Month 3 Costa Rica Recap
Country: Costa Rica
Town: Platanar- Small rural town. We stayed there majority of the month.
Los Chiles- Our hosts farm in the middle of nowhere where we spent a few days.
Ministry Hosts: Don Tony and Dona Rosita- the sweetest people ever! They have an incredible ministry they have built up together throughout Costa Rica. Dona Rosita is the pastor of the church behind their home.
Living Conditions: Platanar- We had a room with 4 bunk beds and all 8 of us (including hosts) shared a shower and bathroom. Simplicity at its finest.
Los Chiles- We stayed in another room with bunk beds. It had an awesome cabin-like feel. Everything was outdoors- including the kitchen.
Food: Our host Dona Rosita cooked 3 meals a day (and spoiled us with snacks)- they were delicious! Salad, rice, and beans were staples of most meals. My favorites were sweet plantains, cheese tortillas, and yucca made into a hash browns that we dipped in sauce. We also stopped every day at 3pm sharp to have coffee and a sweet treat.
Ministry: It was a physically challenging month. We did manual labor majority of the time, but the passion of our hosts gave us all the energy we needed.
In Platanar we moved moved an entire butterfly shed from one plot of land to another. We dug out trees, plants, and poles cemented in the ground. We leveled the land we removed the shed from, and the land back at our ministry host’s home. We dug 3 ft holes for the poles, and dug a trench around the perimeter.
At the farm manual labor continued. We carried water, gravel, sand, boulders, and cement up a hill of steps to mix concrete by hand. We set the frames for the stairs, and then laid the concrete mix. These stairs will lead to the sanctuary they are planning to build.
Don Tony gave us the blessing of planting the first plants for the sanctuary. He made it a beautiful process where we spoke to God about where we could grow, and then we planted new life in the sanctuary.
We also had the opportunity to help lead kids camp a few days. We taught a Bible story, songs, hand clap games, did a craft, and enjoyed loving on mini Costa Ricans.
People: I LOVE the people of Costa Rica and the Pura Vida lifestyle. It was freeing, genuine, and a fresh reminder to enjoy every second of life and the beauty in it.
What God taught me: To fall in love with whatever way we are serving for the month. It was hot in the Costa Rica sun, and exhausting long days, but learning to enjoy it and give God the glory through it was the biggest blessing. Also the growth of my team is incredible. We’re learning so much from each other and what the Lord is teaching us. And SOOO much more.. always.
Favorite Moment: We were on a bus on the way back from town. My teammate Sara had the Holy Spirit heartbeat to share the gospel on the bus. So she stood up and sweet Hery translated. God worked through us to bring life to the people on the bus. It was a super sweet experience and a great reminder that God can work in any moment if you give Him the opportunity and say yes.
I hope you enjoyed a small insight into what life looked like last month! I hope to do one of these each month. Also I have more to post on lovely experiences.. so much to do, so little time!!
This month we’re in the middle of no where in the mountains of Panama with another team from our squad. We’re only a week in, but it has been amazing! Also, wifi is pretty much nonexistent, so just know I’m alive and well 🙂
Fundraising update: I am ONLY $1,403 away from being FULLY FUNDED. AHHH I can’t contain my excitement about how thankful I am for your support to make this possible. Any amount to reach the last little bit is very much appreciated!
