Returning from Alto Coen and meeting with the Cabecar Council.

Long before daylight this morning, a rooster right next to the house started crowing about every 15 seconds, so it was hard to sleep. I tried until about 5:30 and then got up. We had an appointment with Benjamin at noon, so we knew we had to leave early, and we were on our way back by 7:00. The way back was very enjoyable because it is a beautiful hike, and we did not have any health issues. Yon and I both felt extremely healthy today, so for that we were very thankful.

Still, the hike was extremely hot, so by the time we reached Sibodi to catch the bus, we were quite ready for a relaxing ride just sitting back sipping our water. This was not to be. Shortly after we left, the engine stalled and our driver told us to push! It was a rocky partially muddy dirt road, and the bus was the size of a school bus. Amazingly, with 1 woman and 5 guys including the driver we were able to push it about 15 feet to get a jump start, and we were on our way.

It was about 12:30 when we arrived in Suretka, and we were starving so we grabbed a bite to eat and made it to Benjamin’s by 1:00. An hour late. Not bad by local standards.

Our objective was to work with him to visit the two Cabecar villages, and I felt strongly that we needed to first meet with the Cabecar Council. We hired a truck to take us to the Council headquarters and a very formal meeting ensued. In the end they welcomed the team, and it turns out that the leaders of the villages were on the council, so we worked out all of the details in the meeting. While it was a bit of a formality, it was very important to go through this process, so that we can respect the tribe and start the relationship off right.

It’s Wednesday night and I’m now in a cabin in Puerto Veijo. Yon and I must go to the Western Union here early tomorrow and try to pick up the money for the team next week. Once this is done we just have to make a couple of phone calls, and everything will be in place. It’s been a great week, and I think it’s been very productive. I’ve learned more about Bribri culture, and we’ve been able to more clearly see some of the political issues in the area, and we have a better idea of the correct way to proceed. I’ll be leaving on Friday, so this trip will soon come to an end. I will miss Costa Rica.

Coroma, Bajo Coen, and Sibodi

Monday, February 22

I’m writing this on my mini laptop from a hut in the middle of a tropical forest. We are in the village of Sibodi, and we are staying at the home of Elijah who is the Vice President of the board for the Bribri Council. This is a fairly large but traditional house. It is made of wood and leaves for the roof. Elijah and his family have been very welcoming of us, and we are lucky because they have a couple of foam mattresses and a mosquito net. Life is good.

We left Finca at 7:30 this morning and took a bus to the offices of the Bribri council. We waited for a while for the President to arrive, but fortunately Albir, our guide, became impatient and convinced Timoteo to let us meet with him and Albir and another man inside the offices. I am not sure what his position was. He approved of our visits this week but stipulated that when we return we need to submit a written document expressing our intentions for the work of the student’s week. This must be formally approved; however, it is evident that they are inclined to be welcoming, so we are not concerned.

We then left with Albir to embark on our journey. We stopped by the grocery store in Suretka and purchased several bags of rice, some cans of tuna, some packs of refried beans. We are carrying enough to leave as gifts for some of the villages, so it is weighing us down a bit.

It was almost noon by the time, we boarded our boat to the trail head for Coroma, and about an hour later we were there. Our visit to Coroma was pretty routine, and we soon moved on to Bajo Coen having made all of the arrangements for the students to come next week. It was about a half hour hike from to Coroma to Bajo Coen. After conversing with, Porfirio, the leader of Bajo Coen for a while, we continued on to Sibodi.

On our hike from Coroma to Bajo Coen, we had an interesting conversation with our guide Albir. We asked him about the relationship between the Bribri and the Cabecar tribe. He explained that they are closely connected, and the Cabecar tribe possesses a higher spiritual position than the Bribri because they can speak with Sibú, which is the Bribri God. This was interesting to hear from Albir considering he is Bribri. So while they are separate tribes, the Bribri and Cabecar share the same cultural heritage and deity structure.

