1) The soccer field and construction of new PVC soccer goals. The church annex is on the right in the foreground and the church itself is the salmon colored building in the back of the picture.
2) Mixing concrete—the old fashioned way
3) Zach wrestling with angels
Costa Rica
As a first time participant on this mission trip, I’ll try to give you some of my impressions and observations. Costa Rica is a beautiful country. We arrived last Friday night and didn’t start work until Monday morning, so we had a chance to visit NAME national park. The geography is stunning as the dark cliffs of the rainforest meet warm sandy beaches. On that first day, one of our beloved drivers, Ricardo, stopped at a bridge. He was just smiling and said, “Go look.” When we did, we saw no less than seven of the largest crocodiles I had ever seen! This was better than any zoo exhibit I had ever been to, and this was in the wild. Of course, when asked what they all eat to stay so healthy and large, Ricardo just smiled and said, “tourists!” He also said that national geographic as been to that river and deduced that there are 44 crocodiles per kilometer in this particular area!
In the NAME national park, some took a walking trail and saw the likes of Iguanas, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and much more.
The Church
The area the church is located is economically depressed, to say the least. The unpaved streets are lined with dwellings that testify to how people can live, and make a life in harsh conditions. Rusted tin constitutes the majority of the roofs. Any material can and is used for any purpose, in order to make a home.
The church itself is the nicest structure on the street. It is a concrete structure with moveable seats as it is a multi-purpose space. There is a raised chancel area up front, and it looks and feels like church. There is electrical power and they have an ample public address system. The pastor’s name is Carlos and he welcomed us warmly for worship last Sunday. During worship we presented his church with two sets of communion wear, (two ceramic white chalices and two matching white ceramic plates). These came from a local artist in Tallahassee. During the service I was invited to say a few words, which I did. Sonia Carbonell translated. The youth and children of the congregation had prepared some special dances for us, which “got the house rocking!” Even though there is no air conditioning in the church and we all lost five pounds in sweat alone, it was a wonderful service.
The Work
There are several projects going on at the same time. Inside the church, there is a bible study that is done once in the morning, then repeated for the second group of children in the afternoon. In addition to the bible study, there is a sewing table with machines brought this year, and in years past. The idea is that in addition to making some clothes for the children, local women are taught the skill of sewing. There are also various crafts set up for the children as well. The youth on our trip function as super heroes as each one of them is loved and in demand instantly. At any given time, each of them may have any number of local children using them like a jungle gym. It is fun to watch and the youth are great with them .
One construction project is to enclose an open space that connects with the sanctuary. For the last few days we have been building a concrete block wall. When it is finished, a concrete floor needs to be poured, and a tin roof atop steel beams added. We will probably not finish it all. Then, across the street, there is an annex to the church that will most likely be used for education space. Currently, this building is being wired for electricity. There are permanent partitions to be built in this annex. We are also building benches/pews, and large tables for the church. In addition to these plans, there is a little field next to the annex that several of our trip participants have desired to clean up and prepare as space for the children to play football (soccer to you Americans!). Overall we have an ambitious work agenda, and we are working in partnership with many from their church, (they are dedicated and hard working), to get as much done as we can in the time that we have.
The Culture
The smell on the street of dirt, garbage, and oppressed lives, reminds us that we are in the right place to find, follow, and serve Christ. And yet, the people we have met have been warm, friendly, and truly grateful that we are here. We have disrupted the normal business of the drug dealers by the spectacle that is 42 Americans coming to work in the area. The police have become a permanent presence, and we are grateful. We work hard all day, go home for lunch, then come back in the afternoon to continue our work.
It is difficult for us to imagine what life is like for the people in this area. Poverty is central. We can work all day and get a lot of work done. But when we drive in and out of the area, we are reminded of what we are up against. The houses that can afford it have razor wire enclosing their small houses. We have noticed that on many of the walls that surround some of the houses, they will take broken glass, and affix the broken glass to the top of wall, sharp edges facing up, as a defensive measure.
We see the teenage prostitutes in the street and I can only think of my two precious daughters, that if circumstances were different, they too would be selling themselves out to survive. I can barely stand it.
What can be done against such cyclical chains of poverty and oppression? When we follow Christ into these places, to do the work that is being done, and when we nurture personal relationships, over time the church where we are working has the potential to engage these oppressive forces and be a literal “game changer” for the church members and for the community. This church can become a place for worship, praise, gathering, learning, teaching, playing, learning life skills, instilling morals, cultivating disciples, and offering hope that life can and should be more. That’s why this work is so important.
Peace.
Pastor Danny
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