Day 7

Day 7

This morning we had a once in a life- time opportunity. We woke and ate breakfast as usual. After breakfast we piled onto the bus, but this time we did not go to the school. We drove to a serine labyrinth and spent time with god.  The labyrinth was also a park with a jungle atmosphere. There was an assortment of beautiful red, yellow, purple and white flowers and a huge canopy composed of several trees.

After everyone was done walking the labyrinth, we got on the bus, and once again drove to the town square. We went to town -square to watch Costa Rica play Italy in the world cup. The square was swarmed with thousands of people. Everyone was wearing Costa Rican apparel and blowing horns. The atmosphere was full of excitement. All of us joined the crowd to cheer for the Ticos. Some of the mission team went to the market one last time to pick up last minute gifts. We stood in the square and anxiously watched the game. During the first half, Costa Rica scored a goal on the Italians. The crowd went crazy, blowing horns and chanting “Olay, olay, olay, olay , ticos, ticos.” People in our group got their faces painted with the Costa Rican flag and wore soccer jerseys.

The Costa Ricans beat Italy 1-0. It was a huge victory for the Costa Ricans; the whole square went crazy. People were jumping up and down, screaming, and waving the Costa Rican flag. After the huge successes we began to walk back to the bus. People were parading in the street all around us. Cars honked in victory and we had to fight our way down the street. Then we ventured to the Hogar Escuela.

When we got to the school, we were all greeted by the children for our last day of VBS.

         

Day 5: work work work

This morning we awoke joyfully and drank some coffee. Then we loaded onto the bus and arrived at Hogar Escuela. When we got there we tackled various work projects. We even rented a jack hammer that will help us greatly advance in our projects. Then we resumed VBS. The kids were more energetic and comfortable with us and they are beginning to really open up to us. Many of the kids call us by name or mi amigo or amiga.

One of the biggest projects is transforming the gym into an open air space with no roof because of safety regulations, the school has to have an area that is uncovered in case of an earthquake. We got a jack hammer to help us dig a ditch along the side of the gym, that we will put a pipe in that goes out to the street for when it rains.  This jack hammer has increased the speed of this project very much because before the boys and men would take turns hammering the concrete to make the ditch.

Another one of the biggest projects is scraping the paint off of the outer wall of the school.  This has taken many days and we have not gotten very far because we have to scrap them by hand.  Just today we bought electric scrapers that help speed up this process a lot more.  Also today we are just finishing up another projects which is making raised garden beds for when the roof is taken off of the gym.   We are also scraping paint off of the main walkway of the school.  Those are our big projects!

This is the inside wall that we are scraping paint off of.

This is the team in action working on building the ditch for gym!

Day 4: VBS

This morning we started off the day with a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, rice, and beans. We loaded up the buses and traveled to Hogar Escuela for a second day of service and fun.  We started the morning with VBS where the children rotated in the same five stations as they did the day before.  Today we noticed that the children were a lot more comfortable and happier with us all being here in their school. After VBS, we continued our work projects from yesterday.  We then took a short break for lunch, and we are now starting our work projects again!

We made a lot of progress on the wall and came close to finishing the garden construction project. We are still working on digging a trench for a pipe and reconstructing the sidewalk. We are getting new tools tomorrow to speed up the process. We also met a new friend, Stanley the scrawny dog.
After working for two hours, we took a break and went to the bakery down the street. We ordered a variety of fresh pastries, and breads, and we even made some new friends.

When we got back from the bakery, we continued working on the various work projects. Some of the girls were allowed to go the nursery and play with adorable babies. Another group of people played with a group of five and six year old kids.

We left Hogar at 5, and got ready for the event of the evening. After a delicious dinner of rice and beans, steak,  zucchini, squash and potatoes, we all journeyed to a VIP movie complex where we all enjoyed an assortment of crepes, nachos, sandwiches and other frozen beverages. This experienced was complimented by the luxurious and comfortable reclinable chairs.  The movie we saw was Maleficient which provided the back story to Sleeping Beauty.

The group returned to the hostel around 11:30 where we broke off into prayer partners and then slowly wandered off to bed.

Day 3: First Day at School

Today was the first day at  Hogar Escuela. We started the day off by teaching the kids inVBS. We split up into four stations, skits, arts and crafts, games, and music. Each age group of kids rotated to each station. After we ate a traditional Costa Rican meal with lots of fresh fruits. After lunch we started our work projects. Including Sanding the outer wall, digging a ditch for a drain, and painting the front gate.  Many of the girls helped Alison with the arts and crafts for VBS and played with the kids on the play ground.  We took a break and walked to a delicious bakery down the street and got yummy Costa Rican treats.

