Because Christ Did It For Us

Day 6 and the concrete work is done, stuccoing is done, and septic system is in.  Tomorrow doors and windows go in and we will wrap up the work we are able to do with the time we had.  There is still painting to be done and various other things but the foundation and home is in place and we are so excited about the results. 

The families that have embraced us and the people we have encountered have made the work on the house seem like a bi-product of our mission.  We have made some very special friendships and memories that we will take home in our hearts.  The house is just a house, but the relationships are forever.  Not only with the people of Costa Rica, but the people we will travel home with as well.  Our team has a special bond now because of the experience we have shared here.





Today we talked about the word duty.  There were many opinions about this word and many perspectives on what it means.  I personally feel like what we have done here in Costa Rica was not out of duty, but out of love for Christ because of what he did for us.  We want to pay forward that love He gives us; a love with no expectations, no boundaries, and no demands.  It is a love that gives not out of duty, but out of desire.

Work That Makes A Difference

*************************************
Work at the house is progressing nicely.  We completely finished the stucco on the inside and the guys put in second layers of concrete on the floors.  Electricity was installed and the bathroom fixtures went in. We can see the excitement in Maria's (Mom in the family who will live in the house) face as each day passes and more progress is made.  Today I noticed that she and her oldest daughter were sweeping the floors, even though there was no hope of them staying clean with all of us in and out of there, not to mention, it rained nearly all day.  We also got much of the outside stuccoed as well and the window frames are starting to go in.  It is pretty exciting that so much is getting done.

Two ladies from our team went to the high school to help teach an English class. They loved it and said that the teacher was very passionate about communicating to these students that there is a big wide world out there with many opportunities.

Today we discussed the words "hard work". It wasn't hard for us to see those words in use in every part of our day!  Hard work is a way of life in this community.  Not the kind of work I think of when I hear those words, but truly back breaking, physical, hard labor.  But the pain is soothed with the satisfaction of knowing the work makes a difference in the world, in a community, in one family's life.  One of our team members expressed to me today that after working here this week, he has been reflecting on the work he does at home, and feels it really doesn't matter in the big scheme of things...funny how when one gets a taste of doing something for someone else, something that changes lives and requires nothing in return, every thing else just seems to pale in comparison.

Tomorrow, July 25 is Guanacaste Day here in Costa Rica to mark the annexation of the Guanacaste from Nicaragua in 1824.  Street fiestas, folk dancing, bull fights, rodeos, and dancing are a few of the activities and we saw some preparation today as the children dressed up in costumes as well as some in traditional dress.  They strutted around in pride for us when they returned from school and basked in our compliments of "muy guapo" and "muy bonito".  Tomorrow is a holiday for them so I am sure we will have the pleasure of their company all day.  Love.

We Are Empowered

Sitting here on my bed reflecting the day's work, I struggle to find the words to make stucco and concreting interesting.  It was a great day, same work, different day.  But what is interesting is that as we continue to interact with the people living around the house where we are working, they are coming out of their homes to say hola or wave!  I find it interesting too that the Mamas are not the least bit guarded when we embrace their children and they actually let them spend the day with us.  When our day's work is done, those sweet baby ducks ride our tail feathers down the hill to the truck.  They always give us the sweetest send off and to put the icing on top there is a lady that lives in the last house at the bottom of the hill whose couch is sitting by a glass wall facing the street; she waves and throws us kisses as we go by.  Feels so good to be embraced.



I love the ride to and from the church to the house.  For one thing,  there is incredible beauty that envelopes the community.  I never get tired of seeing that even though the ride is the same every day.  I love seeing the clouds dip down over the mountain; cows and horses tied up on the side of the road feeding on the lush green grass; chickens snuggling up in their coops; cottage gardens with every kind of flower you can imagine, and the man in the field across the path from the house that must be doing some kind of work, but I think maybe he might just be acting so he can come out and see what is going on.

It rains every day.  It usually starts spitting around noon to 2 then lets up and starts again with a nice strong shower in the evening.  Last night was especially nice as we gathered in a meeting room that has a fireplace.  We sat drinking coffee and talked about our day.  We do that every evening.  Today's word was empowerment.  This morning we discussed how the Holy Spirit empowers us to do any thing that Jesus could do when he walked on earth.  For me that is a lot to imagine.  I know I feel so limited and powerless most of the time, but being with the team we have here in Costa Rica fuels my confidence and makes me feel empowered because together we are stronger; we encourage and hold each other up.

Off for dinner now, another amazing meal with amazing people coupled with good humor, fine stories, and sweet fellowship.

 

We Will Sleep Well Tonight...

It was a long hard day of work for our team today, but very, very productive.   We can see the house coming together really well now, most of the inside walls are stuccoed, floors in a few rooms concreted in and the bathroom is under way. 

We talked today about the word neighbor and took note throughout the day of how that word played into our work and our observations of the community.  We are called as Christians to love our neighbors as ourselves and that means not only our immediate neighbors, friends, family, the people who live next to us, church members, etc., but to peoples all over the world.  It's not hard here in Costa Rica to be neighborly, they are some of the friendliest, loving people I have ever interacted with.  We focused on reaching out to be as neighbors when it might not be expected or seem necessary so that they can see that we truly care, we truly want to help and we truly want to reach out and love them.

