Every once in a while God lets you be a part of something incredible. I remember the first time I stepped off the plane in Costa Rica with a mission team of slightly nervous teenagers in the summer of 2000. I had no idea back then that God would use that trip to spark a journey, for me, that is 11 years old. I still have to pinch myself from time to time because it’s hard for me to believe that I’ve had a big role in starting and leading Pura Vida Missions.
See, I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty ordinary guy with a slightly above average quotient for risk. But what I’ve come to discover is that this is just the combination God uses to unlock the innate creativity placed in the heart of each of us. In other words, your “ordinary” talents + a bit of faith-filled risk = incredible things for the Kingdom of God.
I remember the last part of that mission trip in 2000 as well. We’d finished the week of ministry and were leaving the children we worked with all week. It’s one of the few times I’ve audibly heard the voice of God. Want to know what He said? He said, “You can do more.”
Most of us live our life thinking we’ve done enough or that we don’t have anything worth giving. Both are lies.
Call me naive but I believe exactly what Jesus said, “with God all things are possible.” You just have to dream a little and risk a little. God will take care of the rest.
Here we are in 2011. Pura Vida Missions is entering it’s 8th year soon. We’ve taken 1,000’s of short term missionaries on trips that have changed countless lives. We sponsor 100+ children to go to school. We’ve done countless construction projects and we’re in the 3rd year of having full-time missionaries on the ground in San Ramon.
This is just the tip of the iceberg and it’s truly something incredible. I’m honored that God let’s me be a part of it. - Albert
