As I have mentioned before, I am a Christian by choice of my spiritual path. Obviously, NOT a Christian in any orthodox or fundamentalist mode...a Christian more like Jesus!
And while I lived in Costa Rica, my faith found several outlets. One of the most significant was my association with the missionary organization "Latin American Mission" (LAM, for short). I met such wonderful people through them. People from many denominations who were not trapped by their traditions. People with physical limitations that would have defied the "faith" of other organizations, but whose lives and missions were embraced my LAM. I have no idea what they're like these days, so this is NOT an endorsement, just a memoir.
As an available soul, I was invited to participate in a couple of their programs, the most elaborate of which was an extended weekend youth camp. It was held in a very remote valley in which LAM was constructing a retreat center. The main building was being built around an enormous protruding bolder--You know, "upon this rock...." stuff. Yet it was amazing.
There are 3 things that I remember from this experience most vividly:
#1) meeting this incredibly gentle and insightful young man from Cuba (Top Left). Up until then I had many preconceptions about Cuba, Castro, the Revolution, etc. And he taught me to question my understandings of the world and the authority that provided such views to me.
#2) A killer game of capture the flag during which I took a phenomenal fall off of a fallen log, which crossed the rock-strewn stream bisecting the valley. It was nothing short of a miracle that ALL I ended up being was embarrassed and wet!
And #3) the trek out on the afternoon after the camp ended. The vehicles that could drive us down to the site where not able to transport us back out of the steep and treacherous slopes. So we were informed on the morning of the last day that we would be hiking out with all of our equipment. My God, it was one hell of a HOT hike! And foolish me didn't think to cover my head -- my scalp was severely burned by the tropical sun's more intense rays.
This last lesson has led me to be much more committed to hats!
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