Wonder Voyage 2010 Summer Blog

Our time in Costa Rica has come to a close, and as the Trinity Belleville pilgrims begin the journey home, I marvel at what the Lord has done with us, in us, and through us this week.

We have traveled under His protection through rain, a fallen bridge, a flat tire, and acres of mud. We have played with His precious children, and acted out Bible stories. We have been left breathless by the beauty of His creation. We have worshipped,  and we have prayed. We have laughed and laughed and laughed. We have dug holes and planted trees, and we have sown the seeds of friendship, fellowship, and faith.

We say ‘hasta luego’ to the Silva family, the YWAM staff,  the Episcopal Diocese of Costa Rica, and the GB765.  We look forward to reuniting with our loved ones, but we are definitely leaving pieces of our hearts here.

Our week in Costa Rica continues to fly by. We have experienced so many unique things thus far, from the many heretofore unknown rules of Ker-Plunk, to ziplining in the rainforest, to mud soccer (excuse me, football.)

On Sunday after church were blessed with a truly special afternoon. We we welcomed by the John Gilligan family to an afternoon of fun at their beach house overlooking the bay.  The hospitality was delightful, the waves were breaking, and the sunshine made us forget that it is the rainy season here.

Today we experienced hospitality of an altogether different kind. We were taken across acres of private farmland, and then through the jungle on the back side of Barra Honda National Park. Hidden in the jungle is one of the most spectacular natural creations ever…a stair-stepping series of limestone cascades which stretch all the way down the hillside. We splashed and played in the cool, crystal clear water, and we marveled at the beauty of such a special place. This was an opportunity that is never available to tourists.

Unique experiences, cultural surprises, and transformational opportunities…that’s why we call it a Wonder Voyage.

Lots of people have lots of reasons for either being late for, or altogether missing, church on Sunday; but who ever starts their excuse with the words, “you see there was this pig…?”  As we drove toward the town of Tamarindo today for church, we were delayed by a porcine obstruction. A man and his wife had parked their pickup truck across the road, and they were trying desperately to coax an angry 300+ pound sow into the bed of the truck.

Since we weren’t going anywhere with the truck in the way, and since the neighbor and his wife weren’t making much progress, 3 brave souls emerged from our bus to offer whatever assistance they could muster. Our guide, Diego Silva, along with Blane Hansknecht, the team leader, and one fearless student named Travis jumped into the muddy smelly fray, and in just a few attempts they were successful at getting the pig safely ensconced in the back of the truck. A muddy shirt and some list sunglasses were the only real casualties of the encounter.

We have talked all week about putting the Gospel into action without having to use words…today these guys did just that.

Our team from Trinity Belleville Michigan arrived in Costa Rica on Wednesday just in time to encounter the beautiful challenge of the tropical rainy season. Torrential rain made our bus ride to Guanacaste very interesting.

Our first two days in Costa Rica we served a tiny school in the village of Pozo de Agua. Thursday was a day of laughter as we played soccer, board games and Costa Rican “Hall Ball” with the school kids.

On Friday we dug, planted, and relandscaped the tiny school yard. We are hoping that the students faces will be covered with smiles when the come back to school next week and see the rejuvenated facility.

Today our fearless pilgrims faced the exciting challenge of a series of ziplines in the rainforest canopy. Throughout our time here the students have journaled, prayed and sung worship songs on the bus. What a beautiful country…what an amazing team.

Leaving the base camp at Corral De Piedra was harder for the team than I think most of us had expected. During the past days and nights the team had really connected with the staff and missionaries that give so much to their ministry and to God. Although it was an extended farewell, the thought of air conditioned rooms moved us to the bus and the 4 hour bus ride ahead to the Arenal volcano region.

The winding roads on the way to Arenal provided breathtaking views of the lake, a wind farm consisting of dozens of wind turbines and finally the volcano. It was amazing to view an active volcano so close to a town and the roads that led to it. The mist rising from its peak was truly magnificent and reminded us all of the awe inspiring beauty that God has created. After checking into our hotel which had a pool and yes, air conditioning!! We headed into town for some pizza. The pizza was different than American pies, as the crust was thicker and reminded us all of pastry pie crust. Back to the hotel for a quick rest before exploring the hot spring pools at the Baldi resort that evening.

The Baldi hot springs resort was unlike anything we had ever experienced. The resort had 20 hot spring swimming pools ranging in temperature from 93 to 152 degrees. The team loved the pools and most especially the water slides that emptied into one of the larger pools! Exploring the different pools and dipping our hands and feet into the cold and really hot pools set within the hot springs was a unique experience. The evening was finished with a fantastic buffet meal amongst the tree tops of the resort.

The next morning we set out to hike the La Fortuna Waterfall – prepared for a challenging hike, I think we all underestimated the steep decent on man-made steps that would take us into the depths of the rain forest. The waterfall was breathtaking! The boys immediately jumped in and tried to swim to the falls, but the sheer power and energy generated by the water kept them (much to their dismay) from reaching the base. Wading in the lower falls, we were amazed to see large schools of fish swim so close to people. The hike back up was an experience in its self – when we reached the top we were dripping in sweat and thankful for making it back to the bus for our final ride to San Jose.

The final ride through the countryside of Costa Rica was bittersweet. Our journey in Costa Rica was ending, yet we had all grown from our experiences. We stopped to check out the “smallest tree in Costa Rica” which turned out to be the largest tree in Costa Rica. (Our guide Diego is a huge comedian!) Much like our journey, we walked into the forest not knowing what to expect and found a gift from God growing higher into the sky than we could see. The tree roots, which were required to keep the tree from falling to earth and provided it with the water and nutrients it needed to survive, surrounded us in this quiet, peaceful setting. We had set out on a pilgrimage not knowing what to expect. What we found was a country filled with God’s beauty and people who embraced God and chose to follow him. Though they could not see the top of the tree, they believed through a strong root foundation and faith they could persevere and see god’s purpose for them. Pura Vida Costa Rica!!