St. John's Episcopal Church - Costa Rica Mission
 

Saint John's Episcopal Church 

2006 Costa Rica Mission Trip

Fifteen of St. John’s youth and four adults traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica on July 1, 2006 to continue our work with the Episcopal Diocese of Costa Rica. This year we were again helping the Ascension Episcopal Church. An old friend, Arturo Morales. Morales has been appointed as interim rector following the death last fall of Soledad Robles Gonzalez. Morales, as he prefers to be called, has the support of the congregation as they work to continue to build their church.

The first two days we cleaned walls and metal work and then painted. The church got a nice facelift and we got a neater place to conduct Vacation Bible School. The new kitchen, built by the parishioners and funded by St. John’s, is a great addition as is the dining room. There remains a good bit of work to do on the physical plant.

After a day off at a nearby national park it was on to VBS. We had 50 – 60 kids each day, some friends from last year and some new faces. This was the youngest group from St. John’s that we have ever taken. They proved up to the challenge. One of our 9th graders commented to Brian that his group was starting to act just like freshmen boys back at school in Charlotte. He found himself in a new role as the teacher trying to keep order. The children, both ours and theirs, all had a great time with their VBS activities. I wish you could all have heard the singing.

We stayed at the Diocesan House as we have in the past. The cooking, provided by chief cook Sandra, a/k/a the Bishop’s wife, and her assistants was again so good that we never felt the need for a dinner out. Sandra even held an impromptu cooking class one morning at 5:45 for those who could get up. With our transportation needs taken care of by Fernando, driver extraordinaire we were well cared for wherever we went.

A full day on the west coast resting from our work in the city finished our week. We all broadened our views of the world a bit. I, for one, am looking forward to next year. Contributed by Garry Ballenger.

See photos below:

Images from Costa Rica

hot days
[ 480 x 317 ]
17713 bytes
dirty hands
[ 480 x 317 ]
24717 bytes
good spirits
[ 480 x 317 ]
24846 bytes
dining hall
[ 480 x 312 ]
26813 bytes
bright yellow is good
[ 480 x 317 ]
19684 bytes
coat of paint
[ 317 x 480 ]
18976 bytes
says it all
[ 317 x 480 ]
17821 bytes
limbo anyone?
[ 317 x 480 ]
21770 bytes
limbo
[ 480 x 317 ]
23207 bytes
little break
[ 317 x 480 ]
20283 bytes
busy hands
[ 480 x 317 ]
30164 bytes
hard at work
[ 317 x 480 ]
25741 bytes
clean-up
[ 317 x 480 ]
28674 bytes
fellowship
[ 480 x 317 ]
17754 bytes
happy work
[ 480 x 317 ]
16784 bytes
With the Bishop
[ 480 x 312 ]
23294 bytes
steel work
[ 480 x 317 ]
39680 bytes
more steel work
[ 480 x 317 ]
19509 bytes
power tools
[ 480 x 317 ]
24907 bytes
cleaning to prepare for paint
[ 480 x 317 ]
19056 bytes
helpers
[ 480 x 317 ]
29361 bytes
painting
[ 480 x 317 ]
25984 bytes
Singing in VBS
[ 480 x 317 ]
29235 bytes
VBS banner
[ 480 x 317 ]
30362 bytes
welding
[ 480 x 317 ]
29285 bytes
at church
[ 480 x 317 ]
17096 bytes
Costa Rica Rain Forest
[ 480 x 317 ]
57124 bytes
tree canopy tour begins
[ 480 x 317 ]
32671 bytes
not afraid of heights
[ 480 x 317 ]
33772 bytes
here I go!
[ 480 x 317 ]
36301 bytes
now or never
[ 480 x 317 ]
38482 bytes
the view is worth it
[ 480 x 317 ]
55031 bytes
in the canopy enjoying the view
[ 480 x 317 ]
41223 bytes
The other side!
[ 480 x 317 ]
33444 bytes
VBS stage
[ 480 x 317 ]
33764 bytes
singing
[ 480 x 317 ]
26693 bytes
dancing
[ 480 x 317 ]
23181 bytes
enthusiasm
[ 480 x 317 ]
28349 bytes
music
[ 317 x 480 ]
17392 bytes
joy
[ 480 x 317 ]
21644 bytes
high fives
[ 480 x 317 ]
31473 bytes
teaching
[ 480 x 317 ]
22013 bytes
smile!
[ 480 x 317 ]
17640 bytes
crafts
[ 317 x 480 ]
28042 bytes
and more crafts
[ 480 x 317 ]
27250 bytes
bubbles
[ 480 x 317 ]
20709 bytes
and more bubbles
[ 480 x 317 ]
24690 bytes
race
[ 480 x 317 ]
29682 bytes
skits
[ 480 x 317 ]
27410 bytes
treasure
[ 480 x 317 ]
26632 bytes
the crew
[ 480 x 317 ]
32463 bytes
  
Impressions from the Youth

“After all the manual labor, you didn’t feel as tired because you know you did something good.”- Nick Coma

“After a second year of VBS in Costa Rica I still think it is amazing how much you can share with someone without actually saying anything at all. I speak very little Spanish, and most of the kids don’t speak English, but you still form a special bond with them just by being there, playing with them and laughing with them. They taught us as much, if not more, than we taught them. I will also never forget how much they loved singing “Pharoah, Pharoah” in English even though they didn’t understand a single word of it.”-Paige Wolf

“The VBS kids were absolutely adorable. Most of them were not living in great conditions and did not have the luxuries that we have, but for some reason they seemed much happier than any kids that I’ve met. I wanted to take them all home because the bond that grew between the children and the team was wonderful, which made it hard to say goodbye. This was my first time on the Costa Rica Mission Trip. It definitely was much better than anyone could have expected. Not only did we have an AMAZING time and we all bonded as a team well, but it made me appreciate everything I have. It also made me realize that there are people that are not nearly as fortunate as we are. I am very thankful I went on this trip and cannot wait till next year!” - Laura Winslow

St. John's Episcopal Church
1623 Carmel Road
Charlotte, NC  28226
Tel: 704-366-3034
Email: staff@saintjohns-charlotte.org
Website: webmaster@saintjohns-charlotte.org

Click here to read The Voice newsletter