He had previously told us about a village called Alto Cabeca, which is about a half day hike past Alto Coen. He said that here there is a Queen who is an Usekra. This is the highest group among the tribes, and she is the one that speaks to Sibú. He explained that they are very conservative, and they are not very welcoming of outsiders. We expressed a desire to visit there in the future, but he told us that it is a very sacred place and that when he goes he normally stays for at least a week and helps them with some of their work. He said that if we want to go up there in the future, we should bring a messenger a few weeks in advance bringing gifts and hope that they will let us come. I can only assume that there is little to no knowledge of the gospel there, so I am praying that the Lord will open that door to visit in the future.

From Bajo Coen, we moved onto Sibodi to Elijah’s house where I am right now. We had to cross the Coen River by boat and walk through some other streams to make it, but it was not far. He showed us the school, and said that teams would be welcome to come to his community and work on projects as well. While we were in there, some young people came up to Elijah and said that someone broke their foot. We went with him to find her, and she was by the side of the road in a hammock, and a man was wrapping it with gauze. Her leg was bloody and bent, so it seemed like it was a bad break. For her to get to a hospital, she had to wait for the bus was to come and bring her to Sepecue, and from there she needed to ride in a boat to Suretka. She will probably go to the health clinic there for her initial treatment. I’m sure this was a long painful trip for her.

I’m the last one up, and I should try and get some sleep, for tomorrow we travel to Alto Coen. Fortunately, the river is low, and it hasn’t been raining, so I’m expecting to make it in a couple of hours. We shall soon find out.

A productive day

Sunday, February 21

We were packed up and on our way back to Albir’s house by 6:30 this morning, and we soon arrived and found that he was home! We met with him and confirmed that he could guide us to the villages of Coroma, Bajo Coen, Sepecue, and Alto Coen. He informed us that he had kept some contact with the people of Alto Coen via radio and that the bridge was not yet finished. We did not stay long because we wanted to get back to meet with Benjamin, but we arranged with Albir to begin the journey after the meeting with the Council tomorrow morning.

From Albir’s house, we walked back to the Mission in Amubri to catch the bus. We talked with an older lady there who spoke both Spanish and English, and she told us that she had been at that mission for about 40 years. We also met a very old white man, who she told us was a priest from Germany, and he was the one that built the mission. She said that when she first came the whole area was nothing but jungle, which was interesting considering the current level of development. It sounded very similar to Alto Coen today.

We summoned the head priest through the ladies in the kitchen, for we had hoped get his contact information, but as we were waiting for him the bus came. We had to hop on for if we didn’t catch this bus it would be either walk or wait 4 hours!

Once we took the bus and crossed the river again, we had a short walk to Benjamin’s office. We had no way of knowing if he would be there, and no way to contact him, so we hoped for the best. When we arrived, we found that his office was closed, so we asked a man in a nearby house. He informed us that Benjamin was in Shiroles, which is about an hour walk or a 20 minute bus ride. Upon further inquiry, we learned that he had left in a red truck at 5:00 this morning and that he planned to go to Bribri after Shiroles. This was a serious setback because by now it was nearly 9:30, and he could be either place. If we didn’t connect with him it might be difficult to plan the rest of our week because we need him to help arrange a visit later this week to two Cabecan villages.

Unsure of what to do, we decided to walk back to Suretka, and as we approached a foot bridge that crosses a large stream we saw a red truck driving up. Could it be him? That would be too lucky. But sure enough, as it approached we could see the frame the Benjamin; he is part Bribri and part Columbian and of African descent, so he is much larger than your typical Bribri. Yonathan waived him down, and he introduced me to Benjamin, for this is the first time I’ve met him. We jumped in the back of the truck and headed back to the office.

The meeting was very productive. We talked with him about going to the Cabecan villages, and he told us that he was going next week to Alto Coen, so it looks like he may be able to accompany the team when they go there next week. We left shortly afterward, and he agreed to meet us around noon on Wednesday at his office to visit the Cabecan villages. Mission accomplished.

Next, we headed back toward Shiroles to the camp that hosted our teams last summer, Finca Educativa. On our way, we stopped and talked with Sebastian, one of the local boat drivers and confirmed that he can help transport the teams next week.Yesterday we spent all day and only met with one of the people we hoped to meet with, and today by noon, we had accomplished everything we needed to accomplish. God definitely blessed our efforts. We walked for about half an hour and arrived at the camp and got a room for the night, so our days work was completed by early afternoon.

