One spontaneous decision could easily change numerous lives. This was the case for Spanish teacher Megan Widmer, who made a last-minute decision to go on a mission trip to Costa Rica at the end of July and made memories that positively impacted herself and others.

“It was really amazing to see the things that God did there. We saw healings of people…That was really cool…I just felt tickled all the time,” Widmer said.

Widmer bought her plane ticket only two or three weeks before setting off but ended up staying there for five days. Her last-minute decision was inspired by a group of friends from her church.

“They’d always come back and tell stories about their trip to Costa Rica. It just really made me want to go…hearing stories from my friends about the amazing things that God was doing down in Costa Rica,” Widmer said.

While Widmer had been on two previous mission trips to Honduras and Mexico in the past, she didn’t know what to expect for this trip.

“I knew nothing about what we were going to do before going. It was a big test of faith for me. I want an agenda and a plan,” Widmer said.

For the majority of the trip, Widmer and her group, who are connected to Christ for the City International, spent most of their time at the Refuge, a sort of sanctuary for those exiting hard times. 

“[The refuge is] a place for people who were coming out of gangs and off of drugs,” Widmer said. “We ministered to them and spent time in a small local church there.”

Widmer said they saw many healings and emotions but the most evident of all was gratitude. 

“We saw people who were just so passionate about their love for God,” Widmer said. “People who were coming out of gangs, who had murdered people, who had seen the worst of the worst are just so thankful for the gift of grace.”

Widmer and her group not only saw healing from the inside, emotionally, but also from the outside, physically.

“We saw a little girl who had been completely unable to speak able to start vocalizing. We saw a guy who was born with some kind of disorder in his hips and wasn’t able to bend forward; he was able to bend for the first time as a result of us praying for them. I saw a guy who had spots in his eyes that went away,” Widmer said.

Besides seeing so many people heal and express true joy, one of Widmer’s favorite parts of the trip was experiencing the Spanish culture that she teaches.

“I just loved being in the environment where everyone around me is speaking Spanish. I was the only one who could speak Spanish [in my group], so I felt very useful and helpful. I love the culture. Being a Spanish teacher, I’ve always had a passion for their culture, and so being in that environment, I just felt alive,” Widmer said.

Widmer not only enjoyed the culture and language but also the landscape.

“It was really beautiful,” Widmer said. “Costa Rica is a beautiful country, so even though we’re in the middle of the city, there is still a lot of nature, and it’s really pretty. The mountains were all around us.”

However, Widmer didn’t get to spend a lot of time admiring her surroundings because of the fast pace of her trip, which was a challenge. 

“It was like, go, go, go the entire time, and so I was really worn out,” Widmer said.

Even though the pace of her trip was faster than she wanted, Widmer agreed that it was completely worthwhile to help those in need.

“We saw a lot of crime [and] a lot of poverty. It definitely makes you grateful for what we have here,” Widmer said. “There’s just a lot of people who are in poverty that need hope and need help. That’s what they’re trying to do down there with the Refuge and these other ministries.”

Because of the positives of this last-minute trip, Widmer would definitely go on a similar trip and would encourage others to do the same. 

“I definitely recommend anybody to go to another country. I think it really changes your perspective to see how other people live and also their attitude. They just had so much joy,” Widmer said. “I think everybody should if they have the opportunity. It just feels so good…it is a very worthwhile experience.”