Hey guys,
Team Costa Rica here checking in. Just wanted to fill y’all in on the rest of the happenings during this week’s mission trip. It’s been a busy week but God has been truly at work. Along with project Christina, the teams have also been serving the community in Costa Rica through two other work projects as well as VBS. The two projects consisted of the construction of a roof for a family of 6 as well as the laying of concrete for a kitchen. The teams worked hard through the heat of each day and the uncertainty of the rainy season in order to get as much completed for these families. They were a hardworking group as they hauled sand, mixed concrete, carried wood, and all the while intentionally interacting with the families they were serving to create friendships that would remain after the projects were completed. Teams worked alongside the Costa Ricans and found language differences to be of little barriers as they taught one another Spanish, English, BriBri, and a little Southern as well. Each day teams would return with tales of laughter and joy that was the fruit of the relationships between them and the families they had the pleasure of serving. While the teams have left Costa Rica, and the projects will be continued by future mission trips, the relationships that were formed will forever be remembered.
See y’all in the next blog,
Team Costa Rica

**To learn more about what Experience Mission is doing, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org.

International Mission Trip: As I sit here at a hostel in Puerto Viejo reminiscing about last week’s mission trips, I find myself once again amazed at God’s beautiful mosaic that He is creating out here in Costa Rica. This mosaic, which is composed of the hearts of the Costa Rican people, us summer staff, the various teams from throughout the U.S. and also those who have been praying for us back home, may be in its beginning stages however it is showing itself to be a breathtaking view.
Two mission trip teams made camp at the Finca Educativa this week and began serving throughout the BriBri people. One of these work projects proved itself to be of grand necessity. The teams had the joy of getting to know a woman named Dona Christina, who is an elderly woman whose house was completely infested by termites. Upon arrival to the site, one could not only witness the slow deterioration of her house but could see the giant termite nest that was the quarters of thousands of termites that were destroying her home. She was literally being eaten out of house and home. This past week the teams had the privilege of beginning the process of not only forming a relationship with this beautiful Costa Rican woman but also in the destruction and construction of a new living space. Equipped with diesel and Penta-cell, the workers were able to completely fumigate the home, destroy the termite nest, and begin the destruction of her home so that the next team can build her a new, safe home. More importantly then the building of her new house, the teams placed seeds in her life that contained the love of Christ in them. Their hard work, encouraging smiles, and willing hearts laid a strong foundation upon which future mission trips will be able to build upon. Not only were they able to meet a need but they were more importantly able to love with Christ’s love and servant hearts.
Over and Out for now. Peace.
-Team Costa Rica

*Note: Interested in going on a trip with Experience Mission? Visit our website at www.experiencemission.org to learn more and watch for our Summer 2010 trips.

This past week God worked in a mighty way while 13 members of the Illinois team made the long journey up to Alto Coen, a small village in the jungles of Talamanca, Costa Rica.  Their mission for the week was to continue work on a bridge that would provide the BriBri people a safe way to cross the Coen River in order to access medical services and school facilities.  Knowing that the long journey to Alto Coen, which had to be done on foot, would not be easy, the team only brought the bare necessities such as a change of dry clothing, food, and all of the supplies for the bridge project.  The team left early Friday morning, excited to see what God had in store for them. The journey consisted of long days of travel up the mountain and it required accommodations that most Americans would not find comfortable such as having no electricity or clean water, sleeping above cattle and being woken up by roosters that crowed from 2 in the morning until sunrise. As the long journey continued with 40 - 60 lbs. packs up the mountain, only encouragement from the team and faith in God helped us reach the village. Even though it had been a long hike up the mountain, the team members were excited to be there and got down to business.  As we arrived, people from each side of the village came down to the river to welcome us and were excited that a team was there to help them in the process of completing the bridge. The most important task while we were there was to help them connect a 1″ cable from side to side, which was about 400 ft. across a treacherous Coen River.  Since it was in the middle of the rainy season and the Coen River was higher than normal it wasn’t an easy task to get the cable from one bank to another. Margarito, the Alto Coen president in charge of the bridge project, was the reason we were able to accomplish this nearly impossible task. Since there was no communication from bank to bank due to the noise of the raging current of the river, Margarito voluntarily swam from one side to another to help communicate and execute the work plan. The river crossing was a difficult task on its own and the team was able to understand the necessity of the completion of this bridge.  It rained and poured while we completed this task and the BriBri people were impressed with the abilities the team provided. Due to the continual downpour, the river was rising and it would quickly be impossible to cross if we didn’t cut the trip short by a day. There were many struggles on the way down such as river crossings and weather related conditions but trusting on God made this trip a success. Not only did the team deliver the much needed bridge supplies but they also learned how to fully rely on God to get them through the hardest of times.

