Laura was able to get online late last night and post about our past couple of days to catch you up on the happenings here in Costa Rica. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here! We have taken a little time to become "tourists" and explored different parts of the countryside which has been a blast but what has been even more exciting is getting to know the people. 

Last night at the church, we participated in a worship service led by Iglesia de Discipulos. The church led us through numerous worship songs to which we not only sang but danced alongside each other in a combined act of worship. It was an aerobic workout! But more than that it was a very moving worship experience. God's presence was felt in that space by each and every one of us. To worship and sing praises to our Lord in both Spanish and English (at the same time) was intensely moving.

Tears were shed as a sign of joy for each other, for relationships that were strengthened, and the new relationships which were formed this week. Tears were also shed in sadness that we will depart from this country to return to our own families and churches. We will miss these loving people who have blessed us so very deeply. Our hearts are full.

What began three years ago when we first met these people during our last trip, has been strengthened exponentially. We may be two churches in very different parts of the world but we are one in the body of Christ. As the Costa Rican church prayed over our group last night, the song "Open the Eyes of my Heart" was playing in the background. We sang:
 "Open the eyes of my heart Lord, open the eyes of my heart. I want to see you. I want to see you. To see you high and lifted up. Shining in the light of your glory. Pour out your power and love as we sing holy, holy, holy" 
I looked around that room and saw Christ in each pair of eyes I found. We will continue to sing, holy, holy, holy. We may be miles apart but we will continue to sing the same praises to the One who unites us all. Thanks be to God!

On Thursday and Friday we had two really great days of work at the church.  We continued to paint, and painted almost all of the inside of the church.  They have a sanctuary and two meeting rooms, in addition to a small kitchenette and bathrooms that we were able to clean up and paint.  We also gave some tables a fresh coat of paint and helped to generally clean up the church in preparation for tonight's final celebration together.  Because of what we were able to bring in terms of a donation to the church we were also able to help them (physically and otherwise) to install a roof and a gutter over where the youth meet on Sunday mornings.

Saturday morning we had a GREAT time at "Canopy San Luis" - or zip-lining!  Our entire group flew through the sky like Tarzan and Superman and had a wonderful opportunity to see some of the jungle of Costa Rica.  We have been fortunate to not only get to know the people, but also some of the land while we are here.

We also had the unique opportunity to "get to know" the culture surrounding "La Copa Mundial" or The World Cup, today.  Costa Rica played Uruguay in their first match in the World Cup, and beat Uruguay who was expected to win.  The street and square outside our hotel was CRAZY with excitement and the cars on the streets continued to honk their horns in celebration for about three hours!  What a way to bring together the country!

Tonight was our last night with the church and they put together a large celebration for us tonight.  It was so wonderful to celebrate the Body of Christ with our brothers and sisters from Costa Rica.  We were also able to establish with them that we are in fact from "the same church," all being Disciples of Christ, and so it was great to further develop our relationship with that explanation.  We sang songs and prayed with one another.  They performed dances and songs for us, and we all had marshmallows and hot chocolate by the fire!  They held a very moving prayer for us at the end of the night in which the entire church surrounded our group and prayed for us, and then we all joined in a circle together to pray together for each other.

June 8 - June 15, 2014 our Costa Rican Mission Team from OPCC will be working, fellowshiping (is that a word?) and worshiping with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Alajuela, Costa Rica!  On June 1, in our regular worship service, we commissioned our mission team and sent them on the way with prayers from our faith community.  It appears as if the mission team will be installing a roof, and doing some painting, but more than anything, we are there to nurture the relationships that we have built with our sister church in Costa Rica.  We will do our best to keep you updated by way of the website, through this blog, and of course through Facebook.  We invite you to pray for our entire mission team (listed below), and join us in this prayer for the time while we are away!

Holy and Loving God, we know that Christ has no body but ours, no hands, no feet on earth but ours.  Ours are the eyes with which Christ looks compassion onto this world, ours are the feet with which he walks to do good, ours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.  Ours are the hands, ours are the feet, ours are the eyes, we are his body.  Help us to use our bodies, our minds, and our hearts to be the body of Christ in this world.  Helps us to be carriers of your light to all those we meet.  We pray for your Spirit as this mission team partners with our brothers and sisters in your one family.  We pray for open hearts, and arms, as we embrace the new and unique ways in which they continue to celebrate and share your love with the world.  Grant us the compassion to live one day at a time, as your body here on earth.  Amen.

2014 Costa Rica Mission Trip Participants
Iglesia de Discipluos en Alajuela, Costa Rica

Alli Blackwood
Terri Bookless
Brittany Maxon
Harrison May
Jackie Miller
Kylie Norton
Laura Phillips
Randy Phillips
Layne Reiter
Ann Sandler
Pamela Sandler
Cameron Setty
Kent Setty
Lisa Setty