I just recently finished working with a group of Juniors and Seniors from Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI) in British Columbia, Canada. They came down to Costa Rica during their Spring Break and for about two weeks. There were nearly 30 of them including their leaders, but we split them into two smaller groups and I and Denia, a Tica that used to work with us, led the group out to Shiroles, Talamanca. Shiroles is a small little town without even one traffic light (or stop sign for that matter). And that's okay, cause no one would obey it anyway. But Shiroles is a small town located just next to a large river, also close to huge plantain fields that the majority of the town works in, and practically in the jungle. It's a lot of fun if you like hot, humid weather. I enjoy visiting there...for a week...sometimes. Denia is from there, so it is just going back home for her. However, the majority of us North Americans, tend to find ourselves way out of our comfort zone. It's out on an Indian Reservation in the southeastern part of Costa Rica right next to the Panama border. Life is very different there.
The water was supposed to come on every other day. Sometimes it didn't do that. There was a large water tank over the bathrooms that provided some water when the public water wasn't running. Fortunately it was earlier in the year that we went there. Last year I went later into the rainy season and there were tons of bugs. This time, I just got eaten alive, but I didn't see the bugs. Last year, I got eaten alive and I saw the bugs that were biting me everywhere. Okay, maybe a little exaggeration, but it's close. Another thing I learned this year that I didn't know the first time I went to Shiroles was how to rewear clothes. It is so hot that you are constantly changing clothes. I managed to only change my work shirt once during the 6 days we worked on the work project. I just wore the same socks and shorts the whole time. As much as guys joke about only wearing what smells the least putrid sometimes, that's really what it came down to on this trip. You hung your clothes out after you wore them, and the next day, you wore whatever smelled the least. Two days we ran out of water so we improvised for showers. The one day guys went to one part of the river while girls went upstream and we all literally bathed in the river with soap and shampoo, although I don't know how much the soap really helped. The other day it was raining, and if you stood right under the edge of the roof there was sufficient water for a shower. All the guys got out in our swimsuits and bathed.
We did work some too. We dug the footers or trenches for the foundation of a new church building. That got nice and muddy, but the Pastor and his wife both were incredibly thankful. There is another group out in Shiroles this week that has been continuing the work we started.
I could write 100 pages on the trip and the experience, but let me get to what I wanted to share. God really showed off for us on this trip, which I think was one of the highlights for me and for the youth as well.
We worked on the church and did the digging from about 8 until 12 for the first three days and then tried to start by 7 or 7:30 for the last three days until about 11 because the hottest times of the day were from about 11 until 2. And to work in that heat is just brutal. The amazing thing that God did for us was to answer our prayer, literally every day, by bringing the kind of weather we asked for. Each day, one of the youth would pray for a particular kind of weather. They prayer for a sunny day, they prayed for a cloudy day, they prayed for a rainy day, they prayed for partly cloudy, and each day, that's exactly what the weather was. You may not think it a big deal, but when you have to dig trenches in the hot and humid weather, it is a real blessing to have different kinds of weather.
God also answered our prayers in very unusual ways as well. There was one guy who was Korean, but his family had recently moved to Canada. He attends MEI, but says he is not a Christian. He is still trying to figure out if he really believes there is a God. So he prayed four specific prayers to challenge God to see if he really exists. I wish I could remember all of the prayers. I believe one day he prayed for the weather, and as I mentioned, God delivered. Another day I think he prayed for the chance to walk through the jungle and we got to do that after a church service one afternoon. The final challenge and strangest of all, was this. On our vacation day, he challenged God to make someone get seriously hurt on the trip. Guess what! During our white water rafting trip, we took a break along the side of the river for snacks and to rest. There were some small rapids that you can ride through with just a life jacket on. So everyone took turns jumping in and riding about 50 yards down river with just life jackets on. However, there was a huge rock jutting out just on the edge of the rapids and if you jumped too far into the rapids you got thrown against the rock. The guides leading us told us just to toss ourselves in and ride down. So that's exactly what Nick did. He jumped as far as he could in...and got slammed against the rock. He got shaken up, but the top part of his hand hit the edge of the rock and the skin split open all the way to the bone. Needless to say he couldn't continue on the rafting with us. One of the guides took him to a local clinic and the doctor had to put in several stitches to get him all fixed up.
So God will answer our prayers. He won't hurt someone if you don't like them and He won't do absolutely whatever you ask, and from my experience He doesn't always answer what we want even if it's done with the right motives. But if you are sincerely seeking God, and asking Him to demonstrate His power, He will prove it. So if you really are trying to find out if God's real, ask Him, and He'll show himself to you.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Not Forgotten
I went down to La Cuenca yesterday with DeLynn. La Cuenca literally means "the basin" in Spanish and that's basically what it is. Located behind a new modern mall, the biggest symbol of prosperity and wealth in Heredia, lies The Basin. La Cuenca is an impoverished neighborhood made up of squatters from Nicaragua and the poorest of Costa Rica. No one actually owns the land there, but there is a huge neighborhood of tin shacks. It is down in a basin of sorts where a filthy, garbage filled stream runs through. It's not your typical stream though. It's not big enough to be a river, but it's up to 10 feet wide in some places and about 10 -12 feet deep. It's really more of a cavern where the stream doesn't fill it up except during the rainy season when it overflows and all of the trash spills out into the plaza area in the middle of the neighborhood. Many people don't have work, the average family has about 5 kids, and there seems to be no hope. Women will baby-sit for a whole day for the equivalent of $1.00. Drugs are a problem there as well. Skin diseases are common among the children because of the garbage and dirty water in the neighborhood. Many of the people are immigrants from Nicaragua (many of them illegal) and they cannot tap into the social health care resources. Those that are legal citizens do not have the money to do so. Many cannot even send their kids to school because they need money for uniforms and basic school supplies that they can't afford. Most Americans would never even dream of visiting a place like that, much less, to live in a situation like that.
But I've been there lots of times, so why do I say anything now. Well, because even in a place like that, I found hope, and people willing to help these people. Christ for the City, International is a ministry that works right in the middle of this neighborhood in the bottom of the basin. Chad and myself, both interns of Pura Vida, have helped with the Kids' Club that CFCI hosts. This is also where I have been teaching English. But the leader of CFCI is named Ronald. He is a Tico who has a tremendous heart for the people of La Cuenca and desires to do everything he can to help them. DeLynn and I spoke with him yesterday about his desires and passions for La Cuenca. He is currently one of four people that help with the Kids' Club once a week and do other things throughout the week to minister. He has all sorts of ideas, but his biggest desire and passion is to provide things that will support the people in La Cuenca and gain them the opportunity to get out of this neighborhood. He told us he wants to serve and improve their physical, economic, and spiritual health. His biggest passion that he is working on, is to provide a feeding ministry that will serve up to 1000 meals at least three times a week. He has the resources to start the ministry, and the heart for it as well, but he would not be able to sustain it just yet, and he won't start it until he knows it will be a consistent ministry. Talking with Ronald yesterday, I could see the passion in his eyes. His body seemed to ache and demonstrate the sorrow he felt for the people and the passion he has for serving everyone in La Cuenca.