We are elated to find that they have upgraded from dial up internet to satellite at Finca, and they have a wireless router. I’m actually online posting this blog with my mini laptop in my room. It is amazing to be at a place in the middle of tropical forest that is only accessible by dirt roads and have wireless Internet!

Tonight we will have a warm shower and a hot meal prepared by the camp, but tomorrow all of this will change. We’re heading to the jungle, and we won’t be back until Wednesday. Whatever happens, I’m praying that God would direct our steps and accomplish his purpose. I’ll post my blogs when I return to report how it goes.

As they say in Costa Rica, pura vida!

The Story of Many Waters Mission

The first time I rolled up to Many Waters Mission, I was intrigued. The old brick building, which was formerly a Catholic school was admittedly a bit spooky, and most of the missionaries serving there were old enough to be my grandparents. I couldn’t help but wonder what the story was behind this place and the people who continued to live in there. I would soon find out.

In the early 1980’s, Don and Lynn Cartwright and their three children left their comfortable life in Ohio and loaded up a blue bus and headed to the Navajo Reservation in the remote southwestern desert. They did not know where they would end up much less how they would make a living, but they were convinced that God had called them. At this time there were very few Christians among the Navajo, for most adhered to the traditional religion and were hostile to the “white man’s” faith. In fact, many Navajo at the time were afraid of white people because they believed if they were to touch one they would contract an evil spirit. To make matters worse, the few churches that did exist were comprised basically of young Christians who were still very concerned about these traditional fears. Even many pastors had very little understanding of the Christian faith. I can only imagine what a harrowing venture this must have been.

When they arrived, they first stayed at a church in Twin Pines, New Mexico, and then proceeded to a church on a mountaintop in Wheatfields, Arizona. It was here that they spent their first winter stranded in a blizzard among strange people of whom many did not even speak English, and all were unaccustomed to their presence. Accommodations were rustic; they stayed in the bus until it became too cold, and then were permitted to stay in the church which had a wood burning stove. This and the fire where they did all of their cooking was the only source of heat. Food was an issue, and on a few occasions even survival became a question. (As I learned this story, I couldn’t help, but think that this makes EM’s short-term mission trips seem pretty plush.) However, through the Lord’s provision and the assistance of the local Navajo, they did survive and built lasting relationships with the local church.

They lived out of the blue bus in Wheatfields, for about two years until it became clear that there ministry was to continue, but it would no longer be in the heart of the reservation. They moved to the edge of the reservation and eventually purchased the old school where they live to this day. This school is located in Waterflow, New Mexico where three rivers converge; hence the name “Many Waters Mission.” While it is not actually on the Reservation, it is definitely in Navajo country. When the Cartwrights moved here, there was a serious problem with alcoholism and homelessness in the area. Alcoholics were getting killed about every day because they would walk in front of cars at night. Many Waters Mission soon became a full-fledged rescue mission and alcoholics and homeless were consistently taken in off the street.

Today, Many Waters Mission does not serve as a rescue mission, but it continues to serve the area by distributing food and supplies. Each week Navajo pastors come from miles around to receive pastoral training. Don and Lynn are involved with nearly 30 churches across the Rez, many of which they’ve planted and assisted by recruiting teams to build churches.

In my recent trip to the Reservation, I stayed at the mission, and Don and Lynn and Steve and Rosalie, who work with the mission, took me to several of the churches with whom they partner. These churches continue to live amidst hostility from traditional Navajo, but it is evident that through Don and Lynn’s obedience to God’s call, the gospel has been advanced and many lives have been changed. For me, it was meaningful just to watch and learn about the work of God. I gleaned much from my conversations with Don and Lynn about their spiritual journey.

It is our goal to recruit several teams to serve on mission trips to the Navajo Reservation in the upcoming summer and in the future, and I can’t help but feel honored to have a part in continuing the work that God has doing here. While there are many more Christians than there were in the early 1980’s, traditional Navajo spirituality is still the dominant religion, and the local churches and pastors are faced with continued economic oppression and spiritual attack. It is my prayer that through our presence, we can encourage and undergird these brothers and sisters who are faithfully serving among their people.

