LightHouse Transformation Ministries
The Mission of LightHouse is to transform lives and communities through informal education and Gospel proclamation.
The Vision of LightHouse is to develop Gospel centered communities in the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica by establishing educational LightHouse centers in and near the major high schools that are led locally & sustainably with integrity and excellence.
Parrita, Costa Rica
Parrita is one of 82 cantones, essentially counties, in Costa Rica. Parrita is in the province of Puntarenas, on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, leading to its three main sources of revenue: agriculture, maritime activities, and tourism. The estimated population is around 20,000.
Costa Rica is ranked by the UN's World Happiness Report as the 16th "Happiest" country in the world. In spite of this, there is pain and trauma experienced by many, and there is a great need particularly among the youth. This is especially true of the regions outside of the Central Valley (the metropolitan area of the capital city, San José), including Parrita.
Behind the fame of the ecotourism and the resorts of Costa Rica, there is a veil that covers much of the life there. When seen in its reality, you are faced with terrible cycles of poverty, broken homes and abuse, and human trafficking.
The Need
(Above Left) "The Social Progress Index by Cantón uses 53 indicators by social and environmental results to measure the overall well being and sustainability of the 81 cantones." The cantones in red are failing by a global standard, including the Parrita Cantón.
(Above Right) The 14 failing cantones in Costa Rica listed in order of score on the Social Progress Index; Parrita is gauged to be the 6th worst.
Cycle of Poverty:
The Index for Social Progress has labeled Parrita to be the 6th lowest county in Costa Rica. This rating describes the lack of access to basic needs, medical care, water, sanitation, security, personal rights, and education. To make matters worse, the minimum wage of $2.05/hour does not cover the high cost of living, so a 12 hour day in agricultural fields (i.e. banana, papaya, palm oil) does not make ends meet for a family of 5+. The cycle of poverty then exasperates the following cycles.
Cycle of Human Trafficking:
Beginning in 2014, human trafficking in Costa Rica began to worsen. In 2017, the U.S. placed Costa Rica in the Tier 2 watch-list for human trafficking. Despite the economic growth seen in the country, it continues to miss the mark for reducing trafficking. Additionally, prostitution is legal ages 18+, which leads to other forms of trafficking.
Despite the minuscule fraction that the population of Parrita comprises of the country as a whole (20,000 of 5,100,000), the International Bureau for Children's Rights has labeled Parrita to be in the top 7 areas needing attention for child trafficking. What typically occurs is families are living in poverty, so the youth are sexually exploited, pressured into illegal forms of trade, or pushed to drop out of high school in order to work.
Cycle of Broken Homes & Abuse:
A part of the culture in rural Costa Rica to not practice marriage. So, a "spouse" is really the newest boyfriend or girlfriend. It is common to have a child or two before the man leaves the family behind. This leads to youth being taught this to be normal and acceptable. This also contributes to the pushing of youth into abusive situations.
The Impact
Online English Program:
LightHouse offers online English classes. Once a week, students from Costa Rica connect to Zoom from their homes, and volunteer English Language Partners from the United States connect from their homes. In small groups, the English Language Partners work on conversational English with their students. This program is helping to teach these students to English proficiency, which opens up the possibilities for good paying jobs.
Transformation Center:
LightHouse has recently started a Transformation Center on the campus of the Parrita public high school, where 1,500 students attend, grades 7-12. This center currently offers supplemental dynamic activities in the English classes. Engaging, relationship building activities are also offered during the lunch periods. In the future, English clubs will be offered in addition to being in the English classes. LightHouse is also exploring the possibility of opening a tutoring program that will meet numerous needs. Failing math, English, and reading courses are the most common reasons for dropout. Through the English programs and the tutoring services, the youth will be empowered to graduate from high school and be statistically more likely to break the cycles.
Hope in Jesus:
Worship opportunities, Bible classes, and conversations are offered to share the good news that the Lord has come to restore all things new, no matter one's situation. As tutoring and teaching occur, meaningful, one-on-one relationships are built that naturally lead into mentoring relationships as life circumstances arise. These, then, eventually lead to discipling relationships, where lives are transformed by the grace of the Lord. As we have seen the past 4.5 years, once the youth find their identify in Christ, lives are transformed to respect themselves and others, breaking the cycles of poverty, broken homes & abuse, and human trafficking.
The Team
Ethan, Amanda, Aubree, & August Hutton, along with Zach Barz, serve as mission partners in Parrita, Costa Rica. The Huttons moved to Costa Rica in August 2017, and Zach moved a year later in 2018. The Hutton family and Zach are sent by Mission of Christ Network as mission partners for intentional Gospel proclamation in Costa Rica.
Joining the Team!
Joining the LightHouse team are Ruth Moon and Drew Boggs. Both will be joining in the Autumn of 2022!
Support Today!
Your financial gifts enable the life transforming impact of the Gospel message being shared through LightHouse in Parrita.
If YOU are interested in partnering to make a sustainable impact along with us through regular financial giving,
please click the "Join the Impact" link below.
We are still in need of 22 partners at $100/month!
For more information about the Mission Partners, please click the links below:
To subscribe to the Huttons' email newsletter, please click the "Newsletter" link below:
For more information about LightHouse, please email Ethan Hutton at:
ethan.hutton@missionofchrist.org