Wonder Voyage 2009 Summer Blog

St. Barts arrived safely earlier this afternoon to the hustle and bustle of San Jose. We slowly made our way out from the hazy metropolis and watched with wonder as the sun set orange over our rural destination: Guanacaste. Everyone couldn’t help but be amazed at the green, lush valleys; the large trees that hung over our paths; and the stony rivers that we crossed over bridges. God’s creation never fails to astound and this simple bus ride was no exception.

Today we begin with the excitement and expectation of a new journey ahead of us. Our day ended with a community meal and a brief time of reflection before bed.

By now the team from Holy Comforter is probably making their final descent into Charlotte, NC. My lack of internet access made publishing final update difficult. I would still, however, like to describe our final full day.

Our last day brought us to the diocesan [a word much harder to say than it looks] house in San Jose, the capital. There we were able to meet with Father Hector and the St. John’s mission team from Charlotte. The Eucharist in particular stood out to me: it was nothing any of us were used to.  The room that we sat in was an unfinished common room (which later doubled as the dining room) with no decorations or paint on the walls. The Bishop performed the service, sometimes slipping into Spanish during certain prayers. For the message, he had several people in attendance share about their experience in working missions. All was very informal and unofficial- and touching. Here we met together to learn how God had touched lives in a tiny unfinished room in downtown San Jose. The Lord’s Supper came to symbolize our week together: different and unexpected, and full of God’s presence.

Our sixth day in Costa Rica was a day full of exploration and play. We spent our morning between the arms of one of the nearby mountains. We climbed down into the valley to be greeted by a large, noisy waterfall pouring into a green pool at its base. For some of us, the wild beauty of the falls was the highlight of the trip- there we swam around the pools created by the waterfall and explored the rocky stream as it wound its way through the forest. We took the remainder of the day to walk around the city of La Fortuna and buy souvenirs.

Over dinner and as the night progressed we were able to reflect upon our time here in Costa Rica. We see God´s provision for us- no matter where we worked or slept or explored.

Our morning began with an early departure, our legs still a bit sore from a hard game of soccer the night before. (We won!! but of course four of our forwards were Costa Rican and Logan.) As we drove, we noted the transition from dense green plants and small pockets of people to flowers and exotic birds and sprawling resorts which stood side by side near the road. Today´s journey takes us to La Fortuna, a destination built within view of the active Arenal volcano.

After we settled in, we ventured to the Baldi hot springs at the base of Arenal for some exploration. Though we were able to relax, it still felt odd. Our team took special note of the disparity between Arenal and the more rural areas of Guanacaste where we previously stayed. This doesn´t seem like a place of hardship. It feels like a different country.