As I think about our recent medical mission to Costa Rica, I realize that each mission experience is always different. It is different not just in the location or the people served, but in how it affects my heart. Our time in Panama was in an area of poverty with poor sanitation and contaminated drinking water. There were also unique challenges in coming home, which allowed us to see God move in big ways. My time in Costa Rica was different. We served in more urban areas with good sanitation and clean drinking water. The challenges and blessings were less dramatic but no less present. It required me to pay close attention to see the subtle ways that God moved. He brought certain people into our lives, which would change us all.
The Sunday after we arrived we attended a service at Iglesia del Nazareno in Los Chiles. This congregation was an inspiring example of faith in action. Though they are a small congregation, they have fed over 3000 migrants within the past year. In fact, about half of their congregation is composed of migrants. The church helped those desiring to stay to gain citizenship and obtain housing as well.
I was blessed by the sermon delivered by Pastor Henry Martinez. It touched my heart that day. It helped to open my eyes to the needs of those I would serve and to our purpose. The message acknowledged that we are all broken people. We may try to hide this from other people, but Jesus sees our heart. He knows our experiences, our poor choices, our weakness, and our failures. Even in our brokenness Jesus still wants a relationship with us! He doesn’t ask us to ‘fix’ our broken lives or to conquer our sin before coming to him. It would be impossible for us to make those kinds of changes without him. Instead, Jesus meets us where we are, loves us for who we are, and changes us from within. Even when we turn away he continues to patiently pursue us. All we have to do is ask. Jesus is ready and willingly to reach down into the mess of our lives and raise us up. God created each of us for a purpose, a divine purpose. To do the good works He has planned for us. Through these good works we bring Him glory. We won’t feel satisfied if we aren’t fulfilling our purpose in life.
The first day of clinic I began to learn more the healthcare system in Costa Rica. They have a public healthcare system available to everyone funded through taxes. For those with minimal health problems the care provided is sufficient. However, cost limits the use of diagnostic testing which leads to misdiagnosed or under treatment of more complex problems. If a patient can afford to pay, they can see a private doctor who can help expedite their care. There were also medications available only as private pay which can be obtained at a private pharmacy. Those without financial resources and more complex health problems were often frustrated by delays of care and excessive surgical waits. Even for those with more financial means there is often a long wait for a surgery. A wait of two years is not uncommon. One patient I met couldn’t lift her right arm. Since this was necessary for her job she is now unemployed and didn’t know how she would pay her bills. Her surgery wasn’t scheduled until 2026. Though there was often little I could do besides listen, educate, or provide advice, patients appreciated the chance to be heard by someone who cared.
We also came to see that many had deep spiritual needs. We usually encountered smiling faces, but many were masking heavy burdens in their hearts. Our prayer groups offered a chance to unburden their hearts. Some just needed someone to listen and to care. Others needed encouragement. There were those who were hesitant and skeptical. Experiences in the Catholic church had left some equating religion with rules and judgment. In the prayer groups they heard the truth of the gospel. Christianity a relationship and a choice to follow Jesus. It was not a set of religious rules. A message that was received with joy.
We also encountered migrant refugees. Their journey had left them haunted by unspeakable experiences. They told us that everyone they had encountered along the way had taken from them. At our clinic they were able to receive hygiene supplies, medical, vision, and dental care, as well as medications. The children had a chance in the Children’s ministry to play and laugh with other children. It was a chance to just be a kid, if only for a little while. When the families realized that we wanted nothing in return, they were moved by the kindness they received.
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:37-40 NIV
There were also those whose light shined so brightly that it encouraged us. One woman was missing a leg and used walking arm crutches. When asked about wanting a prosethetic she said she didn’t want one. Her disability provided her with numerous opportunities to share her witness and she thanked God for it! We also had many people pray for us as they passed through and blessed us for the good works we were doing. Those were uplifting and rewarding moments.
As we served in the communities of Muelle, Tres y Tres, and Cuidad Quesada it became clear what it meant to be the body of Christ. I saw each member of the team use their unique gifts and abilities to bless others. Each role was necessary, important, and well-suited to the person performing it. We should all rejoice in the wide array of spiritual gifts and how beautifully different we are. I was blessed to see each person eagerly serving with smiles on their faces and compassion in their eyes.
From the registration table to the prayer group and children’s ministry leaders,
to the triage, medical, vision, dental and pharmacy teams,
to the coordinators, flow facilitators, and translators,
to the local church staff, cooks, and our bus driver.
By the last day of clinic we had seen 522 patients. In awe-inspiring committment, our dentist and dental assistant had treated 91 patients! Of the 522 patients encountered, 25 people gave their lives to Christ and 18 made the choice to recommitment their lives. Countless others learned that there were churches in their community that cared about them, both physically and spiritually.
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-17
We each came to serve a purpose greater than ourselves. God sent to share the love, hope, and peace of Jesus Christ with everyone we encountered. A mission that each person helped to fulfill. Love is a message best spoken through action. I pray that, through us, people saw that the church is a living, breathing community. One built on the gospel with Jesus as the foundation.
Returning home, I wondered we could capture this same spirit of selfless servanthood in our home churches. How could we embody this spirit everyday in our jobs? Much like the people of Costa Rica, there are many people in need of compassion in our own country. People who still think of church as a place of judgment rather than refuge. We have people who are hurting and masking their pain. It may be with a smile, but for others it may be with alcohol or drug addiction. We also have migrants and refugees. Forced to flee their homeland, most have suffered more than we imagine. We also have people who don’t know Jesus or have felt rejected by the church.
What would our country be like if we all viewed our lives as a mission field? How would our nation be different if we treated every person with the kindness and compassion of Jesus? What if we saw our jobs as an opportunity to change someone’s life for the better? What if we supported each other and encouraged each other in the use of our God-given gifts and abilities? What a different country this would be! I want to challenge each of you to view your lives in the context of the body of Christ. What good works were you specially created to do and are you using these gifts to God’s glory? The world will never be enough until you are.
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT
Seek and You Will Find 
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