Costa Rica Missions Trip - Summer 2017

How this whole thing came about.

When we were living in Fresno, California, my good friend Karen Segovia became involved with an organization called Seeds of Hope in Costa Rica, and many times she talked to me about going there with her to serve and learn more about their mission. After we moved back to Kansas we continued to talk about it, and finally decided that 2017 was the year.  Then in February she called and said that our church in Fresno was sending teams of missionaries to various places, and one of those was Seeds of Hope in Costa Rica. When she was named the team leader for CR-SOH, it pretty much sealed the deal for me to go!  John and I decided that since part of SOH's mission is centered around teaching young girls how they are valued and have purpose, we decided it was a great opportunity for Hillary and I to both join the team.  So after months of fund-raising through letters, personal asks, extra group trainings and boot camps, June 19 arrived and we boarded a plane for Costa Rica!

June 19
We flew to Houston where we met up with the other two team members heading to Costa Rica. Through a God-led series of events, Seeds of Hope founder Penny Williams was also on our flight so we all arrived at the same time in CR. After navigating customs with no issues, we hopped in a shuttle van to the hotel where we were staying for the night since it was already late. Waiting at the hotel were two of the SOH clubhouse directors, Diego & Ricardo, who were waiting to meet with Penny.  After quick introductions, the rest of our team - which included Karen, Janice, Hillary and I - headed across the street to Denny's for a good meal.  Not having been to Denny's in many, many years I must say, their menu has come a long way!  :)  We had a very nice waiter or "camarero", who was very patient as I tried out the Spanish I've been studying for a few months!

We hit the beds hard that night - the Fresno crew had been up since about 3:30am so they were ready for some rest.  I personally was so pumped about being here that I didn't go right to sleep.  I can't believe we are really here!

June 20
The weather was fairly cool this morning and I enjoyed a quick workout by the pool.  After a nice breakfast together we went out to the pool area to share SHAPE bible study, and then packed up our things.  We regrouped in the lobby, loaded our vehicles and headed for Tarcoles!  On the way we stopped to see the Crocodiles at the famous Tarcoles Bridge, which is where it all began for Penny and Seeds of Hope. Read more about that here: http://www.seedsofhopecr.com/our-story.html.

Ricardo is the Director at Tarcoles, and they just secured a new location for the Tarcoles Clubhouse. Another SOH supporter and friend, Glenn, met us there & all of us sat down to make a painting plan. You see, our job this week is to paint the clubhouse, and after seeing it, I wanted to snap my fingers and have Kelly Kuhn appear to help us!  Before we jumped into the planning, we took a few minutes to pray over the location, and it was a great time of prayer and preparation for everyone.  The location was previously a nightclub/bar, so giving it a thorough covering in prayer was the perfect place to start.  Keeping it covered in prayer and soon to be paint will make a fabulous place for the kids to come hang out, attend classes and eventually have small businesses of their own, although Glenn's vision of an ice cream "parlor" at the entrance during our prayer time may happen sooner rather than later!

We left the location and headed down to the local "hardware & paint" store.  Glenn and Ricardo were quite a team as they bartered a good price on paint & paint supplies, and made a new SOH supporter out of Veronica and "momma"!  They agreed to have it delivered by 8:30am the next day, so we are now in the paint business.

One thing I love about this culture is how the clock isn't really the clock.  Things just happen when they need to happen and even though we got done what we needed to get done today, there were no feelings of being rushed or like we "had" to be somewhere.  It's a very laid-back place, and although people drive a little crazy, it's not a "rush-rush" atmosphere.  That's a really nice feeling...until it's 3:45pm and you haven't eaten lunch yet!  :)  We stopped to eat in Jaco at the greatest little taco bar.  There were swings on one side of the bar for seating, and stools on the other.  The food was wonderful, and once again, no feeling of being rushed or having to hurry.  It was nice.

We parted ways after "lunch" and our team of 4 was joined by Paula, a SOH staff person who "pretty much does everything".  She took us to the grocery store to pick up water and a few other things and then guided us to our humble abode near the beach in Oeste Eustaurios where we unloaded, unpacked and settled in a bit.

Another little tidbit about Costa Rica...the sun goes down quite early - like 6pm!  And it rises early which will be helpful in getting us up and around in plenty of time to make the 45-minute drive back to Tarcoles to jump into our paint job.  Luckily our meals are prepared by the lady next door, so our focus can be on our work to be done here!  Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!