I am amazed at how mighty a God we serve. God has not forgotten even these "forgotten" people who are struggling to survive. The amazing thing is that you can't see the struggle in the faces of the kids. They still have fun and still laugh. In the parents you start to see a little bit of the loss of hope. But God hasn't forgotten, and He is giving people like Ronald a heart for the people of La Cuenca, so that no one is forgotten. Because God has put people like Ronald in La Cuenca, I know that God will be faithful to provide whatever resources they need.
But I've been there lots of times, so why do I say anything now. Well, because even in a place like that, I found hope, and people willing to help these people. Christ for the City, International is a ministry that works right in the middle of this neighborhood in the bottom of the basin. Chad and myself, both interns of Pura Vida, have helped with the Kids' Club that CFCI hosts. This is also where I have been teaching English. But the leader of CFCI is named Ronald. He is a Tico who has a tremendous heart for the people of La Cuenca and desires to do everything he can to help them. DeLynn and I spoke with him yesterday about his desires and passions for La Cuenca. He is currently one of four people that help with the Kids' Club once a week and do other things throughout the week to minister. He has all sorts of ideas, but his biggest desire and passion is to provide things that will support the people in La Cuenca and gain them the opportunity to get out of this neighborhood. He told us he wants to serve and improve their physical, economic, and spiritual health. His biggest passion that he is working on, is to provide a feeding ministry that will serve up to 1000 meals at least three times a week. He has the resources to start the ministry, and the heart for it as well, but he would not be able to sustain it just yet, and he won't start it until he knows it will be a consistent ministry. Talking with Ronald yesterday, I could see the passion in his eyes. His body seemed to ache and demonstrate the sorrow he felt for the people and the passion he has for serving everyone in La Cuenca.
I am amazed at how mighty a God we serve. God has not forgotten even these "forgotten" people who are struggling to survive. The amazing thing is that you can't see the struggle in the faces of the kids. They still have fun and still laugh. In the parents you start to see a little bit of the loss of hope. But God hasn't forgotten, and He is giving people like Ronald a heart for the people of La Cuenca, so that no one is forgotten. Because God has put people like Ronald in La Cuenca, I know that God will be faithful to provide whatever resources they need.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Here's a Thought
So I went to the zoo today in San Jose. I've been there before. It wasn't particularly exciting, but I always enjoy seeing the lions and toucans. But on this particular visit I read something on a sign that made me think. I was standing in front of the jaguar cage. The poor thing looked a little chubby and kind of lonely. He started walking in a pattern around his cage at a slow pace. I guess that was his exercise. I felt sorry for him though, having to be in a cage and not living how he was really meant to be. And then I saw the sign. (No, not like the song). But it read, a jaguar will normally live between 12 and 16 years in the wild. The jaguar can have a slightly more prolonged life in captivity. And then it hit me... which is really better: to live a longer life stuck in a cage? Or to live in the wild, living as you were created, experiencing all you can in life, running and exploring and live a shorter life?
Okay, so that question sounds a little biased. You can probably guess my answer. But the real question is not, which would you prefer...but which are you actually living?
Okay, so that question sounds a little biased. You can probably guess my answer. But the real question is not, which would you prefer...but which are you actually living?
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Stereotypes
One thing I have noticed in Costa Rica that is very curious to me, is the sentiments between Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans. I don't know what it is. It reminds me somewhat of the stories of Whites and Blacks in the U.S. Even in some areas of the U.S., some people still believe that what color you are makes you different and even better than another person. I hate this about human nature. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. I have noticed that here in Costa Rica there are people who really dislike Nicaraguans. There are many jokes that are told in Costa Rica about Nicaraguans similar to those jokes that Virginians tell about West Virginians. Only, these jokes have a more racist slant to them. Coming from the U.S., where we so often just throw everyone from Central or South America into the same pile, it's almost hilarious to hear that someone in this part of the world would distinguish themselves so differently that they think themselves better than another. I used to think of everyone as the same whether they came from Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, or Argentina. Living here, I've discovered that there are huge differences even between places like Nicaragua and Costa Rica. And Costa Ricans do consider themselves to be very different from Nicaraguans or Ecuadorians.
But for some Costa Ricans, they not only think they are different than Nicaraguans, but they are better than Nicaraguans. In the U.S. this would probably be better compared to the difference between people from the U.S. and Mexicans trying to cross the border. Or anyone from a poor Central American country. They are NOT ALL Mexicans! So don't call them that. But just as people try to cross into the U.S. to make money for their families, many Nicaraguans cross into Costa Rica because the standards of living are higher and income is better here than there. And, in general, Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica still live at a lower standard than Costa Ricans, but they are still better off here than there. So they work for lower wages, but what makes them different or beneath another person? I am completely confused by this sentiment among Costa Ricans. What saddens me, is that I have heard it even from some of my Christian friends here. Sometimes it is just in the way people lower their voices when talking about someone who is from Nicaragua. One time I even heard that it would be offensive to a Costa Rican girl if a guy she liked dated a girl from Nicaragua. I can't stand things like that. And while I can say that this is just a problem here in Costa Rica, I can't just write it off, because I know that it still exists in many places. As followers of Christ, this should make us sick. We have no right to think of ourselves better than anyone else. Even if you're not a believer in Christ, you still have no right to say that. Yes, you may have been more fortunate than someone else or were born into better circumstances, but you have no control over that. A Costa Rican may say, well, I've known some Nicaraguans, and they weren't exactly the best people I've met. (And I have heard this). So you know that those Nicaraguans aren't great people, but there are several million people in Nicaragua. How can you possibly know all of them? You're stereotyping. Hey I do it all the time unfortunately. But it gives me no right to say that I'm better than someone else. This is why much of the world hates Christians. They've known a few people who called themselves "Christian" and then went on living their lives as if Christ never existed. Why does the world, and even Christians ourselves, go by stereotypes to gain an understanding of who Jesus Christ was. Why can't we just look at Jesus Christ? A Christian is an image of Christ not other Christians, although it SHOULD be the same thing. If you want to know what a real Christian looks like, study the life of Jesus. If you aren't a Christian, please don't stereotype us by the people who call themselves Christian and then ignore the founder, Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, please realize, that everyone in the world does stereotype others. It's a natural reaction, but it's a way that the enemy tries to defeat us. As Christians, let's make sure our stereotype matches Jesus Christ. I'll need help as much as you.
