Adventures...
Posted by Amanda , Wednesday, May 5, 2010 9:36 AM
I'm not sure my life has ever been this crazy, unpredictable or adventurous. I thought driving through Africa was an insane feat, but the adventures just keep on coming.
As if every day here wasn't spontaneous enough, this past weekend took a strange, unexpected turn...
One of my teammates, Isaac, became sick on Saturday with intense stomach pain. On Sunday morning, Leslie, one of my outreach leaders, showed up with her six-month old baby Koa and asked if someone would accompany her to San Jose to take Isaac to the doctor. Thinking this would only be a day trip and I could spend my Monday relaxing on the beach, I gladly agreed to go. What we thought would be a quick two-hour road trip up to San Jose, turned into a 4 1/2 hour trip on a dirt and gravel road, through the mountains and rainforest, along cliff edges with a car that would not stop shaking. We had taken this road as a shortcut, but quickly learned it was not. After an hour, I felt as though it would never end. I could imagine us on this road for days, driving, driving, driving...never finding a way out. Dramatic, I know, but at this point I felt as though I was going a little insane...I could not stop laughing at what was happening. On the other hand, the nature and beauty that surrounded us on this road was unbelievable. The "fake jungles" in the Zoos at home can't even begin to do places like this justice. It was breathtaking.
After making it to San Jose and the doctor, we discovered that the car wouldn't start. I just want to remind you all that at this point we still had a six-month old baby with us. We were unsure of what to do, but Isaac made some calls and soon we found ourselves in another car, watching the van get towed to a mechanic and on our way back to a Camp Center to stay the night with a missionary couple and their family.
The Camp Center was located back in the depths of Costa Rica, surrounded by hills and forests. The roads we were taking made me feel like we were on a roller coaster. We arrived, not knowing what to expect. We knew there was no electricity, but we weren't sure about anything other than that. It turns out this missionary couple is from Kentucky, the woman grew up Amish and he was a carpenter and farmer. They are building a Camp Center to host teams, Pastors, conferences, retreats, ect. It's an amazing place and the work they have done is phenomenal. I could not believe their hospitality, generosity, selflessness or devotion to God. It was incredible and inspiring. They have not yet built a home for themselves. Instead, they are first working on getting the Camp Center done. They heard God and trusted Him for this place and now it is coming alive. I've never seen such pure faith and action. It was beautiful.
Their family was so welcoming, feeding us, talking with us, giving us an amazing room with comfortable bunk beds. Leslie and I had a slumber party that night and the next morning took some walks through the woods, played some games and then were able to pick up the car and head back home to Jaco.
It constantly amazes me that God puts such wonderful people around me. I am always learning and growing. Just watching the way Leslie handled what could be a stressful situation with laughter and grace, taught me a lot about worrying, stress and attitudes. Because of Leslie's loving, gracious and easygoing attitude toward the situation, I felt completely at ease and wasn't upset at all by the twist of events. Instead it turned into a nice, relaxing time. The family that took us in did so without any question. Then, they treated us like special guests and did everything they could to make us as comfortable as possible. Listening to their story really affected me as well. Just hearing about their faith was encouraging. I'm so thankful that God put these people in my life to show me the characteristics, attitudes and faith I want to have.
Every day is a new adventure. Every day is a journey, a growing experience, a time to learn.
I'm learning, growing and venturing in thrilling, beautiful ways.
Sadly, I did not have my camera with me, but here are some pictures I found that might give you a glimpse into what I saw...
This "kind of" shows what the road was like. Much crazier though. And more beautiful.
dude, hahah, when you said that all you were doing was laughing at the situation I totally heard you laughing inside me head, which in turn made me start laughing. haha I love that. Well, it sounds like it was a pretty eventful trip, and you met some amazing people once again! I think I would like to go to Costa Rica some day!