About Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Following a mission trip to San Ramon, Costa Rica, we deeply felt God’s call to make a difference in the lives of the people of Bajo Tejares, a small barrio outside San Ramon. This community is made up primarily of Nicaraguans who fled political persecution and economic instability, seeking a better life for themselves and their children. Initially, the Costa Rican government provided for them; then they became “outsiders” and a burden for the people of Costa Rica. Abandoned and poor, these people subsisted under the worst physical conditions—wooden shacks with dirt floors, and lived with an unemployment rate of around 80 percent, with most surviving on day labor, prostitution or drug trafficking.
Faithful Servant Missions identified three major areas of intervention to break the cycle of poverty: physical, educational and spiritual. The Board of Directors purchased four acres of land at the entrance of the barrio, and completed construction of Centro Comunidad Cristiana in August of 2008, a multipurpose church building, a parsonage, recreational facilities, and an education building to run after-school tutoring and mentoring programs. FSM began to address the physical needs of the community on a case by case basis, ranging from hosting vision clinics to home repair for residents of Bajo Tejares. We began to meet educational needs through one on one academic support programs for over one hundred-fifty children from Bajo Tejares, as well as recreational time and homework assistance for all students. Then the University of Costa Rica began to sponsor night classes for adults, and we began to see parents learning to read and graduating from elementary school and high school. The ministries were not left behind, as Centro Comunidad Cristiana began to minister to the spiritual needs of the community through weekly support groups for mothers, fathers, pre-teens, teens, as well as a Children’s Church and Mission Church services on Sundays. The transformation within the community has been amazing, ranging from better housing and roads to literacy to vibrant faith for people of all ages. Worship is taking the place of despair, academic success is displacing failure, and instead of living as outsiders we are finding our homes together in Christ. But there is still so much yet to be done! While transformation has begun, it is far from over, and we are blessed to share in this journey of hope in Christ with our brothers and sisters in Bajo Tejares.