Day 6: Thurs., August 4, 2011

The mission team had breakfast and gathered for morning prayers and reflection.  Recalling earlier reflection periods, we were asked to share moments when we saw God yesterday.  Many of us saw God in the way certain members worked with each other, providing assistance, prayer, or simply a sense of humor as we worked at our worksites.  

After reflection, the groups returned to their worksites.  The Diocesan House group and Bishop Monterroso continued sanding and varnishing the eaves.  Mike Tinsley and Ralph Fischer worked with Orlando to remove the sheet metal roof over the dining area, replace some rotting wood supporting the roof, and finish some additional work over the dining area.  The new gutters will not be delivered until next week, so the group will complete as much of the overhangs as they can to help the next group before leaving on Saturday.

The Hogar Escuela – Heredia group kept working with Samuel and Francisco.  While sanding and plastering was their main project, most time was spent breaking up concrete blocks with pick axes and shoveling dirt, gravel, and rubble into dump trucks to be carried away from the site…and then, there was more plastering.  :)

The groups reunited around 5 p.m.  A few group members went to the San Jose Walmart for a few supplies and storage bins for Diocesan House.  They spent the rest of the night enjoying dinner (prepared with Philip’s help), having evening prayer/reflection time, and relaxing after another day of good hard work.

Dias uno y dos en San Jose (Barrio Cuba y Casa Diocesana)

Day 5: Wed., August 3, 2011

The group had breakfast and returned to their worksites around 8:30 a.m., excited about the work ahead.  The Diocesan House group members attempted to fix the outdoor water faucet broken yesterday, so there was another period when the house was without water (much to the surprise of several people attempting to shower).  J  The group removed parts of the overhangs damaged by water and termites, replaced the wood, and continued to sand and varnish the eaves to prepare for the delivery of new gutters on Friday (tentatively).  Great progress was made.

The Hogar Escuela – Heredia group returned to work with Samuel and Francisco.  They continued to shovel truckloads of dirt and gravel remaining on-site from other building stages of the project, sand, and plaster the structure’s walls. More shoveling, sanding, and plastering will follow, but the group is in good spirits about the work completed so far.

  

After ending work around 5 p.m., the adults cleaned up and prepared for dinner.  Philip Lloyd worked for several hours in the kitchen with Diocesan House staff to prepare a wonderful meal for the mission team and some additional guests – several rectors from Episcopal parishes in San Jose.  After dinner, the rectors and mission team members attended a presentation coordinated by Rebecca Yarbrough and CDO Liza.  The topic was “radical welcome,” teaching vestries and parish communities in N.C. and Costa Rican dioceses how to become more inclusive, find those most in need of a church community (or assistance from a church), and welcome them into the body. 

The presentation included a video interview of Bishop Michael Curry of North Carolina and Bishop Hector Monterroso discussing radical welcome, areas for improvement, and how the dioceses can benefit each other in this work.  When the video finished, the group divided into two smaller groups to discuss the initiatives proposed and provide feedback to help edit the video to its most insightful moments.  Rebecca Yarbrough and others will use this feedback to complete the video, add subtitles, and develop program materials to create a radical welcome program for integration into parishes both in N.C. and Costa Rica. 

When the meeting and discussions concluded, the mission team shared stories about the day and spent time getting to know each other better.

Day 4: Tues., August 2, 2011

We gathered for breakfast and morning prayers.  Afterwards, half of the group went to the Hogar Escuela – Heredia site to plaster, sand, and seal the concrete walls of the new school.  The other half stayed at Diocesan House to sand, wipe and varnish the house overhangs/eaves to prepare for the new gutters. 

The DH group used power sanders and manual sanding to prepare the eaves.  All was going well until 2 p.m. when some of the crew accidentally knocked an outdoor faucet off the wall.  Water came spewing from the spigot, pouring into the ground gutter, bringing all work to a halt.  After locating the water main, the crew turned off the water so the faucet could be fixed, leaving Diocesan House without water until its repair.  Thanks to a strategically placed block of wood, some plastic, and a little superglue, the group was up and running about ½ hour later.  They finished sanding the eaves along one of the walls and applied a coat of varnish, ready to pick everything up tomorrow.

