Mike Lyons, Missionary Chaperone

I did not really know what to expect when I volunteered to go to the Costa Rica mission trip. Beforehand, I knew this trip was very appealing to me because I want to make the world a better place, I like to meet new people, and I like to travel. I did not want to carry a lot of preconceptions on the trip but rather keep an open mind to the experiences. Another attractive element was the idea that I could share the experience with my son.

There were many aspects that I thought would stick with me that would be standard on a mission trip, i.e. the conditions of the populace, the beauty of the country, etc. Two particular themes are being replayed in my mind. First and foremost, people are people. There were all kinds of barriers between our group and the people in Costa Rica but those barriers quickly fell. It was not a one-way relationship but rather symbiotic. Yes, we reached out to many in need but they reached back to us with friendship as well. This further solidified the idea in my head that people are good and want to connect with other people. We saw that with Eric and Emerson, pre-school soccer kids, and wheelchair-bound seniors. It was great to see the smiles on the faces we had and our Costa Rican friends we made in return. A second observation is how close our group became through the trip. I knew there would be a bond but I did not realize how strong until the Saturday night mass when we returned. It was awesome sitting in the front of the church and seeing each person join the group with hugs and handshakes. The excitement and energy the group possessed sincerely was authentic. You would think we would need a break from the group but it was almost disappointing that we were not together for a day. That camraderie could at Eat 'n' Park with many shared inside jokes and stories. We are bonded by our shared experiences and the more intense and more extensive the stronger the bond. One never gets history back once it is experienced. We will never be able to recreate that time in that country with those people again and that is reality. But hopefully that bond we created over those 6 days in Costa Rica will encourage us to want to stay connected and be a force of positive change and difference-making in our church and our world.

I can thoroughly say I have a different perspective because of our mission trip to Costa Rica—and that is a good thing.

Happy Trails,
—Mike Lyons, Missionary Chaperone