pura vida

We have been in Costa Rica for close to two weeks and I have to say, life in Jaco has been incredible thus far. We are serving a ministry called Ocean’s Edge and are doing city clean up projects, painting the town in murals, evangelising, serving the local church, and doing other manual labor projects around the ministry site. We start each morning with a devo led by a church elder and then we do ministry from 10am-5pm. 

After ministry, we typically walk to the beach to watch the sunset before heading back to the house for dinner and team time. It has been a blessing to be here with 5 out of the 7 teams of h-squad (33 people). This month I am doing life with team Bread Breakers pictured below! Starting from the left we have Kaci, Victoria, Courtney, Julianna, me, Bri, and Kelsey. They are such a tender and sweet bunch of ladies and I have already learned so much from being in their space.  

From the moment I stepped off the plane, in and out of every conversation is the slogan Pura Vida. It can be used to mean welcome, hello, goodbye, thank you, you’re welcome, or just about anything else of that nature. When in doubt, throw out a ‘pura vida’ and it will work. HA kinda. It isn’t just a greeting but it is more of a way of life or a philosophy of sorts here in Costa Rica. It’s written on t-shirts, graffitied on walls, and spoken in just about every conversation. It’s even on the bucket hats me and my co-leaders purchased (pictured below). The slogan is translated to mean ‘pure life’. From what I’ve gathered, it represents the simple and slow life of relaxation, paradise and ease. 

Constant use of this phrase has me thinking… what really is the ‘pure life’? The pure life by the world’s standards feels much different than what I know to be the pure life. See, Jaco may be a town full of people who love to surf, hang loose and find some sort of inner peace but when I look around I see a lot of hurting people who are longing for something more. I see a town where prostitution is legal, women are objectified and drugs and alcohol are heavily abused. I see a town full of people in need of God  

My prayer as I walk the streets of Jaco, that this city would come to know the pure life in its truest form; washed by the blood of Jesus and embraced in the arms of a Father who loves them so deeply.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that God had me memorizing and meditating on Psalm 51 for the month leading up until launch. Now I know that he has asked me to speak it not only over myself and my squad but over this city as well. 

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Join me in praying for Jaco to fully live a pura vida! Please pray for open doors and open hearts as we evangelize to people we meet and invite them to church. 

Until next time! 

Cam

P.S. The top 2 photos belong to one of the best photographers I know, Bri Steindel!