CR: Day Four

Middletown UMC in Costa Rica - DAY 4 (Thu, 06/09/2011)

Chuck woke me up talking about the bus leaving in a few minutes. As I jumped to attention, the whole room busted up laughing at my morning stupor. ...Off to our new worksite, we arrived at the same time as our tank delivery.

After unloading we entered the church to meet the priest of La Ascention Episcopal Church. He first showed us where he wanted us to install the purifier and then we loaded into a small sanctuary. With brains mulling over a plan to install, Padre explained the history of the church, from it's Anglican roots to its current programs. The program with which we were to become most familiar was that which serves community members with AIDS.

The new water team--Susan, RJ, Nathan D., Megan, and Mikayla (rotating to allow all EDGE trained experts a chance to utilize their skills)---got right to work clearing out the room while Roddy created a game plan for directing the pure water into the kitchen sink. The little maintenance closet become home to two new 400L water tanks while the wall was eventually clothed with a new belt of PVC around the perimeter of the kitchen.

After finding out that the women in the AIDS support and recovery program would not be coming today, our flexible group had to become fluid....(liquid is even more flexible than a flexible solid, and here at EDGE we have this thing for water). We piled on the bus and went to a feeding station that had a water purifier installed about 2 years ago. In the driveway was the first white man I had seen in a while. We met and found out that he was fellow Louisvillian...what a small world.

Franklin Turner and his wife had been in Costa Rica for about 7 years and are interested in the EDGE purifier. (I don't see why anyone wouldn't be!) The children that come to the feeding station eat there for Lunch since going home would mean no food, no parents, no one to take care of them. They are just like children in the US, maybe a little excited to meet Americans, but they are so similar. Upon arriving back at La Ascencion, Catherine and Carolyn took over water team duty and got to work. By the end of the day the PVC manifold and plumbing were nearly complete. With a few finishing touches the project would be complete.

We arrived back at Pastor Angel’s church and had an early debrief. I got into the shower that was boiling hot but it dripped at about a teaspoon per minute—now, that’s what I call a high efficiency shower head. During debrief, Megan and Mikayla did a short group devotion based on the parable of the lost coin. So many of us would have just kicked the quarter under the couch and looked for it the next time we vacuumed. The girls explained how little value we place on things, but how much value we place on getting those things.

From the comments it sounded like the group was starting to understand the freedom that comes with simplicity. They shared how much the enjoyed not having their technology. Every night they prove to themselves how valuable their relationships among themselves are. They play cards and soccer, they sit and talk, they have fun washing dishes together, or making sandwiches. I don’t think I have ever seen someone playing a video game laugh as hard as the sandwich makers were last night. We should enjoy the simplicity but be thankful for what we have. Cata said there is no need to condemn it, just be thankful for it and be willing to do with it what the Lord demands. Debrief came to a close with Mark Smithson expressing his pride in the growth he has seen in this group. I second that.

We had a delicious dinner and I got to listen to Noah tell us about his flan-making skills among others in his goofy, hilarious style. We all went and played mafia for about an hour—I guess, it’s kind of nice not having a watch on me—after we were through silently killing each other with cards and pointing fingers, I enjoyed walking through the house watching all of the little groups that had formed conversations full of exploding laughter and thought provoking questions. All in all, whether they tried to or not, I saw worship for the Lord. What a pleasure it is to spend a week in Costa Rica with a group like this.