John 13:35 "By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another".

Here are some pictures.  Hard work and good times. 
 

 
 

 
 

Unexpected Blessings

Usually when we go on Missions trips we take at least one day to have some fun, however by the time we paid for airfare, food, transportation, etc., there wasn't any money left. We decided to make our "fun day" optional.  Our focus was to finish the house, or get as close as possible, so we decided whatever panned out was good for us, we could use the extra day on the house. 

We thought we would go to church this morning and then work half a day, but we got our fun day after all, and it was donated for us.  The people here gave us an unexpected blessing.  It's amazing, this serving business always goes both ways.  Several ladies literally stay in the kitchen all day preparing meals for us.  We are greeted each morning with a big smile and the best coffee in the world, the bathrooms are cleaned behind us, and lots of other little things happen behind the scenes that we don't even notice.

The unexpected blessing was a zip lining excursion in the canopy.  We were so excited.  It was so much fun!  It was raining, almost to the point where I was wondering if the fun would have to be scrapped, but it all worked out.  As I "zipped" onto the first deck, my heart pounding, the guy started unhooking me while I was still half-way on deck and half way in the canopy.  My look must have said it all as he assured me that he had me, I wasn't going anywhere.  I thought about how it is the same with my faith.  God calls me to walk on the edge, then  I give him that "look" and He says "It's ok, I got you."  And He does, He truly does.

After the fun and dinner we all gathered in a classroom and sang praise songs a capella.  We actually sounded pretty good!  We talked about how the word "intentional" played into our day, and into our lives.  It was expressed that God was and is so intentional in His creation and in the plan He has for us.  We thought about how much better our walk with Him could be if we were more intentional in going about our lives...

Another great day, tomorrow we get back to the business of building houses, God willing and the creek doesn't rise...literally!

Just A Bunch of Gringos!

This is our ride to work!  Bunch of gringos; we got in the truck and bounced our way up to the home we are working to build for the Costa Rican family who lost theirs in the Earthquake of 2009.  They have been living in really poor conditions until recently and now, God willing we will see them wave goodbye to us from their new home.

Today held some great reminders of how truly special this place is...alongside the family who will move into this home, their children, and some neighborhood children, we painted, sifted and stuccoed, dug dirt, moved dirt, and the guys put up the front part of the house.  As our Pastor Shayne O'Brien said "There were all kinds of OSHA rules being broken here".  Even so, everyone came back to the church tonight for dinner in one piece. 





Here is a picture of the home as we got started this morning.  As I walked around inside I tried to imagine the family life and happy memories to be made inside those walls. I love being a part of that.

It amazes me how the people here take nothing for granted and make use of things we would throw away without a thought.  I know I recognized the wheel barrows from 4 years ago!  They were holy and rusted, but rolling.  Styrofoam that probably secured some sort of supplies was used to spread stucco on the concrete walls and scaffolds pieces doubled as ladders.  The tools are very basic, there is no heavy equipment or any of the construction conveniences we know.  Anything can be employed as a tool, if it does the job.

We talked today about how our work here affects people, from the people who live here, to the people at home who are following us, to the people who are friends of our friends, and how it affects us as well. 

Have I mentioned the kids?  These little guys just warm our hearts like nothing else.  They are so loving, curious about us, willing to help, and readily available to make us feel like if nothing else we do here matters, the interaction we have them does.  Their love affects us.

When close my eyes tonight I know I will hear Spanish voices in my mind, picture the incredibly beautiful scenery and stunning flowers that dot the landscape in brilliant colors.  I will hear the muted thunder and the rain pelt the tin roof over our heads as we drift off to sleep, and I will thank God for that roof, these lovely people, and warmth that fills my heart because of this beautiful experience.

And We're Off!

Today we traveled.  Such a great team we have.  We stopped at Buckee’s outside of San Antonio to load up on junk food and see the novelty that that store is.  It is truly the Wal Mart of gas stations/convenience stores.  I actually considered buying a blinged out cow skull but decided I would save that for another day…

Next stop Mexico City….for a five hour layover. We are still here as I type, it really hasn’t been bad, have enjoyed laughing and having fun with old friends and getting to know new ones a little better.  I think we all have eaten something from most of the food joints here at the airport, the favorites we love at home (Mexican food) all taste a little different here, surely not the Tex Mex we are used to!  I am so excited about eating the Costa Rican food!  It is always so good and prepared by very special people from the church.  They love feeding us and we love eating!  It’s a win/win situation J

Just found out we are delayed another hour, so we should arrive in San Jose around 12:30 (1:30 CST) and then we will be picked up via van/bus and will get to Fraijanes around 1:30 or 2:00 am.  Then up early for breakfast and off to work!

As I look back on past trips and anticipate this one, I am reminded of how much I truly love the people of our church and the people on this team.  I get to have my favorite people all to myself for 9 days!  How great is that?