The Hogar Escuela – Heredia group arrived at their worksite around 9:30 a.m.  The group shovelled dirt and gravel and used cinderblocks to sand cement walls in the bathrooms, kitchen, hallways, classrooms and the building exterior…every wall except two that had been plastered recently.  The sanding was especially challenging due to the deep holes in the ground in the bathrooms and hallways and the downpour that disrupted some of the work in the afternoon.  Fortunately, the group found a way to pass the time during the rainstorm while waiting for the bus…throwing rocks in a bucket.  J 

Hogar Escuela – Heredia is facing worse conditions than the school in Barrio Cuba, and is located in an area with more poverty and fewer resources for assistance, but a neighbor a few houses down from the worksite supports the efforts of missioners by inviting them into her home and serving them lunch and snacks during the day.  Samuel and Francisco, two contractors who live in Heredia behind the school and sometimes in a small shack on the school’s property, were friendly and helpful throughout the day, guiding the group through their project.  Their kindness in the face of their adversity inspired the group and encouraged them in their work. 

The group returned to Diocesan House around 5 p.m. for showers and free time.  After dinner and Compline, the group was asked to think about change…change observed, change in expectations, or change in sense of purpose while on the trip…and where God is in those changes.  The team seemed excited about surprising revelations and observations over the past several days and looking forward to more work and discussion.

Day 3: Mon., August 1, 2011

 

After breakfast at Earth University, the youth group returned to the U.S., and the adults boarded the bus to travel to the Episcopal Diocesan House in San Jose, where we would be staying for the next five days.  After dropping off our bags and greeting an excited Bishop Hector Monterroso, we drove to Barrio Cuba, one of the more dangerous barrios, to see the progress made at Hogar Escuela, a school serving as a model for the new Hogar Escuela in Heredia (currently under construction and one of our projects this week). 

Hogar Escuela – Barrio Cuba is open 6 a.m. – 6 p.m., providing daycare and after-school care for 125 students ranging from infants to 12-year-olds.  Younger children attend the entire time, while older children attend public school in San Jose and come directly to Hogar Escuela where they can have access to tutors, meals, and a safe place to play until their parents take them home.  In some cases, the school provides the only meals the children will have all day.  There is a fee for children to attend this program, but the government provides some assistance for each child, and the school uses a sliding scale to assist those most in need (90% of the families) so that some only pay $1 per month.  Given that single mothers only receive $300 per month from the government, and housing can cost more than $100 per month, Hogar Escuela’s assistance is a blessing to the community. 

Playground at Hogar Escuela - Barrio Cuba

Costa Rican children are required to attend school through the 9^th grade, while 10^th and 11^th grades are optional.  Children who don’t drop out after 9^th grade continue through the remaining grades to take college placement tests to be considered for university enrollment, though university spots are limited according to the government’s need for specific areas of study.  Hogar Escuela does not currently offer programming for children after 6^th grade, so some students intentionally fail their classes to remain in the program, demonstrating the desperate need in this community for more safe and nurturing places like Hogar Escuela.  To address this growing need, the school has plans for future development, adding more classrooms and expanding to include students in grades 7 – 9.

Chapel at Hogar Escuela - Barrio Cuba

In addition to providing a safe haven and education for the children in the area, Hogar Escuela provides training for single mothers so that they have marketable skills allowing them to enter the workforce and better support their families.  Thanks to the new computer lab, parents can develop computer skills and work as call center support staff.  The school is excited about their progress and development, and their transformation in the past six years gives hope for the work beginning in Heredia.

After touring the school, learning more about the programming and future development, and eating lunch, the adults travelled to the site of the future Hogar Escuela – Heredia where we’d be working over the next several days.  



This school is located in an area behind a shopping mall previously known as a refuge for squatters and makeshift homes.  Currently, the school is covered by a sheet metal roof, has a dirt floor, and has concrete walls forming a sanctuary/worship space, several bathrooms, a kitchen, and several classrooms that will have access to gardens/playground areas. Some of the concrete walls are sanded and sealed with a bright white coat, while many others are a stark gray in contrast, waiting to be finished.  St. Mark’s will be spackling, sanding, and sealing the remaining concrete walls.  

Hector Monterroso walked everyone through the existing structure and explained the anticipated layout of classrooms and playgrounds and the options for future expansion as the school’s needs grow (additional ground-level classrooms, adding another story, etc.).  The bishop hopes to have 200 children attend upon completion.  Despite the rain, mud and intimidating size of the project, the group was energized about upcoming work after seeing the great progress and witnessing the development of Hogar Escuela – Barrio Cuba.

