For the last 3 weeks my team has been serving in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a very beautiful country full of macaws and monkeys. The culture is very laid back and polite. Spanish is the native language and Costa Rican colones are the local currency. “Ticos” or local Costa Ricans live by the slogan “pura vida” or pure life. Costa Rica’s main exports are tourism, coffee and bananas. A popular dish at the local “soda” or restaurant is Gallo Pinto, which contains fried rice, beans, onions and peppers. The fruit is also very fresh and sweet.
This month my team has been working with “The Edge” ministry or formerly known to the locals as Christian Surfers in Jaco’, Costa Rica. Jaco’ is a small beach town full of surfers and tourists who enjoy the beach. My team, Eklektos, along with team Agape Rooted, worked and lived together this month at “the property.” We slept in our tents or Eno hammocks and tried not to sweat to death. The heat and humidity were no joke this month. We also had access to 3 showers, 2 of which were outdoor showers that were disguised by surf boards.
The Edge’s vision is to do business training for locals and missionaries through a coffee and a laundry business. This month we’ve been helping construct the dorm style housing for those who will come for training. We’ve dug ditches for the foundation, poured a concrete floor and started to lay block walls. We’ve also worked on drainage projects that included beautifying the drainage trench, a drainage box, and gutter systems. My team has worked very hard this month and we’ve accomplished constructing most of the first floor of the housing.
Another ministry project my team worked on this month was creating a prayer directory for Jaco’. The main purpose was to collect and compile information about all the businesses so the church can use it for future prayer walks. We split into small teams and went to restaurants, stores, surf shops, etc. and collected information about the business, the owner and the employees. We struck up conversations and depending on how the conversation went we would pray with them. I was used as a translator when needed, which was a lot of fun and sometimes challenging. Throughout the month the church and other local ministries organized prayer walks, which entailed walking up and down the main street of Jaco’ and praying over the businesses along with Jaco’. Jaco’ is known for its beach and waves, but also struggles with prostitution, alcohol, drug use and homelessness.
One of The Edge’s desires is to mobilize the masses by using individual’s skills. Many teammates have been able to use their skill sets to bless The Edge and the other local ministries this month. I’ve been able to use my engineering skills, which I didn’t think would happen much on the Race. I designed a drainage ditch and helped construct a new gutter/drainage system for the heavy rain that comes during the rainy season. It’s been a neat experience to see my teammates excel in their skill sets.
This month was a work hard, play hard month. It was also very laid back and go with the flow. Most mornings I walked to the beach and spent time walking along the beach, reading the Bible, journaling or praying. It was an awesome way to start the day. My team worked until 5 most days and headed to the pool or beach afterwards to swim, surf or watch the sunset. Our ministry hosts liked to spoil us and often times would treat us to local snacks or fun local adventures to waterfalls, look out points, etc. Members of the local church also hosted my team at their homes. When we were hosted we were spoiled with amazing views of Costa Rica, good food and great conversations. This month we learned how to surf and we spent an adventure day at Manuel Antonio, the 12th most beautiful national park in the world.
My team was able to accomplish a lot for our ministry host this month and we developed a lot of great relationships with locals and other local ministries. I loved spending the month enjoying God’s beauty in nature, exploring Jaco’ and developing relationships. It’s going to be hard to leave in a few days.
