Today we have a story from Cailah Pritchard, one of our site leaders at our Boys and Girls Club in Costa Rica.

A few years ago, a group of teenage boys started spending time at Casa Verde, our Boys and Girls Club in Costa Rica. As they began to spend more time with us the site, my co-leader Juan and I started having some issues with a few of them. The boys had rebellious attitudes and it was obvious that they were struggling with various addictions. Each week, the boys would show up with their friends, and we’d do our best to welcome them in and love them.

If I’m honest, it was a tough season. The boys would disrupt other things happening at the site and we didn’t always understand why they kept coming back. As I look back on that season, I clearly see that it was a time of learning to be obedient to God’s call to love those around us in the midst of knowing that we’re not guaranteed results. We still loved and encouraged them as best as we could. It was a time of learning to give all those things up to God, not leaning on our own understanding or expectations.

Now, years later, we are seeing the fruit of God’s work in their lives! Ten of the same young men who once gave us such grief are now coming to serve and help mentor the new generation of boys and girls! These young men are individuals with whom we know we can trust and call on when we need help.

It’s a beautiful thing to see how these guys have transformed and a true testament to God’s faithfulness in His time and in His way. Juan and I are so grateful for the work that we get to do, and want to thank you for your prayers for the boys and girls club in Costa Rica!