YWAM San Jose Blog

At YWAM San Jose, we have different projects in Costa Rica, besides our schools and outreaches outside the country. Besides that, we will send out a new team to the Middle East to spread God’s love and start a new YWAM location. Here is the personal story of one of the leaders of the team, we hope this encourages you to follow whatever God is calling you to!

In July of 2014, a dream was planted in our hearts. We were in a time of prayer for persecuted believers in the Middle East, at the height of ISIS attacks, and we felt a deep sense of calling to go be peacemakers in that region.

We had been serving in Central America for four years at the time, newly married, and spending the majority of our time on the streets of San Jose with the people known as “the least of these” - youth, men, and women caught in the trap of sex slavery and prostitution. We knew that our time in Central America was temporary, a place that would serve as a launching pad for our future in missions, so when God put it on our hearts to move to the Middle East and serve amongst some of the most forgotten and war-torn communities, it came as no surprise.

Since that day in July of 2014, we have been working towards the fulfillment of this call. Preparing ourselves by serving in a variety of roles and leadership positions at YWAM San Jose, studying Islam and frontier missions, leading groups of people to different Middle Eastern and unreached Nations, and of course, doing our homework on the country where we’ll be planting a new YWAM location with our pioneering team - which consists of 8 adults and 4 young children.

Our launch time in the last week of April is rapidly approaching, and God’s grace and favor with us have been so apparent. We are full of mixed emotions but we hold steady to His promises as we know His plans for the people we go to work alongside and serve are even greater than our own. As we approach our date of departure from Costa Rica and set our eyes on our new home in the Middle East and all of the goodbyes, planning, and logistics that come with it, Ephesians 3:20 is what comes to mind and gives me peace, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory.”

1. Work. Most of us have the ability to earn money by getting a job. This is a great way to save up the funds needed for your DTS or before you start volunteering and it's an opportunity to take ownership by investing in your own future and what you believe God is calling you to do.

2. Believe that what you are doing is worth an investment. You are walking into a season of intense growth in your relationship with God, setting aside everything to learn about the purpose He has for you, the gifts and passions He’s planted inside of you, in order to become a person who is equipped to share the love of God in different cultures and contexts. It’s truly worth the investment, and you have to believe that before you can invite others to be part of it.

3. Put yourself out there. Share with your friends, family, co-workers, and church community about the exciting journey you are stepping into. Share your heart behind why you believe this is a key part of your life. Talk to the pastor and/or youth pastor at your church about sharing with the congregation. Make postcards or bookmarks that you can hand out with a little bit of information about what you are doing and how people can get behind you with their prayers and financial contributions.

4. Make it easy for donors to give. A lot of people don’t give to missions because they forget if there isn’t an easy way for them to do it immediately. If you talk to someone or speak at a church and people are interested in giving, you must have a simple, quick, and immediate way for them to give. Make sure to get something like this set up before you talk to any potential donors.

5. Be intentional about face-to-face conversations. The best possible situation for people to respond with a desire to give towards your mission is face-to-face conversation. This is a time where you can really share your heart and people can ask questions. The majority of raised funds comes not from newsletters or group sharing times, but from one-on-one realtime conversations. Make the effort and take the time to share with the people who want to be a part of what you are doing. Keep an organized list of those who have made contributions and those who have asked for updates during your time in YWAM. They are just as much a part of this journey as you are and without them, what you’re doing wouldn’t be possible. So take the time to let them know how grateful you are for them, and celebrate your successes with them! Write blogs and letters, send thank you cards, and maybe even take them a gift when you return home.

6. Take your passion and put it to action. Do you love photography? Cooking? Creating jewelry or other items? Take whatever you are passionate about and use it to raise funds! Something I did for a long time was make hairwraps and bracelets to raise funds. It’s a fun way to connect with people, give them something tangible to remember your mission, and a way to raise money. Some of my missionary friends host dinners that they’ve cooked, have bake sales, or even make journals to sell as a fundraiser.

7. Steward your resources well. Be wise with what you have. You can save a lot of money just by giving up your daily coffee or weekly meal at your favorite restaurant. What are some ways that you can cut your costs to put that money towards your time in YWAM? The sacrifice you make now will be more than worth it in the future.

8. Share your vision, rather than your need. There are so many needs in the world, and it’s easy for us to nothing about them when they aren’t personal. One of the keys of fundraising is sharing your vision with people so that they have an opportunity to personally connect with you and what you are doing. People want to connect with something that is meaningful to them – not just write a check to lower a number. Make sure you take the time to connect with people and really share the heart of what you are doing. You will see how encouraging it is to meet so many people with the same passion and heart as you do, who can’t necessarily go, but have a desire to be part of the mission by giving.

