Costa Rica - Day 6

Today was definitely bitter sweet!! We were so happy with the amount of work that we were able to accomplish at the camp site this week and loved getting to hear the plans for the church members to finish as much painting as possible with the remaining supplies until another team can come in early next year to complete the transformation. It seems that by next summer, the camp will be complete with new heightened ceilings for better ventilation, fully restored paint & stucco, new bathroom plumbing, and more. On the other hand… it was painful to say goodbye to the site staff that we’ve grown to love and appreciate as well as the local children. While we plan to keep all of their names on our hearts… we know that we will likely not get to see them in person again, so the hugs were longer than usual… and hard to let go of.

The best part of the day for most of us was a group lunch where we could all celebrate our accomplishments together… staff, work team, children, families, and all laughing and sharing the same tables! Hugo and the kitchen team taught Steve & Julie from NC how to make the most amazing homemade chicken empanadas. It was brought up more than once how grateful we were for the love poured into each meal, and this one was the truest display of that. Our group chatted about how casually we often treat preparing family meals at home compared to the honor and pride poured into it here in Costa Rica. We know this is the way that the work site staff is able to show us their appreciation for our work, and to serve us in return… and we are blown away by the gesture.

We were able to wrap the work day early enough to come back to the HQ and learn about Yolanda & Priscilla’s venture to take care of the women in CR. We learned that in this country, male “machismo” often leads to a vulnerable population of women who suffer a wide variety of mistreatments with nowhere to go for help. Yolanda & Priscilla work together to provide both professional counseling as well as spiritual guidance to ensure the women in their care get the best of both approaches for a greater overall benefit. We also loved learning that some COR families who were here in the past have been so moved by the mission that they have offered massive support in supplying a food pantry as well as additional therapy space for the center.

Another highlight of the day was getting to share in communion together… using the bread that Steve from NC had prepared earlier this week! The pastor from the California group led a touching service and when he broke the loaf of bread, the smell filled the room! Wil talked about his perspective on communion as a true connection experience. Since we all take communion at God’s table… any time we are doing it, we should consider that we are doing it alongside all Christians as if we’re all seated at the same table.

After communion we gathered in our KC group for devotional, to discuss our thoughts on the day, to read special letters sent to us by loved ones, and took time to write a letter to ourselves that will be mailed to us in 6 months as a reminder of the experience, the transformation we each experienced, the relationships built, and the take aways most important to each of us.

Knowing this was our last night at the mission HQ… we stayed up way too late, took silly pictures to ensure our memories are not lost, enjoyed one last cake made by the teens, played games, laughed LOTS, said goodnight, and went to bed with fuller hearts than we could have ever imagined.