Pura Vida in Costa Rica

Bienvenidos! (Welcome!) Hi! My name is Melissa and I’m one of the leaders on the missions trips this week in Moravia, Costa Rica! I also have the privilege of being the wife of the youth pastor, Adam. Below is a picture of the two of us as we’ve been adventuring throughout the towns of Costa Rica.

This week, our group has learned and embraced the characteristic Costa Rican motto “Pura Vida.” The phrase means “pure life,” however, the real meaning is closer to “plenty of life”, “this is living!”,  or “going great!” This week, we’ve experienced many “Pura Vida!” moments. Whether building a house for a family in need, decorating schools with vivid murals, or teaching children and youth in the classrooms of Costa Rica, our group surely has felt “full of life!” Below are a few “Pura Vida” moments from some of our students.

 

Pura Vida: Soccer with the Niños

An upcoming senior, Brad, shared his story of his Pura Vida moment during his time in Costa Rica. For Brad, this moment was when he visited Paracito, a school for students in 1^st-6^th grade. Right as he and his group went into the classrooms, the male students would talk to him a lot. Three days later, as Brad passed the soccer field, Brad began hearing his name called from the field. When he looked to see who it was, he saw that it was students that he met at Paracito on the first day of work. This was a Pura Vida moment for Brad because he realized that something so small such as talking, playing frisbee and playing soccer could impact the kids and make them remember his name. He hopes that these kids will forever be impacted and that they have someone to remember. The small things like seeing the excitement on their faces made Brad realize the impacts you can make, even by doing little things.

Pura Vida: Worship in Spanish

Youth group graduate, Kelly, and an upcoming sophomore, Jared, had a Pura Vida moment when singing with the church’s worship team. Kelly thought it was really cool how language barriers were not a huge issue during worship. The Costa Rican locals sang songs we knew in the United States, and the band would take turns singing in Spanish and English to make sure everyone could understand. Kelly realized that music is universal, and the emotions we felt during worship, while praising the same God, were shared between both cultures. They both had a great experience sing in Spanish and praised God in another country.

Pura Vida: Rafting through the Rainforest

Two upcoming seniors, Emily and Becca, shared their favorite Pura Vida moments happened when white water rafting. They had an awesome guide named Roberto a.k.a. “Tapiz.” After each series of rapids, he had their group of girls put their paddles in the air and scream “PURA VIDA!” They later learned that Tapiz walks 40 minutes from his work to arrive at his house in the tree tops. Yes, he lives in a tree house. They learned he believes in God and he believes that God’s energy is in the nature around him. He truly wants to live out a simple life. He only lives off of the land that surrounds him, and lives off the motto “Pura Vida.” He wanted to impact the girls so that they would live the “Pura Vida” lifestyle. They will cherish this memory for the rest of their lives.

Unfortunately, today is our last day of the mission trip. We all agree that we will miss the adventurous and loving lifestyle of Costa Rica. As we return home to Pennsylvania, we hope to continue to experience “real living” as we grow in our faith and share God’s love with others in our community. What better way to experience “plenty of life” everyday than to continue the “Pura Vida” spirit right at home! Surely we will continue to have lots of experiences to share!

And so, until next time, Pura Vida!

Melissa