This past month, my team, “Rooted In Truth”, was assigned to work with Lighthouse of Hope Church up on a hill in Rio Azul, San Jose, Costa Rica. Our hosts were Dave and Angie, a fun-loving couple from Midwest, USA! They play huge roles and wear many hats at the church to help things run smoothly, such as: worship leader, associate pastors, Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, community service helpers, and anywhere else they see a need, they take care of it or find the right person for the job. Another person we worked closely with throughout our weeks there, and who blessed us with his patience and hard-working character, was Pastor Gilbert.
The first few days we did a variety of activities like, have a community clothes sale to raise money for the church, help wrap up some building projects inside the church (mudding dry-wall), create music lesson sheets, build things, clean things, attend church meetings, and more. The first weekend, we went down the hill a little bit and learned we were cleaning and painting metal beams that would eventually be the base for a man’s new home. This man was Evaristo.
Evaristo is the sweetest, most humble, 72 year old man. He made a comment one of the first days that he, “would like to live long enough to see his new house.” After that, Pastor whipped us together and we picked up the pace for this house. In a matter of 10 or so days, we deconstructed a small house made of termite ridden wood with rusted tin roof and began reconstructing his new, beam frame house, with new tin, dry-wall, and cement floor. I’ve included pictures of the before and after. We left with some inside work still needing done: more dry-wall, mudding, interior walls, plumbing and electrical. The lessons learned throughout the process are many, from physical lessons to spiritual and relational.
I now know how to prepare beams for a house frame, why they need painted (to prevent rust), dig holes, cut and weld beams together, measure, plan, drill, mix concrete and more… who needs a new house?! 😛 I also know what it looks like to want to serve someone so well when they are trying to do the same for you. I am finding it difficult to explain but I have experienced the most beautiful relationships when you are trying to out serve a person who is trying to do the same in return. As we were working throughout the day on this man’s house, he would try to jump in where he could help but almost daily brought us a 2-liter soda or homemade juice in the afternoons. Anytime he talked about his appreciation for this house he would tear up and it was so genuine.
A few days into the deconstructing and building, I was talking with Evaristo and he started telling me about himself. He lifted his shirt to show me the nearly foot long scar stretching from his pant line up to the underside of his ribs. He explained this was from the first surgery they removed his cancer from. Unfortunately, he still has a small tumor and requires a lot of medications. If it wasn’t for the one day we could physically tell he wasn’t feeling well, I am not sure I would have ever known because of his positive, loving spirit. Getting to know him in this short time and hearing more of his story, along with him telling us about all of his family, made the purpose of our work and desire to provide multiply.
Another lesson I’ve learned overall in this journey, is that we all have something in common. Really… we do. It might be really, really hard to see it in particularly challenging people. But if you CHOOSE to spend time with said people, hear their story, and seek for that common interest, you WILL find it. Your heart can be opened to connecting with others, and it makes the journey so beautiful. Whether you are in small-town, USA or across the world, get to know the people around you. Ask their story, and see where you fit in.
“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer…” Romans 12:10-12
(Side note: After our time in Costa Rica, before traveling to Jamaica, I was feeling unwell so I paid a visit to the hospital after a variety of abnormal stomach issues. Three hours and three hundred dollars later, all they could say was I had some sort of gastrointestinal infection. It’s been about a week and even after some medications I am still not feeling 100%. This is challenging throughout the race because we are constantly adapting to new cultures and cuisines, plus new water sources. If you could please pray for my health and the Lord to continue providing for all my needs, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you.)