Yonathan Moya
Costa Rica Summer Staff

Note: Experience Mission has been working on the bridge with the Bribri reservation for several trips. To check out more exciting trips Experience Mission has to offer, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org!

Here I am with Albir (left) and Castulo (right)

3/5/2009

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. We woke up on Wednesday morning and honestly the village still seemed somewhat surreal. It is so remote and primitive that it seems more like something you would see in a movie than actually experience. However, my completely wet clothes and wet muddy shoes were a good reminder that this was very real.

Before going to the bridge site, we were asked to meet at the school. They happened to be having a parents meeting that day and they were facing a problem. In order to have a school, they are required by the government to provide forms for each student. The forms used to be free but now the government is charging a processing fee. For all of the students this will add up to 70,000 colones, which is about $140. This may not seem like much, but these forms are due by the end of the month and the community has no idea how to come up with the money. To give an idea, they explained that when they turn in the forms they plan on applying for scholarships which would provide food for the students for the entire year. They have applied in years past on the basis of extreme poverty but were rejected because they put zero dollars as the annual income of the village, which the government assumes cannot possible be accurate. They explained that they do not make money because they live completely off the land. They were actually planning on making up a fake number to put on the forms. They presented a request to our team for Experience Mission to pay for the forms. We responded that we would discuss it as a team and let them know by the end of the day.

After this rather intense meeting, we proceeded to the site of the bridge. When we arrived about 30 members of the community had gathered to meet us. The leader was Castulo Reyes Reyes who has been leading the bridge project. We also found that members of the village that live across the river also gathered on the other side. Castulo and our guide Albir explained to us that the river has risen and it is too treacherous to cross, so they would not make it to the meeting. Nontheless, they still gathered to watch proceedings from the other side. Castulo began to explain to us how hard they have been working on the bridge in our absence but that they have done as much as they can do without the help of an engineer. We interviewed 10 representatives of the tribe and each explained from his or her perspective why the bridge was so important. Castulo was that last to interview, and he expressed his hope that we could unite together as one to complete the project. This bridge not only unites the community, but it makes it possible for those on the other side to come into the village and go to school and access the community health center. The petitions of the community were very compelling, and I think we all walked away with a sense of urgency about the project.

After the meeting, our translator Yon and I talked to Albir, and he explained that he thought a couple of the able-bodied men on the team would be able to cross the river with assistance from the locals. He explained that it would mean a lot to those on the other side if we made the crossing. As the EM representative, I was forced to make a decision. The crossing is very dangerous, and there was definite risk involved. Yon was the only person on the team that speaks Spanish, so he was an obvious choice but he cannot swim so he was definitely out. I speak a little Spanish, so I felt that it was my duty to make the crossing. Also, Trey, one of the students expressed a desire to cross. I was confident in Trey’s ability to make the crossing, so I allowed him to accompany me, and we made the crossing. Albir and Castulo guided us to the point we would cross, and when we arrived they had three men on each side of the rapids hold ropes for us. We would cross the chest high rapids by using the ropes that they held. Fortunately, we both made the crossing without any close calls, but we were both surprised by the strength of the current and felt that it was indeed a very dangerous river.

Once across I was in for an even bigger challenge; a speech in my very poor Spanish. We were taken to the site of the bridge construction and met all those gathered. I talked to Margarito, the President of Alto Coen for a while and then addressed the community. If it was not such an important occasion, the scene would have been comical. We had an American who spoke very little Spanish giving a speech in Spanish to an indigenous tribe that only spoke Bribri. Albir was the translator and luckily he seemed to understand what I said. In spite of the less than ideal communication, the Bribri seemed to really appreciate the gesture, and we shortly returned and safely made it back across the river. Mission accomplished.

