Costache Rica

Costache Rica

Costa Rica was really really hot.  And humid.  Being one quarter Norwegian, the heat and humidity don't agree the most with me.  Don't worry though mom, I made sure to stay hydrated! The trip was kind of split up into three different sections.  The first stretch we were in a city called Alajuela (which is really fun to say) and is right next to the capitol city of San Jose.  In Alajuela we worked with a pastor named Rigoberto, which, as it turns out, is also really fun to say.  Rigo (as we called him) pastors many people who are extremely poor.  Most are coffee farmers who only have seasonal jobs in Costa.  It was an interesting experience for me because many of the "houses" we visited when we followed Rigo around a nearby village that he ministers reminded me of those in Honduras near the dump at AFE.  On that same tour, however, I felt like a spectator and was very uncomfortable.  It felt like we were just walking through these people's lives and treating them like museum exhibits or something.  While in Alajuela, we helped to pour concrete for a family whose floor used to be dirt.  The work was hot and sweaty but it felt good to get out there and get my hands dirty!

For lunch each of the three days we poured concrete there, the family that lives in the small house brought us lunch. The lunch was a traditional Costa Rican lunch consisting of rice, meat, and a salad, along with fried plantains. Good good stuff let me tell you. We also got to walk through the cities soccer stadium, which hosts LDA, the countries best team for many years. We got to experience the culture of the city by taking a walking tour around the city, stopping at museums and historical murals. 

On the first Wednesday at Rigo's church, we got to worship along with the congregation. I have been blessed with many chances to worship God in different cultures and countries around the world, and I love it every time. It's amazing to me that we get to worship the same God anywhere on this planet.  How BIG He is!! At that same service, I got to give a 10-15 minute "sermon" (again, for lack of a better word).  I was even able to introduce myself and start my talk in Spanish! I did, however, end up leaning on the translator for most of the meaty parts what I didn't know how to say.  It was a great experience to be talking in front of a congregation in a different country and culture. 

The second stretch we were in the capitol city of San Jose, which, in an answer to prayers, was much less hot as it was in the mountains.  The nights were nice and cool and days were less hot.  I use "less hot" on purpose as the days were still plenty hot. Being in the mountains also made for some beautiful views.  In San Jose, we worked with an organization called Casa Viva. Casa Viva is similar to the foster care system in the United States, but much more personal and Jesus oriented. Rather than running things like a "children's home" or orphanage, Casa Viva takes children who can no longer live at home for one of many reasons and places them in Christian families all over the area.  The couple that started it are from the US and went to Wheaton (that's where the connection with LeaderTreks comes in).  We got to spend three mornings with the wife of the couple, Jill, who taught us about what Casa Viva does and child development and how the two are connected.  I really enjoyed learning about kids and how important family is for children. I realized how blessed I am and was to have such incredible and loving parents and family. Thanks mom and dad. 

Okay, finally, our last stretch was spent on the coast (!!!).  The place we were staying was some sort of Christian missionary facility in a small town called Playa Azul.  It was a beautiful spot, maybe one kilometer or so from the coast.  There were two main buildings, the first full of rooms for sleeping, kind of like dorms, and the second was a cafeteria of sorts with a nice kitchen and a huge room to eat.  Between the two, was my personal favorite feature, a swimming pool! :P  Being back near sea level, the heat turned back up a few notches. 

This photo was taken from my devo spot each morning (below). On the right, you can see our sleeping building, in the middle, the swimming pool, and on the left, our dining hall!

The beach by our "compound" (for lack of a better word) was in really bad shape.  Full of trash and heavily polluted due to a big river coming in from the Central Valley, where the large cities of Alajuela and San Jose are.  One of the last nights in Playa Azul, Corbin and I walked out to the beach for the sunset. The beach, while riddled with trash, could not take away from the beauty that was the sunset. No matter how hard we humans try to ruin things, nothing can stop and diminish His beauty. 

For our work this last week, we traveled maybe an hour down the coast to Jaco, a major tourist attraction in Costa because it's a gorgeous place.  While there, we worked with a surfers ministry, which meant we got to work at a professional surfing competition!! It was just like the movies, complete with the giant judges stand, hot sun, and dudes with dreads running to the water with boards attached to their ankles. Classic.  We worked with a local pastor who founded a church near the beach he dubbed "surfer church". Surfers are often not welcome in churches in the area due to their appearance and laid back lifestyle. For this reason, Dennis founded Pura Vida church, which we had the pleasure of attending one Sunday. The church was set up in a school in town (think Blackhawk Fitchburg on a smaller scale) and Dennis proceeded to give the sermon in shorts, a pink polo, and flip flops. We had a blast there!

The last day, we hung out at a national park called Manuel Antonio where the rain forest met pristine beach.  This place was unbelievable!! While on the beach, we had to have one person stay with our stuff the whole time because monkeys would come out from the jungle to steal our food! I'm serious! Those buggers were ruthless. 

I apologize for how late this post is... I'm going to do better about staying on top of these posts as the next few months unfold. Right now, as I put on the finishing touches here, I'm on the road headed for the Everglades and an eight day canoe trip!!  I've never done anything like this before, but I'm stoked!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. Even if I can't be with you in person, I'd love to stay in touch. Whether you're in Madison, off at college somewhere or anywhere around the world, the Internet is an incredible thing! Shoot me a text, comment on here, an email, or an owl Harry Potter style. Whatever it is, I'll be excited to see it! Of course, during a number of my trips, I'll be in the wilderness and thus out of touch and away from technology, so give me a couple days. 

Ben Hershberger