This blog is long overdue but twice during our time in Costa Rica my team and I had the privilege to travel to a rainforest for a weekend to volunteer at a Christian Camp.
I remember our first time getting told we were going, someone literally described it to me as the young life camp of Costa Rica (it’s not actually a young life camp). Hearing this, of course, my heart bursted with excitement. I honestly had no idea what to expect but I knew that I was going to love it. At this point of the race, I was still recovering from a concussion and hadn’t been to ministry in two weeks. I was scared to ask the big question, did leadership plan on letting me go? Eventually, I got the courage to ask my squad leader, Jenny, she told me if I rested up I should be able to go. When we left the base that weekend Kacie Tillman made me promise I would take breaks when needed.
My team and I left a Friday morning at four am to walk to the first bus stop. It took us three busses, a few hours and a whole lot of walking to get there. We had absolutely no idea what we were walking into. Knowing that it was a camp we expected to be helping out with children that weekend. We arrived and the Lord quickly reminded me to walk into things with zero expectations. Greeted by a staff member, Allen, we were soon told that the camp being hosted that weekend was basically a women’s retreat. There were women from anywhere between 20-50 years old.
At this time it was about a month into the race, I was concussed. I’d missed a ton of ministry days. I didn’t get to do the one week of children’s ministry with my team and I had questioned why everything made me feel like I couldn’t catch a break. The Lord knows me more than I can even wrap my brain around because that weekend was exactly what my soul needed. It felt like a slice of home in Costa Rica all while feeling like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It’s hard to put to words. If you know me, then you know I’ve spent A LOT of time at young life’s Washington family ranch camp. La Montaña brought me back to that. From little things like the chapel feeling like a club room to the Costa Rica version of a high ropes course.
At the start of that weekend, I battled with comparison of places. I didn’t want to let myself compare it to Young Life so much that I wasn’t soaking up where the Lord had me in that moment. I brought that worry to the Lord and He revealed to me all the comfort He wanted to bring me in that place. I learned that it was okay for me to be reminded of a place I hold so close to my heart. It was okay for that ministry to feel so normal to me while some of my teammates felt such a newness.
The staff at La Montaña loved us incredibly well. I sat back and watched as my team fell in love with the camp scene as much as I’ve always loved it. When the ladies were in chapel we got to get to know the staff a little better. We played games, shared jokes, compared cultural differences and laughed a whole lot. Allen speaks good English but most of the other staff members stick to Spanish. That first weekend at La Montaña, I learned that music is a universal language and I realized to never underestimate the power of a google translate conversation.
To the staff, it probably felt like we were there to help them but I think we were there for them to help us. Don’t get me wrong, serving the woman that weekend was incredible. My team and I helped a hundred 20-50yr old women conquer fears and cheer one another on as they were strapped fifty feet in the air to cross some ropes. It was awesome. But I didn’t just love La Montaña that weekend for the campers or the peace it brought me, I loved it because of the staff. Team Jaimasi gained a bunch of new brothers that weekend.
When we said goodbye that weekend, it sucked. We were excited to go home to the base where our squad was but sad to say, what we thought, was one of our first goodbyes of Costa Rica. Lucky for us, that goodbye turned out to be a funny joke because my team was invited back to serve for another weekend. Our last weekend in Costa Rica we spent at La Montaña. A place where we had been month one when our team was nowhere near the place we are now.
We headed back that last weekend filled with so much excitement to see our friends. It felt like a sweet reunion of seeing the people we had met the first time and we also got to meet some more incredible people. That weekend was arguably one of my favorite weekends in Costa Rica. Most weekends we got to spend adventuring and spending Sabbath at cute coffee shops with the whole squad but I think our last weekend trumped all of those. La Montaña was a place that was familiar to my entire team. That weekend the Lord brought me back to the first time we’d been there. It felt like a flashback from the start of the race to the now. You would think that my favorite part of the weekend was the camp itself but honestly, it was rejoicing in all that the Father has done within my team. Honestly, our first weekend at La Montaña I wasn’t friends with any of them. We were teammates but we weren’t necessarily friends. We called one another family but didn’t mean it. BUT there’s been so much growth within our team. I confidently call each of them my sister and friend.
Summed up, I love La Montaña and each staff member there. I love my team. I love the camp life. And I love how the Lord knows every single thing that makes my heart feel at home. These are just some thoughts that have been running through my head the past few weeks that I wanted to share with you guys in writing. La Montaña was one of the most impactful experiences I had during my time in Costa Rica. Thanks for reading.
Love always, Cass
