After just 4 short hours of negotiations between Miami AA, Pursue, our travel agent; sitting on the hard tile floor; scavenging our snacks; doing 2 TV interviews; and trying to collect our luggage, we finally begin to understand what the plan would be. We would return to Lubbock that same night and prepare to depart Monday, July 9 for Liberia, Costa Rica to participate in Impacto Costa Rica! That Saturday we travelled to the airport at 3:15 am and were traveling the same road back home at 3:15 am Sunday - WITHOUT ANY LUGGAGE! We filed claims for 22 bags - individually - their color, size, contents, etc.. 😜😴. Sunday was spent still collecting luggage and trying to get it to our team to repack for Monday. It truly was a whirlwind of 2 days. I could not even keep my days straight.
It's finally Monday and we head back to the airport! Things just could not have been any smoother. It was... ahhh.... great! Steve, Tony, and the Impacto team greeted us with open arms and our week began with a little play time at a neighborhood field. Our mornings were filled with sports camps of basketball, baseball, soccer, and wait for it... surf camp! You read it right! SURF CAMP! Who wants to go to CR now, huh?! It was such a great experience to see the same kids from 4-18 over the next few days, talk to them, and share our stories with them as well as listen to their stories. The afternoons were filled with more playtime at the field, puppet shows, piñatas, and visiting with locals to invite them to our nighttime services. We are so honored to be able to be a part of such an impactful week. Our lives were changed and challenged just as the locals were challenged.
By now you have seen that we did have the opportunity to partake of some of the adventures of Costa Rica also. We were blessed with a day at Canon Lodge where we battled the rapids of the river, flew across the canyon, and treated our skin to a volcanic mud bath and river rinse.
Riding the Rapids - oh goodness. We rode, we wrecked, we marveled at the beauty during the tranquil waters. We lost shoes, and lost our grip, but we all made it to the end! We were talking about how we crashed and what happened and asking those who didn't crash how they stayed up. We were feeling so good about our success! And then.... while we are getting painted with mud and enjoying the river, we notice the next group of rafters--a CHILD--and an ELDERLY man. Talk about knocking the wind out of your sails! Guess we weren't as good as we thought! LOL! I guess the spiritual lesson includes a couple of things - 1) Listen to your guide. He really does know how to navigate the rough and the smooth waters and even the waterfalls. Just do what he tells you to do and don't do it halfway. And 2) If you happen to fall out of the boat, He will let you back in and will continue to guide you. Our guide simply said, "Stand up, get in the boat." And we were on our way again.
Soaring the Skies - If you have ever been zip lining, you know they give you the instructions so quickly and there are so many things to remember - grab the cable, jump for them to hook you to the cable, keep your hand out of the pully, cross your feet, brake at the end. The zipping isn't even the scary part for me, its walking up the slanted ladders and jumping on the small, wiggly platforms that give me a little anxiety. Just like in our spiritual life, sometimes there are steps to complete, hooks to be hooked, and jumps to be made before we can truly soar freely. Again, following our guide through every position. One more lesson in the zip is knowing the just right time to brake. If you brake too early, you may get stuck and someone has to rescue you - it happened. Or if you don't brake, you could over run your guide - it also happened. If you just watch the signals, you will have a safe and smooth landing every time.
I will just leave you with this last bit of perspective. Often times when we return from a mission, we go through a period of feeling guilty for what we have instead of being grateful for what God has provided for us. So to put it in the words of Cooper to our group, "God blessed us with a little more than what they have, but that gives us more opportunities to become a blessing. So look at your cushy life as an open door to be a blessing to your neighborhood and it's people." (I love her!)
May we all be a blessing in our own mission field!
Thank you for reading!
Tori