Final thoughts from our final day

Here are some thoughts and reflections from our pilgrims after a week of mission, wonder, and travel. What an amazing group of young people who worked hard to be available to the moment of wonder and amazing movements of God during our voyage. There reflections speak to how they were moved by this experience and the miraculous power of God. 

Through this trip I have seen God in a new light. And, how poverty doesn't affect happiness. - Clay

I learned how one simple task can affect others more then you think. - Woods 

I learned that one meaningless task at home can affect a whole community some where else. - Eli 

This trip has deepened my relationship with God. He is no longer a distant acquaintance but a friend. -Lauren 

I learned that God can be found in some of the isolated places. - Levi

I saw the power that God has through the joy of the children in Jaco. -Grace 

I learned that God can be the most amazing hope, and can be shown through a drawing or a simple gesture.  - Holden 

I learned that in the most unexpected  ways and in the most unexpected  things God can call to you and show you  the  next part of your path. - Crystal 

God has made everybody equal, but it's  our job to make everybody's circumstances  equal. - Thomas

I learned that there is no "them" only us. And how important religion is for those who have experienced true darkness. - Michael 

No matter how much you do you can always leave a mark. - Will

Last Day

Yesterday, we attended worship at Horizons, the mission church of our leaders Sara and Daniel.  This service was full of joy and praise as locals and surf transplants alike worshiped together. Daniel, the pastor and missioner, preached on Luke 9:1-10, the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector. He spoke to Zacchaeus' ability to respond to his Godly  "AHA" moment  (AHA - Awake, Honesty, and Action). Daniel encouraged us to seek God's awakening power in our lives, respond honestly, and take action.

After church our guide, Molly, "took us to a place to a thing," a phrase we have heard repeatedly this week as we were encouraged to let go of schedules and take on wonder. And so, we traveled to La Fortuna (a town located in the midst of the Arenal and Cerro Chato volcanoes), where we spent the evening at Baldi Hot Springs, a water park and hot springs spa located at the base of a volcano. Here we enjoyed the hot springs pools, waterfalls, cave saunas, and epic water slides.

In the morning we were treated to a typical Costa Rican breakfast by our hotel, which consisted of Gallo Pinto (beans & rice), fried plantains, and eggs. Afterwards we went to "a place, to do another thing,"  hiking part of the Cerro Chato Volcano near our hotel. Here we walked down 37 flights of stairs to see magnificent waterfalls, and we also spotted tucans and monkeys. We then got into the vans to go to a place and to do a thing. The place was unknown. After our hike we headed to our hotel for the night near San Jose (next to the airport).

At the hotel we had a few hours of free time to rest before dinner. For dinner we had a grand celebration  at a local steakhouse with tasty steaks. We then returned to our hotel for the closing Eucharist and had a time of sharing about our experiences from the week. Since it was Will's birthday we celebrated with a pinata. We are now headed to bed to get some good rest before our journey back to the states tomorrow.

See you back in Lexington soon - Grace, Eli, Kenny, and Kate

Holden, Woods and Jonathon (Team 3) at Kid's Place

Today's service opportunity focused on Kid's Club, which our hosts established as a place for kids to be kids.  This program grows in an environment in which children are often forced into work early in their lives. In pushing children on the swings, painting their faces and playing games, we joined in this Costa Rican Godly play, enjoying the chance to be in community with the smallest of God's beloved.  

In the process, we also got the blessing of repairing some playground equipment that had been damaged in the prior night's monsoon. So a full day at the playground for Christ Church Cathedral and St. Raphael's!

After all that, we had free time to eat at local restaurants, see local street performers and play in the pool.  It was wonderful to have some much needed rest and free time after all our hard work painting, building, hiking, and surfing. We are looking forward to worshiping with the local community tomorrow morning. 

Our day of play!

American football on Playa Jaco. The locals thought we were loco! We started our day with a hike up to Miradora, which means the looking glass. 

The hike up was difficult, so hot and humid, but completely worth it for the view of all of Jaco.

Even though the group moved at different speeds up the mountain we all shared in the delight of being in a cool place together. We got the surprise of a local cheer team having a photo shoot right there on site too!

After we climbed down we walked to the beach and the surf ministry of Casafe.

There we heard three testimonies of young men who found God through their struggles as young people and who were now sharing the love they found with their peers and younger kids.

Those same young men then took us out and taught some of us how to surf. Many of us actually rode the waves! Relaxing and playing was a much needed break.

After breakfast for dinner we shared our reflections of the day and moments of wonder with each other. 

Peace be with you from all of us! Love from Levi, Lauren, and Nell

A day in the life (Jaco, Costa Rica)

Some of us began our day with a breathtaking beach sunrise at 5 am, which was unfortunately blocked by Costa Rica (as we are on the Pacific Coast ). Then we all split up into two teams, one working to finish the Bodega and the other creating a new mural, cooking empanadas, and playing soccer with local kids. The team on the Bodega constructed the walls and got awesome pics from the rooftop as they worked. The other team enjoyed playing and being schooled in soccer by the local children (who played barefoot to even out the score). We then all enjoyed a fabulous lunch of empanadas and fresh salad, which some of us had helped to prepare. 

After lunch we saw a wood working ministry that assists young local men. This ministry helps these men learn to make mature and sound real life decisions, stay in school, and earn some extra money. It was fascinating learning how different life is for these young men (our same age) who don't get the same opportunities as us for a good education, nor the same parental support. And, meeting the adults who taught  and supported them in this ministry was inspiring and powerful.

This evening our fellow pilgrims treated us to a fabulous home made meal of pasta, meat sauce, grilled veggies, garlic bread, and local cookies (chikky's). It was really nice seeing our friends make such a wonderful meal and working so well together to do so. What was really impressive was their ability to use so few tools (hot plates and small fry pans) to make such a wonderful meal for such a large group of people. 

Till soon, stay classy Lexington! 

- Crystal, Clay, Michael, Rick and Kate 

Wednesday, July 15

Our first full day in Jaco, Costa Rica was very productive. We split into teams and painted a mural at a park where children gather weekly for activities, meals, and devotions. We built the framework for a shed that will serve a school that is badly in need of storage space.  We finished the day by preparing and serving sandwiches to a group of homeless men and women in Jaco. We were also able to enjoy smoothies, and a game of sharks and minnows in the hotel pool. 

We were delighted to see the children's excitement when we began to paint over the old paint for our mural, and to see that our work will have a positive impact in this community. We raised $500 for the purpose of building the shed, and it was fulfilling to see this money actually put to use and to be a part of the construction. The climate in Costa Rica is very challenging, and we have had to drink quite a lot of water to counter the high humidity, and it is raining heavily as we write this blog.  Our team is becoming closer to each other and to God. as we work, play, and care for one another. 

Team 5: Will Mullins, Thomas Bollinger, and Steffen 

We are here!

We have arrived in Costa Rica safe and sound. After smooth sailing we were met by our Wonder Voyage guide Molly in the San Jose airport. We then boarded our buses and made the one hour trek to our hotel in Jaco (pronounced "haco"). On the way we stopped by the "Crocodile Bridge" and got some refreshments at a local fruit market. We are now settling into our hotel and resting up for our work project at a local church tomorrow. 

Follow the 2015 Youth Pilgrimage to Costa Rica

Youth from Christ Church Cathedral and St. Raphael's will travel to Costa Rica on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. Follow their stories here!