By the time our group returned to the village to eat, it was about 2:00, but we all agreed it seemed much later. It had been and intense day. After a lengthy team meeting and meal, we spent the time relaxing, and talking to some of the Bribri as best as we could. A few of them spoke Spanish, so Yon could translate. I went through the pictures and videos from the day and all the Bribri in the house gathered in amazement. From toddlers to elderly, they all seemed delighted with the technology.

During our afternoon meeting, we had decided to donate the 70,000 colones for the school, so to conclude the meeting we presented our decision to the community. They were delighted that we were going to help, and we had a chance to talk to them a bit as a group after the meeting. The mutual respect and trust was evident, and it was touching to see how God had used our time in Alto Coen.

I could go on and on, but I don’t have time to go into the details of our return trip. Suffice to say that it poured all day and with the river rising we were forced to take a long and strenuous detour. The important thing is that we returned safely thanks to our trusty guide Albir. The whole team was tired but also felt quite a sense of accomplishment at having hacked through miles of Jungle. I don’t think that our time in Alto Coen is anything any of us will ever forget.

To learn more about the mission trips that Experience Mission is sending out, visit www.experiencemission.org.

The pack horse with our team

3/3/2009

Today, half of the IWU class and their instructor Jill journeyed to the Bribri village of Alto Coen with Yon and I. Experience Mission started construction of a bridge in Alto Coen about a year ago, and our job is to check up on the work by gathering a progress report and talking to the villagers about the next steps. Last spring EM was able to get US Military helicopters to fly materials into Alto Coen. In the meantime, members of the village had dug massive holes for the posts of the bridge. Our hope was that they had been able to fill in the holes so they they would not be washed in. We were soon to find out.

Our plan was to take a pickup truck to Suretka and meet our boat driver Sebastian who would take us up the river to meet a bus. This bust would then take us to the point of departure for a four hour hike to the village. The first stop was the grocery store in Suretka; there we purchased enough rice and beans for our time in Alto Coen. Next, we grabbed breakfast at a local restaurant. It would be our last real meal until evening. It began raining steadily by the time breakfast was done, so we were in for a wet boat ride. The boat ride was indeed rainy but it went smoothly, and we soon saw our bus parked by the river. We landed by the bus as planned and the first leg of our journey was complete.

We had to wait about a half an hour for the bus to leave and during this time our guide told us that some of the cement that we had dropped off had been damaged. This report made us all the more anxious to arrive at Alto Coen and see the progress.

We finally loaded onto the bus, and we were about to see just what kind of land a big bus can drive on. The roads were terrible, and then much to our surprise we began to drive through a fairly wide stream right at the point where it entered the river. We were even more shocked when the driver parked in the stream and waited. However, it soon became apparent that our driver was waiting on a boat which eventually came and laden with a bunch of supplies. The supplies were loaded directly onto the bus and we proceeded. Next, we once again were forced to drive through the river and we were stunned to see that we drove through water nearly a foot deep! However, the bus puttered through with no problem. The rest of our ride was fairly uneventful and we safely arrived to the place where our hike would begin. The second leg of our journey was complete.

It was not long into our hike before several members of Alto Coen were there to meet us. Our guide explained that he had told them we were coming over the radio, and they had hiked all morning to meet us. Here we were introduced to Margarito, the president of Alto Coen. During this meeting, Trey, the spokesperson for the team introduced us, explaining that they were students of Indiana Wesleyan and they were here with Experience Mission. Yon translated into Spanish, and our guide translated into Bribri. It was touching to see that they had all come so far to meet us.

We continued on the hike now with about twice as many people as before. It was not long until a middle-aged Bribri man came riding up on a horse. His name was Castulo, and he was the President of another nearby community, and he met us dismounted and explained that the horse would carry our packs. We loaded as many packs as possible and continued our journey.

After we had hiked a while we arrived at a little farm and took a rest. Here we unloaded the packs because the horse could go no farther. Between our entourage and those living at the house there were quite a few people there. We were all able to sign a guest book for the owners, and even got to see a cock fight among the farm’s roosters. At this point the horse could go no farther so when we went to leave, the Bribri men took the backpacks from all the girls in our group and we proceeded.

