Wednesday, February 18, 2009

We were up and ready to travel at 6:15 this morning. It was time to leave Nicaragua, say good-bye to the Parajons, and begin our adventure in Costa Rica. It was a beautiful sunny morning as we flew into San Jose about 9:30. Before the flight we were given immigration slips to fill out which among other questions asked for the address of where we would be staying. I (Mary) had our itinerary for Costa Rica with me, so I told everyone that we would be going to the Rosti-Pollos in Alajuela. Going through the line at the immigration desk, no one was stopped except Marilyn. It was then she was questioned about the Rosti-Pollos, which means “roasted chicken.” We found out it was a restaurant not a hotel! Before Marilyn could get through immigration we had to find the name of the hotel for her.

Mylinda was waiting for us, along with Larry and Robin Sweeny, volunteers here teaching English. Our luggage was loaded into the bus that we will be riding in for the time we are here and off we went. Our driver for the week is Emmanuel. We immediately went to the Bed and Breakfast Robledal, and were greeted with a delicious fruit drink and fresh fruit.

Mylinda had our orientation following and got us ready for the week with our being with the Costa Rican women, our prayers walks and other activities we would be doing during our time here.

Our next stop was the Rosti-Pollos for lunch. It was a great meal and refreshed us for the trip to downtown San Jose for sightseeing. We visited several museums which tell the history of the Pre-Columbian people of Costa Rica. They crafted many of their religious and political symbols from gold and copper mixtures. Many of the miniatures represented frogs, crocodiles, turtles, butterflies and other symbols of their culture. We gathered back at 5:00 and went to dinner.

About 7:30 we were to experience our first prayer walk. Xinia, pastor of the Mansion of Light Baptist Church with nine others of her church met us to go through this experience as well. We broke up into groups of four and five and started our walk around the block. Prostitution in Costa Rica is legal. Pimping is not. The experience of seeing young women with no smiles and having to entertain our North American men especially in the Hotel Rey and Casino was one we will never forget. Our Costa Rican friends took our arms to make sure we were safe, but also to let us know we are one in Christ and we were on this journey together. As we walked and prayed, God was truly in our midst. We didn’t talk to anyone on the street that night, but it gave us the opportunity to see the pain and hurt and we are now leaving those experiences in God’s hands. As we said goodbye to our new Costa Rican friends and headed for the hotel it gave us a time of reflection individually and collectively on the night. The evening had truly been a mission encounter.

— Mary Hamblett and Chris Marziale