Remember a few weeks ago when I blogged about trying to go to some “surfer” church but then we ended up getting lost and having to take the same taxi back home that we took to the church? Well, last night, we tried to find that surfer church again. This time though, we met one of the members of the church at a McDonalds and he drove us the rest of the way to the church, which turned out to be just someone’s house.
The guy who picked us up at McDonalds was named Augustine (or something along that spelling). He was very nice and spoke close to perfect English. He’s lived in CR his whole life and has been a Christian his whole life. He told us that he got involved with Christian Surfers (or the Pura Vida Church) after he got “lost” and a friend encouraged him to reconnect with the big JC.
When we pulled up and entered the house I didn’t know what to expect. Well…everyone was talking Spanish, most everyone was around our age or in their twenties, and everyone had a Bible. There was an older couple there who were American and bilingual. Their names where Shelly and Craig and they have lived in CR for 26 years. They moved down here as missionaries and are now working with the Rahab Organization which helps women and young girls get out of prostitution. Everyone there was very welcoming and accommodating. They made all the first time comers to Christian Surfers say their name, their favorite type of wave, and their favorite and least favorite beach. I really don’t have a favorite wave, plus I couldn’t say it in Spanish anyways, so I just said my name and my favorite and least favorite beach, Hermosa and Jaco, respectively. When I said I didn’t like Jaco everyone clapped. Guess I said something they liked.
We started off with some Christian songs in Spanish to set the mood and then someone led a Bible study. It was all in Spanish so I didn’t grasp as much as I would have liked to but basically it was about going out and spreading the Word. He said we shouldn’t be hiding our light but instead putting it out as a beacon for all others to see. When we’re surfing, we should be sharing the Word with others, inviting them and encouraging them to come to Christian Surfers. God should be first in our life and then followed by waves, waves, waves. Not the other way around. When he said that, I found it to be quite funny. It was cool to see so many young Christian adults in another country, that is primarily Catholic, love Jesus so much. It was also cool to see how much they loved surfing and how they connected through that fact.
The older couple was nice enough to take us home since cabs are kind of expensive. They also offered to pick us up from Veritas next Wednesday and give us a ride to the group. They gave us their email address and direct phone number so we can contact them. They, again, are very loving and Christian people. It was a great experience and I like the fact that it will help me connect with more ticos and help me improve Spanish. The Christian Surfers group is going to go to a beach in North CR close to Nicaragua this weekend and invited us to come. However, I do not think I am going to. Mostly for the fact that Gleys and Juan Carlos might need my help this weekend with Gleys kind of out of commission. Either way, one day I will go surfing with them and hopefully make some new friends along the way. By the way, the goal for me this weekend is to buy a side-by-side English/Spanish Bible and start reading.
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