How I saw God: Every single day we had awesome weather of our sites! And I saw God in the kids' faces. Some of them may not have had a real relationship with God, but watching them come to site with duct taped shoes, or untreated lice, or simply driving through their village, or meeting children abandoned by mothers, the people who were supposed to love them the most, those children have every reason to be angry and sad and some may be, but most of the children I saw were the happiest kids you will ever meet in your life, and that is definitely a God thing. And this was a huge eye opener for me, despite the major losses or illnesses or just lack of necessities or love, these kids smiled, and they were happy. And that's what I need to learn, that at the end of the week I get to go home on the plane and live a pretty comfortable life, I get to leave that country, and I don't have to stay in the poverty-stricken towns, but those kids have to stay there, probably for their whole life, and all in all, I probably complain more about my life than they do. And that's a major way God worked in me. Most challenging thing: I would say I'm a person that wants to control things, not always in a bad way, but most of the time I know what I want, and I think I know the right way to get it done. And it was very challenging for me to go into this situation and simply love these children, without taking "heroic" action. I had to Love them how they need to be loved and not how I want to love them, or what was comfortable for me. I sat there for 30 minutes to an hour, in the same position holding three different bracelets for girls as they braided them. The pins and needles were HORRIBLE when I finally stood up, but that's what they needed from me at the moment. Just someone to sit with them. It wasn't comfortable for me, at all! But it's the way they needed my help, and that's why I was there, to help them. How to sum up my trip: This trip was an incredible experience for me. The moment our plane touched down I fell completely in love with the country and the moment I saw the children I fell in love with them. I was challenged to help people how they needed and not how I wanted and I had to sometimes look stupid while speaking Spanish to try to form a relationship with a child, and that's not comfortable. These kids had nothing, but they were some of the happiest and most loving and joyful kids I have ever met in my life and I will never forget this week. |
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As I close out this week long blog of our mission trip to Costa Rica and Pura Vida, I find it harder and harder to capture this experience in words. But I'll start with the word captivating. This trip has been transformative in many ways. My beliefs about God, scripture and spirituality have all been challenged throughout this trip, but I walk away with stronger beliefs in all three areas.
My belief in God was strengthened during this trip by the amazing interns I met at Pura Vida. I came to know about eight or nine individuals and two a lot more personally who all had incredibly strong relationships with God and with great conviction to strive to walk with God each day. Their connection and commitment to God was awe-inspiring and left me striving to improve my own relationship with God. Personal beliefs on scripture were challenged this week during TAG time (Time Alone with God). I read inspiring scripture some days and then condemning and ruthless scripture about killing heretics other days. I remain confused at which parts of the Bible Christians associate themselves with and which they neglect for reasons that would contradict other beliefs/laws of Christianity. My spirituality has made leaps and bounds over the course of this trip. I've understood that one does not need religion to be spiritual and that spirituality is not confined to the adherences that religions have. By meeting individuals with such great spirituality and spending time each day to be by myself and reflect, I have come to a great understanding about my own spirituality. As I arrive back home, I remember that it is not that important how big of an effect I had on the kids I met, but how big of an effect they had on me. It is my duty to carry their memories with me, share their stories and convey my experiences to ensure that others hear of the beauty and promise of Costa Rica. I walk away from this week as an overall better individual. Jason Renner We spent today in the tourist town of La Fortuna. After eating breakfast we were off to go zip lining through the Costa Rica rainforest. It was an amazing experience being able to fly through the trees seeing God's creation from a different point of view. Some of the sights were absolutely breath taking. In the afternoon we went into town for lunch and to do most of our shopping. One of the best pictures of the trip was the volcano towering in the distance, "watching" over the town. Every time I left a shop I looked in awe of one of the giants that make up this wonderful earth. Compared to San Ramon, La Fortuna is very different because it is focused around fun and our beautiful planet. In San Ramon I saw God in the people we shared our time with, while here I saw God in the amazing scenery which is present. Though God was at work in the happiness I have experienced throughout this whole country. My travels in this world have sent me to many tourist areas like La Fortuna and in other places I've had to keep my guard up for it is common to have pick pocketers and other dangers around any corner. Here there was no such thing, just people making a living and people enjoying their time in this great country. This whole trip has been unforgettable and the past two days hsve really helped me realize what I experienced during the week. Phill Lien We spent today in the tourist town of La Fortuna. After eating breakfast we were off to go zip lining through the Costa Rica rainforest. It was an amazing experience being able to fly through the trees seeing God's creation from a different point of view. Some of the sights were absolutely breath taking.
