Before I begin the list, debrief is a time where the squad goes away from our central location of ministry for a few days to have a mini-vacation. This was our first, so we were gone for 5 days in Jaco. We stayed on the beach in a hostel called Room2Board. Each day, we either had a team meeting to discuss the past month, a one-on-one with a leader (if desired), or a session at night. If nothing was planned for you or your team, you could do whatever you wanted – walk into town, lay out on the beach, stay in your room, or whatever else you wanted to do. This list is an easy way for me to summarize debrief.
1. Not having a sheet to sleep with for 3 nights is manageable but weird
2. Being able to lock my stuff up at the hostel made me feel safe
3. Staying right next to a brothel is always an interesting thing to watch late at night
4. Talking to friends back home about what’s happening back home is really nice
5. Listening to old Justin Timberlake was awesome during my periods of alone time
6. Being refilled with the Holy Spirit is always an amazing experience
7. Taking naps in a humid room is quite difficult, even when there’s a fan blowing directly on your face
8. One-on-Ones with leaders are always enjoyable and super helpful
9. Having a Costa Rican male yell “Scooby-Doo!” at a group of us is always weird but oddly expected
10. Having a teammate listen to you is always comforting
