Walking With the Poor - Notes From the Field

MISSION AWARENESS TRIP TO COSTA RICA
April 1 - 8, 2006

First day is rich and full

Our first full day of the mission awareness trip to Costa Rica began early with a reflection on the parable of the Good Samaritan. Rafael Villalobos is a very gifted leader of these reflections. I was asked to sing “Hearts and Hands” with the group.

Largest trip yet to Costa Rica

We are blessed this time with a group of 30 inspiring travelers, plus a dedicated Costa Rican staff. I am delighted to tell you that a good number of the participants sponsored additional children during the trip. All sponsors were able to spend quality time with their sponsored children and aging.

The team for the 2006 trip

Our Costa Rican staff for this trip is made up of Minor Esquivel, Rafael Villalobos, Elizabeth Rojas, Isabel Alvarado, Javier Vazquez, Osvaldo Acuna, Pilar and many dedicated CFCA community promoters in the subprojects.

San Ramon subproject

Located 41 miles from San Jose, we have 454 children and 13 aging sponsored in the two areas of this subproject: El Poro and Bajo Tejares. In Bajo Tejares, most of the families have come from different places of the country or from Nicaragua mainly, I would say, in search of work. A rallying point for this subproject is the “comedor,” or dining hall, which feeds about 350 children, aging, expecting and nursing mothers daily. About 10 volunteer mothers prepare the food, supervise and clean up. Community promoters in San Ramon are Mayerly Maroto and her sister, Zelmira Maroto.

Second day in Guatuso

Guatuso is located in a rural area used for the cultivation of beans, corn, cassava, cacao, papaya and the raising of cattle. Most of the lands are owned by large landholders. The indigenous people of the Maleku group who have small fields have a difficult time competing with the “big guys” in the open market. They are often exploited by middlemen who underpay them. For the original inhabitants of these lands, profits are often not sufficient to cover even their production costs. Without much education, they are forced to find work as day laborers for a very low wage, not enough to meet even the most basic needs. The native Maleku community, where we now have 20 children and one aging person sponsored, has turned to ecotourism and handicrafts in an effort to make ends meet. They were very kind and open to our visiting group. Our day with them included a guided nature walk under the rain forest canopy, a good lunch, a short cultural program and an indigenous ceremony and visits to individual families.

Nelly

Nelly, 18, is a young Maleku woman who was sponsored from age 8 to 15. She lost her sponsor at age 16. She is a helpful and well-principled person who supports the presence of CFCA in her village. "With love, I support CFCA, hoping to give back to the community some of the blessings I have received," she said. Today, Nelly found a new sponsor in Timothy. Nelly is so very grateful for this new beginning. She is excited about being able to continue her education. Among other things, Nelly wants to study languages and work in the field of ecotourism. Timothy and his father, Eric, see great potential in Nelly.

Day three: Los Chiles

Considering the new children who were sponsored by members of our group, we now have 313 children and 19 aging sponsored in this area. In addition, we have a dozen dynamic service-scholarship students involved in the program who form a small CFCA community of their own, offering many fine service projects in the area. Los Chiles is a rural area located in the northern part of Costa Rica, very near the border with Nicaragua. The unemployment situation is critical. Day laborers in Los Chiles find work only for the four months of the orange harvest. The majority of mothers are heads of households. It is often a serious challenge to feed their children and to send them to school. Many people have little access to health services. They face problems of drug abuse, family disintegration, domestic violence, prostitution, malnourishment and high dropout rates.

Nidia and Sofia: CFCA community promoters in Los Chiles

CFCA promoters in Los Chiles are Nidia and Sofia. They prepared an enjoyable gathering of sponsored children in an outdoor theater under the huge higueron tree. We divided into groups to visit the small school in Asentamiento San Francisco, and several sponsored families. My group visited a family of eight. Mother, Cruz, and father, Francisco, are refugees from the area of El Sauce, Nicaragua. After listening to the account of their early lives, I would consider them both economic and war refugees. Their house is poor, to say the least. Fortunately, three of the children are sponsored. Francisco has suffered from a disabling disease for over a year. He literally leaned on me as he spoke. As a simple day laborer, he cannot belong to the social security system. That is reserved for permanent employees. Their two older children wanted to go to school when they were younger, but their economic condition did not allow it. Katherine, one of the sponsored girls, tends to be sickly and is under medical care through CFCA sponsorship. Parents and children expressed sincere thanks for the sponsorship program.