To read further about Don and Lynn’s beginning among the Navajo you can read Lynn’s book entightled God Knows Where I AM.

Community meeting with the people of Alto Coen

March 5, 2009

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. We woke up on Wednesday morning and honestly the village still seemed somewhat surreal. It is so remote and primitive that it seems more like something you would see in a movie than actually experience. However, my completely wet clothes and wet muddy shoes were a good reminder that this was very real.

Before going to the bridge site, we were asked to meet at the school. They happened to be having a parents meeting that day and they were facing a problem. In order to have a school, they are required by the government to provide forms for each student. The forms used to be free but now the government is charging a processing fee. For all of the students this will add up to 70,000 colones, which is about $140. This may not seem like much, but these forms are due by the end of the month and the community has no idea how to come up with the money. To give an idea, they explained that when they turn in the forms they plan on applying for scholarships which would provide food for the students for the entire year. They have applied in years past on the basis of extreme poverty but were rejected because they put zero dollars as the annual income of the village, which the government assumes cannot possible be accurate. They explained that they do not make money because they live completely off the land. They were actually planning on making up a fake number to put on the forms. They presented a request to our team for Experience Mission to pay for the forms. We responded that we would discuss it as a team and let them know by the end of the day.

After this rather intense meeting, we proceeded to the site of the bridge. When we arrived about 30 members of the community had gathered to meet us. The leader was Castulo Reyes Reyes who has been leading the bridge project. We also found that members of the village that live across the river also gathered on the other side. Castulo and our guide Albir explained to us that the river has risen and it is too treacherous to cross, so they would not make it to the meeting. Nontheless, they still gathered to watch proceedings from the other side. Castulo began to explain to us how hard they have been working on the bridge in our absence but that they have done as much as they can do without the help of an engineer. We interviewed 10 representatives of the tribe and each explained from his or her perspective why the bridge was so important. Castulo was that last to interview, and he expressed his hope that we could unite together as one to complete the project. This bridge not only unites the community, but it makes it possible for those on the other side to come into the village and go to school and access the community health center. The petitions of the community were very compelling, and I think we all walked away with a sense of urgency about the project.

At the conclusion of the meeting, our translator Yon and I talked to Albir, and he explained that he thought a couple of the able-bodied men on the team could cross the river with assistance from the locals. He explained that it would mean a lot to those on the other side if we made the crossing. As the EM representative, I was forced to make a decision. The crossing is very dangerous, and there was definite risk involved. Yon was the only person on the team that speaks Spanish, so he was an obvious choice but he cannot swim so he was definitely out. I speak a little Spanish, so I felt that it was my duty to make the crossing. Also, Trey, one of the students expressed a desire to cross. I was confident in Trey’s ability to make the crossing, so I allowed him to accompany me, and we made the crossing. Albir and Castulo guided us to the point we would cross, and when we arrived they had three men on each side of the rapids hold ropes for us. We would cross the chest high rapids by using the ropes that they held. Fortunately, we both made the crossing without any close calls, but we were both surprised by the strength of the current and felt that it was indeed a very dangerous river.

Once across I was in for an even bigger challenge; a speech in my very poor Spanish. We were taken to the site of the bridge construction and met all those gathered. I talked to Margarito, the President of Alto Coen for a while and then addressed the community. If it was not such an important occasion, the scene would have been comical. We had an American who spoke very little Spanish giving a speech in Spanish to an indigenous tribe that only spoke Bribri. Albir was the translator and luckily he seemed to understand what I said. In spite of the less than ideal communication, the Bribri seemed to really appreciate the gesture, and we shortly returned and safely made it back across the river. Mission accomplished.

By the time our group returned to the village to eat, it was about 2:00, but we all agreed it seemed much later. It had been and intense day. After a lengthy team meeting and meal, we spent the time relaxing, and talking to some of the Bribri as best as we could. A few of them spoke Spanish, so Yon could translate. I went through the pictures and videos from the day and all the Bribri in the house gathered in amazement. From toddlers to elderly, they all seemed delighted with the technology.