9. Understand Biblical finances. Jesus talks about money more than almost anything else in Scripture! Go to the Word and study what it looks like to live out the Kingdom with your finances. Look at the example of Paul, how he was supported by churches for his missionary journeys, and the way Jesus called His disciples to give up everything to follow Him. As you pursue this journey, whether your plan is to do missions short or long-term, make sure your understanding of finances is Biblical! This will make all the difference in the world as you do your part to fundraise, and you trust God to do what you can’t.

Packing for a DTS can be overwhelming, you’re not only going to live for three months in a new country, but you’re going to live for two additional months in another different country! How do you plan for that? With the hope that you can avoid packing regrets, we want to share what we’ve learned with you!

1) Pack a variety of clothing
You will want to have something appropriate for going to church, something you can get paint on, and some to use for exercise. You also want to be prepared for different weather types. DTS has two different phases:

a) Lecture Phase – you will mostly be in a classroom and hanging out around the base. You will also have kitchen/cleaning duties and ministries off base, where you may get dirty. 

b) Outreach – what you need for your outreach will depend on the country your team goes to. Be prepared for cold and hot climates by packing clothes that can be layered. Bring versatile low maintenance clothing.

Consider each of the things you want to bring. Test it with these five questions, each piece should satisfy at least three of these.

• Comfortable for walking around but can be dressed up for an event.
• Is appropriate for warm or cool weather.
• Can be folded up small/doesn’t wrinkle easily.
• Coordinates well with everything else you’re bringing.
• Can be washed in a regular washing machine or by hand.

2) What season is it in the country you are traveling to?
Temperatures in San Jose, Costa Rica are usually between 18-28C (65-82F). There are two seasons: rainy and dry. Rainy season is generally from May to November. During those months in San Jose, it will likely be sunny in the morning and then cool off and rain in the afternoon. The dry season is generally from December to April. The weather will be nice and sunny on most days. Regardless, know that we’re located up the mountains. This means that you always need to be prepared with warm clothes.

3) How much should you bring?
Keep it to what you can carry. You can bring everything you need in one checked bag and one carry-on. Travel with a hiking backpack that you can check and a day pack that you can carry on. If living off of so little for five months gives you anxiety, try to pray and ask God to show you what He wants to teach you during this time. He often shows us a lot about living more simply.

4) Tips for saving space:
For example, a sleeping bag is something that can take little space or half of your backpack depending on the type you have. If you’ve trouble fitting everything into your bag, looking for a compact sleeping bag might be a good option and if you fold or roll your clothes nicely, you can fit twice as much as if you just throw everything into your bag.
It’s easy to buy more supplies here. Keep in mind things might be a little more expensive in Costa Rica than at home. When packing, I recommend you save the things you could buy here until last. If they don’t fit, you can purchase those things here.

5) What’s appropriate?
Consider the culture you’re coming into as well as the cultures you could be visiting during outreach. There will likely be times where all you can wear are long-sleeves and/or long pants and long skirts. For certain times of ministry or visiting local churches in conservative cultures, you’ll want to have these types of articles of clothing on hand. Otherwise, try to pack casual clothing.

We hope to see you soon! Are you interested in doing a DTS? Send us an email to dts@ywamsj.org

There is no doubt that the year 2020 has been a different year and one that none of us have ever lived before. In the beginning, before the COVID pandemic arrived, God spoke two specific words to us as a base; “Growth and Beauty.” Of course, this could mean anything, and God always surprises us in His own way.

We didn’t expect months of quarantine and having to close down our base. How would we see growth and beauty if nothing is going on? Even though we didn’t see with our physical eyes, the Lord kept speaking to us as well as to the global YWAM family. Through different speakers and international elders, the Lord spoke about His desire to prune ministries and personal lives like a tree.

Pruning is necessary to develop a healthy tree and produce more fruit, but it doesn’t really seem to look beautiful in the beginning. Yet we know growth and beauty will come forward out of the pruning.

During the months of closing down, we could not go about our normal day to day. Our sports ministry, Homes of Hope ministry, our UofN Courses, and gathering in person as a community, it all stopped. We had to lay our daily lives down and once again place our eyes on God to ask him what He was doing. His desire is always to teach us something and that was true this time as well both for every person individually as well as for us as a community.

