Mission Trip: Costa Rica

I opted to allot an entire post for just the church service we attended in Los Guidos. El Centro Evangelical Methodist Church is a safe-haven for many families in one of the poorest towns on the outskirts of San Jose.

Los Guidos is made up of mostly immigrants from neighboring countries, and for this reason they are outcast by the locals. The Methodist Church of Costa Rica has reached out to this community and started a church that serves as a community center of all sorts for them. The feeding program was started by Pastor Edgar, who has now been there for 8 years with his family. They serve about 70 children, ages toddler to 13 years, with a budget of $2,000 a month. When he started the program, he had 20 children and paid out of his own pocket to feed them three meals a day. The local college eventually got word of his program and they committed to provide three years of help and $400 a month. This commitment jump-started the program and laid the foundation for the ministry that Edgar was called to do — “Feed the children,” God said to him, and he obeyed.

We were greeted by Pastor Edgar’s entire family when we got off the bus and entered the sanctuary. The setting was much like an elementary school — majority children and their families or older siblings mixed-in. On stage was a full drum set, keyboard, electric guitar, and AV equipment. This place was ready to rock!!

We were provided a translator for the service so that we could participate more actively in the service and sermon, instead of always having that blank stare where you “smile and nod” to a foreign language speaker.

The service started with a message from a female lay-leader within the church. She introduced several guests among the attendees and then introduced us. We were welcomed with comforting applause. When she finished the band took its place on stage.

Now, we were warned ahead of time that that this was a very kid-centric church service and that the kids always joined in the middle of the of the floor to dance during the music. The chairs and tables were aligned in a “U” for this purpose and it created a large dance floor for the kids to, well, be kids.

Without hesitation, the younger girls came up to us, and took us by the hand to the floor once the music started. The boys gathered in the back and the girls were up front. What proceed next was nothing less than joyful dancing and singing for the Lord.

Adam, Matt and myself were in the back with the boys, of course, and they began some choreographed jumping steps that changed only slightly from song to song. I can best describe it as an Irish Jig, but I’m sure the Irish don’t have a patent on jumping joyfully in place. The climax of the night was what Adam and I affectionally cal the “Praise Circle of Death”…. The boys transitioned from jumping in place to holding onto one another and jumping in a circle. Adam and I were summoned to this circle after we had already broken a sweat and were in much need of a breather. Nonetheless, we grabbed hold and swung around for the entirety of the song. We can say with confidence that we sweat more in the first 10 minutes of this service than we likely will ever do again!

When the music concluded, we took our seats and composed ourselves.

Today’s service was a special one. It was “Pastor Appreciation Day” and the congregation had brought gifts and prepared a sermon in honor of Pastor Edgar. The pastor’s family was invited to sit in place up on stage while another young man delivered the message and tribute to Edgar and his family. He emphasized and recognized the sacrifice that they had made and thanked them for their service. At the end, he invited members to come up and give their own appreciation to the family. Nobody told us to bring a handkerchief!!

The main service concluded with a prayer over ALL the pastors in attendance. Our own Pastor Adam was called up and invited to join the other leaders. Edgar extended an extra blessing over Adam and the work that he represents from UUMC. For those of you reading at home, know that the community of Los Guidos is praying for YOU in return.

This night was special in many ways, and we were happy to be a part of it. The connection we have established with this community already makes it even more exciting that we will be coming back tomorrow to offer our service to them.

God Bless,
Randy

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