Volcano "Eruption"

Here is another picture of the volcano, Arenal. This past weekend, the entire group of students at CINCEL went to Arenal for our yearly retreat. We stayed at Hotel Paraiso. It was a nice place with a great view of the volcano. A few times over the weekend, the clouds parted, and we were able to see the volcano. During one of those times, the volcano "burped" or had a small eruption. This is a picture of it a few seconds after it happened.

This was the first time we actually were able to see a volcano "erupt." The feeling of being so close to a live volcano is interesting. I don't know if I would call it fear, but you definitely think about how to get out of there if it would really erupt.

The retreat was good for us. We got away for a couple of days, and we attended classes on Conflict Resolution and Personal Communication skills. Now, you might be thinking, why would missionaries need this kind of training? Well, for one thing, it is much different communicating here in Latin America than in the U.S. Also, when several leaders get together and work in the same country or region, there can be communication problems or misunderstandings. This retreat gave us some tools on how to communicate and work through any personal issues that might present themselves.

I am reminded of how important it is to communicate to each other. We need to let each other, our brothers and sisters in the Lord, know about our needs, answered prayers, struggles, joys, valleys, and mountaintops. The more we tell each other about what God is doing in our lives, the more we can build up the faith of the body of Christ. It is very important to communicate our needs to one another, but I also think it is just as important to communicate the triumphs in our lives.

Yesterday, in prayer chapel, I was leading the prayer time. Every Friday, we write needs and prayer requests on the board, and all of the students join together to pray for these needs. I really felt like God wanted us to share what He has done in our lives. So, for the first 10 or 15 minutes, we went around the room sharing answered prayer requests that we had been praying for. It was an amazing time of sharing with each other. Then, after we praised God, we took each others burdens to the Lord. We laid hands on everyone who had a need, and we prayed for them. It was a sweet time in the presence of the Lord.

Take time today, and this weekend, and think of the things God has done for you this past year. Thank Him and give Him praise for working in your life. Also, take some time to encourage your brothers and sisters. Let them know what God is doing.

Blessings to all,

Charley