Saturday, July 2 •
Today, I go home. Right now I’m on my final flight, watching Georgia slowly recede out my window. The last week has been a whirlwind of goodbyes as we’ve closed out our time in Costa Rica.
Sunday was our final time to attend church and worship with our brothers and sisters in la Vigía, and Monday was a fun day of cleaning the church and praying the final clothes we washed would dry before we needed to pack them up. On Tuesday, I surprised myself when I could not hold back tears saying goodbye to Pastor Basilio, his wife Isamar, their sons Axel and Deglyss, as well as our third leader Victoria, who has been a rock throughout this trip.
Wednesday took us from San Jose to Atlanta, with a pit stop in Florida where we got to SPRINT from customs to our next gate, and our final leader Janice managed to board the plane after the call to close the doors had been made. More goodbyes came at the airport in Georgia, where some of our teammates left early because of other commitments. We’ve spent the last two days debriefing about the highs and lows of the trip, and mostly alternating between laughing together and crying that it’s coming to an end.
My emotions are still a jumble and likely will be for a little while, but, overwhelmingly, gratitude is the emotion that stands out. I’m grateful to Ellie and Janice and Victoria and Raquel who held the weight of leading this trip while keeping it surrendered to Jesus. I’m grateful to my squad who really became like family, even knowing we’d have to leave so soon, unsure if and when we’d see each other next. I’m grateful to the pastors and community in Costa Rica, for welcoming us in and allowing us to be the body of Jesus alongside them.
At the beginning of this trip, Ellie shared that Jesus didn’t just come to make sinners good people, he came to make dead people alive. And what comes with being alive is feeling everything that comes with aliveness. I’ve felt more range this month than I’ve felt in a long time. I’ve felt annoyance and anger and frustration and pride, and a deep sadness, but I’ve also felt joy and triumph and connection and humility and curiosity and like I’ve said, gratitude.
There’s some fun stories like getting to share with the lady in the coffee shop while we waited out rain, and swinging on the vine and laughing about the “bathroom #2” which was the only one anyone could do “#2” in because bathroom #1 couldn’t flush. Sometimes I wonder if the effort equaled the time put in, or if the dollars given equaled the results we saw- but I don’t think Jesus wonders about those things.
In myself, in my teammates, and in the community we joined in Costa Rica, I saw growth, obedience, community, intimacy, and mission increase. While they aren’t measurable, they are what makes everything we do worthwhile.
Thank you for supporting, praying, or just following my journey. This is likely my last blog, but I’d love to connect further with anyone who’d like to. Thank you Jesus for 4 weeks and the rest of my life on mission ??
