At first I wasn’t going to write about my mission trip to Costa Rica trip because I didn’t want to take away from the upcoming one. Now I realize not only how silly that thought was, but how much of a part of the journey Costa Rica is! My experiences in CR and my upcoming trip are not separate, but part of the same story.
My time in Costa Rica is almost too beautiful for words, and I realize how often I am going to think that in this upcoming year.
Oftentimes we have moments that prepare us for something else. Although Costa Rica was its own experience with wonderful stories, great memories, and people I will never forget, it is also preparing me for the bigger picture as well. Here are some of my takeaways from the trip:
Love transcends all language barriers I left Costa Rica feeling loved and cared for. It did not matter that I have very limited Spanish or that at times we would end up laughing and calling a translator over. Our hearts bonded. I wish everyone in the world could experience that connection, being linked to someone not by words, but by emotions, feelings, commonalities. How wonderful our world would be if we put aside fear or bias and took time to truly connect! But I digress. Love grew in Costa Rica and I think of my new friends every day.
My heart is going to break 11 times next year I spent 3 days with people and it was so incredibly hard to leave. Many tears were shed, while there and after I returned home. I miss them. I hear a song we sang in a service and I find myself replacing the English words with the Spanish ones when I know them. I have been so impacted by a group of people I barely met. If that’s what it’s like after 3 days, what will it be like after a month? I’m going to make friends I have to leave, over and over again. It’s breaking my heart even now.
Everyone gets something out of missions I know this from trips in the past, but I would share that missionaries do not simply go to bring something to others. When done appropriately, we get as much out of the experience as others. We all have so much to learn, and those we go to serve end up teaching us. We can only go into this with an open mind that we are going to change, grow, learn, and be moved as much as others will.
Hugs that last a long time, a closeness that shows how you feel. Eye contact. Smiles. These are all things that bring us together as people. I experienced an outpouring of them last week. Please, use these things as often as you can. They are so important, and sometimes it seems we forget about what is truly important.
