Many Waters Mission

As we were all gathered around the large dining room table at Many Waters Mission, a middle-aged Navajo woman stood at the end with a pained expression on her face, as she addressed the small crowd. Directly next to her sat a young man who perpetually stared down toward the ground with a disturbingly distant and lifeless expression. The woman pleaded with us that we pray for the young man who was her son, for most days he said scarcely a word and remained disengaged while maintaining this troubled countenance. She went on to explain that she did not want to believe in “the witchcraft,” but she feared that he was under a curse. She admitted that she had taken him to the medicine man, which was the traditional Navajo tactic to break a curse, and she was being pressured by her family to bring him to the Native American Church, which is a cult that uses a natural hallucinogenic drug called peyote as part of its ritual worship. With increasing poignancy, she communicated that she came to the mission because she did not know where else to turn, and she begged us to help her and pray for her son.

Whatever was going on with the boy, there was no doubt that something was very wrong. The mother showed us a picture of him a couple of years ago, and we saw a normal engaged expression in his face, and looking at the person that sat before us it was as if all the life and the spark were gone. Lynn, one of the founders of the Mission, sat down next to the boy and took his hand, but he jerked away as if human touch was painful. Eventually, he let her grab his hand, and she prayed for him, and he talked a little, so the mother was somewhat encouraged.

Conversation ensued after the time of prayer was finished, and the mother again discussed her concern about witchcraft and evil spiritual forces. At this point, an older Navajo woman who until then had remained silent began to speak. She said the witchcraft is real, and she warned that if you don’t have Jesus in your heart it will not stop pursuing you, and it will find you. After she had spoken a few more words of advice to the younger woman, she then began to share her testimony.

Her name was Marie, and she had met Jesus when she was a young girl. She explained how she and her family had lived in a hogan in a desert canyon. Her father was a harsh man who often mistreated her, and one night to escape she wandered out in the desert alone. She stopped at the edge of the canyon, and in the darkness she saw a beam of light that appeared to come from something like a flashlight. As she began to follow the light, she was startled to find that when she reached the end of the canyon the light did not go straight, but it actually wrapped around the rock! She continued to follow this light, and it eventually led her to the home of some missionaries. Marie then told us about how they invited her in and began to tell her about Jesus, and she was moved by the Holy Spirit and believed. She prayed with the missionaries, and submitted her life to Christ.

She then recounted that she returned to the hogan excited about her new found hope, and she walked in to find her mother washing dishes. I was suddenly moved as this quiet, dignified older woman sitting before us recalled that she approached her mother and said, “I found truth, and his name is Jesus.” Her mother immediately scolded her and said that that is the “white man’s religion,” and she should never speak of it again. She told her that if her father found out he be very angry. Nonetheless, Marie refused to conceal her faith, but this was at price for her father indeed was angry and mistreated her.

As she continued growing up, both her father and her brother would beat her on occasion, and they were especially infuriated by her Christianity. Marie told us about how she continued to seek the Lord, and she would walk to church whenever she had a chance. However, she began to share with us that one day as she was sitting in church her father made a surprise appearance. He walked into the church building, grabbed her and threw her out onto the ground. He then took her Bible threw it back in the church and drug her away. It was heartbreaking to watch as this girl who was now an old woman sitting before us began to fight back tears. She told us of other experiences where she was forced to flee from her father or brother, but as she concluded she affirmed that she was still is serving the Lord, and she strives to do his will each day.

I stood for a moment reflecting on Marie’s testimony, and I glanced over at the mother and son standing there broken and hurting, and I felt keenly aware of the spiritual battle that rages on the Reservation. I was struck by the circumstances, pressures, and spiritual attack that so many of the Navajo Christians face. In Marie’s case, she was actually persecuted and shunned by her family for her faith. It is through the testimony of people like Marie that we catch glimpses of the presence of God in this world, and I left encouraged to trust God with my life, for the same God who sustained a young Navajo girl through such intense hardship is also my Father, and he sustains me.

Later that day, I had the opportunity to drive to the church near to where Marie grew up and meet her son who is now a pastor. In the brief time that I was able to chat with him, I was encouraged by his heart for his community and the world. He has actually travelled internationally, and he desires to lead members of his community to become involved in missions. Our hope is to recruit teams to come and serve alongside this church, and as we prepare for these mission trips, it is my prayer that the teams may build relationships in the community and be encouraged just as I have been by the testimony of their Navajo brothers and sisters.

- Josh G.

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

As our bus clanked up an old dirt road through the mountains of Honduras, Steve and I had no idea what to expect.  We were crowded so tightly into this big yellow school bus (Many of the public buses in Honduras are old school buses from the States.) that we could scarcely shift our feet. Nonetheless, we were anxious to arrive at our destination, which was a ranch in a small village called Junquillo. This ranch was owned by an American friend of Steve’s who was actually back in the States. We were to be greeted by his ranch manager Juan Lili. When we got off the bus, we were met by an eager gentleman in a baseball cap–it was Juan. Throughout the week, we would be our guide, confidently strutting around in similar attire with a handgun in his jeans and a slingshot in his pocket.  As Juan brought us through the gate, we were further greeted by six guard dogs, a yard full of chickens, and some pigs. I anxiously passed through this entourage and we arrived at the primary living quarters of the ranch, a small concrete house. This would be our new home for the next few days; our nights were to be filled with squealing, barking, and clucking. It wasn’t exactly the Ponderosa, but it was all we needed.

