Blog 3

Costa Rica Sunday

Love across cultures and divides.

Team Katy Costa Rica (TKCR) spent the day in worship, learning and being the church in Santa Marta, Costa Rica. TKCR traveled about 45 minutes to the small church that previous COR mission trippers have helped to build. Santa Marta is a very small village and the church was mostly an open air (no roof) concrete slab with pews on it. Considering that it rains here 6 months of the year, the worship space wasn’t ideal. Teams from COR and other Methodist churches throughout the US have built a spacious, air conditioned sanctuary along with Sunday School rooms, a covered outdoor gathering area, and a kitchen.

TKCR was warmly greeted upon their arrival by the nearly 100 parishioners who had gathered for worship. Even though most do not speak English and only two in our group speak any Spanish, many made the effort to converse with us and to assure us of their excitement to see us. The service was all in Spanish, but music is a universal language and many from TKCR were moving along with the worship band. When the pastor began his sermon, our group gathered in a Sunday school room to listen to Pastor Adam’s sermon from COR. We had an opportunity to put his message into action immediately as we could experience what divides us, culture and language being two things, yet the love that unites us was stronger. Our common bond, Jesus Christ, superseded our differences. We even got to take communion. The congregation all came to the area in front of the stage, were handed the elements, and then communed as a group. It was a joy-filled experience.

After church, the congregation gathered and had booths that sold goods as a fundraiser for their youth. TKCR was also fed lunch and got to participate in the after lunch fun. Sack races, jump rope, and “cow roping “ were highlights for the group. These games had all participants laughing and interacting.

Love is present in this place.