Day Eight: Arrival at Jaco Beach

Today we left San Jose for Jaco Beach. Because we did not go to the school today, we got an extra hour to sleep in. After breakfast we loaded the bus and said our goodbyes to Kathia, Deen, and the staff of the Diocesan House. With the combination of the luggage and the entire group, we were wedged into the bus like sardines. San Jose is an urban center surrounded by mountains covered in lush foliage, making the bus ride out of the city a picturesque one. The further we got from the city, the greater the distances between houses became. Soon, the views were of hilly pastures and farmland, with the occasional farm house. When we were about twenty minutes from Jaco, we stopped at Crocodile Bridge to stretch our legs and see the crocodiles. The bridge spans a moderately sized river, that just so happened to be filled with crocodiles. As we walked out onto the bridge, we looked down onto a horde of very large crocodiles. It was truly a sight to see, but Fernando encouraged us to move on in order to have a full day at the beach.

When we got to the beach, we split up for the afternoon. Some of us walked around the town and explored, while others took to the beach to surf and swim. Around 4, we started to trickle back in to the condos and swim at the pool until dinner. For dinner we went to a taco bar that had swings for seats. Dinner was delicious, and afterwards we went to Pops ice cream store. When we came back to the condo, we had devotion and worship to wrap up the day. Tomorrow will be filled with zip lining, surfing, and massages. Tomorrow promises to be a great day to decompress from a week of hard work and we hope you will continue to keep us in you thoughts and prayers.

Gob Bless,
The Costa Rica Mission Team

Day Seven

Apologies for the delay in this post--the last twenty four hours have flown by. Yesterday was our last day of VBS as well as the end of our stay in San Jose. We left the house as usual to go to the school. VBS ran the smoothest it had run all week and the children, as well as the team, were animated and completely immersed in the activities. At the end of VBS, we gathered in the playground area with all of the children and took an enormous group photo. We said our goodbyes to the children and the teachers who had shown us so much love and had been so welcoming all week. Later in our reflection and devotion for the day, many team members shared that they had been surprised at how emotional and sad they had been when saying goodbye. Even though it was very hard to part with such wonderful children, the relationships that we built this week are unlikely to ever be forgotten.

After visiting the bakery one last time, the boys and girls parted ways for the rest of the afternoon. The girls went with Kathia to cook dinner for the whole team, while the boys (attempted) to go to a volcano. Kathia took the girls to her house and designated different dishes for them to cook. Under Kathia's careful instruction, the girls learned to cook traditional Costa Rican dishes. Anne fried chicken in the side yard, Eleanor squeezed limes and pineapples to make two different juices, Carter chopped vegetables and made vegetarian lasagna, Margaret squeezed shaved coconut to get the milk and fried plantains, and everyone contributed to the salad. After six hours of cooking, the girls helped Kathia serve a delicious meal to her family and the entire team. Meanwhile, the boys went on a very long misadventure. An hour into the bus ride to the volcano, they were informed that the volcano was closing due to rain and clouds. They decided against going to another volcano due to the likelihood of similar conditions. Instead, the boys decided that purchasing fireworks was an excellent idea--until they discovered that every fireworks stand was closed. Shortly after discovering this, they got into a small fender-bender that resulted in no injuries minus a side mirror. Finally, the boys picked up a birthday cake for Kathia's husband Deen. Despite several obstacles, the day ended in a wonderful meal, with wonderful people, in a wonderful country.

After leaving Kathia and Deen's we came back to to the Diocesan House and promptly had a meeting and went to bed, due to a very long and successful day. Again, we apologize for the lateness of this post, and we hope to have a wonderful end to a phenomenal week. 

