In the 1980s and early 1990s, Costa Rica was a safe haven for Nicaraguans who had fled their country due to the internal war between the Sandinistas and Contras.   Hundreds of Nicaraguans were living in refugee camps near the border.  In the early 1990’s the camps closed their doors and the people had to find a place to live and work.  Thousands of Nicaraguans migrated to San Jose, the capitol of Costa Rica.  Today there are an estimated 400,000 Nicaraguans who call Costa Rica home.  They live in what we would call squatters villages or shanty towns.

During the past 12 years, our JE groups have served alongside several local churches that minister in these marginal areas (La Carpio, Guarari).  In July of 2013, I (Beth Andersen, JE Latin America Coordinator) had the privilege taking one of our groups to Guarari to build a house for a very needy family.

The group raised the money to not only build the house but to furnish it.  The group was so big that some members helped build the house while others ran a kid’s camps and a medical clinic.  On the final day of the build, we all joined the construction team so that we could meet the family and be a part of dedicating the home and giving this mother and her 4 children the keys to her new house.

As much as I would love to talk and share about the wonderful things that happened on our trip, I am finding it hard to express the excitement and joy that we all felt as we watched the family enter their new house for the first time.  The family worked alongside the group each day while the home was being built.  However, on the final day, they took them off-site so the group could bring in the furniture and decorate the inside of the house.

When the table was set and the beds were made they brought the family down.  Before they entered the house there was a sweet time of sharing and praying together.  As the team shared, their voices trembled and tears flowed.   The pastor from the church we were working with at the kid’s club and medical clinic came to the house with us.  He is the pastor of a church that sits on the outskirts of Guarari.   There are over 2500 people that attend the church and about 1500 are from this community (300 families).  The pastor celebrated with the group and the family and he committed his church to take care of them spiritually – God’s plan is so complete!

The keys along with a Bible were given to the family, and they entered their house for the first time (it was all I could do not to yell – “move that bus!”).  The sound of the children screaming with laughter could be heard outside.   After a few minutes alone, they opened the door and invited us (yes, all 59 of us) into this new place that they so proudly call home.

Psalms 67:1 -2 says:  “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.”

May this little white house that sits on the corner for all to see be a testimony to those who daily pass by of God’s faithfulness!

{Check out our Instagram account to see more pictures of the JE team as they built the house, and pictures of the family enjoying their new home}

If your school or church is interested in partnering with JE on this type of Mission Trip to Costa Rica, contact our Mission Trip Specialist, Tracy Binek, at tbinek@travelje.org.