On Wednesday at 2:00 am our squad of 53 people headed to the Atlanta airport to start a new season of our lives!!! We had an hour flight to Fort Lauderdale then a 3 hour layover and a 3 hour flight to Costa Rica!! I learned I’m a big fan of airports. The idea of millions of people going SO many places makes me think about all of the different experiences there are in this world. We landed at about 1:00 pm. Costa Rica time and had about a 45 minute drive to our home!!!!
The days here are very peaceful & FULL of love & rain. We are stationed in Curridabat which is right outside of San Jose. Our house is beautiful. All 53 of my squad is together in the same house. Going from living with 3 to 53 has been quite the transition! Experiencing dance parties after dinner, lots of cuddles and a very large fridge full of food covered in different names. The view from our house looks into a large mountain or volcano— no one really knows what it is— but it is absolutely breathtaking. The room situation is a mega sleepover. My team and I share 8 bunk beds accompanied with a full bathroom and a very angry water pressure machine. We named him Alan and every time someone in the house turns on the water, our little Alan likes to make a very loud noise that continues all throughout the night. I love him, though he is teaching me a lot about patience.
Days here are looonngg and peaceful. I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful this country & its people are. It rains almost every afternoon here which makes night time chillyyyy. I don’t mind it at all though. Typically I am not a fan of any temperature under 70- but I am learning to embrace where I am.
On Friday we had our first day of ministry! My team and I are working at an after school program called Lifting Hands. It’s about an hour away from home in a little neighborhood in San Jose called Los Anonos. The neighborhood itself has been deemed uninhabitable by the government here because it floods when it rains and there is a large drug presence. People from all over the neighborhood come to take classes in english, art, music, dance, psychology and many more. They also have opportunities to go to therapy or they simply come to play. Our role is to help anywhere help is needed and to overall love the kids. Most of the kids don’t speak a lot of English but from my experience in Nicaragua, I’ve learned that language plays a small role in relationship. Love simply transcends every barrier. I’m really excited to build relationships with the kids and the other volunteers there.
Over the past few days I have been specifically focusing on loving your neighbor. Discovering that our neighbors are not just the smiling faces next door but so much more – our bunk mates, the people in the room next door, someone I’m walking next to, behind or in front of on the street.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31.God never specifically tells us who are neighbors are. If we went off what we presume, we would only be loving a very small group of people. Neighbors are everywhere, all the time. We first love God, then our neighbors.
Lots of growth happening over here. Discovering that less is more in so many different ways. Finding joy in the small things, like ants 🙂
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me get here! Please pray for opportunities for my team to reach new people and love with out borders – for the people and the city and the country of Costa Rica and for our ministry and for the world 🙂
Make today count!!!
~Helen <3