Over the next few days our goal was to investigate the needs of the community in hopes of finding future projects for mission teams. As it turned out there was no lack of needs. Initially, Juan discussed some community projects. The people of Junquillo and the nearby community of Ocotal are very religious, but there are not adequate meeting places for churches. One local evangelical church does not even have pews, and a whole side of the building consists of nothing but a blue tarp. The efforts to construct a new building have not been able to reach beyond a pile of stones. There is also a need for a kindergarten. The education of the children is very important to the community, but thus far they have not even been able to start this project. The resources for these projects simply are not available.

The gravest concern for the people of Junquillo is personal poverty–food and water are their top concerns. In Ocotal, they lack an adequate water supply. There is drinking water, but because there is no water system people are forced to walk a long way to draw water. Further, they are faced with the reality that the cost of living often exceeds their income. The average person will only make 100 lempira a day, which to put in perspective converts to approximately $5.25 in the US. It takes an entire day’s wages for a Honduran family to purchase 5 lbs. of beans. With these wages, it is a real struggle for the people of Junquillo to keep themselves fed. When you barely have enough money to buy food, you will be hard-pressed to find money for other important needs such as clothing or housing–forget about trying to save for the future. In Junquillo, there is little room for any ambition that extends beyond your next meal.

I compare this to my life in the States and I cannot help but be thankful. There are so many opportunities here. Not only do I have a job that provides ample financial stability, but I have the luxury of choosing between multiple career opportunities. In the US, we often take these privileges for granted. I have the ability to shape my future because I know that I will be rewarded for hard work. In Junquillo, a hard day’s work may not be enough.

As the days progressed, we found that everyone was both friendly and hospitable. Juan and his wife faithfully provided meals and plenty of coffee for us. The food was delicious, and they gave us generous portions. They told us that gringos (as white people are called) were always welcome in Junquillo. Because I don’t speak Spanish, there was a limit to how well I could get to know the Lili’s, but nonetheless I was treated as an honored guest.

The climax of our stay was a community meeting with representatives from Junquillo and Ocotal. A group of community members gathered into a concrete building that serves as a community center. Steve and I grabbed a couple of nearby chairs, which turned out to be children’s size and opened the floor for anyone to ask questions and make requests. We found that the construction of local churches and a kindergarten were very important to people; however, the clear consensus was that the most urgent needs were running water and food. One lady summed it up, by posing the question, “What good is a church if we’re starving to death, and we can’t walk there!” We were then informed that there are actually homeless families living out in the woods. Obviously, all of the projects are important, but we want to be sensitive to the immediate need to improve quality of life.

As we said our goodbyes and headed out to catch the bus from Junquillo, I was utterly convinced that we need to do what we can to help revitalize the community. The people are honest, hard-working folks, but they’ve been weighed down by poor economic conditions and low wages. They need a boost. It is my hope that we can provide the resources to make a new water system a reality. Further, we want to think of creative ways to help the food situation. Perhaps, as we accomplish these goals, the community will be energized so that we can partner with them with renewed strength. Most of all, I hope that through this process God’s love will be evident in our interaction and that he will work in people’s hearts and lives.

-  Josh Gray

There are many short term mission trips with Experience Mission (www.experiencemission.org ) Go to our website and select from one of our Honduras mission trips for this upcoming year.

One of the more amazing things about going on these mission trips is seeing the changes they make in people’s lives. Generally, the incoming group and our organization are there to make a long term beneficial impact to our community partners. However, often, it is the community that brings greater benefit to the people who serve them. Never has that been more true over my past six weeks with Experience Mission than here in Seattle.

During typical rural or international mission trips, it is easy for group’s to gauge their contribution to the area they serve. They see homes built nail by nail or walls painted stroke by stroke. Here, though, on this urban mission trip, there are no benchmarks to measure against. The team is here to serve the homeless of the city, but they cannot cure it. On a macro level, the meals they serve and the conversations they have do not create more shelter beds, affordable housing or job opportunities. But it does fill stomachs. And hearts.

The team from Harbor Trinity Church this week has served meals every day at lunchtime out of the Union Gospel Mission shelters and passed out sacked lunches to homeless around the area as well. These meals are necessary, but unlike building a home, they are a temporary solution. They are a beaver dam when the Hoover is needed.

But still, Harbor Trinity has served with patience and grace during this week, understanding the role they play in the scheme. They may not end homelessness, but without volunteers like them, an end would be impossible.

Because they understand this, they have been able connect with the homeless of the city, to listen to their stories, issues and jokes. This has forced them to put away some of their preconceived ideas about the homeless. They are not all drug-addicts, most do not choose to be on the street, and, most alarming, it truly can happen to anyone – many families are only a paycheck away.

As we were in a Seattle park, next to the county courthouse, I spoke with one of our first-time missionaries. He had connected with many of the stories he had heard in the park while passing out lunches, and many had connected with his. He said he was going to try and organize his church to hand out lunches in this way near the courthouse in his county.

This means that while the mission trip may end tomorrow, the impact of it will continue and its spirit will spread with those who have been here. What better result could there be?