It’s been a time to Reflect, Reset, Repent, Revive, and Restart. We have allowed God to cut off the branches that were dead or fruitless and we hold to the promise that we will see new growth in our lives. Some of this growth we saw right away, however, others may take a little longer. 

After we were allowed to start up again and begin, we saw the beauty with our physical eyes as well. As a community, we are able to get back together again, although with the necessary protocols. Our new building which has been in the process of construction since November 2019, is slowly getting closer to being finished. Flowers that have been planted before the pandemic are coming up and the blue tent where we have our classroom was replaced and looks like new, ready for our September DTS.

Not only in the ministry do we see new branches growing, but also in the different families of our community. New life is springing forth and five babies are ready to make their way into this world between November 2020 and April 2021. We are looking forward to seeing a new generation in YWAM San Jose.

We enjoy seeing the beauty that comes forth out of growth. To find it, we only have to seek the Lord our God. Only in him as Creator of everything can we find healthy growth and real beauty.

One by one people were walking in with a big flag in their hands. Every flag represented a nation and with shouts of joy and applause, we welcomed them in. It was a welcome night to open our new semester, a few months ago before the COVID-19 changed the world. Despite the global pandemic, we keep celebrating the nations as YWAM San Jose. We still form a group of people on base from different cultures and we’re looking forward to more people coming in the next few years.

Cultures make your time in YWAM unique for many reasons. You will get to know people from all over the world and will learn about them. Their traditions, ways of thinking, food, and language. At YWAM San José we are bilingual. All meetings and classes are translated from Spanish to English and vice versa. Even if you speak only one of those two, you will always improve the other just by listening and through the contact you have with people in the community. In addition to living in an international community and making friends for life, you can learn words of many languages that you have never heard.

Because you live close to people and maybe even share a room with some of them, this also means that you will be challenged. We have our own personalities and backgrounds, culture also makes a difference in the way people live and react to circumstances. The way of thinking depends a lot on where we comes from. In some countries, people can be reserved or very direct. They have different values and it can also be difficult to express yourself in another language, which can lead to misunderstandings. Sometimes we have to apologize and forgive to get closer, but you will learn a lot from other people in important ways. God uses these challenges to teach us how to accept and love ourselves as we are. You will learn how God created each culture in his own way and you will see the beauty in each one of them.

Besides that, you will also be more aware of your own culture. Other people can be like a mirror to you and you will learn to appreciate your own culture more. Each of them has unique gifts that God uses to build their culture at our YWAM base; a culture based on the Kingdom of God with biblical principles, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as our center. We celebrate our nations as our Creator does!

Are you ready for an experience surrounded by different cultures? Send us a message and let us know how you can get involved. We are excited to welcome you to our community!

Choosing the place where you are going to do your DTS is important. Each YWAM base is different, each one has a unique essence, different sizes, locations, environments, and cultures. That is why we want to give you some reasons to consider doing your DTS in San José, Costa Rica. Maybe this could be the place you are looking for.

1. The land of the Ticos

If your thing is not road chaos, and buildings everywhere, Costa Rica is definitely a place for you. The land of the Ticos is known as a “green country” full of flora and fauna with beautiful landscapes. You will be here for the first three months of your DTS, surrounded by nature and fresh air, with the best views and sunsets.

2. We love our community

When you enter YWAM, you are already part of our community. We honor each individual and family. We have good times that we share in community; our times of worship, intercession or mealtimes. We also have our famous break time ¨El cafecito¨ where we share and drink a delicious Costa Rican coffee.

3. We are bilingual:

At our base, each activity is translated English-Spanish or vice versa. This is a very good opportunity to learn a new language and also to interact with colleagues from all over the world. At the end of this incredible experience, you will have learned a lot about different cultures.

4. Ministry in nearby communities

We have different ministries like Homes of Hope, Hope Sports, and Mercy Trucks, which keeps us engaged with nearby communities. As well as distributing bibles from house to house and having the opportunity to bless every home.

5. Tropical Climate

Costa Rica, due to its geographical location, has a pleasant climate, which is the combination of the tropical climate. Its major changes are from the rainy season to the dry season.

6. Sanitary measures

As a community we have all the necessary hygienic measures. COVID 19 came to change the dynamics of many things but we are subject to all the guidelines of the Ministry of Health of Costa Rica.

7. Typical food: 

The gastronomy of Costa Rica is simple but with an unmistakable flavor. It is worth trying the typical food of the country such as Gallo pinto, ceviche, chifrijo, olla de carne and much more, to fully discover the beauty of Costa Rica.

If you want information or have questions about our DTS, do not hesitate to contact us!