During our afternoon meeting, we had decided to donate the 70,000 colones for the school, so to conclude the meeting we presented our decision to the community. They were delighted that we were going to help, and we had a chance to talk to them a bit as a group after the meeting. The mutual respect and trust was evident, and it was touching to see how God had used our time in Alto Coen.

I could go on and on, but I don’t have time to go into the details of our return trip. Suffice to say that it poured all day and with the river rising we were forced to take a long and strenuous detour. The important thing is that we returned safely thanks to our trusty guide Albir. The whole team was tired but also felt quite a sense of accomplishment at having hacked through miles of Jungle. This was certainly a unique mission trip experience, and I am confident that our time in Alto Coen is something that none of us will ever forget.

The IWU team journeys to Alto Coen

March 3, 2009

Today, half of the IWU class and their instructor Jill journeyed to the Bribri village of Alto Coen with Yon and I. This expedition is one of the primary objectives of this mission trip. Experience Mission started construction of a bridge in Alto Coen about a year ago, and our job is to check up on the work by gathering a progress report and talking to the villagers about the next steps. Last spring EM was able to get US Military helicopters to fly materials into Alto Coen. In the meantime, members of the village had dug massive holes for the posts of the bridge. Our hope was that they had been able to fill in the holes so they they would not be washed in. We were soon to find out.

Our plan was to take a pickup truck to Suretka and meet our boat driver Sebastian who would take us up the river to meet a bus. This bust would then take us to the point of departure for a four hour hike to the village. The first stop was the grocery store in Suretka; there we purchased enough rice and beans for our time in Alto Coen. Next, we grabbed breakfast at a local restaurant. It would be our last real meal until evening. It began raining steadily by the time breakfast was done, so we were in for a wet boat ride. The boat ride was indeed rainy but it went smoothly, and we soon saw our bus parked by the river. We landed by the bus as planned and the first leg of our journey was complete.

We had to wait about a half an hour for the bus to leave and during this time our guide told us that some of the cement that we had dropped off had been damaged. This
report made us all the more anxious to arrive at Alto Coen and see the progress.

We finally loaded onto the bus, and we were about to see just what kind of land a big bus can drive on. The roads were terrible, and then much to our surprise we began to drive through a fairly wide stream right at the point where it entered the river. We were even more shocked when the driver parked in the stream and waited. However, it soon became apparent that our driver was waiting on a boat which eventually came and laden with a bunch of supplies. The supplies were loaded directly onto the bus and we proceeded. Next, we once again were forced to drive through the river and we were stunned to see that we drove through water nearly a foot deep! However, the bus puttered through with no problem. The rest of our ride was fairly uneventful and we safely arrived to the place where our hike would begin. The second leg of our journey was complete.

It was not long into our hike before several members of Alto Coen were there to meet us. Our guide explained that he had told them we were coming over the radio, and they had hiked all morning to meet us. Here we were introduced to Margarito, the president of Alto Coen. During this meeting, Trey, the spokesperson for the team introduced us, explaining that they were students of Indiana Wesleyan and they were here with Experience Mission. Yon translated into Spanish, and our guide translated into Bribri. It was touching to see that they had all come so far to meet us.

We continued on the hike now with about twice as many people as before. It was not long until a middle-aged Bribri man came riding up on a horse. His name was Castulo, and he was the President of another nearby community, and he met us dismounted and explained that the horse would carry our packs. We loaded as many packs as possible and continued our journey.

After we had hiked a while we arrived at a little farm and took a rest. Here we unloaded the packs because the horse could go no farther. Between our entourage and those living at the house there were quite a few people there. We were all able to sign a guest book for the owners, and even got to see a cock fight among the farm’s roosters. At this point the horse could go no farther so when we went to leave, the Bribri men took the backpacks from all the girls in our group and we proceeded.

It had been raining almost all of the time since the boat ride, but after we left the farm it really started to pour. The trail was so muddy that we would sink calf deep in mud and nearly lose our shoes. On more than one occasion a member of the team fell in the mud, so you can imagine that we were filthy dirty. In spite of the rain, the team remained in good spirits and we carried on.

