The Herrera 3 in Costa Rica!

We are so happy to add one more Herrera to the YWAM San Jose missionary community! No, we are not having a baby! Carlos's younger brother, Moises, is here with us for 5 months doing the Discipleship Training School!!!!

We are so excited about what the Lord will do in his life in these 5 months! The Discipleship Training School (DTS) changed my life as well as Carlos's when he did it 5 years ago. Carlos describes his DTS as his "honeymoon with Jesus". I don't think I could even begin to describe mine..... dedicating 5 months of your life to SEARCH for God, 3 months in a classroom and 2 months on 'outreach'.... it's indescribable. I encountered God in a way I had never before, He touched my hear like never before- lies were broken about myself and about my image of who God was- and I feel madly in love with the Lord..... God used that time to SPEAK crazy prophecies over my life that melted my heart and that I still have a hard time accepting.... this is the time when God confirmed both mine and Carlos's calling OVER, and OVER, and OVER again- calling us to missions and "to the nations". This is a 5 months of heart transformation- where believers are transformed into disciples. What a beautiful thing! We are so excited to walk this journey with our 'little' Herrera (even though he's tall), Moises. He has such a beautiful spirit and a HUGE heart!

I of course am loving running around telling everyone that there are now 3 Herrera missionaries at the base- (of course I want to remind everyone that I have a latino last name)! We are loving having him over for Sunday night "family dinners"- tonight we even made the El Salvadorian notorious food: pupusas! We can't wait to take Moises to the streets with us, and share our ministry with him! The girls from our ministry came to the YWAM base last week and just had a fit over how cute Moises was! They all love him already! What a POWERFUL thing- for these women and girls to see an example of a Godly, latino man! We are loving watching Moises grown in the Lord and excited for how he is going to impact nations making known the God that he is daily getting to know more intimately!

Pictures at the airport when we picked Moises up!

The 3 Herrera's in Costa Rica! 

First photo, right of the plane!!! Of course, I was like the mom with the camera and the welcome sign! How embarrassing for the guys! 

My brother-in-law!!!!! How fun!!! 

lost masterpieces- street corner encounter

As I sat on the curb for 35 minutes, talking to my friends, God gave me a small glimpse of His heart for them. These 2 guys, my friends who are transvestites, have lived dark and damaging lives that I can scarcely imagine. Their stories are unbelievable... and unjust. 

One of them, Nicole*, introduced me to the other one, Isabel*, a few weeks before. When we walked up, Nicole said to a reluctant Isabel, “no, don’t worry, these are the ‘real’ ones. These are my friends who love us and are here to help us. They don’t judge.” She went on to explain that we were the only people who truly loved and cared about the people who work on the streets; and that God sends us to them each week. 

Now a few weeks later, I sit beside the two of them on the ground and talk about life and identity. Nicole told me how everyone goes around trying to fill a hole they have inside... and in the process they all end up hurting and abusing others. I agreed to that truth; and added that after that hole is filled with God, you are free to engaged in relationships where you can bless the other person by giving instead of always taking. Nicole looked at me, and agreed saying, “that’s why I love when you come here. You always come to give. You're the only ones who give.” These transvestites shared that they had literally never had a relationship, a friendship even, or even a relationship with a parent, in which the other person GAVE to them instead of TOOK from them. 

We talked about identity... and God gave me an image.. an image of Him as He was forming them, and He was creating an original masterpiece. I wondered what it was that God was thinking when He created these guys. I wonder what dreams He had for them; what gifts He decided to plant in them; what blessings He wanted to lavish upon them; what He wanted them to be ‘when they grew up’; how desperately He wanted to walk that dream out with them.

I know that this is not the life God has for them. I know that the enemy did so much damage to rob that life from both of them. As I spoke truth into their lives about their value and worth as people, and I told them that their value is unquestionable, not matter what life choices they had made; Nicole got goose bumps and teary eyed. I wondered how it was possible that no one had ever told them this before. How did they not know? How could no one have told them as children that they were special.

We talked for a long time sitting on that street corner. A bus drove by and people hatefully threw things out the windows...soda bottles, trash- yelling horrible things that fed these lies that have been planted in their hearts- and I saw the hurt in their eyes. They shared with me that their entire life has been filled with rejection; beginning long before they became transvestites. 

As we prayed over them, tears gently rolled down their face. Nicole told me that he always feels something when we pray for him... he feels an energy and she gets goose bumps; he feels this presence like he has never felt before that he says he is unable to explain. 

Relationships. You begin to see people differently when you have a relationship with them... when you take the time to hear their stories that are so filled with pain... when you allow God to share a little piece of His heart for them with you. A transvestite can transform right before you eyes- you can see the broken little boy, a little child, hurt and abandoned- your heart is able to break with them- your heart is able to break with God's.