It had been raining almost all of the time since the boat ride, but after we left the farm it really started to pour. The trail was so muddy that we would sink calf deep in mud and nearly lose our shoes. On more than one occasion a member of the team fell in the mud, so you can imagine that we were filthy dirty. In spite of the rain, the team remained in good spirits and we carried on.

We hiked some distance and came to a point where we needed to cross the river. The Bribri told is that it was a dangerous crossing, and they explained that they had made a raft for us. They had actually made it in the last couple of days since they heard of our coming. It was a small narrow raft that could only handle two passengers at a time. However, it did the job and we were soon all safely across the river.

From here the hike became very steep. With the rain, it was muddy and difficult. At this point the Bribri men wanted to take everyone’s packs so we could hike more quickly up the mountain we were about to climb. I was the only one who kept my pack, and we eagerly climbed the mountain. The Bribri men, even the older ones, seemed to make the hike with ease packs and all. With the mud and the pack, I must admit it was a tiring hike.

It seemed like we would never see a building of any kind when we finally came close to the village. We first went to the sight of the bridge, and looked upon the progress. They have filled in the two holes and have made concrete posts on the opposite side of the river. On this side of the river the steel is cemented into the ground, but they have not built up the blocks. Much to our relief we found that only a few bags of cement were ruined. Our team bought plastic from town and covered the cement with the new plastic. The biggest concern on the progress of the bridge is that the posts on the opposite side of the river do not seem to be square with those in this side. However, it’s hard to tell with the naked eye. We very much hope that this is not an insurmountable problem. After talking to the Bribri, the urgency of the project became evident, and I think we all felt such a burden to complete the project. Before we left the site, we scheduled a meeting a nine o’clock tomorrow morning to meet with a gathering of people throughout the community.

After leaving the sight, we hiked up yet another steep climb and finally arrived at the village! It is very small yet it is beautifully set in the mountains. After arriving we were showed to the house that we are staying at and we all set down for a rest. However, for Trey, Jason, and I it was a short rest because we could not resist joining the members of the village in a soccer game. It was raining and extremely muddy, but a very fun game. Sports is a great way to connect with people when there is a language barrier.

Now, that I am here in Alto Coen, I am still in awe of how remote this village really is. We hiked for hours just to arrive and now that we’re here its really just a few huts. People live here with almost no technology. They make all of their huts from the wood and plants of the jungle, and everything that they eat is either from the plants or their pigs and chickens. As I have been writing this blog, a couple members of the family, we have been staying with have been looking over my shoulder with great fascination. I’m not sure if they have ever seen a computer! After a long day I am ready to sleep because tomorrow will be an important day. We want to bring an accurate report and capture good stories, so we can expedite the completion of the bridge.

Note: Experience Mission has been working on the bridge with the Bribri reservation in Costa Rica. To check out more exciting trips Experience Mission has to offer, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org!

Sebastian at the helm

3/1/2009

Yesterday the teams arrived safely in Cauhita, and our bus was at the hotel by 6:15 this morning. Timoteo came on the bus, and was there to meet us. We all crammed into a mini-bus and went to Timoteo’s house where we dropped off our bags. We then went down to a community center where we ate breakfast. Timoteo took some time to officially welcome the team and then after breakfast we headed off to Timoteo’s church.

The church service was a meaningful way to begin the trip. The church collectively prayed for our team in Spanish and then our team went to the front of the church with Timoteo, and he prayed for us in Bribri. After this Kaylee, a member of the IWU team, prayed for the church in English and Yon translated. Later, Jay, another IWU student, had the opportunity to close the service in prayer. I was pleased that we had this opportunity to meet with the church, and I think it was a good start to the week.

After church we went back to Timoteo’s house, and conducted the last group meeting before the official Bribri mission begins. We split the teams into teams, and these two teams will remain together for the remainder of their time on the reservation. Team one is with Yonathon as the translator, and they will spend tomorrow identifying potential summer projects near the town of Bribri, and Tuesday morning they head up to Alto Coen. Team two is with Sarah as translator, and they left this afternoon to go to Coroma. They will be planning all the logistics for next week’s team who will be working there. Both teams have until Thursday afternoon to complete their missions. The projects will conclude when we all come back together in Saretka.

