Today was a busy day.  We went to see the Poas Volcano first thing this morning.  It was cloudy and rainy, so we couldn’t see much, but the walk was really pretty.

Walking on the path at Poas Volcano National Park.

 

Plants along the path.

After the volcano, we did a Canopy Tour nearby!

After we finished the Canopy Tour!

Lunch at a wonderful Costa Rican restaurant in San Jose.

Pilar and Sonia–our FABULOUS cooks!

 

Steve filling in the hole where we each left our momento of our experience.

Lunch at a wonderful Costa Rican restaurant in San Jose.

The group voted on pizza tonight as did the group from Claremore, Oklahoma, in the green shirts. We're both staying at the Methodist Center in Alajuela.

What an incredible day!  This morning I helped Karen with some activities for the kids–since she’s the only one who can talk to them, she has spent much of her time working with the kids and then going to interpret on the work site when things come up.  We’ve had between 5-12 kids most of the time.  Karen, Hannah and I took the kids for a walk this morning.  Karen has also used the Bible School material with them, acting out the plagues yesterday and crossing the Red Sea today.  Sandy was a great pharoh.  Sandy also taught the kids the “Hokey Pokey” which was a big hit–they requested it several times. 

Tonight we shared in an incredible worship service with their congreation–the very first in their new church.  It was so powerful. We were sitting as a group to start with and their pastor asked the whole congregation to mix up since we were all one body .  He had asked Karen to interpret the entire service–prayers, scripture, songs, witnesses–which she did.  It was so very meaningful to everyone.  Words here could not begin to describe it.  There were lots of hugs as we said farewell. 

We plan to go back to the church tomorrow morning and will have a worship service with just our group with the district superintendent for this area leading the service.  Each group that has worked on the church has buried something in the ground to leave as a remembrance of our group and we will do that tomorrow morning also.  After that we will head off on the 4 hour bus ride to San Jose.

Church members working on finishing the grout work on the tile floor.

 

Working on what will be the sidewalk beside the building back to the bathrooms.

 

On our walk with the kids.

 

Tony saws off a rebar around the sidewalk footer.

 

The women were on break and were invited to join in the hokey pokey.

 

Worship tonight included singing, clapping and praising God.

Karen interprets Yvetta’s testimony about what the week has meant to her.

Our group (plus our bus driver who joined in and worked on the church) after tonight’s service in their new church. Mel is holding a gift that they gave each of us (more on that when we get home). It was a powerful evening as you can see by our faces!

We do!

This morning we went back to Santa Rosa one e last time.  We had a very meaningful communion service and got to say goodbye to the people we worked with.  We also each left a momento of some type in a hole that we (read=Steve) dug outside the side door to the church.

When we left Santa Rosa we drove straight to San Jose.  Our driver took us to a typical Costa Rica restaurant where we had a yummy lunch.  Then we walked around the center.  We saw the Plaza of Culture, some other buildings, and did some shopping.  Then more shopping.

Later this afternoon our driver brought us to the Methodist Center in Alajuela (just outside San Jose, where the airport was located).  It is beautiful and we have nice, comfortable rooms.

We had pizza for dinner and ate ice cream in the plaza afterwards.  We are going to bed early tonight because tomorrow we are doing a Canopy Tour and climbing a volcano!

We are leaving this morning to go to San Jose.  We got up and had our last yummy breakfast here at the mission house.  We are getting ready to leave for Santa Rosa to have a communion service.  We are leaving straight from Santa Rosa to go to San Jose and stay in the Methodist Center in Alahuela.  We aren’t sure what our internet access will be there.

Tomorrow we are planning to do a Canopy Tour and visit a volcano!

Karen

What an incredible day!  This morning I helped Karen with some activities for the kids–since she’s the only one who can talk to them, she has spent much of her time working with the kids and then going to interpret on the work site when things come up.  We’ve had between 5-12 kids most of the time.  Karen, Hannah and I took the kids for a walk this morning.  Karen has also used the Bible School material with them, acting out the plagues yesterday and crossing the Red Sea today.  Sandy was a great pharoh.  Sandy also taught the kids the “Hokey Pokey” which was a big hit–they requested it several times. 

