Costa Rica Mission Trip Summary
Dear Friends and Family
I wanted to give/send you a follow-up letter with some information and thoughts on the Costa Rica mission that I was privileged to attend. You were instrumental in supporting and praying for us on this trip and I am grateful for you support. The trip was a huge success, and it changed many lives, both on the team and there in Costa Rica.
We left 01 MAR 2024 in the evening with the most economical flight we could find. We arrived just shy of midnight. There were people waiting for us and a bus and we made it to the hotel and everyone crashed for the night.
DAY 2 and 3 were cultural immersion and preparation days.
We toured downtown San Jose and learned about the history and culture of Ticos (the friendly abbreviation for Costa Ricans…) Lucy and Marco (or Marcito) were our guides. On Sunday we visited a HUGE (did I say huge) farmers market. We were instructed to interact in Spanish (as best as possible) and to get a list of items for a needy family. All the teams were successful.
After this we went to the parent church of Hope Center Costa Rica – Openhouse Project. The service was in Spanish, but they sang a familiar hymn (Great is Thy Faithfulness) and it was easy to worship with the brothers and sisters even with a language barrier.
Before I continue – there is an official blog for the trip – and there are pictures for each day. You can read up about each day at https://friscobible.com/costarica
DAYS 4-5-6-7 were the ministry days and each day was the same schedule. The morning was spent preparing the surface, and then painting a mural on a wall of the public school that is right across from the HOPE CENTER. HOPE is a big partner for the school – in fact their mission is to rescue and transform children in Pavas, San Jose – one of the poorest areas in the country. One of their requirements for families wanting to enroll their kids in the HOPE Center is that they must be in school.
There were a lot of kids that came up for Gringo autographs, and we were able to play soccer (futbol) with them as well.
The mural turned out great – and you can see some of those pictures on the blog mentioned above.
AFTERNOONS were spent at the HOPE Center and was centered on the rollout of Connection Groups. We had different kids each of the 4 days and it was like a small group session with younger and older groups, and it included:
- Play time
- Singing (a break the ice dance)
- A skit
(we created the skit according to this year’s theme: Walking with Jesus, I can have peace) - Split into rooms for crafts and activities.
Many of the students on the trip made very special connections with the kids. There were many long hugs, and we were instructed that you never break a hug until the little kid does so.
I was also able to help with the HOPE computer lab by helping them with the setup of the computers for admin vs student login screens.
Friday and Saturday were bonus days as we waited for our flight on Sunday. We were able to go to a Pacific beach resort, and Saturday was originally scheduled as a souvenir shopping day, but we made the decision to go up to the mountains and view a live volcano. It turned out we got to buy souvenirs on both days.
Sunday, we got to sleep in and then we bussed to the airport, made it through a huge line for customs and security, paid exorbitant rates for a meal, and then we boarded the plane, and made it back home.
TAKEAWAYS
For me personally, I realized several things:
- The world does not run on English. Sure air-traffic-control and banking and some things are based on English, but the world gets on fine without English.
- As many of you know I am currently writing a musical. It is called THE GREATEST SHOW, and it is the story of God from before creation to eternity. I felt a very strong urging from God that I need to complete the musical and get it translated and recorded in Spanish.
- I also was privileged to be insulated from social media for 10 days. It was a huge blessing to not be bombarded with algorithmic news and videos that the big companies think will interest me. While social media is not going away, I have greatly reduced my intake and I am the better for it.
This trip was a life changer for many in the group. Some are going to attempt to intern at the HOPE Center next summer. Many of the students saw real poverty for the first time in their life and came to the realization that not all of the world lives like we do. Many were Juniors and want to go again next year. The team is also taking the super high (summer camp like experience) that this trip was and trying to not just leave that in Costa Rica – but to continue to share God’s love with those around us here in Frisco, TX.
Thank you for your participation in supporting this trip.
I will post videos of the trip at my website: https://TODDLmusic.com
- Opening Song Music Video (click here)
- Trip Summary Video (click here)
- Walking with Jesus, I can have peace SKIT (still in work but will be uploaded soon)
Thank you again. May God richly bless you and may you be a blessing to someone else today and every day.
TODDL
AKA Mr. Todd
AKA TODD LINDSTROM