Trip Six - Already in Progress

Two years ago I wrote about several of the physical transformations going on at the Hope Center in Pavas, Costa Rica. Last year I wrote about the spiritual transformations taking place. This year if I had to pick a theme I think it would be, “already in progress”.  Similar to a TV show that continues playing even though you’ve left the room, I returned to the Hope Center for the sixth time to find it full of wonderful programs, services, improvements, and growth already in progress.  

This year’s team consisted of 18 women. We’ve never had such a large women’s group nor have we ever had team members who have joined us from out of state. It was a first for many things. We took advantage of every opportunity to bond before going on the trip by having lunch events, creating a Facebook group to share information and FAQ’s, and by using video conferencing to make sure our out-of-state team members felt included. I think all 18 of us would agree that this was a very unified and spiritually deep team hand-picked by God himself. 

2019 CAV Women's Impact Team

Our first day in country was spent getting reacquainted with our favorite Costa Rican translator and meeting a second translator who also has quickly become another favorite of ours. We checked into our hotel, had lunch, and then headed up to Hacienda Alsacia - Starbucks coffee farm in the providence of Alajuela. We love this location because it overlooks a beautiful vista, has a large open-air coffee house, and is the perfect backdrop for team photo ops. 

The most incredible views! 

Our Sunday began with a stop to the local farmers market. This is a great place to mix with locals, practice speaking Spanish, and purchase fruits and vegetables to be given to a family in need by the Hope Center. We broke into three teams and all of us did our best to purchase the most items for a family in need.  

Next stop was to Open House Project where their church services are located inside an upscale shopping mall. The movie theater houses the main worship service while the children and youth programs are in a permanent location just up a level from the theater.  Visiting this church is so vital to understanding the relationship that exists between Open House and the Hope Center. It is from this church where many of the mentors at the Hope Center come from.

I will never forget the message…not because I understood it, but because it was the fastest Spanish I had ever heard! I’m glad the locals could understand it.

Our final stop was to the Hope Center where we were greeted with such a warm welcome from so many dear friends. The women of the kitchen prepared a fabulous lunch for us. It was during this time that we received the answer to one of our most concerning [first world] questions:  “How is everyone going to use that one bathroom?” Of course, ‘already in progress’ was that question answered by the installation of three beautiful new toilets and two brand new sinks. Wow! We were surprised in the best way! After lunch we had a moving exchange of gifts between the ladies of the kitchen and our team. They had painted each of us a little pig and we had brought them bags and shirts from our recent Women’s conference. If you think it’s all about the stuff, it’s not. I promise it’s the love between us women that made it one of the sweetest moments of the trip. 

Our Team with the Hope Center Staff

Our first service day required us to break into two teams. The indoor team worked on a new mural for the dining hall while the outdoor team worked on a new sidewalk game painted around the playground.  “Already in progress” describes all the preparations, supplies, artists’ vision, and directions. There was no waiting on paint to arrive, confusion of execution, or unknown outcomes. It was crystal clear that the Hope Center has been routinely receiving teams and knew exactly how to make the best use of our time.  We felt like we were stepping into something great that was already happening.

Over the lunch hour our team worked diligently to prepare for the message, women's crafts, and kids' crafts. With an increase in the number of women and children at the Hope Center, our team had significantly more supplies to procure, assemble, and organize. We had so many generous donations representing several different groups from bible studies to young moms, to individuals, to senior groups. It was beautiful to see how many people were involved in this trip that might not have been there in person but were instrumental in helping us put everything together. Our three days of workshops included flip-flops to decorate, make-one, take-one toiletries bags, and fabric covered cork bulletin boards. I have to admit I was a little concerned bringing 6 extra suitcases, but seeing the excitement on everyone’s face made it so worthwhile!  

Our second day of service continued much like the first, but as we grew more comfortable in our duties, there were more stories shared. Some stories were sad. One of our dear sisters in Christ was recovering from a gunshot wound inflicted on her accidentally during a drug dispute involving her son. Her preteen daughter was standing nearby. Another elderly sister was very ill and unable to make it to the Center, so two of our team members were able to visit her in her home. It was a sweet and tender moment yet sobering, as we don’t know if she’ll recover. 

There were also uplifting stories. For example, this group of students (pictured below) have basically grown up in the Hope Center. We have watched their development over the past five years and have been praying diligently for them. They have been recently baptized and are very active in the youth group. They have chosen to walk away from gangs, drugs, and prostitution and instead stay in school and walk with God. Their lives in progress are an example to other teens. We are so proud of them.  

The Women’s Empowerment program is also something already in progress. This opportunity provides twelve women a paid job to make bracelets for Hope Partners International. These bracelets are quite beautiful and require skill, talent and artistry.  Each handmade bracelet comes with a tag bearing the name of the woman who made it so that she can be prayed for each time the person wears it. Other similar opportunities are already in the works, and I’m sure they’ll be implemented long before we return.

Our final service day at the Hope Center is often the most emotional day. By this time we’ve reconnected with old friends and made many new ones, figured out how to say a few words in Spanish (or connect with gestures), are putting the finishing touches on our service projects, and are hoping we’ve been able to make an impact. Not all short-term mission trips have the same goals, but for our team - in this place and at this time - the goal was to show God’s love and to share God’s love. If we’ve done that, we have succeeded. It was just before lunchtime when our team gathered to really evaluate how we might make the absolute most of this final time with the women and children of Pavas. We began praying together as a team and as we did the rain started to fall. This was a little unusual because the rain typically comes a few hours later in the day. It got heavier and heavier as we asked for strongholds to be broken, the enemy to flee, women to come to Christ, the Holy Spirit to fill hearts, and on and on it went. As we spoke boldly with our requests, the storm intensified. This continued for our entire prayer, but as we were closing it lighten up and by the time we said, “amen” it completely stopped as if someone turned off a switch. I know some will dismiss it as a common natural occurrence, but if you were there in that room, in the middle of that prayer, you would know that something powerful had happened beyond a simple passing shower. It was intense and we could all feel it.

The subjects of our prayers.

Our final day in country is somewhat of a tourist day. The intention of this is to see some of the countryside, have time to process our experiences, and debrief with the team. Our destination was Punta Leona resort on the Pacific Ocean. 

During our day we met with several of Costa Rica’s finest animals. A few of them were more interested in dining with us than eating at home in the wild.  

Our final task after we debriefed was to take a shell from our beach here in Florida and place it on the beach in Costa Rica as a symbolic thank you to this beautiful country that hosted us for the past week. Each shell had the name of our favorite verse on it. We hope that whomever finds the shell will look up the verse and it will open up a communication between them and God. It was a beautiful way to leave behind the Hope in which we possess and to continue on with the work that God is doing… already in progress. 

I’ve already been asked if I will return in May of 2020 and my answer right now is that I’m not sure. I have so enjoyed being a part of the story that God is writing in Pavas, but as stories have chapters, I’m not sure if I will be written in the next one. Regardless of whether God calls me for another trip, there are a few truths that I take comfort in. The first is that I will have friends in heaven from Pavas and will one day delight in being able to speak the same language with them. The second is that nothing can stop me from praying for God’s work to continue in Pavas. And finally, God’s story has been in progress long before I made my first Impact trip to Costa Rica and will continue long after. I am a better person for having the experiences of the past five years. I don’t know where the next story will take me, but I know it’s already in progress and I’m excited for what lies ahead.