Tonight we shared in an incredible worship service with their congreation–the very first in their new church.  It was so powerful. We were sitting as a group to start with and their pastor asked the whole congregation to mix up since we were all one body .  He had asked Karen to interpret the entire service–prayers, scripture, songs, witnesses–which she did.  It was so very meaningful to everyone.  Words here could not begin to describe it.  There were lots of hugs as we said farewell. 

We plan to go back to the church tomorrow morning and will have a worship service with just our group with the district superintendent for this area leading the service.  Each group that has worked on the church has buried something in the ground to leave as a remembrance of our group and we will do that tomorrow morning also.  After that we will head off on the 4 hour bus ride to San Jose.

Pictures to follow early Friday morning.

What a day.  Most of the work today was done by the men.  Oh not to say that the women did not work, Janice and Ann sealed the cement walls , Hannah, Virginia and I painted the top of the building outside.  But, most of the work was scooping eighty shovels of rock and add the cement and mix it up and dump it for the sidewalk.  Hard labor.  They had to first shovel up dirt and put it in as filler for the sidewalk.  We got to play with the kids more, Sandy and Karen did an awesome job with them.  They love the Hockey Pokey!!!!!

 

Tonight we went back for the very first church service in the new building.  Words cannot describe it.  What a special community, what an amazing service, what special people.  I am forever grateful that we have been provided the ways and means to come to Costa Rica.  God brought us here and our lives have been forever changed.  Praise be to God!!

Tomorrow we leave and go to San Jose.  We are not sure if we will have internet service so do not worry if you do not here from us.

Love to all, Yvetta

Here are some pictures from Thursday.  We had activities for the kids, worked on the sidewalk around the building, worked on the bathrooms, and painted the top part of the church that was hung yesterday.

Steve and Mel dumping cement in the frame we built for the sidewalk. The sidewalk goes from the front door of the church around the side to the bathrooms.

 

Ann, Charles, Steve, and Gustavo mixing and moving concrete.

 

Yvetta, Virginia, Hannah, and Sandy at the worksite.

 

Gustavo and Steve smoothing the top of the sidewalk.

 

Tony compacting the dirt and getting it ready for concrete.

 

Janice spent a lot of today mudding the bathrooms.

 

As you can see, the bathrooms are coming along!!

A clown came today and painted the children's faces. This boy was getting painted like a jaguar.

Hannah and one of the kids.

All of the kids with the clown.

Trying to figure out where we are to start work today.

 

We went and watched sugar cane being pressed. Later we saw it being cooked and we got to taste a sugar block in the afternoon.

 

Putting up concrete sheets (I don't know what they're called) at the top of the church building on the back. We've already finished the front.

 

Waiting to go back to the mission house for lunch.

 

A home not far from our work site--and just like at home, some are simpler and some are much more elaborate.

 

On the road to our work site. We've also seen buses, walkers, bicycles, mopeds and small motor bikes.

 

This was in a yard close to where we're working. There are gorgeous flowers of every color imaginable!!! And so much bigger than at home!

 

Costa Rican countryside.

It is really had to believe but our third day of work is complete.  We had a good day putting the cement walls up for the bathrooms and helping seal the walls with cement.  They also was able to get the footers laid for the sidewalk.  Several of our group went out with the a small group from the camp to deliver Rice and Beans with a few of the local residents.  I am enjoying really good food and the fresh fruit is wonderful.  Also Debbie this house is a really good price would you and Rod want to go in 1/2 with me and Melvin?  Here a few of the pictures of the last few days.  I am going to get that massage when I get back too.   Take care and will see you next week.

Janice

Ann performing surgery on my pants.

Kids playing monkey in the middle with Hannah.

Janice standing in the sugar cane field

Steve and the bus driver putting the cement walls up for the bathroom.