Debbie working at Saras house

This week has been filled with wonderful moments that show how great our God really is.  It has been awesome to see Him work through the teams and the people in the Shiroles community.  One of the areas in which His hand was evident was at the painting and building of an addition to a home for a family.

The team that worked here was able to receive instruction from Victor, the father/husband in the household.  At the beginning of the week, he was very shy and reserved.  By the end of the week, however, he and the team had inside jokes and communicated often, whether it be through the English they had taught him, their Spanish, or some hand signals that they had developed as a new language between them all.  It was great to see by the end of the week that they were all laughing together and enjoying each other’s company.

To thank the teams for the work they did this week, Sara (Victor‘s wife) wanted to bake a cake for everyone.  During our Friday evening program with the team, their whole family stopped by with a piece of (delicious) cake for each one of us!  They expressed their gratitude towards everyone and it was rewarding to see how they had all opened up to and were going to miss one another.  The family joined us for a time of worship and we all enjoyed being able to share that time with each other and with a God who spans any and all cultural boundaries.  How great is our God!

Team Costa Rica

June 25, 2010

Experience Mission is offering summer 2011 mission trips to Costa Rica. Learn more at www.experiencemission.org or by calling the EM Office at (360) 554-8060.

Ramp in progress

Well, it’s been another week here in Costa Rica and God has shown His face more and more every day. We had an awesome group of people this last week and they had a huge impact on the community of Shiroles where we were working. There have been so many great stories and changed lives.

One of the many projects from this last week was one at the school of Shiroles. Among all the other projects done there, one group made a ramp up the main stairway. We found out that there is a child at the school who is blind. In the past, he has literally had to climb up the steps by feeling them with his hands. We have been learning that we have a lot to be thankful for. Whether it be something as small as ice water on a hot day, or something as big as our sight, there are plenty of things, all over the place, that we should be giving God the glory for.

Once we informed the team about what they would be doing, and the reasoning for it, they couldn’t wait to get started. Mixing cement down here is a very difficult task in and of itself, but there were no complaints, even during the hottest time of day. They quickly split up the team into mixers and spreaders and made sure to drink plenty of water.

The Lord provided so much during this trip in both, the teams that were working, and the kids that were passing on their way to their next classes. It was so much fun getting to watch the hard work of these teams. But even more than that, seeing the lasting impact that the teams have had on this community can only be explained by the incredible love of God.

Finished ramp

For His Glory,

Team Costa Rica

June 25, 2010

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

Team volunteer Dan and Diogo play in river

This week we got to work alongside team leader Kelly and five other teenagers from Jupiter First Church doing VBS this week.  Throughout the week we had lessons, crafts, games, and snacks for kids who were anywhere from 2-14 years old.

At the end of the week, Kelly decided to have a fun day where we had a small lesson about God’s holy water, played with water balloons, and took a trip to a nearby river.  When the kids arrived on Friday, they were anxious for the afternoon to come because they knew they’d be playing with water.   With the help of some visual aides in the form of puppets, the kids were able to focus a little better.

If the kids were able to answer a question correctly, they would be allowed to pop a water balloon over any member of the team.  In short, they were very excited and the team ended up soaking wet by the end.

Once we ran out of water balloons we all went to the river to meet up with the other teams who had been doing construction projects for the week.  It was amazing being with everyone in the river and seeing God’s love through the kids’ actions and expressions while speaking or playing with Jupiter’s youth group.

Of course the saddest part was saying goodbye to the kids, but I know that they will always remember us because I believe that a seed was planted in their hearts and it will continue growing throughout their years. The love that the Jupiter youth group showed to this kids will never be forgotten because it was all for God’s glory.

Team Costa Rica

June 11, 2010

*To learn more about what Experience Mission in Talamanca, Costa Rica, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org.

Diogo helping build his house

Greetings!  This week has gotten off to a great start with an energetic team from Jupiter First Church (Florida).  The team arrived in San Jose on Sunday afternoon and after our 5+ hour bus ride, we arrived on the Bribri reservation.

