As we walked the streets of Jaco (pronounced Ha-co), Costa Rica, praying for the people that live here, we came upon a small park. It was fenced in with barbed wire and one long brick wall covered in beautiful paintings. An old tree sprung out of the ground, providing shade for the little picnic tables beneath it. In the distance a tall tan hotel building overlooked the town of Jaco. The park was well used and loved.
Our host for this prayer walk was one that loved Jaco’s people. As she brought us to this little oasis for children, she talked about the many kids that came here each week for kids club. How the neighbourhood around this park was considered one of the poorest in town. She pointed to the tan building in the horizon and explained that this unassuming hotel was one of prostitution and sex trafficking.
Because Jaco beach was a beautiful spot on the Pacific coast, travellers (mostly Americans) from all over the world would come there to surf, enjoy the culture and landscape. Because of this, the prices for food and clothing were so high that it was impossible to sustain enough income to buy necessities. In Costa Rica, it’s illegal to be a pimp, but that doesn’t stop the owners of this hotel from trafficking girls in from Columbia and Nicaragua. The most tragic thing is that it is not illegal for women in Costa Rica to sell themselves. So due to cost of living or being held there against their will, these girls found themselves in this tan hotel, gathered around a pool, waiting as men from around the world would come and pick who they wanted to “party with”. The result of such nights were children, many with no fathers, living on the streets in this area of Jaco. Truancy in school was not reinforced. Kids that should have been in school on a weekday morning were out on their bikes, playing at home, anywhere but learning how to read, write, and do math. Because the hotel was a large source of income for the town, bringing travellers and tourists to local shops and restaurants, the illegal activity was and is being swept under the rug. It’s a generational cycle that looked unbreakable. But you may be asking, “How does this relate to Zika?”
Zika is a mosquito transferred virus predominately in South and Central America. Although presenting fairly mild symptoms and rarely resulting in death, the affects on pregnancy can be devastating. Deformities and severe disability are usually the result. With many and much speculation about the after effects, travellers are hesitant to go to areas that Zika has presented its ugly head.
What many people in North America are nervous of, has been a blessing in Jaco. Why? The threat of Zika has prevented “tourists” from coming to the town of Jaco. To date, the tan hotel has fired half of its staff due to lack of income and, in desperation, have plastered huge billboards for “bachelor parties” around town.
Before the Zika virus, kids raised with no education were forced to turn to prostitution or selling drugs in order to live reasonably. After the Zika virus, prices on food lowered and people were forced to turn to other methods of payment (that are healthier on the mind and body). The cycle is temporarily broken.
God is using the Zika virus for good.
It’s weird to think that something that inspires fear is a tool in the hand of our Father. Like many times in the Old Testament, when he used foreign nations to rise up against his people to discipline them, the bad was used for good. How in the New Testament, the crucifixion (the most evil, horrible, brutal death) brought about the Greatest Good. Our God is a god that turns selfishness, pride, distortion into selflessness, openness, healing and peace. And through the Zika virus, God is doing this to the beach town of Jaco, Costa Rica.
