We had a unique and wonderful Christmas this year. We flew to San Jose, Costa Rica to assist our missionary friends, Phil and Jill Jones with Blood-n-Fire Ministries, with their annual gift-giving project. (You can learn more about the Jones at www.philandjilljones.com.)
We arrived in Costa Rica on Dec. 18 and came home late on Christmas night. We gave away some 700-800 presents to the children of the Los Triangulos precario near San Jose. It took us over 2 days to go door-to-door surprising children with gifts. The precario is a 3 acre shanty town filled with over 1800 people. They build homes out of scrap metal and wood. They are among the poorest of the poor in Central America.
This was my fifth trip to Costa Rica. It was the third for my son, Cliff. For my wife, Beth, it was the second and for my daughter, Bailey, it was her first time. We love Costa Rica! We love the children in the precario and we love the climate and beauty of the country as well. Last July, when we were there conducting a Vacation Bible School, Beth fell in love with a little boy there named Joshua. In fact, she has a picture of him in her classroom at school and she prays for him everyday. She was hoping to see Joshua again on this trip. We didn't know where he lived in the precario and Beth was anxious to see him if, in fact, he was still there. (The homeless are quite mobile.) As you can see below, Beth got to see him again. In fact, he was one of our first "customers" early Sunday morning!
Needless to say, we made a memory. It was awesome taking a family mission trip together to minister to those who needed a smile, a hug, and a reminder of Jesus' love. I'm not sure if this will become a family tradition or not but I'm positive that this is one Christmas we will never forget.
