The first part of this week I hosted some guys from Virginia whose church is going to take the responsibility of starting new work in the area of San Carlos, Costa Rica. We met with some of the Christians in the area and discussed how we might work together. One dear lady, Patricia, prepared breakfast for us on Tuesday at her home, a beautiful spot nestled in a valley between two mountains.(pictures above) The home is very humble, but is a delightful place to be. It is a country home, repleat with chickens, goats, fruit trees and lots of home grown vegetables. As is often the case in Costa Rica, the windows and doors stay open virtually all the time. Open doors...loose animals...You get the picture.
Patricia loves the Lord and lives with her two youngest children and a long-time friend, Maria. She is divorced and has three older children, 22, 19, and 17. Please pray for the 17 year old, Jackson. He is "in the streets" as they say, and is involved in dealing drugs. It is a heart-breaking worry for Patricia.
A means of support for the family is the production and sale of home produced, organic, toiletry items...shampoo, hand creams, conditioners, etc, all made with various plants and extracts produced right there at their place. She sells them at the "feria", a sort of weekly farmer's market found in every village and barrio.
Patricia says she could move to the city and get a better paying occupation, but she believes it is very important for the children to have the freedom of the country living, the animals, and the raising of their food. I sure can't disagree. What they are experiencing cannot be replaced with a higher income, city traffic, gated and walled houses or easily assesible supermarkets.
The family drives about 10 kilometers to worship with a body of Christian believers who highly value family life and support each other as there is need.
I look at a setting like the one in which this family lives and frankly I am a little jealous. It's a hard life, but it's simple and the children laugh and play and have no idea that they are missing movies and malls. They are learning to love the Lord and life.