Gob Bless,

The Costa Rica Mission Team

Day Six

Today was another wonderful day at Hogar Escuela. However, there was a bittersweet edge to the day. When we arrived at the school, we noticed that the first thing in the entry way was a large black bow. As we walked further into the school, we noticed two other bows beside other doors. When we inquired as to what they were for, the teachers informed us that one of their student's mother had passed away last night in the hospital from cancer. We were very saddened and shocked to hear this news, especially since the child was at school and attended VBS today. The teachers informed us that they were taking up money for the family among themselves and offered us the chance to contribute in order to help pay for the funeral and ease some of the financial strain on the family. We each offered up some of our money without hesitation and slipped the $200 in an envelope and sent it with Brian and some of the boys to the family's visitation. When they came back, they described what they had seen there. Upon entering the house, they offered their condolences and were ushered to a very small and populated room. At the center of the room was the coffin on the dining room table. The coffin was made of cheap wood, so, in an effort to improve its appearance, the family had covered it in faux fur. The room was approximately 6x8, according to the boys, and was absolutely packed. Despite the sadness they felt at bearing witness to such a hard time for the family, the boys said that they were touched by the fact that the priest of the school, the principal, the secretary, the child's teachers, the janitor, and the cook accompanied them to the visitation. It is just another custom here: to take care of each other. The family informed Brian and the boys that in order to be buried with her family, the body would be driven 16 hours to Nicaragua in the back of a very old station wagon. It is customary to have the funeral and the visitation on the same day as the funeral, so they departed soon after the visitation ended. Everyone that attended the visitation today said that it was an experience they would never forget.

VBS this morning was excellent as usual. In Arts and Crafts, the children painted cardboard boxes to look like dominos. These are for a demonstration and are a part of tomorrow's worship theme for the children. In Story, our team acted out skits to portray Jesus cleansing us of our sins. In Music, we sang Spanish versions of VBS songs like "This Little Light of Mine". In Games, we played on the playground and on the basketball court. In short, we had yet another phenomenal day playing, learning, and laughing with the children. After VBS, we had about an hour to paint before lunch. While we were painting on the outside mural, we had several interesting experiences. They included but were not limited to: buying ice cream from a man selling both ice cream and umbrellas, being given packets of laundry detergent from a promotional group in a van, and being blessed with multiple sightings of a certain Jersey Shore look-alike. After lunch, we started back up on our painting. We finished both the murals and the inside gym wall by the end of the day; much to everyone's satisfaction.

On the way back to the Diocesan House, we stopped at Kathia and Dean's house (two of Brian's very good friends) to drop Dean and Megan--Kathia and Dean's daughter--off at the house. Their family was blessed enough to be able to buy a second lot adjacent to their house in order to have a garden and yard. Kathia grows lemons, mangos, lemongrass, cas, and sugarcane. She was generous enough to harvest some of the sugar cane--with a machete--and give it to us to try on our way home to the Diocesan House.

After dinner, we had a devotion to wrap up the Fruit of the Spirit today (kindness). Immediately following devotion and our meeting to discuss our plans for tomorrow, we all worked on teacher and staff gifts and thank you notes that we will leave behind in San Jose. We are now all heading up to bed for a good night's sleep to prepare for our last day of VBS. As our stay in San Jose comes to a close, we look back on the great experiences we have had here and look forward to the great experiences we are sure to have in the next few days in Jaco.

God Bless and goodnight,
The Costa Rica Mission Team

Day Five

This morning we rose early as usual and began to shine. :) On the bus ride to the school, Fernando (our bus driver) was very thoughtful and played one of the few American radio stations over the bus intercom. Upon arriving at the school, we set up for VBS more quickly than usual, which resulted in some extra time to play with the children before VBS. As we walked out onto the playground, certain children ran up to individual team members they recognized from VBS activities. It was just additional proof of the strengthening relationships between the team and the children here. It is magical to see the delight on both our team members' faces as well as the children during something as commonplace as a game of tag.

Later, we had a window of time between the end o f VBS and lunch. We took the opportunity to get some painting done, prepare for tomorrow's arts and crafts, and upload pictures to the slideshow. Everyone is throwing themselves whole-heartedly into the work, and consequently, much is getting done. After lunch, we resumed work. The boys got the entire gym wall painted and the girls continued with the detail work on the murals both in the front of the school and in the gym. We received a reminder to be flexible in the form of a late arrival of a class of older children who came in for arts and crafts in the middle of the work day. We were surprised and happy to find that the same crafts that had entranced the little ones, were just as exciting and enjoyable for the older children. With the conclusion of our workday came our daily trip to the bakery and then a bus ride back to the Diocesan House.

We had just enough time after getting back to shower before a small church service with the Bishop in the Diocesan House's Trinity Chapel. The service was beautiful and the Bishop did a wonderful job with the sermon. He told a dog anecdote, taught us a new Spanish word sigame, and introduced us to a very thoughtful saying: "if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. We sang Spanish hymns and carried out the service in alternate English and Spanish. In addition to wishing God's peace on everyone in the congregation, the Costa Ricans have another tradition that is very
different from what we are accustomed to in church. Instead of just the lector reading the Prayers of the People, everyone in the church is invited to read whatever prayer they want to. In other words, we were encouraged to "jump right in". It was a surprising invitation that made us feel more a part of the service and it certainly made the prayers more intimate.