On a lighter note. I was walking through Heredia, the city where I attend language classes. Back home in the U.S. I love to shop at thrift stores, cause you can find some really cheap t-shirts, and they are usually the funniest t-shirts you've ever seen. So I found a thrift store in Heredia this past week and I was really excited. In Costa Rica, they are sometimes called Ropa Americana. Which means American clothes. Of all the types of clothes sent to Costa Rica from the U.S., how did our second hand/used clothes get labeled as American clothes? Maybe Costa Ricans feel that Americans are cheap and like used clothes. Maybe it doesn't mean anything, except that it came from America. I don't know, it doesn't bother me, I just thought it was something interesting to think about on this topic of stereotypes.
The cool part about the Ropa Americana store is that I found a George Mason t-shirt, a Virginia Tech t-shirt, and a kid's soccer jersey all from places within about a 1-2 hour drive from where I live in Virginia. How crazy is it that I could find clothes in Costa Rica, from my home in Virginia? Wild.
But for some Costa Ricans, they not only think they are different than Nicaraguans, but they are better than Nicaraguans. In the U.S. this would probably be better compared to the difference between people from the U.S. and Mexicans trying to cross the border. Or anyone from a poor Central American country. They are NOT ALL Mexicans! So don't call them that. But just as people try to cross into the U.S. to make money for their families, many Nicaraguans cross into Costa Rica because the standards of living are higher and income is better here than there. And, in general, Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica still live at a lower standard than Costa Ricans, but they are still better off here than there. So they work for lower wages, but what makes them different or beneath another person? I am completely confused by this sentiment among Costa Ricans. What saddens me, is that I have heard it even from some of my Christian friends here. Sometimes it is just in the way people lower their voices when talking about someone who is from Nicaragua. One time I even heard that it would be offensive to a Costa Rican girl if a guy she liked dated a girl from Nicaragua. I can't stand things like that. And while I can say that this is just a problem here in Costa Rica, I can't just write it off, because I know that it still exists in many places. As followers of Christ, this should make us sick. We have no right to think of ourselves better than anyone else. Even if you're not a believer in Christ, you still have no right to say that. Yes, you may have been more fortunate than someone else or were born into better circumstances, but you have no control over that. A Costa Rican may say, well, I've known some Nicaraguans, and they weren't exactly the best people I've met. (And I have heard this). So you know that those Nicaraguans aren't great people, but there are several million people in Nicaragua. How can you possibly know all of them? You're stereotyping. Hey I do it all the time unfortunately. But it gives me no right to say that I'm better than someone else. This is why much of the world hates Christians. They've known a few people who called themselves "Christian" and then went on living their lives as if Christ never existed. Why does the world, and even Christians ourselves, go by stereotypes to gain an understanding of who Jesus Christ was. Why can't we just look at Jesus Christ? A Christian is an image of Christ not other Christians, although it SHOULD be the same thing. If you want to know what a real Christian looks like, study the life of Jesus. If you aren't a Christian, please don't stereotype us by the people who call themselves Christian and then ignore the founder, Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, please realize, that everyone in the world does stereotype others. It's a natural reaction, but it's a way that the enemy tries to defeat us. As Christians, let's make sure our stereotype matches Jesus Christ. I'll need help as much as you.
On a lighter note. I was walking through Heredia, the city where I attend language classes. Back home in the U.S. I love to shop at thrift stores, cause you can find some really cheap t-shirts, and they are usually the funniest t-shirts you've ever seen. So I found a thrift store in Heredia this past week and I was really excited. In Costa Rica, they are sometimes called Ropa Americana. Which means American clothes. Of all the types of clothes sent to Costa Rica from the U.S., how did our second hand/used clothes get labeled as American clothes? Maybe Costa Ricans feel that Americans are cheap and like used clothes. Maybe it doesn't mean anything, except that it came from America. I don't know, it doesn't bother me, I just thought it was something interesting to think about on this topic of stereotypes.
The cool part about the Ropa Americana store is that I found a George Mason t-shirt, a Virginia Tech t-shirt, and a kid's soccer jersey all from places within about a 1-2 hour drive from where I live in Virginia. How crazy is it that I could find clothes in Costa Rica, from my home in Virginia? Wild.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Recap of 3rd Week of Summer
So I had just gotten back from leading the second group, but I was especially looking forward to this third group because it just happened to be my Bible Study from back home. It was great to see some faces from home after having been gone for about 3 and a half months. It was also a little weird to see them in this setting. I find that it is always strange to invite friends in to a new situation that I'm familiar with, where I have a different set of friends, and then try and mix the two groups. Is it just me or is that weird for everyone?
Anyway, it was good seeing them. I didn't get to teach any of them my drama, but I got to watch them practice a different one. I was fairly busy though during their training trying to get all of the final details together, so I don't really remember a whole lot from that time. Unfortunately, being the third week, my lack of sleep and the constant activity was finally catching up to me about that time. And I was feeling a little more pressure to make sure this trip went well since it was my friends from home. I feel like I wasn't myself that week, but after talking to them and hearing about their experience at the end of the trip, I was glad to know that all of my stress and preoccupations didn't get in the way of them having a great time and really learning a lot about God and about the culture here in Costa Rica.
On Saturday morning, after having 2 and a half days of training, two groups packed ourselves and all of our luggage into three vans and headed out to Cuatro Cruces and Canalette about 5 hours from the base. We dropped the other group off in Canalette first and then made our way over to Cuatro Cruces with my Bible Study. Now, I had been there once, but I wasn't positive of how to get there. So we drove for a little while and I recognized some things, but still wasn't quite sure. We ended up passing a truck that was half-way on the road with its back tires spinning in the mud. We offered to help, but they said they were okay, so we passed them and turned around because I was sure I had missed the turn. As we approached the truck again, I decided that we should just help them out, so we pulled off of the road and all the guys piled out. The Ticos were glad to see the extra help. We got that truck pushed out of there in one try. They thanked us, gave us directions to the church and we headed on our way. We got there a little late, and met Pastor Victor who was one of those guys without a single care in the world. We ended up playing soccer with a bunch of kids on the public soccer field for the afternoon. Then we settled into a nice, vacant little house that we could all fit in. Along with our friendly cockroaches, geckos, and cockroach eating spiders. For dinner that night we actually had a "barbeque" of sorts at the house. The youth group came over and we roasted shishkebabs on a grill made out of cinder block and some scrap wood. Oh, and it was also one of the worst storms I've ever been in. Thunder you could feel in your bones, and lightning that lit up the night. And rain as heavy as I've ever seen it. But the group had a great time hanging out with the youth group. They played Uno for awhile and Signs. All in all, it was a good day.
