Today was a good day. lol! I've always wanted to write that. Today that line rings true. I went to Calle Blancos today. I've had many rewarding experiences in the last two weeks, but this one was joyously indescribable? Mo and I went to buy our tickets after school at TicaBus and they were sold out. We went to TransNica, the bus line Dorian recommended and they didn't have contact with Managua. It wouldn't have been wise to purchase salida tickets and not know if we'd make it back on Monday (I have to meet the OTS group Monday). So we went to McDonalds in the Centro to meet Morgan. I wanted to see what she did in her spare time with these "teams."
Calle Blancos is "one of the worse" barrios in CR. It was raining, the door was locked and three teens were already outside. We did the whole introduction with a kiss on each cheek. Morgan told me there was one cat named Meneo would'd be coming and if I could understand him (he speaks a lot of slang) then I'd mastered the Spanish language! Ha! Challenge much?! Meneo arrived with a box and introduced himself... indeed understanding him was quite a feat.
Finally some of the other volunteers arrived with the keys to open the center. The interior was not what I'd imagined. But God doesn't require anything elaborate or ornate to get his mission accomplished, just willing vessels. The center was basically an old car garage transformed into a youth center complete with a ping pong table, a 4 square grid on the cement, a foosball table, some old couches and chairs and plenty of eye-catching graffiti. One wall read "Jesus es gratis pero no barato" (Jesus is free but not cheap). Another asked "Que buscas?" (What are you looking for?). Another stated, "Reflejamos la luz de adentro hacia afuera" (We reflect the light from within, without). The kids started to fill the center. We blasted music and left the doors open to attract passersby.
If you've ever been in place anointed with the Spirit, you can relate to the peace and happiness I felt within the four walls of Cultura Extrema. There were eager youth wanting learn about Christ and young adults willing to share. When the program began four years ago, the church stopped allowing CE to use its facilities because they viewed the program as just that... extreme. The next three years the youth met in the youth minister's house but because of the way the Lord works, the group soon outgrew the house. Thanks to funding from several churches in the US the old garage was purchased and transformed. No one was shoving doctrine down these kids throats. There were no crucifixes or condemning messages decorating the wall... just warm hearts and open minds. My cheeks hurt from all the smiling I did that night. The younger girls loved my hair (that's been a trend this entire trip btw) and stayed with me most of the night. They loved my lipsyncing renditions of Chris Brown ballads. ha. I played 4 square for the first time in a LONG time and foosball for the first time... ever? Some of the guys breaked and you know I had to school 'em on some thangs ;-)
We ended up heading back home at 11pm. God is just too good.
~Isaiah 61:1
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