For Sale: One slightly used umbrella

For sale: One umbrella. Location: Costa Rica. Only used twice. May not be useful in normal applications. Cost: $1.00 primarily to remove my shame.

What you see here is a picture on my walk home from school. What you don’t see is the amount of water I had already walked into soaking me to mid-shin. I stayed after for tutoring to catch up from missing some work. When I left there was a downpour. It was like a waterfall. Then the winds picked up. Imagine anti-Mary Poppins. Then imagine picking up a cloth from a bucket of water. The cloth well that was me. My umbrella obviously not functioning at full capacity ensured that I was drenched including all of my school books . Thankfully I was only half way home.

What do you do when your life serves up a thunderstorm and you have a broken umbrella? Let me tell you what I did. I laughed and asked someone to take a picture. Trust me at this point, I could have reacted negatively. I could have gotten mad but really what was the worst part? I was soaked? My backpack was holding water. My school books soaked. My shoes wouldn’t dry for days. In the US, we have a statement, “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” Here in Costa Rica it is, “Don’t cry when water is on the floor.” The saying makes sense especially with our history here. In two months, our ceiling has leaked twice, water came under our door once flooding our living room, and 4 windows leak when we have rain from the east.

A little water isn’t worth crying over. In fact, I think I make a big deal about too many things. I do this mainly because I think too much of this life and too little of heaven. Please don’t misinterpret my reasoning, longing for heaven is good but heaven is good because Jesus is there. If I make Jesus my supreme desire the stuff in this world doesn’t matter near as much.

While this is good about suffering, I’m not a sufferer. I’m a Christian and a missionary. What does this have to do with missions? Well everything. After my time in language school, I will be transitioning to the mountains in Ecuador to work with the Highland Quichuas. I am not going there because of them. I’m going there because I love Jesus. Every day I have to put in the front of my mind that I am learning Spanish not for them or for me, but for Jesus. So with that, I’m off to study more irregular verbs.

Today is an important day, it is St. Patrick’s Day. Irish pubs will be full with drunkenness (not good). Savannah, GA will dye their river green (a little weird). Many people will wear green and get pinched if not wearing green (a bit odd). The lucky few will eat a meal with corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes (a favorite of mine). I like to joke that today is the day everyone pretends to be me.

St. Patrick was raised in a Christian home but in his teenage years was captured by Celtic pirates. He was enslaved, abused, and taunted by his captors. He was forced to tend sheep. He was lonely, often hungry. Finally, after six years, he escaped back to his family back in Britain.

He did not remain in Britain for long. He secured a license to return to Ireland as an evangelist. He went back to the very people who persecuted him. God changed his heart to love his captors. God used him to share the Gospel. Most people will talk about Patrick removing the snakes from Ireland, in a sense, this is true. Because of the cold climate, snakes are not found in Ireland. However, they were staunchly pagan in the fifth century, until Patrick came. Patrick came declaring the Gospel, that message which removes the Serpent, the snake from the Garden.

The Gospel is the message that Jesus came to crush the head of the serpent. Now the serpent bruised his heal but Christ crushed his head. When Patrick came to tell Ireland about Jesus, he was removing the power of the snake.

This message is not unique to me and my family. Several months ago, when my grandmother passed away, I read her testimony. My grandmother came to faith in Christ when an American missionary came to Ireland to preach the Gospel. I don’t know his name but I am so thankful for him. My grandmother had a huge impact on my coming to faith in Christ. My life is changed because someone, like Patrick, went to a land not his own and shared the good news of Jesus.

Katie and I are planning on going to a land not our own to share the good news of Jesus. Would you be willing to partner with us? Would you help send us and pray that God would use the Gospel to change a life, family, and nation? 

If you have any questions about partnering with us please email or call. You can visit here to financially partner with us. If you would like to be added to our email list email us at kerrfamily@reachingandteaching.org

When did your family change direction? We would love to hear who your "Patrick" is for your family!