Sunday we went to the church there in Cuatro Cruces which had probably 20-30 people in it. The group performed their drama which I loved cause it was my favorite one. Normally after church we send the groups off in pairs to the homes of church members for lunch and to spend the afternoon together. That was the plan here too, but none of the members showed up that had offered to host people. So we were all a little disappointed, but we had lunch there at the church and said that God must have something else planned. So we decided that we would do house-to-house prayer in the community. Well after that decision, it quickly started to rain. So we all though, great, okay God, what do you really want us to do? We can't do house-to-house prayer in the rain. So we finished lunch and waited, and the rain soon stopped. So we went and prayed with different people in the community. One of the youth from the church went with my group. His name was Anivel. He didn't know English, but that was okay. He spoke to the residents for us for the most part, and I translated to the guys in my group. I have probably mentioned this before, but God has never ceased to amaze me in allowing me to understand enough Spanish to make these prayer times actually work. After praying, we went back to the church and had our first Bible School for the kids. This was always one of my highlights. I loved finding the "tough guys" who didn't want to dance and sing with us, and then bug them till the did join us. That evening we spent some time talking about our experiences.
Monday we started several work projects at the church. I helped sand down the walls inside the church. Another group was tearing down a wall in the adjacent building which was used mostly for the youth. And a third group helped start laying block on an extension to the youth building. We worked on that until the middle of the afternoon (with lunch in between of course) and then we hosted the second Bible School. By then all of the sanders were completely covered in white dust closely resembling abominable snowmen. So we tried to clean up and then got all hot and sweaty again leading the kids. Oh the joys of ministry. It is soooo worth it. That night we got to have our debrief time early and I was looking forward to just enjoying the evening with my friends. Well, you just know something came up. Cause that's life. The gray van we had been driving had had a slow gas leak for awhile. Well, it was getting worse, and pastor Victor wanted to help us so he brought out some bonding compound. I was excited cause I thought this would finally stop the leak. Up until that point we had been storing a bucket under the gas tank while the van was parked, and refilling the gas tank each time we got in the van. So we got out and tried the compound, but with the leaking gas, the compound was unable to bond to the tank. So we had to get the gas out. So Luis, one of the Tico guys siphoned out the gas for us, with a few good swallows of gasoline trying to get it done. Bless his heart. Well we couldn't siphon it all out cause our hose didn't reach all the way in. So Victor, Luis, and Mark one of the guys in my group crawled under the van and found a pipe to unscrew and get the rest of the gasoline. So about 3 hours later, everything was finally done, I was exhausted (just from the stress, cause fortunately, I didn't have to do much). Victor and Luis went home, and Mark and I went into our house to get ready for bed. Everyone else had gone to bed. I got in the shower and Mark washed up at the sink. When I got out of the shower, Mark whispered to me to come check something. One of the tubes going to the sink had broken clean off. (Granted, the pipes were plastic). Now we had a pipe outside of the house, gushing water and it was already 11:30 and Mark and I were the only ones still awake. We couldn't figure out how to turn off the water to the house, so we had to go wake Victor up. He turned off the water to the house and we glued on a new piece of pipe. Finally we could go to bed. However, throughout the whole ordeal, Victor was constantly in good spirits and I learned some great Spanish jokes.
Tuesday was an uneventful day, thanks be to God. We were able to do most of the painting to the inside of the church and the other group was able to put on a better wall on the youth building where they took it off the day before. We had a final Bible School for the kids and handed out all kinds of candy and balloon animals. That evening we had a great time just talking over dinner and sharing jokes with Pastor Victor. What was especially comical were the jokes that one person would tell in one language, but when we tried to translate, the joke wasn't funny, because the translation wasn't accurate. But we would always tell the group to laugh so that Victor thought his joke was a good one:). We also shared embarassing moments which were funny in both languages.
Wednesday was our final day in Cuatro Cruces. We were finishing up the painting and other projects. While the group did that, I went to fill up the vans with gas and get them ready to go for the trip back that afternoon. At the gas station, the gray van no longer leaked gas, but it wouldn't start up after we filled it with gas. So we bought some jumper cables and after awhile it finally started. Whew, close call, we thought. We took the van to Canalette where the other group was to try and load their luggage in so it would all be ready by the afternoon. Well we got the camp where the group was staying and we turned the van off. Bad idea, cause it wouldn't start. Well we had another van so I went and found Weston, one of the leaders from the other group in Canalette. We went back and tried to jump the van again and finally after letting the battery charge, it worked. So we got the van back to the house. By then it was time to start packing. So everyone cleaned up and we starting loading the vans. Well it started to rain. Joy. I didn't mind it so much, but then I figured we better start the van just to make sure. Guess what? Yeah, it didn't start. So we hooked it up to one of the other vans with the jumper cables and tried to charge the battery, in the middle of the pouring rain. I was starting to get a little flustered. After all the luggage was in, we tried several times and couldn't get the van started. So finally after much stress we took our second van to the hardware store and I bought a new battery. All of this wouldn't have been a big deal except the drive between each of these places was usually at least 15 minutes one way. We were already late because of the van problems. So I took the battery back and when I got there, the van was gone. Apparently it had started. Which was good news. They had gone to catch up with me so I wouldn't have to buy the battery, but it was too late. Well finally, we all got caught up with each other, everything loaded in and we headed back. We had a lady from the church in Canalette who was traveling back with us so we felt good about finding our way back because we were dropping the groups off in a different place for their vacation day. There were three vans in our caravan and I was driving the last one with the group. We were cruising along, the van didn't leak, and it was running, we were not going to turn that thing off until we were all the way home. We were on a straight stretch of road when suddenly I heard what sounded like a gun shot and the van lurched to the left. Great! The last straw. We had a flat tire. Well there was a driveway up just a little farther so we rode on the rim just a little ways so we could get off the road. We all hopped out and sure enough, the back tire on the driver side was in shreds. (There's a picture on my photo website). So we looked for the jack and the spare tire and got those out, but we didn't have a wrench. So I looked around and by God's provision we had stopped right in front of a mechanic's shop. This was a miracle because we were in the middle of the country and there were really only two houses within sight. The mechanic came out with his wrench and even changed the tire for us. It was a miracle. So we got back on the road and caught up with the other two vans who hadn't even stopped for us until way down the road. So it soon got dark and none of the leaders really knew where we were going. We knew where we were supposed to end up, but we didn't know how to get there exactly. We were counting on the lady that came with us. Soon I realized that I recognized some landmarks that we had driven by about an hour before. Yep, we were lost. After asking directions at least three times, we finally arrived several hours late at the hotel where the groups were staying to go to their vacation day the following day. The staff ate dinner and I said my goodbyes to my Bible Study and we headed back to Pura Vida because there was already another group waiting for us. There were six staff that took one van back to the camp. Weston was driving and doing a great job. We had the music playing and we were just glad to have even a short break of one morning before we had to help with the next group. All of a sudden Weston slams on the brakes and we come to a screeching halt. A cow was standing probably 6 feet in front of us with no intentions of moving. Slowly it moved after we stopped. Close call.