I was able to accompany the Coroma team on their initial journey. We all hopped in the back of a pickup truck at Timoteo’s and started the trip to the port of Saretka. Our first stop was at a local grocery store, and the team purchased food to bring with us to Coroma. From there we arrived at the port of Saretka. Our truck drove onto the rocky beach, and we piled in Sebastian’s long narrow wooden boat and headed off into the jungle. As we left the mountains were before us and to all appearances we were going into the middle of nowhere. It was an exhilarating feeling.

The boat ride turned out to be a slow one. There is a motor on the boat but it is small and it was weighed down by ten people with packs and food. We were headed up current, and there were times that we were barely moving but nonetheless we made steady progress. On one occasion, we actually bottomed out because the river was so shallow, and we had to get out and walk a while before Sebastian once again took us on board. After perhaps forty-five minutes in the boat landed for good, and the first leg of the journey was complete.

When we landed, we met two Bribri men and a young boy standing next to a bunch of plantains, which they would eventually take down the river to sell. They helped us unload the boat, and we began the hike to Coroma. We hiked along and through the river for a while before we settled onto a nice path. As we were walking, I talked to one of the men who’s name was Anselmo. He told me that the boy was his grandson and that he had had five children but two of them had died. Interestingly, he told me that the Bribri in Coroma speak differently than the Bribri in Saretka. Soon, however, the conversation died because of the language barrier, and before long we arrived in Coroma.

We walked through the main area of the village, and then went to the school where we will potentially be working. It became clear that this is where the teams will stay, and we found that the community leaders were expecting us. We all gathered around some tables where a few men were waiting for us, and we were informed that the main spokesman was the President. At this point, I sat back and let the team conduct the meeting. Kyle their elected spokesperson began to introduce the group and their objectives and Sarah translated. As I sat back and filmed, I was struck by the extreme clash of cultures. In front of me was a young college student from Indiana speaking to the weathered leader of the village who has survived the Jungle his entire life. I think that this will be a rich experience for all involved, and my hope is that the team will be able to develop good relationships with the locals during their stay in Coroma.

Because I need to go into town tomorrow and change the last of the money and find an internet connection, I decided to return on the boat so I had to leave during the meeting. The ride back was beautiful. We were going down stream, so it was much faster and more treacherous, but Sebastian clearly is very skilled, and he navigated perfectly. The sun began to set as we floated down and the view of the mountains was incredible. By the end of our trip it was raining, but all was well, and we made it safely back to port.

Now, I had the challenge of catching the right bus when no one around spoke any English except one man who seemed a little bit crazy. However, I was able to get on the right bus and was lucky enough to have a driver named Owen who spoke English and had lived in the States for a while. It was well after dark when I returned to Timoteo’s house to find the Alto Coen team in good spirits and wrapping up dinner.

The Alto Coen team did well while I was gone. They were not able to look at projects today, but the successfully negotiated with Timoteo to stay at his house, and they had purchased food and dinner was waiting for me. The team is good spirits. It’s now about 10:15; I’m at Timoteo’s with the team, and they are all sleeping. Overall, I think that day one for the teams went very well.

**To learn more about what Experience Mission is doing, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org.

Timoteo and I

2/28/2009

The team has arrived, and as I’m typing I ‘m riding in the bus from San Jose to Cauhita. This will be the third time I’ve taken this 4 hour trip in the last week. Yesterday was a good day overall. We spend the morning looking at future hotel options for the teams, and we checked out of our hotel by 11:00. As I was leaving, I said bye to Jason, the artist, and he gave be a very nice color printed booklet of his artwork. It contained a collection of poems that he had written with his drawings and photos in the background. He said that he hoped it brought me lots of love and happiness. I was impressed by his poetry because I could tell he had put a lot of thought into it. I wrapped his booklet in a waterproof tarp because I plan to hold onto it, and I don’t want it to get water damaged.

We met Timoteo in his house at noon, and we went with him to visit a nearby camp, which looks to be a great place to host future teams. It is our hope that this will make it possible for teams to stay closer to the community in which they are working. Next, Chris and I went with Timoteo to meet the Bribri President although we found out later that it was actually the Vice-President. They have elected a new President since last summer, so it was especially important for us to introduce ourselves. We talked with him and Timoteo and some other men for a while, and as expected the Vice President gladly gave us permission to work on the reservation. After the meeting, we went to the store with Timoteo to buy food for the teams for breakfast Sunday morning. Now that all this has been completed, we have all the pieces in place for the team.

