Emmanuel Costa Rica Mission Trip: March 2012

Here is a post I wrote days ago while in Costa Rica. Had trouble uploading pics, but here some finally are! Hope you'll come this next Sunday, March 11 at 10:10 am to the Parish Hall to learn more about our trip and how you can be a part of Emmanuel's ongoing partnership with the community of Estrada in Costa Rica in the days to come.

Sometimes it is easier to pray.
Here, out of my comfort zone is one of those times.
Words come quickly.
I look at the trees and the skyline and am in awe of God's greatness and attention to every detail.
And then I walk into the some of the poorest parts here and I pray even harder.
I pray for the children and all who will walk upon this square piece of land that the Diocese owns in the Estrada community. I hear the airplanes overhead and know that pesticides will be sprayed from the planes onto the banana crops and that some of the people's homes are nearby. God's children of all ages live here.
I wonder about their homes in this world that can be cruel and unfair.
With poverty everywhere, I wonder how anyone can live in such conditions as a beloved child of God.
And then their smiles come and I know that God is full of hope and love and that in the midst of such, God is clearly present.
They have been cautious at first and hesitant, yet curious to learn more about these newcomers to their land. All rightfully so. And in time, there is joy on their faces. The team has brought God's love to them too in a million ways.
The children color and paint as if the crayons and paintbrushes are jewels.
I help paint the red door for the front of the church along with them and I imagine people walking past it in the days to come.
At times, do they hope for better? Where is their hope? They have dreams; they have wishes. One child told me today she wanted to be a forensic doctor. Hope is here in the midst.
And God nudges me and tells me that God is their only hope. And that it is an honor to be here as a bearer of that. If we don't come, who will?
And today, today is all God has given me. And so I pray.
And I hold onto God's hope.
And I am thankful that words come easily.

Let our prayers rise up always, O God as incense before you.

Empower us to be your beloved children who are full of your extravagant generosity, hope, and love for all your children far and near.
May we always remember O God, that we are your Easter people. Poverty, wrong and need are not the end. We full of Hope to share with everyone.
Amen.

The Reverend Amy Huacani

Today was our last day of work in Estrada, where we are building a school for at risk children, to support both the kids and their mothers. Tomorrow we head back to San Jose (with a little zip lining on the way!!). On Saturday we catch an early flight back to Raleigh (with a long lay-over in Miami). We will see you on Sunday morning in Southern Pines!

We completed many of our construction related tasks today. The doors of the new school building and the Church have been painted Episcopal red and attached to their hinges. The trim on the school building has been repainted Smurf blue. And the apple green paint on the front of the building has been cleaned of dirt and mildew. Let's just say it is a very colorful building! And it looks so much better than when we arrived last Sunday.

The tile floor is nearly completed. The frames for the ceiling tiles are in place. The site is much cleaner. There is also a new bridge over the rain water swale in the back yard.

The Bishop of Costa Rica, Hector Monterosa, and Father Rodrigo visited our site today.  They played soccer with the kids, ate lunch with us and led us in prayer. The Bishop shared his vision for the Diocese of Costa Rica and its companion relationship with the Diocese of North Carolina.  We were so inspired!!

The Bishop informed us that he believes the national government of Costa Rica will pay the final construction costs for the new building.  He also said that we should not wait for the final construction to be completed, that the search for a new teacher to organize the school and lead classes should begin now.

As much as we love the Bishop, the stars of the day (of the week really) were the children. At least 50 local children were on site today. They played soccer with us. They painted. We passed on to them the many gifts sent by you (over 50 shirts, over 80 caps, at least 40 pair of shoes and 10 soccer balls). The jewelry will be distributed tomorrow in San Jose at the Hogar Escuela. The gifts were accepted with smiles and grace. And as usual the givers got more than the receivers.

OK, so that was the polite chronology of the day. Now I am going to tell you what I really think.

As a Parish, we should be so proud of what we have accomplished here over the last 3 years!!

When we started, this lot was inhabited by only a worn down but beautiful wooden mission church on stilts, with a dedicated but shrinking congregation. Today, this site was the most exciting place to be in this small town (about 6,000 people) in one of the poorest counties of Costa Rica.. The activity was head spinning. Soccer, construction, worship, gift giving and sad goodbyes swirled together to the point of being almost overwhelming.

There is a new building, that is beautiful! Our hard work over the course of 6 mission trips, financial support, parishioner involvement, the dedication of the local congregation, and the work of many local workmen, are coming together as a fabulous space for God's work. Our human labor has truly been blessed.

Relationships have developed -- with the Diocese of Costa Rica, with the local parishioners in Estrada, with workmen, with bus drivers, and with students at Earth University where we spend our evenings. Most importantly, we are developing relationships with the children of Estrada. As our bus driver said last night, the experiences we are already providing to these kids may be the best days of their lives, because they have so little. There are countless opportunities here to share God's love, and we are sharing that love, no doubt.

Each of these trips strengthens our own congregation, and this one has been no different.

The most beautiful part is this: no one person made this happen. No small group of people. No committee. Our entire Parish has contributed to this effort -- gifts of labor, treasure, prayer, soccer balls, caps, shirts, jewelery, shoes, walking, wisdom, etc. have arrived from all corners of our congregation, and these have been gratefully received. This is no Emmanuel fringe group!    So many have contributed, and we couldn't have accomplished this without everyone's gifts.  We can do so much when we work together. More than 50 Emmanuel families have sent representatives to Costa Rica, spending at least $1500 per trip. The 11 of us here today are so blessed to be first hand witnesses to our community's accomplishment.

Open your eyes Emmanuel!! Our work here is making a huge impact!!!

And looking forward, this project will provide our Church family with countless opportunities to be the hands and feet of God!

I hope everyone will understand how important our work is here. I hope everyone will be as proud of Emmanuel as I am today.

Here are some pictures from the day!!