Trip south a spiritual, cultural eye-opener

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

Kings County Register

Volunteering in Costa Rica changed Wolfville area father Tim Foote's ambition. "I'd like to do something to really help the kids here, and in other countries. Most people in the world live on a few dollars a week."

A short stint volunteering in Central America this past summer made Foote want to return. "I'd like to help out. I'm not talking about re-inventing the wheel, but pursuing missions. To be blunt about it, I see it as an act of faith. “I want to share my belief with others"

His first visit south was kind of “a scouting trip.” He stayed with two families, each with a number of children, in an undeveloped area near the northern border with Nicaragua. He connected with In Motion Ministries of Colorado and found the team was excellent. Volunteers on the mission ranged in age from 15 to 75. “I'd seen photos of the jungle before," Foote says, "but it's a massive place, thick jungle. Beautiful country, and the people are so friendly."

The Newfoundland native says Costa Ricans remind him of folks at home, with their small farms and basic churches. The heat was totally unlike his home province. "There was 100 per cent humidity - I was soaking."

Foote was impressed to see Costa Ricans walk two or three miles in the dark to attend church. "Their culture is so joyful. They gave us way more than we could ever have given them. I'd like to go back for two or three months," he says, "and take my family, but I have to wait until our youngest is a little older."

Visiting a country where the people make use of everything they have, Foote says, made him realize how blessed Canadians are. "When we step

outside our own world, we see how many of us are self consumed and waiting for the next paycheque. I wish people could learn to just enjoy life as a family."

Live in Central America, he realizes, "is so simple. “It's back to basics. You realize you could make do with way less."

Foote and his wife, Heather, have lived in the Wolfville area for over four years. He is a musician primarily, but has also taking theological training in Ontario. They belong to the Valley Cornerstone Assembly.

While he isn't actively fundraising to return to Costa Rica, Foote “thinks in another six or eight months, we'll be able to sort out the funding. I certainly wouldn't turn down donations. “God opens doors and He provides. "