A Typical Day at Pura Vida Missions

What will this experience be like? How will I spend my time? How hard do we really work? What will our free time be like? Have you found yourself asking these questions? Good! That means you are interested in what will be happening the week you are here with us. Let's see if we can break it down for you.

The work will be hard and the schedule fast paced but fun. You will interact with a lot of local Tico's (name Costa Ricans give themselves), our staff and one another. You'll learn a lot about sacrifice and giving of yourself. You will experience what it means to live simply. Your accommodations will be rustic, comfortable, and yet very simple. The concept of our Mission, is one that is built on the ideas of servanthood, sacrifice, and discipleship. Come with an open mind and a heart that is ready to give and grow. At Pura Vida Missions we have a saying, "Latin Up!" You are visiting a Latin American culture that does not operate on our ideals of instant gratification. Though we do our best to stick to the plan and the schedule we have learned to lighten up or "Latin Up" because things don't always go as planned.

It is very important for you to realize that the ministry you are providing is part of a bigger picture of long-term discipleship. The people you will be serving might not experience the love of Jesus Christ were it not for you being here. Your ministry will go on long after you have left here and returned home. These people's lives will be changed because you were here. We hope your life will be changed as well.

What will a typical day look like for you?

Missionaries (that's you) start the day with an early breakfast. You can expect to eat around 7:30 a.m. At 8:00 a.m. we will stop for our morning TAG ("Time alone with God"). You will have about 30 minutes to reflect, read God's word and journal. Around 8:30 a.m. we will gather together our VBS materials or construction tools and break into our teams for last minute instructions and preparations.

We will leave the Mission at around 9:00 a.m. for our Campamento de Ninos (VBS) or construction sites.

We break for lunch around 12:00 p.m. We typically eat lunch at the Mission. Around 1:30pm we return to our Campamento de Ninos or construction sites for the afternoon session.

The workday ends around 4:30 p.m. We clean up the site and head back to the Mission. You will arrive back around 4:45 p.m. You will have time for cleaning up, showers, etc.

Evening meal will be around 6:00 p.m. The evening program differs daily but always includes worship at 7:15pm. Evening activities may include: soccer, a trip into town, to a local waterfall, butterfly garden or farm. Lights out will be at 10:30 p.m.

As you can see, it is a fully-packed program. You will gain from the experience just as much as you choose to invest in it. Pray about your role for the week. Where will you impact others and how will others impact you? Where will you see God and how will you let others see the God in you? Keep in mind that by being a servant you represent Pura Vida Missions, your church and above all Jesus Christ, the greatest Servant of all.