We recently returned from our first family mission trip! We went to Costa Rica and had a wonderful time. Poor Austin stayed behind with my mom. He was just too young for the trip.
Our friends, Curtis and Michelle Cannon are missionaries there. They have two little ones, Coleman and Caroline. The Cannons assist in planting churches throughout the country. Such a beautiful family!
A total of five families went, two of which we knew. All of them were awesome and loved the Lord in a huge way. The trip consisted of VBS, recreation and medical clinics in Tarcoles, which is a fishing town. We were also able to do some door to door witnessing and "prayer walking". The people were so sweet and so gracious.
Our first day we held the VBS and recreation in an open field. It wasn't too much hotter than it is here, but even after three coats of sunscreen, I blistered! Ouch! But the little ones were so much fun. It was hard to contain the tears. The medical clinics were held in the local church. The physician that went with us is a family friend, but we had never seen him in action. He was awesome! He had such a heart to share Christ with his temporary patients.
The second day was on a Sunday. We did Sunday school for the church and that afternoon went door to door. One family invited us in their home. The father had just left for work, so we visited with the mom and their children. They had a sweet little girl; she was probably a year old. She came up to me and I got to love on her. She just rested her head on my chest. So sweet! The mom accepted Christ!!!!! To be there when those precious people asked Jesus into their hearts was so humbling.
On day three they allowed us to go into the schools. We had mostly little ones. It was different from what we are used to here. The children are not allowed to learn to read, write or know their colors until first grade. They attend school about two to three hours a day, which includes recess, snack and lunch.
The fourth day we went into another school. The kids were a little older and much more conniving. They tried to get me to go into a field with Brahma bulls! Most of them were sixth graders; the boys thought they were Brad Pitt…LOL.
The rest of the time was spent at Los Suenoes in Jaco. It was so nice. There were pools everywhere. Tim and Reed got to do the zip lines and had so much fun. Most of our time there was spent at the pool, though.
It was a great trip! The landscape was incredible. All I could think of was, “The heavens declare the glory of God…” So many adults and children came to know Christ as their Savior! I am so thankful that our boys were able to experience it. I pray they have a passion for serving others and sharing Christ as they get older. At the end of the day, I hope they realize that it is not about all the activities we get caught up in; it’s about loving God with all of their heart and loving others as themselves.