We left the worksite and, after an hour of shopping in a San Jose marketplace, returned to Diocesan House for dinner, Compline, pows and wows, and games and reading during free time.  The adults enjoyed learning more about the work and exciting plans for the children in San Jose, as well as talking to Bishop Monterroso and learning more about his home, work and hopes for the diocese.

Day 2: Sun., July 31, 2011

The adult group had a great day learning more about the challenges and opportunities facing Costa Ricans and supporting and celebrating the work of the St. Mark’s youth group during their week of service.

After breakfast at Earth University, we traveled to Iglesia Episcopal Santa Cruz in Guacimo, Limon to worship with their congregation and the St. Mark’s youth.  In 2010, St. Mark’s partnered with Iglesia Episcopal Santa Cruz to build walls along the side of the church property, lay a tile floor in the chapel, create an altar, make improvements to the church’s bell tower, and paint a mural in the church’s fellowship space (to learn more, visit the 2010 blog).  Everyone was excited to see the completed space, the changes, and church’s parishioners, who were warm and welcoming as soon as we approached the chapel.  We, the St. Mark’s youth, and the congregation worshipped, shared Communion, and sang together in a mostly Spanish service.  After pictures, hugs and thanks from both Rev. Pedro and Rev. Sarah, we shared lunch in the church’s fellowship space and walked a few blocks to see one of the youth group’s projects – a community garden for play and reflection.

Guacimo, the area surrounding Iglesia Episcopal Santa Cruz, is known as a dangerous area where drug-related activity is prevalent.  To give parents and children a safe place to play and meet, the St. Mark’s youth group worked for several days, clearing a field of tall grasses, digging, removing large rocks, creating paths and flower beds, and planting trees and flowers donated by Earth University (to learn more, visit the 2011 youth mission trip blog).  The youth group shared their garden and experiences with us and the congregation, noting the parallels between creating a garden and the Creation story, and how in changing the land, the group hoped to change the community.  After pictures, garden strolls, more hugs and farewells, the youth and adults were bused a few blocks away to San Lucas in Hermania to visit the youth group’s other project worksite.

Children have few safe places to play and learn, and teen pregnancy is a major problem both in Hermania and throughout Costa Rica, though the country’s efforts to address this issue have been minimal.  In San Lucas, the St. Mark’s youth group challenged themselves to practice “radical welcome,” an ideology that charges us to become more inclusive, go into the community, and welcome “outsiders” into our midst and include them in our activities.  The teens of St. Mark’s stepped outside of their comfort zones and invited children they saw outside or encountered on the streets to join them for games and play in the San Lucas parish hall.  Over several nights, the youth group hosted a cookout, played games with children, and had a movie night (Toy Story 3) for children ages 2 – 16.  Several 15-year-old mothers brought their toddler children, as well.  The number of children coming to San Lucas increased from 15 the first night to nearly 60 the third and fourth nights, demonstrating how much the children in Hermania need the ministry and safe haven provided by the youth group.  It was clear that the children appreciated the play and activities as much as the youth group enjoyed playing and interacting with them. 

The adult group was very impressed and excited by the youth group’s work, and discussed how to develop long-term youth programming to help the children around San Lucas and how to expand similar programming to other areas in Costa Rica.  Fortunately, Rev. Pedro may have found someone to continue the youth group’s activities at San Lucas and give the area’s children a place for play and help build a safer community for them to grow and develop.  On a larger scale, N.C. Episcopal diocesan representatives and diocesan leaders in San Jose and Limon are working to develop an infrastructure to create/design youth programming and employ support staff to carry out that vision.

After celebrating the youth group’s successful projects, the adults and youth returned to Earth University to take a tour of the campus.  We saw various eco-friendly means of food production and recycled materials (soda bottles, oil cans, tires) used to create garden beds.  We toured a garden full of tropical herbs and plants used for medicinal purposes, and our guide told us more about the university and efforts students are making to return home to improve their communities’ quality of life with their knowledge.

Following the tour, the adult and youth groups went to dinner with Rev. Pedro to celebrate their work and bid farewells.  Mike Tinsley, Rev. Pedro, and the youth group’s bus driver made speeches of thanks and gratitude, and everyone enjoyed the time together.  On the bus ride home, the adults shared “pows and wows” (high and low points of the day).  Most of the pows were about realizing the poverty and dangerous conditions children face in Guacimo and Hermania, but the wows focused on the steps being taken to improve those conditions, the youth group’s hard work, the community’s excitement about new ideas and resources to bring about change, and the youth group’s excitement about being an agent for that change.