Our drive back to San Jose last night was initially uneventful, but once again driving in San Jose proved to be a challenge. This time we needed to find our way back to our hotel, and it was at night! We did not have a good map, and our hostel was obscure enough that most people would not no where it was. We wandered around for sometime but luckily we had an idea of its location in reference to downtown, so we found downtown with little trouble and eventually stumbled our way back to the hostel. I knew it would be a late night, so I felt fortunate that we were back in the hotel and in bed by 12:30.

This morning I was up by 5:45 because the bus driver was picking me up to meet the team at 6:15. Surprisingly, Chris was already awake. He flies back to the States this afternoon. This was the first time that I had met Chris and fortunately he was a great person to travel with. He was easy-going and flexible, and his Spanish speaking ability proved invaluable. The bus picked me just a few minutes late, and I met the bus driver that Rodrigo hired for the first time. Carlos does not speak any English, so it was a good opportunity to practice my Spanish. It went pretty smoothly and the team arrived as planned. After some local Costa Rican cuisine at Denny’s, we all boarded the bus for our hotel, and we are on our way. The team has been flying all night so all but one of them appear to be fast asleep. Tomorrow the adventures begin!

**To learn more about what Experience Mission is doing, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org.

2/26/2009

The last two days have been somewhat less critical than the first. Yesterday we spent the morning at an Internet cafe, and then we met with Timoteo again. We discussed plans for him to meet the team on Sunday, and he offered to make breakfast for the teams. He was going to be busy today, so we made plans to purchase food with him for breakfast on Friday, which is tomorrow. We also have plans to meet with the Bribri president tomorrow at 2:00.

After returning to the hotel yesterday afternoon, I decided to take advantage of the remaining daylight, and I took a walk along the beach. I met a gentleman who was quite disconcerted about the possibility of falling coconuts. He warned me that I was risking death by continuing to traverse the coconut laden path, but I courageously carried on. It turned out to be a beautiful walk, and I even found a rocky cliff with a great view of the sea. Though it was completely dark by the time I returned, I managed to make it without a single coconut falling on my head.

Since we were not able to meet with Timoteo today, we had to put some of our objectives on hold until tomorrow. This allowed time for me to take a long walk this afternoon. As I meandered along the beach, I noticed a man in the water cleaning off his legs. I passed him by and glanced back and saw that he was now sitting on a bench when a woman with two police officers approached him. He appeared to be a tourist from the United States or Europe, and she was clearly a local Costa Rican woman. She was irate! She walked up close to him as he sat on the bench and began screaming and yelling profanities at him. I further noticed as she was yelling that his leg was all bloody. The oddest aspect of the scene was that he sat on the bench apparently unmoved. He did not respond indeed he looked the same as he had when he sat there alone. The two policemen stood by but let her say her piece (and it was a long piece.) I eventually continued to walk away in spite of my curiosity, and she was still yelling as I left. I can’t can’t imagine what he could have done to illicit her furry, and I wonder how he hurt his leg, but now I will never know.

As I walked around, I was struck by the diversity of people in this town. There are many English and Creole speaking people from Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. Additionally, there are Europeans speaking an assortment of languages; some are tourists and some have moved here. Of course, you have your share of American tourists. Rich, poor, dark-skinned, light-skinned you will find everyone here. Traveling in a country in which I speak little of the language, I find myself people watching. Sometimes a unique looking individual catches my eye, and I can’t help wondering, “What is his or her story?” Where are they coming from, and what brings them to Costa Rica? Even though I will never know most of their stories, it doesn’t hurt to wonder. Diversity is a good thing. It keeps things interesting.

When I was walking up to our room earlier today, I did have the privilege of learning a bit of one interesting person’s story. His name is Jason and he lives in the hotel room next to ours. He was on the table drawing a design. I struck up a conversation, and he began to show me his art. He makes artwork and writes poems to insert into his designs. He began to explain that his shapes needed to be flowing, but they also need to have form and commented that this was a difficult balance to reach. Once he pointed out different examples I understood what he meant. It was evident that he was passionate about his work.

