A few weeks ago I made my last visit to La Carpio, a shanty town or precario near San Jose occupied mostly by Nicaraguans, many of them illegal immigrants. Though I hesitate to use the comparison, Nicaraguans are to Costa Ricans what Mexicans are to many citizens of the the United States. Many consider them to be a nuisance that doesn't belong, prejudice runs strong, the jokes are often cruel. As those that immigrate to the States these people come in search of a better life, sometimes in search of life itself. A poor existence is better than none.
Every time I visit I am struck by the conditions that these people live with but this time moreso. We walked around the block this time, through the dirt streets muddy from the unseasonably early rains. Carefully we picked our way down to the river where we saw the houses in the photo. The kids of course swarmed out of the houses to cheerfully greet us, the surrounding doesn't seem to affect them so much. They have fun in the mud and in the river, despite the raw sewage the river washes away.
That afternoon the kids had fun playing games and were also presented with the challenge to be missionaries themselves, to share the words of Jesus wherever they are. Some of these kids are going to cover quite a few miles in there lives, wandering from country to country, job to job. Perhaps they can grasp the concept to bring life in Christ with them on those journeys. What is hardship and pain for most people is considered everyday life for these kids. Maybe there's a few things I need to learn from them.
~MWL
