Every morning I sit in the living room with anticipation, my ear open to the streets outside. My team is one of the last teams picked up to go to ministry, so when the bus comes we have to be ready to go. Suddenly, I hear the sounds of rushing air and frantic breaks, and then it’s time to go.
On the way out the door I’m greeted by our bus driver Alfredo. With a balding head and crazed smile he greets me, and I can’t help but laugh. My team piles onto the bus, then we trek through the backroads of San José. All around me are barred houses and Ticos going about their days, each second another scene in a daily movie. I see countless tropical flowers, each a different shade of the rainbow. Some streets are covered in houses that remind me of the States, while others are overpopulated by slums and poverty. We driver up and down hill after hill on our way, and I can’t help but take in this strange world.
Then my team arrives at our ministry. Tronos de Dios (Throne of God) is a church near the slums. Since most families in that area have to choose between feeding their kids or sending them to school, Tronos de Dios started a daycare to get kids off the streets. Kids are able to come here at a much cheaper rate than a school. They receive breakfast, lunch, and a snack while taking basic classes like English and math. Sometimes guests will even come in and teach the kids music or games.
Since Tronos de Dios is well staffed with teachers, my team usually works a form of manual labor. We’ve scraped and repainted doors, made banners for events, painted the parking lot lines, repainted the outside of the church, and are currently working on a mural. Sometimes we get to play with the kids at recess, and that involves running around crazy or drawing flowers with pen on their hands (until you find out that you’re not suppose to draw on the kids- oops). Some of my teammates work with the younger kids every day, while others of us don’t get to be around the kids much at all.
One time a teammate of mine was changing a diaper for a baby. When she opened it, she found a piece of glass lodged inside. If you take a moment to really look at these kids, many of them have hidden bruises and scars. So many of these kids come from severely broken homes, and that’s why Tronos de Dios was made. It is an opportunity to take kids (aged 6 months to 12 years old) off the streets and into a safe space, even if it’s just for a few hours. Some of the kids go to school, other stay all day. Whatever their situation, these kids are provided a place to be, and I am so thankful that I have gotten to work with such an impactful ministry.
~CLS