After the service we had dinner and then a quick meeting to discuss the work to be done tomorrow. We plan to work as much and as hard as possible in order to finish our projects by Friday. Our lights out was 9:00 in order to ensure a full night's rest, so everyone is currently quietly in bed. We look forward to yet another amazing day tomorrow and wish God's peace to everyone back home.

God Bless,
The Costa Rica Mission Team

Day Four: Children, Churches, & Dinos

Today was yet another beautiful day in San Jose. We rose this morning at our regular early hour to eat breakfast and head over to the school. The fruit of the spirit today was faithfulness and we were encouraged to once again keep an eye out for it throughout our day as we learned and worked. When we arrived at the school, we set up and began VBS. In general, things went a lot smoother today. We got our feet wet yesterday and figured things out, and today we threw ourselves fully into VBS and entertaining the children. The energy and joy that our team had to offer today was truly amazing. Later in the day, during our reflection and worship, the majority of the team shared anecdotes and personal experiences that they had had with the children throughout the day that were truly touching.

After VBS and before lunch, we took a trip with Eduardo, who doubles as a music teacher and a priest. The trip we took was to his church, Ascension, that is currently under construction. We were informed that the church used to be a house and was demolished and is now being rebuilt entirely from the ground up. The plans for the new church are absolutely stunning. Complete with an elevator, arching ceilings, and enormous stained glass windows, it will truly be a sight to behold. Brian informed us that Ascension is what is known as a "blitz project" or a project that will be worked on a week or two at a time by countless mission groups. The money and work for the construction of the church comes entirely from groups like us; when there is money, work is done, when there is no money, the work ceases. We all agreed that the greatest example of faith that we found today was in Eduardo and the congregation of Ascension, in that they have complete faith that He will provide and that someday, the church will be finished.

Before heading back to Hogar Escuela to eat and begin our work for the day, we made one more stop at a church that Brian and a group from Trinity built with their own hands 10 years ago. Todos los Santos was built without a foreman, without building codes, and with $20,000. The design is simple, but absolutely beautiful. The fact that people worship there every Sunday and countless community events are held there lends a beauty to it that is all its own. 

Todos los Santos 

Todos los Santos

After lunch, we started in on our work. The boys got the entire gym wall coated in primer, and the girls made lots of progress with detail and touchup work on the two murals. The pace this afternoon was pleasantly relaxed after a hectic morning with the children. We left Hogar Escuela around 4 to go back to the house to get ready for dinner and a movie. After eating dinner we made our way to a mall in San Jose that contains the luxury theater. Our bus driver Fernando demonstrated exactly how close he can get to the car in front of him--about six inches. He used to be an EMT driver both in San Jose and Miami. He informed us that skilled driving in the U.S. is quite different from what is described as skillful here. The movie theater we went to was a new experience entirely. The seats are luxury leather recliners and there is a wait service that delivers food straight to your chair. The movie we went to see was Jurassic World, and the general consensus was that it was loud, and much like one long Mercedes commercial. However, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

After the movie, we drove back to the house to go to bed and get some rest for tomorrow. It was a wonderful conclusion to another wonderful day. Please keep our team in your thoughts and prayers as we head into our fifth day in Costa Rica. We continue to strive to do His work and spread His word.

God Bless,

The Costa Rica Mission Team

Day Three: Meeting the Kiddos

On this trip, we are focusing on the fruits of the spirit. Every day has been assigned a fruit of the spirit in order to study in devotion and try to embody throughout the day. Today at breakfast we talked about the fruit of love. We have also decided that if any of us see another team member exemplifying the fruit, we will take a picture of it and post it on the blog, so keep an eye out!

Fruit of the Spirit: Love (Anne Fawcett & Josey Silldorff)

This morning after breakfast we left the house at 7:30 to go to Hogar Escuela. Upon arriving at the school, we unpacked our supplies and set up for VBS. Our four stations--games, arts and crafts, music, and storytime--set up shop across the school. All throughout the morning we have been conducting various VBS activities. The children are beautiful and so well-mannered. Despite the language barrier, we are communicating just fine. Smiles and gestures are fairly universal. The children are thrilled  to see us and shout "Hola!" wherever we go. The entire team is interacting with both the children and each other. It is amazing to see what connections and relationships are already being built.

A-a-arte! Me gusta el Arte! 

