Costa Rica. Wow. It has blown me away. On so many levels, this has been a great month!
My team’s ministry is based out of San Pedro. We are living with a host family that has lived in Costa Rica and worked with Conexion: Extreme-Service Ministry for about five years. Conexion is an INCREDIBLE ministry whose mission is action over words. They are involved in many different types of projects including: medical clinics, sports programs, kid camps, construction, and support of various programs in the community and school systems with the goal to restore values and emphasize a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Here’s a blog in photos…!
The first two days in Costa Rica, I stayed in San José to train the Unsung Heroes (UH) team for their month. Unsung Heroes are people and ministries who have not yet been discovered by Adventures in Missions (AIM). The goal of a UH team is to find these ministries, recognize their importance in advancing the Kingdom of God, and assess whether or not they would be a good partner for AIM and future World Race teams. I had such a fun time getting to know this team and I’m so excited to see what this month holds for them!
When I was back with my team, we had a day of exploring San José. We tried some delicious food including churros and fresh truffles.
We traveled to Puerto Viejo to set-up a medical clinic for 4 days at a church there. I was in my element for sure. I’ve been missing nursing and the healthcare setting, so it was awesome. I actually worked as a provider, assessing patients, giving nutrition talks, and collaborating with the physicians on the best treatment for each patient. Three people on our team worked in healthcare, so we loved being able to put our knowledge and skills to good use!
We had a home-stay with a precious woman who works with Conexion named Edith. Since we have a North American host family, they wanted us to experience culture inside one of the local villages for the weekend. It was such a great time. We were blessed with great food, JOY, hospitality, and love. I also got my first World Race haircut for $4! Then, we attended the local church and taught the children’s Sunday School class. They drew pictures of what they were thankful for; that precious boy was drawing the world.
Team Submerge: PURA VIDA!
(Pura vida, a characteristic Costa Rican phrase, literally means pure life, with connotations that suggest translations such as full of life, this is living!, going great, or real living. The phrase can be used both as a greeting or a farewell, as an answer expressing that things are going well, or as a way of giving thanks)
