I’m hitting rewind to show you a glimpse of our 10 days in quarantine up in the mountains of Turrialba.Our Ministry host had an incredibly kind friend that opened up his home to us while he was away. When local hotels wouldn’t take us, we were able to find a tranquil place to regain our health and mitigate spreading more sickness. As crummy as it was to be sidelined from ministry, our team walked away from quarantine with a much stronger bond. God knew we needed time uninterrupted together. Time that would lay the groundwork of trust by being vulnerable with one another and inviting Christ into the process.
Post quarantine highlights:
We wrapped up our time in Turrialba by painting the church sunday school classroom (a.k.a. our bedroom), disseminating clothing from a clothing drive to the flood impacted community (shown in my previous blog post), a mountain top camping trip with a youth group and a very sweet and heartfelt surprise farewell party from our ministry friends.
Camping Trip
Our ministry partner, Comunidad Cristiana Nazareth, linked us up with a youth group from San Jose for a weekend camping trip. Together we stayed at a campground at the top of a mountain where the indigenous population resides. The youth group brought donated supplies for us to bundle and disseminate to a church full of members less fortunate than themselves.
We played soccer, basketball, and jumped in the cold river in our clothes. At night we sang praise music in English & Spanish while roasting marshmallows together around a campfire. It is encouraging to see youth full of compassion and eagerness to serve. They had brought supplies and food that had been donated and together we built supply packages for the indigenous community. We were able to bless a congregation that hiked by foot for 2+ hours each way to attend church.
There is more to share, but I will have to save it for another day. Stay tuned for the highlights of: our time with:
- Ocean’s Edge Ministries in Jaco
- Jaco full squad debrief week
- Border crossing to Nicaragua
- Light & Salt Ministries in Ciudad Dario, Nicaragua
Shout out of praise: Thank you to all of you who support me financially, prayerfully and emotionally. I was recently blessed with an anonymous $1,000 donation towards my World Race fundraising goal. I don’t know who it was from, but I sincerely appreciate the support. Thank you all for listening to the prompt on your heart to give, pray and shower me with love. My aim is to pay that kindness and generosity forward as I journey on the World Race.
Reflection Questions:
Can you remember a time when someone gave you an anonymous donation or a “random act of kindness”? Do you remember how that made you feel? How sweet is it for someone to give without the expectation of receiving anything in return?
Hey Steph! Sounds like your doing hard work but also sounds like your having a blast! Are you still in Costa Rica and if not we’re is your next location? First good news, I’ve been home for about a month and a half now, but I have some pretty bad news, my Dad passed away last week.???? We’re all doing the best we can, taking it day by day. I miss you a lot buddy! Hope your staying safe and learning a lot. Is there a way we can talk on the phone or will it not work? Cus I thought you said something about that. I love you and can’t wait to hear from you!!!
So sweet to hear of your experiences, and praise God for the annonymous donation! It is soooo sweet to receive an unexpected generous gift! I’ll never forget just when we were about to quit our jobs and travel the US, Mike’s boss gave him $1000 – that was mind blowing to me!