As we prepared for lunch at the school, and a rigorous work day this afternoon, we enjoyed each other's company around a big table in the main hall in the school. Camaraderie is growing amongst our team members as we get further into the day and share more experiences.

Our lunch was prepared by the staff at Hogar Escuela and was absolutely delicious. After lunch, we began our work for the day. Our projects are painting a mural on the outside wall of the school and one on the inside of the gymnasium, and also painting the gymnasium floor and wall. The murals we are painting are "paint by numbers" and have been designed and will be "fixed" by a very kind professional painter, Pamela. We have made a lot of progress on the murals, as is evident in the pictures below. We did not start painting the floor or large gym wall today but plan on beginning the latter tomorrow. Pamela has informed us that she wants the boys to work on painting the monochromatic wall while the girls handle the detail work! We took a break from our work to take a trip down the block to the bakery. The bakery is but a small storefront  on a huge industrial building that supplies all the country's baked goods. We all enjoyed gesticulating and communicating in broken Spanglish in order to order our delicious pastries.

After our hiatus, we went back to the school to wrap up our work and play with the children. It is amazing to experience their love and happiness that they are all too willing to share with total strangers. It is a cultural difference that we all shared our awe at later at our reflection for the day. We were tired but happy at the end of our work day, and we all piled into the bus to head back for a little relaxation before dinner.

After dinner, we once again got on our bus to go to the gym at the San Lorenzo School to play soccer with the bishop and another youth group that hails from the great state--but not quite as great as S.C.--of North Carolina. The bishop means business when it comes to soccer; he shows no mercy when aiming for a goal. We left the school at around 10 and are back at the house now. It has been a long but successful and happy day, and we all can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

God Bless,
The Costa Rica Mission Team

Day Two: Exploring San Jose

We rose this morning at an early hour in order to explore the local farmers market before breakfast. We walked a couple of blocks while Brian gave us an auditory tour of whatever sights we passed. These included the presidential compound--the equivalent of the white house--and the university of Costa Rica. the market was an open air, outdoor affair with dozens of fresh fruit, meat, and vegetable stands. The wares being sold there truly personified the color and vibrancy of the city and country. As we passed stalls, Brian bought certain exotic fruits for us to try. They were intriguing to say the least. One actually strongly resembled a sea urchin. Everywhere we went we received friendly greetings and questions that we mostly replied to with gestures and smiles.

After our excursion to the market, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast prepared by the staff of the Diocesan House. Shortly following breakfast, we piled into the bus to go to a downtown church service at Buen Pastor. The church was packed due to the high attendance on Father's Day. The service was in alternating English and Spanish, although it was fairly straightforward to follow as it was in the traditional Episcopalian format. The children of the parish at Buen Pastor gave a touching tribute to their fathers that truly added to the beauty of the service.  The Peace here is slightly different than at home. Here, instead of just wishing God's Peace on those in your near vicinity, everyone wishes EVERYONE God's Peace. It's a wonderful and embracing practice that made us feel entirely welcome in a country that is not our own.

After sharing lunch with the congregation, we departed Buen Pastor in order to walk to a downtown market. The market has everything you could possibly imagine. From beautiful handmade jewelry, to coffee and wood carvings. Interestingly enough, it is acceptable to negotiate prices with the venders. It is a bit of a foreign concept to bargain for souvenirs but we seemed to get the hang of it. We spent approximately two hours shopping in the market and then met back up in front of the Hotel Costa Rica and the National Theater. On the drive back to the Diocesan House, we passed through the winding neighborhoods of the city. The traffic rules here are very different than back home. For instance pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. We have been told that if we are in the way, the cars will at least try to stop--but there are no guarantees. There are also minimal stop lights and stop signs. It is truly an experience to be in any type of vehicle here.

"would you like to hear my song?

Upon arriving back at the Diocesan House, Brian gave us some tasks to complete before dinner. While the boys went on a Walmart run--and yes, Walmart has infiltrated into San Jose--the girls stayed back at the house to unpack and organize the VBS supplies and the donated prom dresses for the Princess Project. VBS this year is science-themed, so we have been sorting through magnifying glasses and petri dishes, and assembling model molecules. We are currently wrapping up in the organization of the supplies as the dinnertime approaches. Later tonight we are planning on going to Hogar Escuela to unpack and set up for VBS tomorrow. We are looking forward to a busy and exciting day at the school tomorrow and also a wonderful week at the school. We are here to do His work and embody his Word. We hope you we will keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we strive to do so in these next few days.

God Bless,
The Costa Rica Mission Team