Tara Abner, Charger Staff
Often we hear of people going on mission trips, but what exactly is a mission
trip? A mission trip is when you go to a place and spread the word of God. Most
people think that you have to go to a foreign country to go on a mission trip,
but the truth is you can go in your own state or community. Anywhere you go
and share the word of God is considered a mission trip.
Recently,
I sat down and talked with Sarah Davidson. Sarah went to Costa Rica this summer
with Teen Mania Ministries and stayed for two weeks.
When asked how she got the money, and if there was any fund raising involved,
Davidson replied, “The money was the hard part. I had car washes, bake
sales and numerous product sales. It couldn’t have been done without the
help of my friends.”
When questioned how she felt about going to a culture completely opposite from
America’s, she replied, “I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
It was truly different from ours.”
“Leaving my family and friends was really hard at first, but after I saw
how much the people needed me it was all worth it,” stated Sarah.
In order for Sarah to get to Costa Rica, she had to fly on three airplanes,
take five bus trips, and do lots of walking.
Davidson says, “We could certainly learn a lesson in manners from the people
of Costa Rica. I have never met a more welcoming group of people.”
The money in Costa Rica is called colonés. Every thirty-three cents
here in America equals two colonés for them. Everything also costs more
there.
When asked about the culture in Costa Rica, she said, “Their culture is
much more accepting of people. They love everyone. That’s something we
have difficulty with.”
Their housing was a little different from ours. They have bars on the doors
and windows. Costa Ricans do not use a toilet, but instead use a bucket. The
father will designate one person per week to take the bucket to the brook and
dump it. If there is no father then the mother will designate one person. All
their meals consisted of beans and rice. While there, Sarah and the others slept
on the floor of a Bible college. During one of the village trips, they slept
on the dirt floor of a church.
“I was so upset to leave Costa Rica. I fell in love with that country
and the people there. There were so many people that we had reached, but so
many we had not,” says Sarah.
When asked if she would go back and do the whole trip over again, she replied, “Absolutely, only I would stay longer.”
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