After all that, I can say that I enjoy telling the story, but I never want to go through all of that again. But if I do, at least I'll be accustomed to handling it. What a week. And through it all our God is incredibly faithful. It seemed like nothing was going right, and yet, somethings ended up working out too well that it really couldn't have just been coincidence. It's awesome serving the Lord here in Costa Rica or anywhere.
Sorry, this was a novel, but I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing.
Anyway, it was good seeing them. I didn't get to teach any of them my drama, but I got to watch them practice a different one. I was fairly busy though during their training trying to get all of the final details together, so I don't really remember a whole lot from that time. Unfortunately, being the third week, my lack of sleep and the constant activity was finally catching up to me about that time. And I was feeling a little more pressure to make sure this trip went well since it was my friends from home. I feel like I wasn't myself that week, but after talking to them and hearing about their experience at the end of the trip, I was glad to know that all of my stress and preoccupations didn't get in the way of them having a great time and really learning a lot about God and about the culture here in Costa Rica.
On Saturday morning, after having 2 and a half days of training, two groups packed ourselves and all of our luggage into three vans and headed out to Cuatro Cruces and Canalette about 5 hours from the base. We dropped the other group off in Canalette first and then made our way over to Cuatro Cruces with my Bible Study. Now, I had been there once, but I wasn't positive of how to get there. So we drove for a little while and I recognized some things, but still wasn't quite sure. We ended up passing a truck that was half-way on the road with its back tires spinning in the mud. We offered to help, but they said they were okay, so we passed them and turned around because I was sure I had missed the turn. As we approached the truck again, I decided that we should just help them out, so we pulled off of the road and all the guys piled out. The Ticos were glad to see the extra help. We got that truck pushed out of there in one try. They thanked us, gave us directions to the church and we headed on our way. We got there a little late, and met Pastor Victor who was one of those guys without a single care in the world. We ended up playing soccer with a bunch of kids on the public soccer field for the afternoon. Then we settled into a nice, vacant little house that we could all fit in. Along with our friendly cockroaches, geckos, and cockroach eating spiders. For dinner that night we actually had a "barbeque" of sorts at the house. The youth group came over and we roasted shishkebabs on a grill made out of cinder block and some scrap wood. Oh, and it was also one of the worst storms I've ever been in. Thunder you could feel in your bones, and lightning that lit up the night. And rain as heavy as I've ever seen it. But the group had a great time hanging out with the youth group. They played Uno for awhile and Signs. All in all, it was a good day.
Sunday we went to the church there in Cuatro Cruces which had probably 20-30 people in it. The group performed their drama which I loved cause it was my favorite one. Normally after church we send the groups off in pairs to the homes of church members for lunch and to spend the afternoon together. That was the plan here too, but none of the members showed up that had offered to host people. So we were all a little disappointed, but we had lunch there at the church and said that God must have something else planned. So we decided that we would do house-to-house prayer in the community. Well after that decision, it quickly started to rain. So we all though, great, okay God, what do you really want us to do? We can't do house-to-house prayer in the rain. So we finished lunch and waited, and the rain soon stopped. So we went and prayed with different people in the community. One of the youth from the church went with my group. His name was Anivel. He didn't know English, but that was okay. He spoke to the residents for us for the most part, and I translated to the guys in my group. I have probably mentioned this before, but God has never ceased to amaze me in allowing me to understand enough Spanish to make these prayer times actually work. After praying, we went back to the church and had our first Bible School for the kids. This was always one of my highlights. I loved finding the "tough guys" who didn't want to dance and sing with us, and then bug them till the did join us. That evening we spent some time talking about our experiences.
Monday we started several work projects at the church. I helped sand down the walls inside the church. Another group was tearing down a wall in the adjacent building which was used mostly for the youth. And a third group helped start laying block on an extension to the youth building. We worked on that until the middle of the afternoon (with lunch in between of course) and then we hosted the second Bible School. By then all of the sanders were completely covered in white dust closely resembling abominable snowmen. So we tried to clean up and then got all hot and sweaty again leading the kids. Oh the joys of ministry. It is soooo worth it. That night we got to have our debrief time early and I was looking forward to just enjoying the evening with my friends. Well, you just know something came up. Cause that's life. The gray van we had been driving had had a slow gas leak for awhile. Well, it was getting worse, and pastor Victor wanted to help us so he brought out some bonding compound. I was excited cause I thought this would finally stop the leak. Up until that point we had been storing a bucket under the gas tank while the van was parked, and refilling the gas tank each time we got in the van. So we got out and tried the compound, but with the leaking gas, the compound was unable to bond to the tank. So we had to get the gas out. So Luis, one of the Tico guys siphoned out the gas for us, with a few good swallows of gasoline trying to get it done. Bless his heart. Well we couldn't siphon it all out cause our hose didn't reach all the way in. So Victor, Luis, and Mark one of the guys in my group crawled under the van and found a pipe to unscrew and get the rest of the gasoline. So about 3 hours later, everything was finally done, I was exhausted (just from the stress, cause fortunately, I didn't have to do much). Victor and Luis went home, and Mark and I went into our house to get ready for bed. Everyone else had gone to bed. I got in the shower and Mark washed up at the sink. When I got out of the shower, Mark whispered to me to come check something. One of the tubes going to the sink had broken clean off. (Granted, the pipes were plastic). Now we had a pipe outside of the house, gushing water and it was already 11:30 and Mark and I were the only ones still awake. We couldn't figure out how to turn off the water to the house, so we had to go wake Victor up. He turned off the water to the house and we glued on a new piece of pipe. Finally we could go to bed. However, throughout the whole ordeal, Victor was constantly in good spirits and I learned some great Spanish jokes.
Tuesday was an uneventful day, thanks be to God. We were able to do most of the painting to the inside of the church and the other group was able to put on a better wall on the youth building where they took it off the day before. We had a final Bible School for the kids and handed out all kinds of candy and balloon animals. That evening we had a great time just talking over dinner and sharing jokes with Pastor Victor. What was especially comical were the jokes that one person would tell in one language, but when we tried to translate, the joke wasn't funny, because the translation wasn't accurate. But we would always tell the group to laugh so that Victor thought his joke was a good one:). We also shared embarassing moments which were funny in both languages.
