Knowing that you’re going to be spending two weeks in a foreign country with no clue where you’ll be staying, what you’ll be doing, or how to speak the language, can make anyone a little nervous! This was the case for me this past summer when I had the opportunity to spend two weeks serving and learning from the people of Costa Rica. I want to share some of my experiences and the impact this trip made on my life. When I think back to this trip, the main emotion that I feel is gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunity to experience a different country, gratitude for all that I have been given in this life, and gratitude for the amazing people I was able to meet. Though I was nervous at first, I learned to put my trust in Christ because He always provides.
When I first arrived in Costa Rica, I had no idea what to expect. On the plane ride there, I was mentally preparing myself for a stay out in the jungle with no shower or electricity, but this was not the case. There were about fourteen GCU students who were going on this trip. I expected we would stay all together but we were split up into groups of two, each with different host parents. I was lucky enough to stay with an amazing woman named Felicia and her son in their apartment. When I arrived at their home I was shocked to learn that they spoke absolutely NO ENGLISH. Zero! Zip! Natta! I regret to inform you that my Spanish speaking ability begins at "hola" and ends at "gracias"… oh and I can count to 10! My roommate spoke a little more Spanish than I did, but we really could not understand much that Felicia would say. At first this felt like it would be a huge challenge. It was a strong example that actions speak louder than words. Felicia was always smiling and showing kindness through her actions. She made every meal for us and even packed our lunches! We mainly ate rice and beans. I had rice at almost every single meal and most meals had beans. Felicia gave Kia and me each a key to her home and made us feel like it was our own. For me this was really impactful. Even though she didn’t have much, she would give everything she could to us, and we were complete strangers!
During this mission trip, days began at 7 a.m. We would meet at the office, which was about a ten-minute walk from our apartment. At the office, we started the day with a Bible study. The main book that we studied was Mathew, chapter 5. I really appreciated having this set time alone with God every morning. One of the most profound things I learned was what it means to be truly blessed. Blessings do not lie in material objects or even the great people you have in your life. Being blessed means to have the approval of God, His favor, and His smile. It means to have deep, inner joy. It is important to realize that you can be blessed even through your trials, because though at times you may feel hurt or lost, with faith in the Lord He will bring you through and reward you for your trust. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” Mathew 5:5. To be meek means to be humble, gentle, patient, and to exercise self-control. These are all characteristics that Christ constantly displayed and through this trip I learned that we should be meek as well.
This is just a snapshot of what the trip was like and all that I learned, there is really so much more to it - I could write a novel. My point in sharing this with you is to remind you that no matter what it is you want to do, if it scares you and you’re not sure that you can do it, you can. The Lord will guide you through!
