The whole group walked up the hill to the first house and we all stopped as Kathia knocked on the door. Kathia talked to the young woman that answered the door for a very short time and just like that Kathia, Andrea, John, and Heather were inside. We were all complete strangers and had been invited inside in a matter of moments. Kathia soon came back outside after making sure Andrea had things under control and we moved on to the next house. Again, the same thing happened, almost immediately Jeremy and Sarah and Natali where inside House #2. Next was the third house and this one was where Kalina and I and our interpreter Lata were supposed to "assess" their situation. The first thing that we noticed before anything else was that there was smoke coming out of the gap between the top of the door and the roof. I was just a bit concerned about this but when we knocked on the door an older man answered the door and he did not even seem to notice the smoke billowing out a few inches above his head. This conversation took a little longer than the others but we were invited inside shortly. Kalina stayed outside with Leia because of the smoke, but Kathia and I went inside. I did not have a camera with me and I think I was the only one besides Kathia that went inside this particular house (mainly because of the smoke) so I don't have any pictures to show you. The first thing inside the door was a wooden platform that was just big enough for a small bed and then there was about a 2 to 3 foot drop down to a sloping dirt floor below for the rest of the house. It looked like the smoke was coming from a small fire that was under a pot. This was apparently how they cooked in the house. We did not spend much time inside, because of the smoke, and it was pretty dark inside. But it was basically 1 room with a bed in one corner, on the ground, the cooking area in the opposite corner, and what looked like a pipe for a shower in the far corner. They did not have a floor like the rest of the houses, so I think they used an outhouse that was close by. The other houses that had floors usually had a toilet sitting over a hole in the floor to the ground below.
The man of the house seemed pretty guarded at first, and I noticed the rest of that day he was always wandering around keeping an eye on us. I don't know if he was just curious or he had nothing else to do. After we brought out the clothes that afternoon and we were about to go buy the supplies, he sought me out, shook my hand and told me, "dios les bendiga" several times. This was a phrase I was actually familiar with, it means "God bless you." He had this huge smile on his face as he shook my hand, and he was so happy. This man and his face sticks out to me above all the others. Maybe it was because he was the first and the last person from the river that I talked too that day. Maybe it was because he was more hesitant than the others at first but he eventually came around and welcomed us with open arms. He was the oldest resident of this small community and as far as I could tell he could not work. So he and his wife were very thankful just for the clothes.
We met a lot of people that day, and the more homes we visited the harder it was to keep up with who lived where and which kids belonged to which parents. A lot of the kids and parents came out of their homes after we had visited them and everyone started mingling together. Our groups also became mixed up as we moved along but, through it all, our Spanish speaking friends did not stop investigating the needs of the people. There were so many different things going on that I became a bit overwhelmed. I was carrying Leia at this point and she is like a little furnace most of the time, always making you more hot than you already were. So, when we had come to the last few houses I walked back down the "tunnel" between these homes and the cliff and found a place where I could just sit and absorb it all.
As I was outside watching I came across another scene that is burned into my memory. One of the young boys that was about the same age as my son Logan was outside the door of his home playing. My boys both have these little mini cars with wheels that they sit on and they use their feet to push themselves up and down our hallways for hours just about every day. It is easily one of their favorite toys. Well this little boy had one of these little cars as well but the problem was that it had no wheels left. The steering wheel was nothing but a broken spindle sticking up. Well, the little guy was not discouraged, he was rocking and bouncing that car along as best he could anyway. Thinking back on it now, it was kind of funny to watch because he seemed to be having fun. But at the time all I could think was that this poor child was having to play with a toy that was basically trash but it was all he had. He was having so much fun, so why was it so depressing to me? Now when I think about it, I felt like this child was deprived. But now I am not so sure that is the case. Yes, by American standards you could easily say that these children were destitute and deprived. But ask yourself, do they see themselves that way? I think that they don't know any different. Children only know what they are taught and exposed to. They are very resilient unlike adults. They can find joy in the simplest things. In Matt. 18:3-4 Jesus says this. Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
There were so many needs in this small community by the River that it would take a lot of resources to "fix" everything so that they could live in what we call standard living conditions. But this is only one community among so many others in this country. We heard of another community in San Jose that apparently has similar conditions as this one called La Carpio. La Carpio has around 50,000 people living there. So you can imagine how there is so much need that is out there that we won't be able to fix. Now don't get me wrong, I believe with all my heart that God is all powerful and with his help we could do anything. But I have to ask myself, what would God really want us to fix that would help these people the most? What they need the most is to hear the gospel, be baptised, and begin a new life as servants of God. In Matt. 6:19-21, Jesus says, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. One of the reasons that I am so excited about doing God's work in Costa Rica is because there are so many people that live just like this every day. The people we met at the River did not have any treasure on this earth. So how much easier would it be for them have faith enough to understand that concept. They don't have anything in this life to tie them down. They don't have worldly riches to put their faith in.
I think I have said enough for one post but please stay tuned as we slowly but surely try to digest and then relate to you our experiences.
To God be the Glory.
posted by David
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