We hiked some distance and came to a point where we needed to cross the river. The Bribri told is that it was a dangerous crossing, and they explained that they had made a raft for us. They had actually made it in the last couple of days since they heard of our coming. It was a small narrow raft that could only handle two passengers at a time. However, it did the job and we were soon all safely across the river.

From here the hike became very steep. With the rain, it was muddy and difficult. At this point the Bribri men wanted to take everyone’s packs so we could hike more quickly up the mountain we were about to climb. I was the only one who kept my pack, and we eagerly climbed the mountain. The Bribri men, even the older ones, seemed to make the hike with ease packs and all. With the mud and the pack, I must admit it was a tiring hike.

It seemed like we would never see a building of any kind when we finally came close to the village. We first went to the sight of the bridge, and looked upon the progress. They have filled in the two holes and have made concrete posts on the opposite side of the river. On this side of the river the steel is cemented into the ground, but they have not built up the blocks. Much to our relief we found that only a few bags of cement were ruined. Our team bought plastic from town and covered the cement with the new plastic. The biggest concern on the progress of the bridge is that the posts on the opposite side of the river do not seem to be square with those in this side. However, it’s hard to tell with the naked eye. We very much hope that this is not an insurmountable problem. After talking to the Bribri, the urgency of the project became evident, and I think we all felt such a burden to complete the project. Before we left the site, we scheduled a meeting a nine o’clock tomorrow morning to meet with a gathering of people throughout the community.

After leaving the sight, we hiked up yet another steep climb and finally arrived at the village! It is very small yet it is beautifully set in the mountains. After arriving we were showed to the house that we are staying at and we all set down for a rest. However, for Trey, Jason, and I it was a short rest because we could not resist joining the members of the village in a soccer game. It was raining and extremely muddy, but a very fun game. Sports is a great way to connect with people when there is a language barrier.

Now, that I am here in Alto Coen, I am still in awe of how remote this village really is. Of all of the mission trips that I have participated in, nothing else compares. We hiked for hours just to arrive and now that we’re here its really just a few huts. People live here with almost no technology. They make all of their huts from the wood and plants of the jungle, and everything that they eat is either from the plants or their pigs and chickens. As I have been writing this blog, a couple members of the family, we have been staying with have been looking over my shoulder with great fascination. I’m not sure if they have ever seen a computer! After a long day I am ready to sleep because tomorrow will be an important day. We want to bring an accurate report and capture good stories, so we can expedite the completion of the bridge.

Getting ready for teams in Costa Rica

February 23, 2009

At 6:00 last night I left my house in Chimacum, WA and flew all night arriving successfully in San Jose at 12:50 pm. My plan was to meet former EM summer staff, Chris Salmon, who will be serving as a translator for the next few days. Amazingly, Chris and I ran into each other right away and in short order we were through immigration. Our bus driver Rodrigo and his friend Oscar were waiting for us. After lunch with Rodrigo and Oscar, we went straight to a hostel owned by Rodrigo. It is very nice by Central-American standards, so this is a good place for teams to stay in the future.

Our objective over the next few days is to connect with all of the necessary people to prepare for two college mission trips. There will be a team of Indiana Wesleyan students arriving on Saturday; they will be in Costa Rica for 8 days, and the next team will be arriving the following Saturday. Both teams will be going deep into the Costa Rican jungle inhabited by the indigenous Bribri tribe. The Indiana Wesleyan students will be coordinating the logistical preparation for the next week’s team as part of a leadership course they are taking. The next team will then be doing a work project in one of the villages. This task promises to be both a challenge and an adventure for both teams.

Since we are not traveling to the Bribri reservation until tomorrow, today we had some time to get acclimated. (This was not a challenge since it was a beautiful sunny day of 80 degrees with a nice cool breeze.) We walked the streets of San Jose for about 2 ½ hours enjoying the weather and the people. It’s 9:00; Chris is already sleeping and I am feeling the long night of travel and lack of sleep. Still, tomorrow our rental car arrives at 8:00, and I am anxious to get started!