This week we have chosen four different sites within the Watsi community: doing Kids Club, building a house, building a porch, and repairing a community center.  Though many this week are feeling the struggle of communicating in a foreign language, so far the teams have accomplished a great deal and seem to be having a lot of fun.

The house that we are working on this week is being built for a woman named Karen and her family.  Since Karen is currently studying English in school the group is doing a great job conversing, partly in Spanish and partly in English, in order to get to know each other.  It has been wonderful to watch the relationship grow between the team and Karen’s family.  Karen’s four-year-old son, now being more comfortable with the team, brings smiles to everyone’s faces as he runs and chases them around their home.

Karen has been very hospitable and has offered many refreshments to the team, including a native sweet and sour fruit called the guanabana.  The team has been appreciative of her gratefulness and is noting the love and hard work that emanates from each member of her family.  The bond that has been forming within this group of people is just one of the many ways in which we can see God working in our lives this week.

Team Costa Rica

June 8, 2010

To learn more about Costa Rica mission trips, visit www.experiencemission.org.

Christian Missions: This week, the epidemic that had the world holding its breath affected Pearlington in a most unusual way. With the Swine Flu virus sweeping across Costa Rica, First United Methodist Church out of LaGrange, Georgia changed their travel plans at the last minute, leaving behind the Caribbean Islands for hurricane relief work in the heart of the South. They met up with a YoungLife group out of Illinois and Main Street United Methodist from North Carolina at Pearlington to help finish up the last projects of the summer.

Since it was the second to last week of the summer, the Experience Mission staff was thrilled to have the extra help.  Even though work has flown by each week, there were still several key jobs to be finished before both the Bennett’s and Nick could move into their respective houses.  Because of this, one of the most exciting parts of this week was the amount of quality work that got completed throughout the city. From cranking out electrical projects to demolishing houses, teams tore through any and all tasks they were given. The Bennett’s saw their massive porch cover finished, kitchen tiles and electrical installed and Nick’s crew finished roofing, siding and decking. All the while, other smaller groups finished up incredibly crucial jobs at the O’Neal’s, the Crepeau’s, the Ackers, the Vince’s and the Vincent’s.

However, it wasn’t the work ethic that stood out on these youth mission trip teams, but their willingness to do anything and everything to help those in need. These teams left a fantastic impression on every family that they worked with this week. The community adored the servant’s hearts that they worked with, and many went out of their way to thank the volunteers over and over again. The week was a huge success, and Team Pearlington is praying for one final great week to wrap up all of their projects and end the year with a bang. And if God needs to use Swine Flu again to make that happen, then we are all for it.

*This summer wraps up 3 years of rebuilding in Pearlington, MS. The town is 85% rebuilt! Stay tuned for our new Hurricane relief locations, and check out other locations that we serve in, at New Orleans mission trips.

Hurricane Relief in Mississippi: We’re Alive! Team Pearlington survived a youth mission trip team of 150 people this past week and we had an awesome time!  Houston First Presbyterian Church is our largest group of the summer. Literally, our entire summer has been in preparation for this short term missions trip.  We have been making sure that things are lined up to accommodate this many people.  It was interesting to see how God worked this week because we found that even with all of the preparation we had done, problems still arose. The first work day we awoke to torrential downpours and it seemed like the week was going to be disastrous because the majority of the work projects we had lined up were outdoors.  We also had some last minute worksite cancellations.  We were sweating it out and praying that things would turn around.  

However, God helped details to fall into place and the week was a “home run”. He presented other opportunities for work projects and blessed us with eager and high spirited students and leaders who were flexible and energetic.   We were also blessed with beautiful weather on Thursday and Friday.  It is truly amazing how our Lord works even in the difficult times. This was definitely a lesson on trust in Our God, and it became very obvious that sometimes it is so hard to let go of all control in a situation and just give it over to Him. This team from Houston was a huge blessing to the community of Pearlington, Mississippi and the hurricane relief work, as well as to the Experience Mission Staff. We were very encouraged by the entire group’s positive attitude and dedication to work hard. There was never a moment when this team wasn’t asking how they could help whether it be in the kitchen or on the worksite. This team worked in a total of 15 worksites doing various things such as shingling, siding, demolition, flooring, decking, interior & exterior painting, staining, porch covers, and general cleanup and yard beautification.

