Blessings from Costa Rica

I recently flew back to Costa Rica for about a month. The time spent in Costa Rica was filled with little God moments—bittersweet goodbyes and blessed time spent with the missionaries and locals! This was the end, or maybe somehow just the beginning of leaving the place I called home. 

The First Two Weeks

Because I had to change my flight at such short notice, I did not tell most of the locals that I was coming back. So, I spent the first week showing up and surprising people! It was a fun week! 

I then spent the next week enjoying Costa Rica—the food, weather, nature, and of course, visiting with the locals. It was at times difficult having to say hi and bye in the same day, but the Lord greatly blessed this time. Also, people in Costa Rica just process byes a little differently; they really are more like “see you laters!” I was okay with my goodbyes the last time I left, but this time was somehow so much better!

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6

Denia

A few days after I arrived, I went to a dear friend of mine, Denia’s, house to surprise her! She came out and gave me a hug and invited me to lunch! The priest also happened to be at her house, so Denia, her husband, the priest, and I all had lunch together!

The following week, she invited my teammate Angie and me to go to one of her properties. We hiked through some tall grass to the river. It was beautiful! There we sat and prayed and chatted! It was truly a beautiful time. Then we went back to her house and had coffee hour and got to enjoy some of her famous pan de piña (pineapple bread)! 

Denia has really been like a Costa Rican mother to me (approved by my real mother, too)!

Nohelia

The day I arrived was my friend Nohelia’s birthday. The following week, she invited me to her house for their birthday celebration! The next day at 7 a.m., Nohelia, Nestor, and I went to a place called Pozo Verde. We started the hour-long drive with prayer as we made our way into the mountains. When we got there, we had about an hour hike to the Pozo Verde. It was a beautiful hike and a lot of fun! It was a pretty foggy day, but we prayed, and the fog cleared quite a bit so we could see the green (turquoise) pond! Thank you, Jesus!

At the end of the hike, there is a place to get water that has just come out of the mountain! The purest water in the world, they say. 

It was this night that Nohelia joined us for Lord’s Day dinner, read the Gospel in Spanish for us, and shared a beautiful reflection on it!

Doña Maria Elena & Don Freddy

These are my Costa Rican “grandparents.” This time back, I spent a lot of time with them, and whichever family member was also over. I also invited the other missionaries to join me in my visits! Maria Elena taught me how to make tortillas, picadillo (with the zucchini she grew in her backyard), and chorreadas! She absolutely loved teaching us how to cook! She was shocked that no one had taught me how to make handmade corn tortillas! It really is quite simple, but a skill she has mastered!

Don Freddy very joyfully said his job is to eat whatever Maria Elena makes! He then told me that he taught Maria Elena how to cook, and she just smiled and shook her head as he chuckled.

Don Freddy and Doña Maria Elena have been married since she was 17, and they tell me it is a beautiful vocation, but only possible with the Lord! The Lord provides, guides, and unites!

Mission Trip

One of the days, we split into two groups and brought one group to the daycare we frequently serve at, and the other to the senior center! In both places, we acted out the Stations of the Cross and led other Lenten activities. Then we had free time to spend with the kids and people at the senior center!

High School Visit

On one of the last days, we went to a public high school. We sang, gave testimonies, prayed, and then played volleyball with the students there. We played gringos versus ticos. There was a German foreign exchange student who joined our team! It was super fun. They won one game, and we won one game. While the volleyball game was going on, there were also people working on painting part of the school.

After the game and cleaning up the paint, they invited us to have lunch at the school. We ate lunch in the cafeteria and got to talk to some of the kids. It was a super blessed visit. I also taught some of the kids how to throw an American football!

Painting a Chapel 

This day, my group went to a little pueblo (town) to help paint their chapel while the other group went to a private high school to share testimonies, scripture, and songs.

When my group got to the chapel, the ladies weren’t there with the paint yet, so I went across the street to the people sitting in front of their house. There were three older adults and three kids. I just talked to them for a bit. It was really cool, it felt like it wasn’t my first time meeting them! Then Angie walked over, too, and introduced herself, then gave the kids stickers!

Once the ladies with the paint arrived, we said bye and walked back over and started painting! We got all of the inside done and the front of the outside! The next day, a group went back during their break time and finished the rest of the work!

We split up into three groups, on two different days, and went on house visits to pray and spend time with those we visited. Some of the locals made us food or chopped down coconuts for us. We sang songs and had a beautiful time hearing their stories and sharing in the glory and love of God!

It is beautiful to see how the Lord works so uniquely with each visit!

Men’s Rehab 

We all went to the men’s rehab center to help them build a bathroom. I helped make lunch, which one of the men led in preparing. After we finished the work for the day, we all gathered, blessed the food, and ate together! This was a super blessed time to all be working together and hear the testimonies from the men! After, we prayed over the men and shared in goodbyes.

Alabanzas and Testimonies 

One of our last nights, we went back to the chapel we had painted a few days prior. There we sang alabanzas, opened scripture, and shared testimonies. Both a mission tripper and a local shared their testimony. It is always so inspiring to hear how the Lord works so intentionally! I sat next to one of the older ladies I visited the day we painted the chapel. I talked to her after, and it was amazing the relationship I felt that was already growing through our few interactions. I felt called to give her a rosary in a bottle that I had, so I gave it to her, and she hugged me.

After, we enjoyed food and a drink that the locals prepared! We hung out with them and chatted before dropping some people off back at their house, so they didn’t have to walk so far in the dark.

An Unexpected Encounter

Towards the end of the mission trip, one of the kids came up to me and asked if I could help translate for her dad, who was talking to a lady crying at the park. I walked over to the table they were sitting at. When I introduced myself, she looked at me through her teary eyes and said, “Your shirt! The turtle! He had the exact same one!” She showed me a picture of a tattoo her boyfriend had that looked just like the one on my shirt. The lady’s name is Valesca. She is 28 years old, and her boyfriend passed away four months ago. His birthday was coming up in about a week. She came to the park after she got off work to cry before going home, so her kids wouldn’t see her crying.

I listened to her stories about her boyfriend and her current situation. She and her boyfriend would go to daily mass together, and he had a strong faith. I believe she slightly distanced herself from the faith after his death and was struggling with moving forward. I shared with her the Bible verse that was written on my shirt next to the turtle, and she looked it up and read it.

After listening to her heart, I realized she was barely hanging onto hope. She is from Nicaragua and doesn’t have family or know a lot of people in the town. I shared with her a little of my own testimony and the grace and love of God.

I asked Pablo’s daughter, Erika, if she could join and speak with her, since she lives in the same town and could be a person for her. Erika came and listened and talked with us and offered the lady her number. By the end of our conversation, more light seemed to come into Valesca’s eyes! I don’t believe any of this was a coincidence! The timing, the turtles, the conversation that followed… the Lord sees His children! This interaction has stayed with me.