If you’ve been keeping up with blogs, you know that against all odds, I finally made it overseas and moved to Costa Rica. So now you might be wondering:
What the heck is she doing there?
Thanks for asking! I’d love to introduce you to the ministry My squad and I will be working with while we’re in Costa. It’s called Til He Returns (also known as The Hope Project here in Costa, since Til He Returns doesn’t translate well in Spanish. These names are interchangeable.)
Til He Returns (The Hope Project) is a ministry based in downtown San José, Costa Rica that is “working to break the spiritual, social, and material bonds of poverty, from short-term handouts to long-lasting life transformation”. This organization believes that poverty comes from brokenness within our four main relationships: relationship with God, relationship with self, relationship with others, and relationship with creation. All their programs and outreaches focus on mending and maintaining these relationships by “reshaping identity, restoring dignity, and rebuilding families”.
My squad and I spend most of our time volunteering at The Hope Project’s community center where most of their programs and activities are hosted and organized. This organization has so many moving parts, and we get a little taste of all of it. Guys, this organization does SO MUCH. I’ll introduce you to just a few of the programs we get to be a part of to give you an idea of what we’re doing.
The Refuge – The Refuge is the center’s pregnancy center. Women come in for pregnancy counseling, parenting classes, and can earn points to spend in The Refuge’s “boutique” and get things like diapers, baby clothes, and more. We help organize and clean donations, the boutique, and the office, and look after kids while their mothers are in counseling sessions. We also have the opportunity to build relationships with and plan events for the women.
Waves of Grace – Waves of Grace is the center’s bracelet making business! There are two parts to Waves of Grace, actually. One is just a class where women come together, learn how to make the bracelets, and hear a devotional! Through this, women learn a new skill and get to build relationships. The other part is an internship for women who are gifted in bracelet making. These women learn how to make bracelets as a product they intend to sell and how to run a business.
English Club – This is where not knowing much Spanish actually comes in handy. In English Club, we get to help create and prepare class curriculum, be discussion partners for students practicing their English, and even lead and teach some classes!
House of Raw – House of Raw is the center’s hip hop dance school. At first, that might seem like a weird thing to be in a ministry, but it’s actually such an amazing outreach opportunity! Hip Hop is a big thing in Costa Rica. Through House of Raw, The Hope Project reaches so many people in San Jose. The teachers are all crazy good dancers with crazy cool testimonies. They also use dance to go into broken places and share the light of Jesus. We get to actually take dance classes with them and just get to know the people here!
If you haven’t already noticed, The Hope Project is very relationship-based. Their goal is to move past handouts that leave people feeling like they have nothing to offer on their own and instead empower and equip others by restoring their dignity and making known their identity in Christ. They also care a lot about stewarding their “flock” well (that’s us!). Every day, we get to take a discipleship class or a Spanish class at the center.
The thing I’ve noticed the most about this ministry over the past two weeks is that these people are passionate about what God has called them to do, and they want to do it well. And they never miss a chance to talk about the way God has moved in their lives and in the ministry. I have so much to learn from these guys, and I can’t wait to talk all about the things God is doing here.
For more information on Til He Returns/The Hope Project, or to find out ways you can support them directly, check out their amazing website here.