Wednesday was our final day in Cuatro Cruces. We were finishing up the painting and other projects. While the group did that, I went to fill up the vans with gas and get them ready to go for the trip back that afternoon. At the gas station, the gray van no longer leaked gas, but it wouldn't start up after we filled it with gas. So we bought some jumper cables and after awhile it finally started. Whew, close call, we thought. We took the van to Canalette where the other group was to try and load their luggage in so it would all be ready by the afternoon. Well we got the camp where the group was staying and we turned the van off. Bad idea, cause it wouldn't start. Well we had another van so I went and found Weston, one of the leaders from the other group in Canalette. We went back and tried to jump the van again and finally after letting the battery charge, it worked. So we got the van back to the house. By then it was time to start packing. So everyone cleaned up and we starting loading the vans. Well it started to rain. Joy. I didn't mind it so much, but then I figured we better start the van just to make sure. Guess what? Yeah, it didn't start. So we hooked it up to one of the other vans with the jumper cables and tried to charge the battery, in the middle of the pouring rain. I was starting to get a little flustered. After all the luggage was in, we tried several times and couldn't get the van started. So finally after much stress we took our second van to the hardware store and I bought a new battery. All of this wouldn't have been a big deal except the drive between each of these places was usually at least 15 minutes one way. We were already late because of the van problems. So I took the battery back and when I got there, the van was gone. Apparently it had started. Which was good news. They had gone to catch up with me so I wouldn't have to buy the battery, but it was too late. Well finally, we all got caught up with each other, everything loaded in and we headed back. We had a lady from the church in Canalette who was traveling back with us so we felt good about finding our way back because we were dropping the groups off in a different place for their vacation day. There were three vans in our caravan and I was driving the last one with the group. We were cruising along, the van didn't leak, and it was running, we were not going to turn that thing off until we were all the way home. We were on a straight stretch of road when suddenly I heard what sounded like a gun shot and the van lurched to the left. Great! The last straw. We had a flat tire. Well there was a driveway up just a little farther so we rode on the rim just a little ways so we could get off the road. We all hopped out and sure enough, the back tire on the driver side was in shreds. (There's a picture on my photo website). So we looked for the jack and the spare tire and got those out, but we didn't have a wrench. So I looked around and by God's provision we had stopped right in front of a mechanic's shop. This was a miracle because we were in the middle of the country and there were really only two houses within sight. The mechanic came out with his wrench and even changed the tire for us. It was a miracle. So we got back on the road and caught up with the other two vans who hadn't even stopped for us until way down the road. So it soon got dark and none of the leaders really knew where we were going. We knew where we were supposed to end up, but we didn't know how to get there exactly. We were counting on the lady that came with us. Soon I realized that I recognized some landmarks that we had driven by about an hour before. Yep, we were lost. After asking directions at least three times, we finally arrived several hours late at the hotel where the groups were staying to go to their vacation day the following day. The staff ate dinner and I said my goodbyes to my Bible Study and we headed back to Pura Vida because there was already another group waiting for us. There were six staff that took one van back to the camp. Weston was driving and doing a great job. We had the music playing and we were just glad to have even a short break of one morning before we had to help with the next group. All of a sudden Weston slams on the brakes and we come to a screeching halt. A cow was standing probably 6 feet in front of us with no intentions of moving. Slowly it moved after we stopped. Close call.
After all that, I can say that I enjoy telling the story, but I never want to go through all of that again. But if I do, at least I'll be accustomed to handling it. What a week. And through it all our God is incredibly faithful. It seemed like nothing was going right, and yet, somethings ended up working out too well that it really couldn't have just been coincidence. It's awesome serving the Lord here in Costa Rica or anywhere.
Sorry, this was a novel, but I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Recap of 2nd Week of Summer
So, let's see how much of this I can actually remember now. The second week of groups that I helped host fell between July 4 and July 11. Myself, Missy, and Julia co-led a youth group from Kingwood Vineyard in Texas. There were about 20 people in the group. On this particular week, I was teaching The Family drama and I got to actually teach several people from the Kingwood group. It was a great time getting to know them that way. We left on the 7th to visit the church we would be working at for the week. It was close enough that we drove there at the beginning of each day and returned to the base each night. The church was called La Comunidad de Amor (The Community of Love) and it was located in San Francisco de Los Rios, about an hour drive from the camp. The pastor there was great. His name was Gonzalo and he tried speaking English with us which was always a lot of fun. Between my little bit of Spanish and his little bit of English, we were usually able to hold a conversation.
The first day we got there, we did a tour of the neighborhood where we would be working. It was a little hike from the church and was actually a very poor area. Gonzalo and the church really wanted to reach out to the community there. As we were walking closer to the neighborhood, Gonzalo whispered to me that at night, the taxi drivers wouldn't even go down to the area we were walking into because it was so dangerous. Real comforting, but now you get the picture. Oh, and I forget if it was that day or not, but one day we actually past a guy doing crack on the side of the road. Yeah, so that was where we worked. We ended up having lunch late after the tour. We ended up just sitting on the front porch of the house of one of the members of the church who just opened it up to us on the spur of the moment. After lunch we had some free time and ended up asking a couple of Tico guys if we could join them in a pick-up game of soccer in the field next to the house. I love the openness of Ticos to allow strangers to come in and join them in whatever they are doing.
That evening we ordered pizza and we hung out with the youth group from La Comunidad de Amor. It was great to see the two youth groups interact. We played some typical Costa Rican games with the youth which turned out to be Jacks and Ping-Pong. While some of the youth new some English, it was amazing to see how we had a blast despite being different and speaking different languages. They taught us how to play some games they enjoyed, like Jacks. We got to teach them a different type of Ping-Pong game that we knew. Neither group was better than the other, but we could teach each other new things that we didn't know before. That night, we took the group out to Pop's a famous Costa Rican ice cream place and had our debrief time with the group sitting out on the stairs in front of a bank. There were several 13 year old kids on the trip and this was the first night I was surprised at how much they were able to learn and share even in a group of older youth.
On Sunday, we attended church there. The group performed both of the dramas they had learned, The Family, and The Champion (based on Carman's song except in Spanish). Then for the afternoon, the youth went to different homes of the members of the church. The Pura Vida staff, got to go out to eat at a seafood restaurant together. I had a whole fish for lunch, that actually still looked like a fish, until I devoured it.
On Monday we started with our service project and worked on it each morning Monday thru Wednesday. This project was to repaint the inside of the church and the railing outside the front of the church. It was an easy project for the group to work on together and yet it was something the members of the church were incredibly grateful for. We worked on the project until lunch time each day. Then we had a chef who attended the church who made some great Costa Rican lunches for us each day. Well actually, the first meal on Monday was a little hard for some of the members to swallow, literally, just because it was not something we usually eat in the U.S. In the afternoon we traveled to the neighborhood we toured on Saturday and held two Vacation Bible Schools on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. We were exhausted at the end of each day from working with the kids. One of my favorite times each day was craft time. I loved just sitting and watching the kids work. And the number of youth in the Kingwood group usually fit perfectly with the number of kids that came for each Bible School session, so they could work one-on-one.
Each evening we rode our bus back to the base. It was at least an hour drive, plus we picked up another team at a different church on the way back. It was amazing to have that time to talk and just hang out together. I kind of wish we had an hour long bus ride at the end of each day with all of our groups.
