Costa Rica Mission Trip

In February, Stan Curless, Lee Schwartzenburg, Chris Schneider and Tracy Mertens traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica on a short term mission trip to serve with the Roblealto Childcare Association. The Roblealto Childcare Association is a non-profit, Christian, public welfare association founded in 1932. Its mission is to care for Costa Rican children who are in critical situations, at social risk, and/or who need specialized care, so that these children are given chances to become men and women of good standing. For more information about Roblealto please visit their web site at www.roblealto.org/mainpage-eng.htm.

The men met up with Steve and Gay Mean and their children Emma and Sam. The Means are a LLCC family currently serving as missionaries and working with Roblealto. They explored San Jose (population 300,000), visited an open air market and attended a Columbian Refugee church. The next day they visited one of Roblealto's 3 day care centers in the metropolitan area and toured the barrios (shanty towns) where many of the children live. The men were shocked at the level of poverty in these areas. Next, they traveled to the Bible Home in San Jose de la Montana. (Roblealto Bible Homes are temporary shelters where children live while they and their families are assisted. In the Bible Homes, children are under the care of house parents that reinforce the ideal of a stable family home. Roblealto also runs a school where Christian education is provided to
80 children from the shelter and 55 more from the community.)

During the week the men were involved in a construction project to remodel one of the bible homes in need of repair. In the evenings they had dinner and did devotions with the children in the homes. They were also able to fellowship with a team from Minnesota who traveled there to work on the project.

The men had an opportunity to tour a farm run by the Association where coffee and dairy products are produced and there is a chicken breeding farm for the production of egg-laying hens and chickens for consumption. This allows for an improvement in the quality of the food consumed by the children and profits obtained from the operation are invested in the children’s care programs. 

At the end of the week, the men threw a pizza party at the Bible Home. Gifts of toys, candy and personal and school supplies were shared with the children. The men also received a gift from the children, a picture in a handmade frame. The party was a huge success! There was extra pizza and when the children were told they could have 3 pieces each…they were ecstatic! It was a wonderful time for all and both the children and the men shed tears of joy. On Friday, the men returned to San Jose and enjoyed a local tour of butterfly gardens and lush waterfalls and were able to try zip lining through the jungle!

As the men will tell you, it was a trip they will never forget. Not only did God bless the children and the people of Roblealto, but each of the men as well. To find out more about this mission trip, or Roblealto, including how you might sponsor a child, please talk with Stan, Lee, Chris or Tracy. They are eager to share their experience.