The Race has begun and it feels so surreal to actually be here doing this after months of discussion and preparation! I’m not even sure where to begin as so much often transpires in a single day here! So, I thought it would be helpful to start off my blog each month with a breakdown of the Country and ministry for that month of the Race. That way, I can provide some specific details about each location and ministry site before diving into more personal blogs and stories. So, here is the update for month one:
Country: Costa Rica
City: Jaco
Language: Spanish (though many also speak some English)
Time difference: 2 hours behind EST
Local meal recently eaten: Rice and beans with eggs and fruit (for breakfast)
Living conditions: This month, we are sleeping outside in a tent under the rancho (see pic below). It gets quite toasty in the tent in this humid weather, even late at night, so I’m going to try sleeping in my hammock from now on. We have one cold shower and 2 toilets for 15 of us to share, which is actually a blessing. This month is unique in that we are sharing a site with one other team on our squad, and also have 2 of our squad leaders staying with us right now, which is why we have so many here. You can not flush the toilet paper here due to the piping, which can be very hard to remember. We may or may not have already clogged up one toilet as a result.
Tents and hammocks, oh my!
Interesting fact: Costa Rica is considered to be one of the 20 countries with greatest biodiversity in the world. The more than 500,000 species that are found in this small country represent nearly 4% of the total species estimated worldwide!
What surprised me: I knew that Jaco was one of the most popular surf beach towns in Costa Rica, but did not know it was also the most developed beach town. It is much more westernized than expected (maybe moreso than any other site we will be at), so we can actually drink the tap water and most of the food here is safe for us to eat.
One of the beaches near us, with beautiful black sand
I will have to tell you the story of this amazing view at another time
Off day opportunities: Each team typically has 5-6 ministry days each week and one off day to do whatever: rest, connect with friends and family back home, form relationships, etc. AIM is now experimenting with an adventure day some weeks as well which will give us the opportunity to really go and explore some of the things that make each country and city unique. Jaco is a great place to explore! They have everything from active volcanoes and mountains to hike, wildlife to interact with and beaches to play on. I’ve already had the opportunity to feed a wild monkey from my hand and see 20-30 HUGE crocodiles all laying together over a bridge (will try my best to include more pictures in the future – hard to collect pics from everyone and post when wifi is so limited). We will all be taking some surf lessons today (which will be complimentary as one of our ministry hosts is teaching us), which is pretty sweet!
Me and my team admiring the awesome waves
Ministry Site: La Ola/Christian Surfers/Ocean’s Edge led by our host, Hannah. Carli is also one of our hosts for this month and I have a fun story about her. She just recently returned from her own World Race (La Ola was one of her sites on the Race) only to turn around and come right back here. She will be here permanently in February.
Part of La Ola, a missions hostel, where we are staying this month
A skateboard ramp (left) that a lot of local kids use to practice surfing skills at La Ola
My team ministries: Leading Kid’s club, Sunday school classes and Bible study for book of John. In addition, we are involved with Christian Surfers and projects for La Ola site (construction and maintenance of grounds). I was also individually asked to create nutrition curriculum for Ocean’s Edge throughout the month because of my nutrition background. I’m sure more things will pop up as the days go by, but this is what we are primarily involved in currently.
One of the surprising things for me is just how much you see and experience each day! I’ve only been here in Jaco for 4 full days and I’m already having a hard time trying to summarize what all has taken place. It is a beautiful country filled with tropical plants and flowers, as well as green mountains and colorful houses. We were constantly oohing and aahing during our 2 hour bus ride from San José to Jaco as we looked out at the new and vibrant landscape. However, those sites were nothing compared to what awaited us once we arrived on the coast. I truly have never seen more beautiful beaches in my life, and I’ve seen quite a few in my time. From the mountains towering beside and beyond the water to the eerily beautiful mist constantly spraying off the huge, surging waves (biggest I have ever seen before), it was like something from a novel or movie. I recently learned that I’m somewhat of a naturalist, meaning that one of the ways I connect with God is through nature – being in it and observing it. So, the beach is definitely one place where I can just sit and look out, and remember the hugeness and majesty of the One who created it all.
In addition to the sheer beauty of this place, you also have some of the friendliest and most laid back people. They are all very approachable and forgiving with the language barriers. In fact, most people here enjoy the opportunity to practice their English with you, since you can get better jobs if you speak it.
I can’t wait to share my stories of what God is doing in this place and how we get to be involved in that in the days to come. For now, just wanted to provide a quick update and share some of the special moments I’ve had as we get settled into out ministry here.