In the afternoon we went into town for lunch and to do most of our shopping. One of the best pictures of the trip was the volcano towering in the distance, "watching" over the town. Every time I left a shop I looked in awe of one of the giants that make up this wonderful earth. Compared to San Ramon, La Fortuna is very different because it is focused around fun and our beautiful planet. In San Ramon I saw God in the people we shared our time with, while here I saw God in the amazing scenery which is present. Though God was at work in the happiness I have experienced throughout this whole country. My travels in this world have sent me to many tourist areas like La Fortuna and in other places I've had to keep my guard up for it is common to have pick pocketers and other dangers around any corner. Here there was no such thing, just people making a living and people enjoying their time in this great country. This whole trip has been unforgettable and the past two days hsve really helped me realize what I experienced during the week. Phill Lien This morning's VBS was by far the hardest. Saying good bye to new friends is never easy, but it is especially hard when they are young and full of blind ambition seeing the world through wide eyes. Whether it was a piggy back ride, a sing a long or just sharing a smile, we all connected with the ticos and we hope we left them with the lasting impression they left on us.
Then we took a two hour bus ride through the mountains to Volcano Arenal and the fancy hotel that was definitely not the mission. After a few hours of chill time by the pool, we boarded the buses to Baldi Hot Springs for a night of pure joy and relaxation with friends, both old and new. These were a series of pools heated by the volcano from a cool, 68 degrees to a steamy 140. The greatest challenge for both of us was overcoming the language barrier. the ticos woukd ask for something and we would be completely lost as to what they wanted. But through the grace of God and interpreters we were able to pick up on some Spanish and communicate with the kids and build relationships that will stay in our hearts and prayers for years to come. Sammi Paul & Doug Parry Today we spent the morning playing soccer with Carlos and Axel and jumping rope with Cindy and Natasha. A special moment was shared when some members of our group went to Jacob's house and prayed with him. He was unable to come to VBS because he was having trouble with his asthma and having nose bleeds. We all missed him a lot.
This was our last day with our afternoon group. We loved playing four square with some of the older kids and enjoyed coloring, nail painting and jumping rope with the younger kiddies. I think I can speak for everyone by saying our hearts broke leaving them today. A special moment for me was when I was helping a little gir, Alison, with her craft, which was a givng tree. While helping her, she said "I love you." Right then and there I knew that by doing this mission trip, I had in some way made a difference in this little girl's life. I will treasure that moment for the rest of my life! Serving\giving to others is an important part of my faith journey because I have been blessed in more ways than I can count. My family has been so supportive of me throughout my life with school, monetary expenses, food, sporting events and activities. Whenever I needed them they were there. Whatever my little heart desired they were there encouraging me to work towards my goals and helping me achieve them. Not everyone in the world encounters that same love and support. By serving and giving to others I feel like I can be their support system. I believe in them. I can give them opportunities to achieve their goals and dreams. Everybody, when given the chance, can accomplish what they want and by me giving and serving others, I can help give others a chance. This has been the best week ever and such an amazing experience. I'm so glad I was able to join this awesome group on this journey. Lauren Hickey After a very eventful night of playing soccer, we were all pretty exhausted this morning, however we were very excited to see our kids again. Before breakfast , we spent time in our VBS groups discussing the theme and planninng for the day. In the morning, my group returned to Volio, a section of San Ramon. Although it was difficult at first to find kids to come because many had school, God still provded some kids ready for fun and learning. One of the best parts of vbs is seeing the kids laugh and smile. They all care for one another and do not let the language barrier prevent them from having fun with us. Our theme today was love. Praying, singing and helping the kids showed me God's love.
After our morning site, we met up with the other teams at the waterfall Las Musas. We got to hang out, eat lunch and swim in the pool. Most of us walked down to the waterfall and took tons of pictures. It was a great and relaxing activity that gave me the chance to do something I never thought I would have the chance to experience. We then traveled to our second site, Los Jardines. We had many more kids of all ages and repeated our vbs program. Seeing the kids learning and having fun is so satisfying. It is one of the main reasons this trip is so memorable and life changing. To help show and explain the theme, we had the kids make a love garden for the craft which expressed the qualities of love. Everyone didn't just talk and write about love, but also expressed it to one another. It was hard to hold back tears when the kids would invite another to play, share their supplies or give a compliment. We have come to Costa Rica to teach these kids, but they are teaching us so much more. Although it was hard to leave VBS, it was nice to be back at the mission center. We contined to plan, bond and worship together. It is sad to think this trip is halfway over, but we feel so grafeful that God has given us this opportunity. Ben Fowler |