunity that arises.

    Today we hiked to three crosses. This wasn't a walk in the park, it was straight up three mountain peaks. No switchback trails (for those of you avid hikers). This team owned that trail! Below is team picture of the third and highest cross.

Live Love,

Brandon Boudin

     What started out as a fear turned into a realization that God is always at my side. Yes, I know he never leaves or forsakes me but its different when I believe it without a shadow of a doubt. I want to be so in tune with him that his voice is familiar and stands out among everything else in my head and in my surroundings. I have been attacked with fear every since we got off the plane. I allowed it to affect my attitude and demeanor. I began to feel very alone, out of place, and rejected. I felt like truly God was the only one who truly cared about me but what I realized today is that I was feeling like that because God wants me to care about what he thinks about me more than what others think because I'm not always going to be surrounded with those who love me unconditionally. God is unconditional love. When I went out on the rooftop last night I was in complete despair, I felt like I didn't amount to anything and that God could never use me because I have way to many issues. When I was on the rooftop I looked into the dark sky and saw a demonic facial image in the clouds and I instantly ran down and knew I needed to conquer the spirit of fear that was inside of me. It wasn't until today when we hiked the mountain to see three different cross statues for me to call out to God. At one point during the hike I somehow lagged between two groups and I couldn't hear or see anyone and of course instantly got fearful. Instead of crying I took a breather and called out for God and and immediately I felt his presence in the wind. He truly revealed to me his beauty, majesty, and power in so many ways today. I felt so ashamed that I complain about physical pain or feeling judgment from others in the group I just imagine that Jesus actually was beaten and actually faced judgment and criticism. I was totally humbled, so even though there's a lot God wants to do in me I can be joyful to know that God is always with me and no matter if I feel accepted by people here, I know that God has plans that will never prosper my relationship with Him. The most important thing is that I now know that as long as I'm confident in who God has made me then can I effectively show others the love of my savior.  We must learn to see with heavens eyes to truly see our God and to see why Jesus came and died for every individual. God is beauty and he is the creator so why would we not view his creations as beautiful. In love with the one who made all things.

Kellie Shuman

     Well, first I must thank God for allowing us to come to this beautiful land and meet such loving, beautiful people! All glory goes to Him for everything we are being allowed to see, because He is the one orchestrating every minute. So this morning we wake up, get ready, and walk downstairs to an incredible breakfast! Incredible, meaning fresh cantaloupe, pineapple, cereal, amazing omelets stuffed with red peppers, ham, and onions, pancakes, and bread. After this breakfast we were prepared to go and experience an incredible day that the Lord had planned. We first went to Celebration Church of Costa Rica and we were all greeted with opened arms. The church was filled with amazing freedom and passion for God. We then were able to go to another church where they freely give food to children, in most cases this is the only meal they will have for the day, while at the church we helped serve the children and played with them. After lunch we went to meet 3 incredible men of God. These three men live in The Men Center, another part of 6:8 ministries, where they come off the streets and get set free from all kinds of addictions by the love of God. In this house the ministry provides a home, food and all they need, the ministry also helps reveal who God is and disciples them to become strong men of faith. We met these men and they shared their testimonies of God bringing them off the streets and RADICALLY changing their lives! With these incredible men we started on a prayer walk where we went to one of the most poverty stricken communities around us. As we continued on our way we saw some kids and they were drawn to us and  began jumping on us and holding our hands, it was the sweetest thing ever! My favorite part of the day begins with going into a home and being able to pray healing, strength and miracles for a little boy who had surgery on one of his legs due to a scoliosis-type infirmity, he must have surgery on the other leg to completely fix the issue. In the same household we were able to pray healing over the boys mother and grandmother. We then went a few houses down to a home where we asked if anyone needed prayer and the boy at the door said you can pray for my mom but not for me. So we went into their home and began praying for her 3 sons who are addicts and for prosperity, she is a woman of faith and has been believing for her family to know God. As we finished praying her oldest son thanked us for coming and praying and then the door was opened to pray for him. God began to do deliverance of addiction and after we prayed for freedom he wanted to ask Christ to come into his life, so God saved him right there in his home!!!! As we were walking out the youngest son that was on the porch, who didn't want prayer, came in and asked for prayer! God is doing incredible miracles!

           We are realizing what it means to walk like Jesus walked. We are learning what it means for Christ to be our example. We are taking a hold of Jesus' heart and walking like he did, sharing the gospel, feeding the multitudes, bringing freedom to the captive, loving people, serving, praying for healing and seeing miracles take place. It truly is amazing to be able to experience who Christ is and see hope come alive!

 Jessica Heard

Tomorrow morning the KP3 team will be heading out to Alajuelita, Costa Rica to work with 6:8Ministries. Alajuelita is the poorest county, per capita, in all of Costa Rica. This is going to be an amazing experience for the students, they are so PUMPED! One huge thing I have been teaching the students is "live in the now". They have no idea whats going on, so each day will be a new surprise. Please be in prayer for us as we share the love of Christ. Come along the trip with us by hearing from the students each day of our trip through the wonderful creation of blogging.