Through their eyes: Gretchen Waters

Gretchen Waters. A woman of God. A WARRIOR for the kingdom. A beloved sister of mine, who just so happens to be on my team! I got to sit down with her and ask her what life on the race was like from her perspective! So here’s a glimpse of Costa Rica through her eyes:

Community. Life on the race is living in community. You live with 30+ other young adults. Constantly sharing your space with one another. Gretchen said that community to her was a place for the Lord to move and work. It’s where people can come together under one common goal. Community means choosing into each other. Where growth and fellowship happens. Where revival starts. For Gretchen, community was hard to find at home, but being on a squad constantly surrounded by people that have that same common goal has been amazing. There are days that we have to fight for unity. Sometimes there is miscommunication with each other, but we get to learn and grow from it. 

Missions. Our squad has been working with ’Til He Returns’, or better known in Costa Rica as ‘The Hope Project’. Gretchen explained how our squad went through extensive training on long term sustainable missions, and what it looks like to come in as a short term missionary and help those missionaries who have already established ministry in country. We learned how to stay healthy spiritually and not wear yourself out. The past week we worked with the English club and in hospitality. English clubbed opened doors that she didn’t know could be opened for her. She found that the Lord had equipped her and is pushing her further into that place of discomfort, that allows for growth. The Hope Project has so many micro ministries within that we will be working with. Theres House of Raw, which is a dance ministry, business classes, classes for mothers, English club, art, and many others. The point of their mission is to create ministries that are actually helpful for the community long term. They’re empowering people to better their lives. They focus on spiritual and physical poverty being an effect of broken relationships with self, others, God, or creation. 

Thoughts from Gretchen.  I also really wanted to just ask Gretchen what life looked like for her, and her thoughts while being on the race. I asked her about what life looked like adjusting to Costa Rica. She said, “At first it was difficult just because there’s a whole new language and culture to adjust to. Our team was also living away from the rest of the squad and base for the first two weeks. So we were just kind of thrown into this thing and just had to figure it out. But I love the culture and people over all. It’s very pura vida as one would say. Life is just slower overall.” We talked about what the Lord has been teaching here while being here and she talked about how the Lord was teaching her a lot about freedom in the last season of her life. But coming to Costa the Lord has shown her that there’s so many more layers to freedom that we don’t learn about, or that just don’t get talked about. The word that she would use to title this season is ‘liberation’. Breaking old chains and sin habits. Walking away from everything our flesh wants to say yes to, and choosing to say yes to Christ. She’s learning what walking in more freedom, joy, and peace looks like. Freely giving as she has freely received these things from the Lord.  I then asked Gretchen what her advice would be for someone considering world race gap year, or already committed to it and she said, “Honestly don’t have any expectation. I think any person who’s ever done the race would tell you that. Take any expectation and release it to the Lord now. Community is good but also hard. You never know where you’re going to be or who you’re going to be with, You just have to be willing to say yes to whatever the Lord puts in front of you. “ 

Covid. Gretchen also wanted to add what Covid has looked like for us on the race. She said, “Everybody whether it’s the squad, people at home, base staff… no one really expected us to actually leave the country and go overseas. But, here we are doing the thing. Even when we didn’t know we’d be in Costa Rica originally. Every person we’ve talked to here has felt revival coming and just knows that the Lord is here, ready to do something. Everything has been so unexpected, but the Lord’s timing has really played a part in this and the Lord has really provided, and his promises have really just come to fruition.” We do our part in wearing masks, social distancing, and having designated days for going to the store. But we haven’t let Covid stop the Lord’s plans. We’re just really excited for all that He’s doing, and going to do here in Costa Rica! 

That sums up our conversation. The Lord is doing an incredible work in her life, my life, and in this country! The past few weeks have been so fruitful, we’re just really excited for what’s happening here. You can be praying for protection, divine appointments, and that we would see the Lord move in mighty ways! And just a special thanks to Gretchen for sitting down with me and sharing her perspective of Life on the World Race!