Lessons from Costa Rica: Watch Out for the Howler Monkeys!

I want to encourage an eco-system of boundaries so that all of have an opportunity to experience God’s joy.

I am grateful to the church for my vacation time when I might be able to get away to refresh, renew, and long for home all over again. We had great guides for our trip who gave us great advice for how to make our trip more enjoyable.

We were always being advised to bring rain gear and bug spray. Luckily, the rain came when we were safely tucked in our hotel rooms and the bugs never showed up in a big way. Tracy and I always had our raincoats and bug spray at the ready.

But there were other pieces of advice we did not do so well on. When we crossed a narrow suspension bridge, howler monkeys were climbing the top of the bridge eyeing us suspiciously. Our guide told us to keep our mouths closed because howler monkeys have been known to urinate or defecate to ward off visitors. I looked up at them in awe and wonder as we passed under—realizing quickly that I had my mouth wide open as my head tilted back. Thankfully, they did not see us as much of a threat.

As Tracy and I attempted snorkeling, we were warned about sea urchins on the rocks. Watch where you put your hands and feet for their sharp spines they use for protection. As I swallowed two rounds of salt water and struggled with breath, Tracy came up to help me. She inadvertently put her hands and feet on the rocks and was cut six or seven times. Until she received some lidocaine, she was in severe pain.

Even with these missteps, we enjoyed watching the sun set on the Pacific, moving through the rain forest to the sounds of howler monkeys, soaking in hot springs created by active volcanoes, and visiting Costa Rica’s National Museum. Throughout our time, our enjoyment was more full as we remembered the boundaries established by our guides.

That is a long way toward talking about the necessary boundary training I will again go through. Boundary training was a requisite for my ordination and I have had to go through it in every location where I served in the United Church of Christ. This year I will go through training provided by the Michigan Conference. Ordained clergy in the Michigan Conference are required to go through this training so that we all might keep our congregations safe, keep ourselves safe, and create an eco-system where safety, confidence, and joy might flourish.

We would all like to think that nobody in our congregation would dare harm someone more vulnerable. My experience and these trainings have taught me, however, that the potential for incredible harm exists in every congregation. One of my most difficult jobs in every pastorate has been to draw boundaries so that all might have an opportunity to experience joy. As I have been thanked for doing so, I have heard terrible stories of harm and abuse which sadden me but give me courage for the next time around.

I want to encourage an eco-system of boundaries so that all of have an opportunity to experience God’s joy.

Shalom,

Mike