Costa Rica <3

A piece of my heart will always be in Costa Rica. From the moment we got our negative covid tests and it became a reality that we’re leaving my pulse was racing. As I’m sitting on our bus driving up to Nicaragua it’s hard to know we may never come back to La Vigía. This is the first country I’ve ever been to outside of the US and I never expected it to be as different as it is. When people talk about 3 world countries like Costa Rica there’s only 2 topics that come around: tourism or poverty. While those are two big pieces, there is so much more to Costa Rica than I could’ve ever imagined. 

Communities like La Vigía in the mountains of the Nicoya Peninsula are full of servant hearts. Volunteering to assist in ministry labor, visiting the elderly each day, and loving God’s children who need assistance are just a few things I’ve witnessed here. While there are things that I’ll never fully understand about how they live, there is so much love and contentment even when some have so little. Resources are hard to find, which makes it even more incredible when they donate time, energy, and resources to others. 

Every once in a while you meet someone who amazes you beyond belief. That person for me was pastor Basilio. I know many incredible hard working men and women in my life, but pastor took it to a new level. He has been working since he was 5 years old and hasn’t stopped. Every day that we stayed at the church he was the last one to go to sleep and the first one up each morning to help us cook breakfast with a smile on his face. He was the first one working, took few breaks, and only came back once the work was done. I have never seen someone work so hard for the community around them with a smile every single day. He put God and community over himself at all moments. The picture below is us on his 50th birthday working all day in the blazing sun digging up dirt for hours. He is so full of joy and taught me so much about serving others. Our whole team was impacted and will never forget Basilio and his family. 

Being a missionary overseas is such an intresting life. It’s beautiful to see God move in new places. We had the opportunity to explore once a week as an “adventure day” into beach towns, rain forests, waterfalls, and the local town of Nicoya. Gods creation is more beautiful that I can even explain <3 seeing mountains beside the ocean is my new favorite view. I’m going to insert pictures below of some places in Costa Rica I have been taken back by how Gods creation is so unique, the community, as well as Pastor and I on his 50th birthday! (Puppies name is Stella<3)