On the Pacific coast of Costa Rica there’s a small town. An old fishing town with a beautiful beach. At least it’s beautiful until you learn of what happens there, then the darkness sets in.
Fishermen come to Tarcoles, Costa Rica and the girls of that town are sold to be used to pleasure these men as they go out to fish. That in itself is bad enough right? But it gets worse. The girls go out to sea with these men, the men use their bodies, and then on some occasions they just ditch their bodies overboard. Girls go to this beach, get on a boat expecting to get paid for their sexual services, and then never return. And most of these girls are sent to this beach by their parents. If that doesn’t make your stomach twist something is wrong with you.
I learned of this tragic truth last week while my team and I were helping with a local VBS. Working with the very children who, if something isn’t done to change the circumstances, will most likely end up on that very same beach one day. Which is heartbreaking. These kids are already being physically abused or eating trash under bridges because people steal food from their house. There is a pregnancy center in the town that does it’s best to help provide for the mothers and children, but there is a need for more volunteers, more help for these kids.
Then there’s Jaco. The town we’ve been staying in this month that is known strictly for it’s waves, drugs, and prostitutes. The darkness that surrounds this town is so heavy. Being here we’ve heard so many stories about husbands selling their wives and children -boys and girls. More about 12 year old girls prostituting themselves to earn money. How lost must a place be that young girls know that giving sex equals getting money??
But there is good news. God is working in this place. He has brought missionaries with a heart to help rebuild families, fight injustice, to love on and disciple the youth, offer rehab for men struggling with addictions, and feed the homeless. Kids programs happen on a regular basis through Christian Surfers and Kids Club. The hearts of the Christian community here are so beautiful. It has been a privilege to serve along side these people this month.
This place has literally been an eye opening experience for me. It has helped me see how it is possible to serve God’s kingdom in big ways when you truly surrender your life fully to Christ. When we leave next week, I will continue to pray for this place and if my heart continues to beat fast when I think of it, I may even look into coming back and being a part of what God is doing here.
If you would like to be a part of what is happening here from afar there are a few ways to do that.
Prayer – it’s powerful and free!
Check out the ministries already helping here. A few include::
Seeds of Hope – you can purchase jewelry that the girls make to raise money to help with the club houses that have been put together as a place for girls, and now boys through Roots of Hope, to go and learn about Christ and about how to provide for themselves and their families without selling themselves.
Beautiful Feet International and Hearts for Jaco are two organizations with sponsorship programs for the children here.
Horizon Church and Inglasia Radical are two amazing churches we have had the opportunity to work with this month, and are open to mission teams ad could always use more hands on deck in any of their ministries! & check out this video to hear the heart behind the english speaking church that was such a huge impact to my team and I this month! 🙂
Costa Rica has stolen my heart. Thank you all for being a part of this journey with me and allowing me to be here and experiencing God in the many ways I have!
