On the first day, we arrived in San Jose and walked down the street to our bus. The first thing I thought and did was cover my bag walking by people on the streets. We drove straight to Cot de Cartago to meet our first host family. I wasn't sure what to expect and what to think but when we arrived it was nothing like what I had in mind. The first thing, I think, everyone noticed was the backwards American flag. A lot of us thought is was a sign of disrespect but we learned it was their way of welcoming us. We all got assigned a family with a room mate. I wasn't afraid of the communication barrier between us and the Costa Ricans because I know Spanish but that made everyone want to use me to communicate. I enjoy helping a lot but it can get exhausting after a while. The family we got the privilege to stay with seemed very welcoming and happy to have us. They gave us an amazing hot meal consisting of chicken, fish, rice, eggs and tortillas.
The next day we hiked up to the volcano Irazu with some students from the school of Cot. Seeing the beauty of nature during that hike made me be grateful of the earth we live in and the sights God allows us to see. All the students enjoyed our company and wanted to talk to us and be our friends which made me happy. The guys I talked to all enjoyed soccer so we had a lot in common and talked the whole bus ride back. We all went back to the school and played games with all the kids and had an amazing time. The next day we were able to join those students in classes with our own uniforms they let us have. All that they learn is the same thing that we learn back home which shows us that we are not different from our families in Costa Rica. The goodbyes where pretty tough but we will always have little gifts to remember Rosie and her welcoming family.
On to our next family in Guarari and La Cuenca. I've heard many stories about the community in Guarari and it made me afraid for our groups safety but I knew the Lord was with us through it all. Seeing the condition families lived in in La Cuenca made me feel ashamed of what I worried about in the beginning of the trip. These families were fighting and struggling to survive and see the next day. A group of us visited this family with a single mother and 5 children. Her name is Maria-Elena and her oldest son, who was there at the time, Jiovani. They lived in a very small and dangerously built home consisting of 2x4s and sheets of metal. We sang and prayed to her while tears ran down all our faces. The only thing that made me have hope for these families was the love that God showed us and the happiness these kids had. Hugo, the leader of Smiles with Hope, has one of the biggest hearts I have ever gotten to experience and it saddened me hearing his story. It showed me how amazing our God is, even through our toughest times. Tyler and my host family in Guarari was very loving and welcoming. They didn't have children and wasn't sure if they were not able to have children but when we arrived they treated us and spoiled us just like if we were their own children, just like the love God gives to all his children. He blesses us every day with health and food so the least we could do is share his gifts to our bothers and sisters struggling around the world.
Through this trip I have prayed a lot more and will continue to pray for the families in Costa Rica and for all the blessings that I receive from God every day. This is an experience that I will never forget and will cherish for the rest of my life.
Daniel Lopez
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