St Paul’s UMC Ithaca NY
Mission Volunteers 2025
MV UpDate #1
14 jan – 10 feb
Agua Viva Serves, Los Chiles
Alajuela, Costa Rica
Weeks 1-3+…wow! Can’t believe it’s been a month since we
dove into the flow of Agua Viva Serves (AVS) activities he
Los Chiles. The local team was just returning from their holiday/
vacation break with high aspirations for 205: Reaching
Heights for Clean Water! [l-r: Omar, Lineth, Fran, Bayron;
missing: Brayon, Merleth]. We were re-integrated into the day to
day tasks to Serve. Give. Love. …with some significant change
making this year extra special!
Some AVS background. In 2024 the AVS Board of Directors re-
organized the leadership model from a native english-speaker leader to 100% local employees: co-
directors for administration, Bayron, and for field operations, Omar, each with two staff who
talents/responsibilities make a close knit, smooth running organization; they work/play together we
The Board plays a key role with regular check-ins and guidance on planning and issues as they arise;
AVS resolved major transition and organizational structure legal issues last yer. Key to this model
having two bi-lingual staff and several bi-lingual board members PLUS continuity of dedica
experience on both Board and local staff See more about AVS team, Board, history, volunteering an
2024 report: https://www.avs.ngo/
Their 2024 report for donors, volunteers includes their 2025 project list,
so with a few quick edits and the January Board meeting approval is n
posted for the world! And the AVS fiel
crew has already checked off a projec
installing new water meters in the Achiotal
<<<<< neighborhood system right on the
edge of the Los Chiles city boundary. Also
checked off a health department request fo
a concrete pad to protect the Llano Verde
well from surface water contaminates, and
starting to drill a new well. >>
More background on water & sanitation
Achiotal and several other pockets of homes
in Costa Rica’s protected ‘biological zone’ are not served by AyA
(Acueductos y Alcantarillados https://www.aya.go.cr/ ), Costa Rica’
visionary, cerca 1960, country-wide policy plan and operations fo
municipal water and sewage managed by ASADAs in local communities
Which is why Agua Viva Serves came into being: to help these clusters of families/schools have
‘meanwhile water systems’ in anticipation that AyA would be able to extend their systems in the futu
And this has started to happen. You might see AVS as a catalyst for systems change…in a country that
already has the policy and supports the UN Declaratio
of Human Rights, including water and sanitatio
https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/human-rights-
water-and-sanita
Fellowship, Fitness & Fun in the Sun!!
Sundays: #1: we returned to Iglesia Evangélica
Metodista (IEM) in Los Chiles with Pastor Elías (retire
outreach healthcare provider) and Praise Band fillin
St Paul’s UMC Ithaca NY
Mission Volunteers 2025
MV UpDate #1
14 jan – 10 feb
Agua Viva Serves, Los Chiles
Alajuela, Costa Rica
the small space with people (all ages), their spirited singing, soulful prayer and power-preaching. They
send greetings to St Paul’s We come together with the same Christian/Wesleyan base, God’s Love, w
different understandings of Scripture. Costa Rican IEMs separated from the United Methodist networ
decades ago; so we bring a ‘frame’ of the nurturing inclusivity of Divine Love: “all means ALL”. BTW, a
helpful read/handbook on cognitive science v-a-v frames, values, politics is: The All New Don’t Think of
Elephant! by George Lakoff (201
#2: we took an early morning bus to visit Pastor Francisco and the IEM in
Ciudad Quesada and reconnect with several friends St Paulians know from
Volunteer In Mission (VIM) trips when UMC missionaries Ralph & Mary Miller
were serving/living there. It was such a warm reunion; we will continue t
stay connected. BTW, they are renovating a space for classrooms; a VIM tea
from UMoUpper NY has been working on it! >>>>>>>>
#3: participating in the 27th anniversary of St Paul’s Reconciling Ministr
was especially significant from afar…we continue to send our prayers
Peace and Justice in this era of challenges with our country’s electe
appointed leaders. Be reassured that the rest of the world is watching
closely and deeply concerned.
Chirripó Challenge…an AVS fundraiser!!
<<<<<< There are 11 of us training for the trek up Costa Rica’s tallest
mountain: Cerro Chirripó, Land of Eternal Water, 12,532 t (382
mtrs) above sea level in the Talamanca Mountain Range. “The steep climb
to Base Camp Crestones offers constantly changing flora and fau
culminating in the stark and beautiful Paramo, formed by the last
age. Chirripo National Park is part of the Amistad International Park–
largest protected area in Central America.”
“…the trail is long, (9 miles, 15 km), and steep with nearly 10,000 feet,
3,000 meters of elevation gain. Our permits are for March 18 & 1
please keep the 4 AVS crew and 7 USA supporters in your prayers. We’re
getting acquainted virtually, planning the gear, budgets and logistics, and created a logo and slogan
our team’s t-shirts…to be unveiled in the next update ; )
Rotary. Peace. National Theatre. Pool What fun to reconnect with the San Jose Noreste Rotary Cl
this past week and reflect on their previous project with AVS and lear
about other connections for water projects with Bayron, AVS director o
administration Their dinner featured an interactive program on Pe
presented by Michelle Helman, <<<<<< former Rotary Peace Fellow now
pursuing her doctorate at United Nation’s University for Peace in San José
https://upeace.org/. The 4-5 hr trip was made easy with Bayron, aka ‘AV
uber’, navigating the twisty roads and sharing a visit his creat
entrepreneurial sister & brother. We enjoyed a dramatized tour of th
National Theatre and the less humid/cooler temps of the Central Valley
Top that off: a BnB apartment in a high-rise overlooking a lap pool with the wind creating ‘open wat
waves… it’s refreshing to be in the flow
Blessings for our collective work for Justice and Peace, n & J (aka G)