Costa Rica - Day 3

Our first day of serving at Peje dawned bright and early. The sun was a welcome sight after the rains of yesterday, and the birds once again ushered in the morning with a beautiful serenade. Our group saw several bright and colorful feathered friends inside the Mission Center: thanks to a birdsong identifier app, we soon learned we were surrounded by almost a dozen different kinds of avian companions, though most of them were too well-camouflaged to spot. Another gorgeous feature of the Mission Center is the lush and abundant foliage throughout the property. Not only does it provide a visual feast, it also offers an endless number of roosting spots for the birds on site.

The amazing smells from the kitchen quickly drew us all together for breakfast. Fanny and her crew continue to keep our group well-fed and delighted with their amazing Costa Rican cuisine. Hot eggs, soft bread and rich, sweet fruit jams were enjoyed by all.

Wil joined us at breakfast. Once meals were enjoyed and dishes cleaned and put away, he shared a tour of the Mission Center. He provided a deeper dive into the development of the property, the services offered, and what lies ahead for CRMP. What began as a virtually dormant coffee farm with neglected, spindly plants and overgrowth as far as the eye could see has slowly become a thriving and vital source of services for the local community. The Mission Center provides daycare for the children of mothers who simply need a helping hand. It offers music lessons (complete with small violins, perfect for a child’s hands.) It is a safe place to play and learn for children ages 1-12, with an on-site residence for young women to live as they complete their educations. Private professional counseling services are offered to those needing a safe, nurturing space to learn and heal. The Mission Center continues to evolve to serve the needs of local women, children and their families. It also continues to provide the services free of charge, offering a vital service that helps in ways almost too numerous to count.

In addition to the growth of the number of services offered, the coffee plants and production of amazing CRMP coffee remain part of the Center’s day to day projects. Wil walked us through the process: there are many hands involved in this labor of love resulting in an amazing cup of java! As with most of the projects and services offered here, the talents and time given by the incredible Mission Center team make all of these things possible. There are hopes of expansion to help serve even more local families in the future. The priority for both Wil and his wife and partner Yolanda is to continue providing assistance to as many individuals and groups as possible, and to continue to expand the reach of God’s presence and His love.

After soaking up more information about the essential work being done here, it was time to board the bus and see our trusty driver Darriel. He safely drove us 40 minutes through fields of sugar cane and harvested pineapple plantations to Peje, where we would be helping renovate the property’s second bunkhouse and retreat center.

The day was productive, and a terrific opportunity for growth for all as we stretched out of normal routines and began learning new skills and tasks. Our group broke off into smaller groups: one worked to build a protective exterior wall to shield outdoor water pipes from the rain and weather. Another constructed privacy walls for interior restrooms, updating and refreshing part of the second bunkhouse. Yet another team worked to provide fresh, glossy coats of royal blue paint on the metal support beams in the walls and ceiling of the retreat center.

The facilities at Peje, including the on-site church, are cared for and run by Pastor Roberto and his wife Iliana. The existing buildings recently offered a wonderful gathering space for a conference of 500 attendees. Once the current updates are completed, it will be an even more peaceful oasis for the church, and for the youth and church leaders who meet there. Prayers are being sent that other churches might begin using the facilities for retreats and gatherings, which in turn would raise resources for the church. The sky’s the limit for the future of this beautiful property, and to be able to help prepare it for its next chapter is such a blessing!

The day’s tasks came to a close at 4 p.m, and we headed back to the Mission Center. We were tired, sweaty and enjoying the satisfaction of a good day’s work for an amazing community.

The day was rounded out with another delicious meal, followed by a devotional led by Dave and Marcy. It prompted some wonderful discussions of the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer, what it meant for each of us to be asked “Put me to doing, put me to suffering,” personal experiences where that occurred, and what it looked like for different people.

The relationships and fellowship of our group seem to grow stronger by the minute. Saturday morning at the airport, Bill made mention of how quickly we would form intimate friendships with our serve partners, and he couldn’t have been more correct. The bonds being forged will only grow stronger as the week moves on, and will no doubt be the foundation of relationships that will continue to grow long after the plane has landed back home in Kansas City.

The gifts this experience continues to provide for every individual in our group multiply with each new encounter, every single day. In the act of service, we’re being blessed in ways too numerous to measure.