On Tuesday evening, the other group that we usually picked up was staying at their location for a cookout that night. So we came back early and had a family style dinner here at the base with the group. Then a bunch of people played basketball outside and I hooked up my MP3 player to one of our speakers and we rocked out while we played. Chico and I played two other girls from the group and got whooped. In my defense, the girl I was guarding had a scholarship to go play college basketball. But we had a lot of fun.
On Wednesday, we were able to finish up the painting project in the morning. Then we went and did the first Bible School time. Instead of a second Bible School that day, the church had planned a special event for the Kingwood group. Some of the kids from the church dressed up in typical Costa Rican dress, the girls with flowing ruffled dresses and the guys with bandanas and fake mustaches. It was so cute. They performed several dances for us and then gave us each handmade gifts.
By then, the bus was there to take the group off to their vacation day, which meant the staff had to head back the base, because the next group was already there. But I was excited, because it was my Bible Study from back home in Virginia that was the next group I was leading.
The first day we got there, we did a tour of the neighborhood where we would be working. It was a little hike from the church and was actually a very poor area. Gonzalo and the church really wanted to reach out to the community there. As we were walking closer to the neighborhood, Gonzalo whispered to me that at night, the taxi drivers wouldn't even go down to the area we were walking into because it was so dangerous. Real comforting, but now you get the picture. Oh, and I forget if it was that day or not, but one day we actually past a guy doing crack on the side of the road. Yeah, so that was where we worked. We ended up having lunch late after the tour. We ended up just sitting on the front porch of the house of one of the members of the church who just opened it up to us on the spur of the moment. After lunch we had some free time and ended up asking a couple of Tico guys if we could join them in a pick-up game of soccer in the field next to the house. I love the openness of Ticos to allow strangers to come in and join them in whatever they are doing.
That evening we ordered pizza and we hung out with the youth group from La Comunidad de Amor. It was great to see the two youth groups interact. We played some typical Costa Rican games with the youth which turned out to be Jacks and Ping-Pong. While some of the youth new some English, it was amazing to see how we had a blast despite being different and speaking different languages. They taught us how to play some games they enjoyed, like Jacks. We got to teach them a different type of Ping-Pong game that we knew. Neither group was better than the other, but we could teach each other new things that we didn't know before. That night, we took the group out to Pop's a famous Costa Rican ice cream place and had our debrief time with the group sitting out on the stairs in front of a bank. There were several 13 year old kids on the trip and this was the first night I was surprised at how much they were able to learn and share even in a group of older youth.
On Sunday, we attended church there. The group performed both of the dramas they had learned, The Family, and The Champion (based on Carman's song except in Spanish). Then for the afternoon, the youth went to different homes of the members of the church. The Pura Vida staff, got to go out to eat at a seafood restaurant together. I had a whole fish for lunch, that actually still looked like a fish, until I devoured it.
On Monday we started with our service project and worked on it each morning Monday thru Wednesday. This project was to repaint the inside of the church and the railing outside the front of the church. It was an easy project for the group to work on together and yet it was something the members of the church were incredibly grateful for. We worked on the project until lunch time each day. Then we had a chef who attended the church who made some great Costa Rican lunches for us each day. Well actually, the first meal on Monday was a little hard for some of the members to swallow, literally, just because it was not something we usually eat in the U.S. In the afternoon we traveled to the neighborhood we toured on Saturday and held two Vacation Bible Schools on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. We were exhausted at the end of each day from working with the kids. One of my favorite times each day was craft time. I loved just sitting and watching the kids work. And the number of youth in the Kingwood group usually fit perfectly with the number of kids that came for each Bible School session, so they could work one-on-one.
Each evening we rode our bus back to the base. It was at least an hour drive, plus we picked up another team at a different church on the way back. It was amazing to have that time to talk and just hang out together. I kind of wish we had an hour long bus ride at the end of each day with all of our groups.
On Tuesday evening, the other group that we usually picked up was staying at their location for a cookout that night. So we came back early and had a family style dinner here at the base with the group. Then a bunch of people played basketball outside and I hooked up my MP3 player to one of our speakers and we rocked out while we played. Chico and I played two other girls from the group and got whooped. In my defense, the girl I was guarding had a scholarship to go play college basketball. But we had a lot of fun.
On Wednesday, we were able to finish up the painting project in the morning. Then we went and did the first Bible School time. Instead of a second Bible School that day, the church had planned a special event for the Kingwood group. Some of the kids from the church dressed up in typical Costa Rican dress, the girls with flowing ruffled dresses and the guys with bandanas and fake mustaches. It was so cute. They performed several dances for us and then gave us each handmade gifts.
By then, the bus was there to take the group off to their vacation day, which meant the staff had to head back the base, because the next group was already there. But I was excited, because it was my Bible Study from back home in Virginia that was the next group I was leading.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Recap From My First Week of Summer Groups
so i figured i should continue my updates about what has been going on this summer. i think i described what the training was usually like for each group, but their outreaches were all different. so here's about the first group.
we led a group from Hernley Mennonite Youth Group which is from the Lancaster County area in PA. there were around 20 youth and two couples that led the youth group. there was only one guy in the whole youth group named Tyler. the rest of the group was all girls, but we had a good time anyway:). we arrived a little late and the pastor of the church was actually upset with us about being late. that shocked us leaders because ticos are usually never worried about time, especially with being late. but it worked out alright. Milton was the name of the pastor, affectionately called "El Pass" by all of the members of the church. the church was called Betel (Bethel) and was located in Rio Cuarto, about two hours from were Pura Vida Missions is located. the pastor took us to the highest waterfall in Costa Rica on the day we arrived. it is actually used to generate electricity at a power plant and is not opened to the public, but one of the church members works there and we were able to go see it. we took lots of pictures. the next day was sunday so we went to the church service. the youth group led sunday school for the kids, well, actually, i led sunday school for the kids, because Missy, the best spanish speaker in our group was translating the sermon which was being given by one of the leaders of the youth group. so i was immediately tested in Spanish and in humility. it worked out alright and they understood most of what i was trying to tell them. that afternoon we had lunch at the church and then went with the Hernley youth group and the youth group from Betel to another, more beautiful waterfall that you had to hike all the way down the mountain to see. it was huge and gorgeous. check out my pictures to see it. www.picasaweb.google.com/patricksethweaver it was called Las Cataratas del Toro (The Bull Waterfalls). during the week we would have devotions in the morning, a debrief time where we talked with the youth group about the experiences of the day before, then we would do a work project, have lunch, do vacation bible school, have dinner, and then do an open air event in the park in front of the catholic church. the work project we were working on was putting up a fence around the backyard of the church. it didn't require all of the youth so we had some of them do what we call "servant evangelism". this included handing out free soda to people on the street and washing windows at the local clinic. i was mostly in charge of the work project. we had to dig the holes for the fence and pour concrete in the holes to support the fence posts. we also agreed to help lay a small block wall for another fence. i had experience mixing mud for brick layers one summer, but i had never actually laid any brick or block myself, but for this job, i was the guy in charge so i laid most of the wall. dad, i think you would be proud. but maybe you should look at the wall before you decide:). it was also a test for the girls in the youth group. they had previously done other work projects and always enjoyed the hard work, but this mission trip didn't require a lot of hard work and the focus wasn't on the service project, so i think they were really challenged to see service in a different way. the vacation bible school happened monday, tuesday and wednesday afternoons. we would sing some crazy songs and do some dances with the kids. then we would sit them down for story time and then do a craft related to the story. we always finished early and had to sing the same songs over again to fill up time, but i think the youth and the kids loved it.
