Something that’s so powerful that Faithful Servant Missions does with those in the community is home visits. When mission teams come to San Ramón, they break into small groups and spend an afternoon at a local house. This is a tangible way for the missionaries to see what life is like practically for those who live nearby. And usually the locals they visit will teach them how to make tortillas!
Currently, it’s not safe enough for us to venture out and do these home visits. The community is experiencing more violence than normal, which has hindered some activities of the visiting teams.
There’s still one neighborhood they can visit though–Villa Larry!
Villa Larry, named after the founder of FSM, is a row of homes behind the property. When FSM first purchased the land, this stretch was a jungle. After some time, it was given or sold (I’m not sure which one) to create a new community. Many families who attend the mission on a daily basis now reside there.
We walked down the hill to Villa Larry, and although the teams weren’t able to go into the homes, they could still get a better understanding of what shelter is like in this part of the world. Some homes have tile floors, others have dirt. These homes are lined next to a beautiful, lush jungle of fruit trees and bamboo shoots. But it’s nothing like what the mission teams would consider “normal.”
There’s a little bit of cognitive dissonance when you walk to Villa Larry. For many of those visiting, it’s the first time they’ve seen a way of life that’s not like their own. They may have friends who live in a different part of town–whether that’s more or less affluent than theirs–but a place like Costa Rica offers them a completely different perspective on life.
In some ways, it’s a “third world” or “developing” country (although both those terms are outdated and not entirely correct). Then they walk another quarter of a mile to a bakery where they can touch their phones to a pay receiver. They use Apple Pay to buy a freshmade cookie! It may be only $0.50 instead of the $4.49 they would pay at Crumbl, but you can understand the confusion they feel.
After a walk to Villa Larry, eyes are opened. Compassion is expanded. Empathy is strengthened.
There’s a fine line between exploitation and education for the mission teams when entering into someone else’s world. Villa Larry, I hope you know we are grateful for what we can learn from you.
To learn more about exploitative vs. empowering missions, we recommend:
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