Overall, the school was different than everyone expected it to be. The inside of the school was not modernized but it was very well maintained. We were all expecting a run down, poverty stricken school; instead what we got was a colorful, multi-personal environment that had been especially made to welcome the children of the surrounding neighborhood. The team is bonding and learning how to except changes that we have recently encountered in our mission.  Through this mission trip, our two churches have truly become one body of christ as we become the hands and feet of God. For a majority of the team, the children are serving as the light of Jesus. They are thankful for everything they receive, for which they give back twice as much.

Tomorrow we plan on starting the day with VBS, to be followed by continuing our renovations to the school and starting new projects to further that cause. Keep the children of Hogar Escuela and us in your prayers. Pura Vida!!

Day 2: First Day Out

Today started with a wonderful meal prepared by the chefs at our Hostel. Breakfast included scrambled eggs, rice and beans, some mixed fruit, and peach tea. We left breakfast and headed north to visit Hogar Escuela Heredia, the second Hogar Escuela, opened by the Episcopal Diocese of Costa Rica in the region north of San Jose. The school has been open a few years now. When it opened, there were only 14 students and now it's grown to more than 100.

We participated in a beautiful bilingual church service at the Hogar Escuela Heredia. The pace of the service was a little different than what we are used to at home, but nonetheless it was lovely. We sang songs in Spanish, prayed, and celebrated the Eucharist with white wine. Some of the families from the school were present at worship with us. And Hector, the Bishop of Costa Rica led the worship service. What a treat!

Our friend Fernando made it possible for us to tour Estadio Nacional - the stadium where the Costa Rican national team plays. We walked on the field and toured the inside of the stadium. The stadium opened a few years ago and is a major upgrade from the previous stadium. It was a gift from the Chinese since they have a trade agreement. Costa Rica has recently embraced the technology industry; and they are a major producer of mirochips. They provide China with the chips and China built them a world-class stadium. It's a pretty big deal to get a tour of the stadium... Security is very important and people are only allowed in during games, but we lucked out since we know Fernando who works there as a paramedic when there are games.

Some of the girls on the field at Estadio Nacional. 

After our tour of the stadium, we enjoyed a great lunch back at Hostel Casa Colon. Lunch included chicken, vegetables, pineapple salsa, salad, rice and beans, and yummy guacamole. After lunch, we traveled to the Diocesan House where we took a look around. Normally, we would stay at the Diocesan House, but this year our group is really too large. It's a beautiful space with a yard and a chapel and meeting space.

We left the Diocesan House and went headed to city center to shop the handimarkets. Before we could make it to the markets, we stumbled on the President of Costa Rica. Our friend Fernando asked the President to take a photo with us...and he said yes! So, we took a group photo outside of Teatro Nacional.

We met the President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solis!

After we picked up treats for our friends and families at the markets, we headed back to the hostel to prepare and rest for a day full of worship and service tomorrow. Here's a view from the upstairs balcony of our hostel.

The view from the porch at our hostel.

Day 1: We've Arrived in Costa Rica!

Made it to Costa Rica safe! Went exploring in the city today! so fun!!!

UPDATE: We made it to San Jose, Costa Rica safely. Our journey began early for all of us. We all left in the wee hours of the morning from Columbia and Greenville to make it to the airport in Atlanta in time for our flight.

Check-in was a bit of a struggle with all of our bins and baggage, but we got it taken care of; and finally made our way to the gate. We boarded the plane, where most of us sat together for our 4ish hour flight. It was the first flight for some of our team members - and what an experience they had! We had some serious turbulence and dropped a few times in-flight. A few of us were terrified and a few were sick. The in-flight entertainment wasn't working, so we didn't have any distractions.

After a few hours in the air, we landed in San Jose, collected our bags, made it through customs and waited on Fernando, our guide, to meet us at the airport. It was pretty humid when we got here and we had to wait outside of the airport.

Waiting on Fernando and the bus with all of our luggage and crates outside of the airport in San Jose.

Fernando and the bus showed up about an hour and half later. It was meal time, so we headed to a restaurant, La Fiesta Del Pollo, for dinner and to watch the last part of the Costa Rica World Cup game. Costa Rica and the country, or at least San Jose went crazy.

After dinner, we headed to Hostel Casa Colon to check-in and settle in for the night. We did a team meeting and had time to explore the area around the city which is right downtown and near the city center.

We came back to the Hostel and did a closing team meeting, worship and prayer, and headed to bed.