Something that was very unique to this mission trip team was their tight knit community, which is surprising considering their large size. Their evening programs were very exciting and intentional.  We had fun dance parties each night and moving talks given by Brune, Scott, and Tim.  They have an interesting approach to missions.  They use it has a tool for evangelism.   About 2/3 of the students that came on the trip with First Presbyterian Church did not necessarily have a relationship with Christ.  The philosophy this group has about short term mission trips is to show students what it means to live out a Christian lifestyle through serving. Their theme for this week was in 2 Corinthians 5:20 and being “Christ’s ambassadors.”  Many lives were changed this week and many relationships were built both within the team and the community.

-Jim and the Pearlington team

*Interested in joining in the work of Experience Mission? Check out our website at www.ExperienceMission.org for more information and to sign up for upcoming 2010 mission trips!

Rural Mission Trip: Just checking in from Costa Rica. The summer has been a challenging one but it’s been amazing to see how God continues to work in ways that we did not see possible. This last week we travelled up to Alto Coen; which to give ya’ll an idea of the kind of trip it is, just to get to the location where you are staying you take an hour boat ride in a banana boat, an hour bus ride, and then a 5 hour hike up roughly 1500 feet on a muddy, rugged terrain. It is an amazing experience but you definitely get a workout. Anyways, throughout the week Ali and I had the privilege of getting to know the people, specifically the women and children while the men worked on the bridge, which was our main focus for traveling up to Alto Coen- to assist in the building of a suspension bridge that would connect two sides of a village. It was a stretching experience as I battled not being able to fully communicate with women and children however it was amazing to see how God worked through my weakness to still do His work. As I sat under a tree constructed structure with a leaf roof, I found myself exchanging my English language with their BriBri language. While the time was spent learning small phrases such as How are you?, What is your name? Where are you from? And how to count to ten, the bond that formed seemed to go deeper then the simplistic phrase exchanges. It was an exchange of lives, a sharing of each others’ hearts and the joining of lives for a moment.
Team Costa Rica

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

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.

Christian Mission Trips: Week one of our short term mission trips is in the books, and what a crazy week that it was. We on the Experience Mission team were blessed beyond words by the youth mission trip team that came this week from New York. We felt a part of their team and they really understood the goal of The Root Cellar and got to see the hearts of the people that work here everyday.

We spent their last evening under a gazebo on the water and reflected on the week. One of their ladies led us in worship and we poured over accounts of scripture that were on our hearts that last night. It was a very fitting way to end the week, and they were rightfully exhausted. Many of their days began at 5:30 or 6 and went until 10 or 11.

The group had been doing a series on Ruth that I thought I would share with everyone. Everyday they read a chapter in the morning for devotionals and at night they would bring their thoughts and questions up with the group. The advantage to having only one group here this week was that we were able to join them after our evening service. Ruth was such a great example of being in a foreign land and trusting in the Lord and being blessed. The group used her example as a springboard for how they should act and treat all of the refugees that are a part of this community. What a blessing.

They left early in the morning, and then the three of us fell back to sleep and have spent the day rebooting for next week.

Please be praying for next week, the group will be three times as large, and the weather report is not good. We are trying not to look at the forecast and put the weather in God’s hands, but it is hard sometimes. Pray for health as well, two out of three of us got it this week, and hopefully Cori will be spared.

Mainly, pray that the kids will respond to a new group. It could be hard for them to meet new people every week, pray that this transition happens smoothly.

God Bless,
Portland Team

Check out www.ExperienceMission.org for information about upcoming Summer 2010 mission trips.