Travel Day—
On the way to and from La Montaña Christian Camps (a solid three hours of traveling, sometimes more, depending on the mode of transportation), I found myself deeply pondering the mysteries of God’s goodness and love everywhere we went. As I did so, He showed me several snippets of his never-ending grace that extends to least of the least.
On the way to the camp:
- A paralyzed man strolled across the street in a wheelchair wearing rags and a contagious smile. Various baubles rested quaintly on his lap as he called to passing strangers in hopes of selling a few of his things. I can’t help but pity his condition, but to tell you the raw truth, he appeared to be a good 3x happier than the majority of people back in the states.
- Staring out the window about a mile further down the road I noticed three homeless men happily sharing a meal on the street median as though they were eating a Thanksgiving feast. Their smiles beamed from pole to pole and they seemed as grateful for their modest meal as does a young child when receiving a grandiose present on Christmas Day.
- Strolling the streets of San Ramon, I passed by dozens of street vendors happily selling fruits, vegetables, clothes, and toys, just to name a few. As I passed one of the stands I heard a man happily yell “Pura Vida!” which is the Costa Rican phrase for pretty much anything and everything (directly translated it means “pure life”). How are you? Pura Vida. Did you have a good day? Pura Vida. Have you eaten? Pura Vida. How’s your family? Pura Vida. What’s your dog’s name? PURA VIDA.
On the way home from camp:
- Staring out the window of another bus I observed an elderly man, dark complected and short in stature, standing on the street selling snacks to people passing by. He wore a troubled, yet tough face, on which I read the words “endurance” and “faith”. I find so much patience and strength in people like him. Patience to endure long hours of waiting………to make a living………while faithfully hoping that people will buy the stuff you’re selling for such a humble price.
- I sat down beside queen Victoria on the bus. Her name was Victoria and her deportment and dress was that of a queen. She appeared to be in her late 50’s or early 60’s and had hair of a beautiful silverish-white tint. A sweet conversation ensued between the two of us and it so happens that she travels to NC once every other year to visit her son who lives there! The Biltmore Estate, which she often times visits, was the main subject of our conversation and we parted with a sweet goodbye upon arrival to our bus stop.
- I always love the short and sweet conversations we have with our Uber drivers. We took an Uber to get to our mission base from our last bus stop and it was pitch black by that point in time (we pretty much traveled all day long—welcome to the World Race:). I nearly fell asleep and, looking back, it all seems like a dream. The driver would blurt out something in Spanish every few minutes which would be my wake up cue to translate for my teammates incase they didn’t understand. I swear, it’s the only thing that kept me awake that night.
- We finally made it home! Not only do I always have the time of my life every time we go to La Montaña Christian Camps, but I truly enjoy the travel days as well. They allow for excellent time to ponder one’s existence and the meaning of life (haha), as well as make observations of people who are complete strangers to me but known and loved by our awesome God. Isn’t that crazy to think?
-Sam (AKA La Gringa Loca which is my New name)