Outing with sponsored children

With children, aging, sponsors and staff, we filled two large buses on our fourth day. Our outing today will be in the Roma Vista Park, located in Atenas, southwest of the central valley. We are all looking forward to this day of love and sharing between children, sponsors and staff. The new children who were sponsored on this trip are also with us. Obviously, there is a great deal of trust between the families of these children and CFCA. The place is child-friendly and the day turned out to be an enjoyable and memorable outing for the Costa Rican CFCA family.

Heredia subproject and Manos Abiertas

We have 482 children and 38 aging sponsored in Heredia. CFCA promoters here are Maria Elena, Elizabeth, Adriana and Maria Amalia. Poor families in the Guarari section of Heredia struggle to find and keep a place to live. Each family has worked on the construction of their own home out of whatever materials are available. The community, working together, was able to obtain a few basic services from the municipal government. The area of Guarari is prone to robbery, drug dealing, assault, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, family disintegration and unemployment.

The family of Doña Ivania

We visited the family of Doña Ivania, sole head of her household. She and her four children live in a small home next to the grandmother's house. This humble family considers it a great blessing to have belonged to CFCA for the past 14 years. The oldest child, Minor, is 15 and attends fourth grade. Because of psychomotor challenges, he finds it difficult to study. Doña Ivania told us that something she has learned with CFCA is not to give up. She encourages Minor to stay in school. Doña Ivania has also learned about self-esteem and how to value herself as a woman who struggles for her family. Her youngest boy, Kendal, was sponsored today by 13-year-old mission awareness trip participant Beck.

Vulnerability in the harshness of the land

We were also able to visit the family of Doña Grace and Don Rafael. Rafael was out looking for pieces of discarded scrap iron to sell. Grace was home with the five children. Neither parent had a chance to go to school in their youth. Things in the home were organized for a humble home in a rough neighborhood. There is space reserved for each child, albeit cramped. A family portrait speaks of love and pride. The oldest girl, Beatriz, 17, helps the other children with their homework. Grace explained that the neighborhood is extremely dangerous, so much so that the children are not able to leave the house unescorted. I found myself thinking, what are beautiful children like you doing in a place like this, prisoners in your own little home? I find this family to be humble, polite, studious and just plain wholesome. I also found them to be very vulnerable in the harshness of their setting. None of the children is sponsored, yet. "Please remember me," pleaded 11-year-old Yuliam as we left. I pray that we can find sponsors for them soon.

Fundación Hogar Manos Abiertas

Sister Marlene, the founder of this love-filled home for special children and adults, is on retreat. Our host this afternoon at Manos Abiertas (Open Hands) was Luis Diego Granados, a lay missionary serving the special children and adults in this attractive and friendly place. Eleven of the 52 members of the home are currently sponsored through CFCA. It was good to see the improvements in the kitchen, financed by a CFCA sponsor.

Final day of the trip: Cartago subproject

This is our largest subproject in Costa Rica with 773 children and 10 aging sponsored. The CFCA promoters here are Maria Elena, Maritza, Nuria and Ana Gretel. In the Cartago area, CFCA is serving in the neighborhoods of Manuel Jimenez, Cocori and El Dique. El Dique was constructed in 1963 as a result of the eruption of the Irazu volcano. It is a real dike along a real river. During the 1980s, the area along the dike was gradually occupied by people in extreme need. There are many social problems in this area such as domestic violence, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse and prostitution.

Visits to families in El Dique

One family consists of the mother and eight children. They were abandoned by an alcoholic father and have overcome many difficulties in life. We thanked them for their inspiration. My group also visited the family of Grandmother Lourdes. In addition to her own children, Lourdes has been raising twin grandchildren, Angie and Telvin. These outgoing 8-year-olds were abandoned by drug addicted parents at 6 months of age. With pride, they showed us their rabbit, ducks, chickens and their neat and orderly school notebooks.

Hard to say goodbye

The official close of the 2006 mission awareness trip to Costa Rica consisted of a gathering of hundreds of sponsored children, youth, aging, parents and staff in a community hall in Cartago. The activities included performances by children, aging and staff plus a live demonstration by the smallest children of Costa Rican traditions. We also enjoyed a wonderful lunch, a sports fest, traditional dancing with the aging, old-fashioned pastimes like kite-flying, jacks, jumping rope and, of course, a community soccer match, which included staff, children and sponsors. Jerry, who sponsors 17 children, jumped rope with his sponsored girl, Karlen, with considerable agility. He was also seen trying to walk on stilts. Many tears were shared as sponsors and families said goodbye, for now.

Blessings in the risen Christ

Cristina and I thank you for traveling with us in prayer and spirit. We wish you every blessing and success during this Holy Week and Easter season. After Holy Week, we will prepare for the mission awareness trip to Honduras.

Bob Hentzen
San Jose, Costa Rica
April 9, 2006