Jason is from England, and he makes is living selling artwork on the street in the United States. He is staying in Puerto Veijo because he can live very cheaply and work on his art. He says that he makes barely enough to survive, but he feels that he is doing the right thing because his art encourages people. He jokingly told me that someday when he’s famous, I can tell my friends that I knew “that guy.” He said that I could start all kinds of nasty rumors about him and sell them to the National Enquirer. I laughed and told him that I would claim that he ripped me off back in Costa Rica, and he really owed me half his fortune.

Yes, the great thing about traveling is that you meet interesting people. The opportunities that we have to meet various kinds of individuals broaden our perspectives. When I see people I naturally make projections based on my impressions; some people are likable and others seem a bit odd. It’s strange to think that when God sees all these people, he sees his children, and he loves them. God loves coconut man, bloody legged tourist, irate woman, artist Jason, and mission trip leader Josh. My prayer is that God would help me to see people as he sees them, and this is also my prayer for the teams during these next couple of weeks because that is when we become a picture of God’s love.

Josh G.

**To learn more about what Experience Mission is doing, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org.

2/24/2009

Today began with what I hope is one of the greatest challenges of the trip. After picking up our rental car, we procured a map and directions and confidently embarked on a journey out of San Jose. However, we soon found that every main road will eventually come to a two way split (both ways looking almost exactly the same.) Unfortunately, they are not the same. On more than one occasion what was once a main road would wind into very narrow little road through a bunch of worn down houses. As soon as we got directions that took us back to a main road, we would find another perplexing split, and all to often we made the incorrect choice. We were two stupid gringos hopelessly lost in the middle of San Jose anxious to find a representative of the Costa Rican government and suggest that in the United States we have something called street signs! Fortunately, if you wander around long enough and get enough conflicting sets of directions you are bound to eventually find your highway. Thankfully, we made it out safe and sound but not before turning a 15 minute drive into a 2 hour journey!

The rest of our trip was uneventful and by late afternoon we arrived at the house of Timoteo Jackson. Timoteo is an influential member of the Bribri tribe. He greeted us warmly, and he was happy to see Chris because they both worked with the EM teams last summer. Timoteo is 64 years old, but he is muscular and strong for his age and moves around like a man much younger. He informed us that his father is still living and doing well at 108 years old! He told me that he has 12 sons and daughters, and we met many of his family members this evening. He has a beautiful family, and I am looking forward to getting to know them over the next couple of weeks.

I met Timoteo’s son Carlos tonight, and I was successful in starting a conversation with my broken Spanish. I asked him if his house was nearby, and he said yes and proceeded to take me to it. By now it was so dark that I had difficulty following him up the semi-steep winding path. We arrived without me killing myself, and he took me into his house and even brought me into his bedroom to show me pictures of his family, local wildlife, and the last chief of the Bribri tribe who died in 1910. We talked as best as we could, and he taught be some Bribri words based on the Spanish equivalents. As we were leaving, I tried to thank him for showing me his house, but I couldn’t think of how to say it. He understood and finished my sentence for me. I in turn was able to understand enough to realize that he had accurately finished my thought. I am pleased that I made a new friend, and our time with the Jackson family was well was worth the long hours of driving.

After saying goodbye to Timoteo, we returned to Puerto Veijo where we found an economical hotel room, which is actually the upstairs in the house of the owner of some rental cabins. It is very basic and has a community bathroom, but it costs less than half as much as typical hotel room. I am writing this from the deck, and I can hear the sounds of the nearby tide. It is a beautiful night in Costa Rica.

Josh G.

**To learn more about what Experience Mission is doing, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org.

2/23/2009

At 6:00 last night I left my house in Chimacum, WA and flew all night arriving successfully in San Jose at 12:50 pm. My plan was to meet former EM summer staff, Chris Salmon, who will be serving as a translator for the next few days. Amazingly, Chris and I ran into each other right away and in short order we were through immigration. Our bus driver Rodrigo and his friend Oscar were waiting for us. After lunch with Rodrigo and Oscar, we went straight to a hostel owned by Rodrigo. It is very nice by Central-American standards, so this is a good place for teams to stay in the future. Read the full story