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.