Throughout the Bible, there are several names that have been given to God in an effort to describe his character. Some known ones are Yahweh, Elohim, Jehovah-Jireh, and Adonai. The names of God are so interesting to me as I try to seek out moments in my own life when I realize Him in these reverent names.
Recently it’s been Jehovah-Roi, the God who Sees. Let me tell you why.
A pressing argument about the existence of God and Jesus as the Savior of the world many Christians are asked (and a question that stumped me in my early years as a believer) was this:
“What about unreached communities that have never heard the name of Jesus throughout the world? How can they be saved according to the Bible’s guidelines if they don’t have one?”
A toughie.
Christians have many answers to this question along the lines of not putting limits on God and his abilities. Which is so true, God works in all ways and if he needs his name to be known, it will be!
However, I have a more personal perspective now about just how GOD is answering this question.
In the jungle of Costa Rica, there is an indigenous peoples named BriBri. Hidden in creation close to the border of Panama, they have lived and built their community for centuries. They have thier own culture, own language, own economy, and own heritage that is vastly different than that of Costa Rica or Panama- cast aside for centuries by both cultures, they’ve been tucked away and forgotten by man.
This community, like that of many communities, has both beautiful characteristics to their culture and devasting characteristics that has haunted generations.
We got a glimpse into how God is seeing these forgotten people and it only took a 45 minute car ride into the jungle, a canoe over a river, a mile walk down a gravel road, veering off through a banana tree farm where we then hiked a small mountain to arrive on a piece of land where I got to witness Jehovah-Roi in full effect.
THE NEST.
To first understand the necessity of the The Nest, we must first take a quick background on the struggles of the BriBri community.
Being of an isolated peoples, the residents of the BriBri community have been built and brought up based upon the instruction of past generations. While there are many facets of this community that are wonderful and beautiful- their kindeness, their strength, their value of loving one another, and the love for their culture and heritage; they are plagued with darkness in many other ways.
Throughout the BriBri community, sexual abuse of women and children has been a hold of the enemy for generation after generation. From the age of 5, these children go through unspeakable trauma of abuse inflicted upon them from those they’re meant to trust, knowing no other way of life. With the women and children of these situations living in isolated primitive settings with limited education and a culture that communicates a lowly view of women in general; there are not many options for the safety and refuge from this evil.
Seemingly forgotten, silent, hurting, broken, and traumatized; what is the solution?
GOD.
Five years ago, God called a woman named Karina Beach to provide a solution. And through her faithfulness, obedience, and patience to see God’s hand move pieces together year after year, situation after situation; the creation of THE NEST came to be.
The Nest is in existence to provide a safe-haven for women and children where they can experience safety, education, Christ-centered community, and peace. With an emphasis of protecting the heritage and culture of the indigenous community, Karina has followed the Lord’s instruction to build with locally sourced materials and employeed those within the community to build an incredible space of freedom.
To hear the story of Karina and the sacrifices she made because of the Lord’s pressing call on her life to begin this vision of restoration and of how the Lord provided all the details from the land to the structure to the funding in incredible and miraculous ways; it is beyond evident that God has heard and sees the longing of his children’s hearts for healing.
The stories and tragedies that we became privy to lay heavy on my heart still as I try to understand in more depth the need for compassion and grace for those who have never been made aware of their wrongs; knowing that Jesus must first be known in order to grasp the depravity of these sins. God has an incredible plan for redemption within this BriBri community and The Nest is just the beginning.
My passion for story telling lies with the hidden agenda of making things known that once were never thought of. Revealing that the world has stories that we can both celebrate and lament, but that we should take ownership of that which we now know. While this ministry fiercely stirred my heart and affections for this community that I had not known before, I am sure I will not be the only one. If this is you, there are an ample amount of ways to partner with The Nest and see for yourself how Jehovah-Roi is seeing and providing for even the most forgotten by man.
A wonderful story. So interesting that the very things we see in a so called “educated and civilized society ” are the same in total opposite situation. Thank you for your insight and writing it so beautifully. Love you Gran??
Hello, Amanda! It’s so good to hear from you! Thank you so much for telling us about the BriBri people and how we can get involved in supporting this beautiful ministry. It is very eye opening to witness first hand the beauty and trials of an indigenous people. He is THE GOD WHO SEES, praises to Him who is always able to do the impossible, and He sees us where we are! We love you Amanda!
Amanda, this was SO beautifully written. You have such a gift of bringing dark things to light and advocating for those who cannot speak for themselves. Thank you for being part of making God’s movement within the BriBri community known!
Wow wow wow. This is so good!! I love your heart for seeking out the lost, the foreigners, the fatherless, and the widows. You reflect the very heart of the Father!