after vacation bible school, we usually went to the park to do different things. one day we handed out soda to people. one day we went house to house and prayed with the people in the community. one day we picked up trash in the park and had a table set up where kids could come get their face painted and get balloon animals and stuff. then we would return to the church eat dinner, and head back out to the park to perform our dramas and give testimonies. the dramas were just mimes done with music. then we had the girls from the youth group give their testimonies and Missy would translate them so everyone could understand.
the coolest thing about this trip, was the fact that we all got to stay in host families. that was an awesome experience. we slept at our host families' houses and they would serve us breakfast and they served us dinner on sunday night too. it was a ton of fun. on saturday afternoon when we first got there, i had time to just hang out with my host brothers and sister. in my host family, there was the Mom, the oldest son, Michael, a younger son, Kenneth, and a younger daughter. they were really cool. sunday evening after dinner, Michael and i played guitar together. we played all of the worship songs that we both knew. i would sing in english and he would sing them in spanish. that was a really neat experience to be able to share something like music despite speaking different languages. it was actually easier for me than for some of the girls in the youth group though, since i knew a decent amount of spanish, we could sort of have conversations. later on sunday evening, several other host families brought the girls that were staying with them over to my host family's house and we played Uno together. that was the first time i had ever played Uno in spanish. it was cool. by the end of the week, most of the girls cried when they had to say goodbye to their host families even though they were never really able to speak the same language, they still grew very close to them.
on wednesday evening we drove the Hernley youth group to the town where they had their vacation day, but myself, julia, and missy both headed back to Pura Vida Missions because we already had another group there waiting for us to start training with them just like the previous week. we were tired, but we were allowed to sleep in a little the next day. and that was just the first week. more to come, later.
we led a group from Hernley Mennonite Youth Group which is from the Lancaster County area in PA. there were around 20 youth and two couples that led the youth group. there was only one guy in the whole youth group named Tyler. the rest of the group was all girls, but we had a good time anyway:). we arrived a little late and the pastor of the church was actually upset with us about being late. that shocked us leaders because ticos are usually never worried about time, especially with being late. but it worked out alright. Milton was the name of the pastor, affectionately called "El Pass" by all of the members of the church. the church was called Betel (Bethel) and was located in Rio Cuarto, about two hours from were Pura Vida Missions is located. the pastor took us to the highest waterfall in Costa Rica on the day we arrived. it is actually used to generate electricity at a power plant and is not opened to the public, but one of the church members works there and we were able to go see it. we took lots of pictures. the next day was sunday so we went to the church service. the youth group led sunday school for the kids, well, actually, i led sunday school for the kids, because Missy, the best spanish speaker in our group was translating the sermon which was being given by one of the leaders of the youth group. so i was immediately tested in Spanish and in humility. it worked out alright and they understood most of what i was trying to tell them. that afternoon we had lunch at the church and then went with the Hernley youth group and the youth group from Betel to another, more beautiful waterfall that you had to hike all the way down the mountain to see. it was huge and gorgeous. check out my pictures to see it. www.picasaweb.google.com/patricksethweaver it was called Las Cataratas del Toro (The Bull Waterfalls). during the week we would have devotions in the morning, a debrief time where we talked with the youth group about the experiences of the day before, then we would do a work project, have lunch, do vacation bible school, have dinner, and then do an open air event in the park in front of the catholic church. the work project we were working on was putting up a fence around the backyard of the church. it didn't require all of the youth so we had some of them do what we call "servant evangelism". this included handing out free soda to people on the street and washing windows at the local clinic. i was mostly in charge of the work project. we had to dig the holes for the fence and pour concrete in the holes to support the fence posts. we also agreed to help lay a small block wall for another fence. i had experience mixing mud for brick layers one summer, but i had never actually laid any brick or block myself, but for this job, i was the guy in charge so i laid most of the wall. dad, i think you would be proud. but maybe you should look at the wall before you decide:). it was also a test for the girls in the youth group. they had previously done other work projects and always enjoyed the hard work, but this mission trip didn't require a lot of hard work and the focus wasn't on the service project, so i think they were really challenged to see service in a different way. the vacation bible school happened monday, tuesday and wednesday afternoons. we would sing some crazy songs and do some dances with the kids. then we would sit them down for story time and then do a craft related to the story. we always finished early and had to sing the same songs over again to fill up time, but i think the youth and the kids loved it.
after vacation bible school, we usually went to the park to do different things. one day we handed out soda to people. one day we went house to house and prayed with the people in the community. one day we picked up trash in the park and had a table set up where kids could come get their face painted and get balloon animals and stuff. then we would return to the church eat dinner, and head back out to the park to perform our dramas and give testimonies. the dramas were just mimes done with music. then we had the girls from the youth group give their testimonies and Missy would translate them so everyone could understand.
the coolest thing about this trip, was the fact that we all got to stay in host families. that was an awesome experience. we slept at our host families' houses and they would serve us breakfast and they served us dinner on sunday night too. it was a ton of fun. on saturday afternoon when we first got there, i had time to just hang out with my host brothers and sister. in my host family, there was the Mom, the oldest son, Michael, a younger son, Kenneth, and a younger daughter. they were really cool. sunday evening after dinner, Michael and i played guitar together. we played all of the worship songs that we both knew. i would sing in english and he would sing them in spanish. that was a really neat experience to be able to share something like music despite speaking different languages. it was actually easier for me than for some of the girls in the youth group though, since i knew a decent amount of spanish, we could sort of have conversations. later on sunday evening, several other host families brought the girls that were staying with them over to my host family's house and we played Uno together. that was the first time i had ever played Uno in spanish. it was cool. by the end of the week, most of the girls cried when they had to say goodbye to their host families even though they were never really able to speak the same language, they still grew very close to them.
on wednesday evening we drove the Hernley youth group to the town where they had their vacation day, but myself, julia, and missy both headed back to Pura Vida Missions because we already had another group there waiting for us to start training with them just like the previous week. we were tired, but we were allowed to sleep in a little the next day. and that was just the first week. more to come, later.
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