I don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll start off by saying this was an AMAZING experience and I was so blessed to be able to go. My church is so amazing and I couldn't ask for a better church or group to go with. God had his hand on us the whole time. This will probably also be the longest blog ever.
We were in Costa Rica from June 2nd-11th doing mission work. The church I go to goes every three years and this was the fourth time to go. We built some roofs,walls, painted, and built life long relationships with some amazing people down there. This wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for everyone who prayed,donated, and most importantly,God.
DAY 1: June 2
We all met at the church at 5:30 that Saturday morning (ugh) and weighed all our luggage. Our luggage couldn't weigh over 50 pounds and we only got one carry on. Mine luckily weighed 27 pounds. I was shocked considering I pretty much packed every piece of clothing I owned. We proceeded to saying our goodbyes and saying a quick prayer. On our flight schedule it said we leave at 9:30 but when we got there our flight left at 7:30 so we got there just in time. We went through security and boarded. We got to the Houston Airport about an hour and 30 minutes later. We had an hour to spare till our next flight so we ate at a rather unappetizing buffet. Ashlyn and I also went to Starbucks because we couldn't walk by and not get coffee; that's just not acceptable. We then went to a book store and spent too much time in there which almost resulted us in missing the boarding of our next flight. We then arrived in the San Jose` airport around 2.We picked up our luggage, which I was so happy to see mine because one of my worries was that it was going to get lost. The pastor of a nearby church (which our church is friends with) came and picked us up. We got to his church and ate (you're never underfed there) and settled in. That evening we got to participate in their youth group which was really fun. Thank goodness we had a translator because we had no idea what they were saying. After youth we ate dinner. We had these fried empanadas filled with chicken and pork topped with coleslaw, salsa and chips. I know, it sounds a little weird but it was really good. THey then made brownies which their chocolate isn't as sweet as ours so it tasted like baked chocolate malt-o-meal. We slept on air mattresses pretty much the whole trip. By the end of the day we were completely worn out and ready to start fresh the next day. We were in bed by 8 since the sun rises at 5. It's also an hour behind down there, whereas in Oklahoma it'd be an hour ahead.
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| Ashlyn playing with an etch-a-sketch in the airport book store. |
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| A penguin book is always a necessary childrens book to have on the shelf. |
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| The sanctuary at the church. |
DAY 2: June 3
We woke up to the sound of Ronny Joe (our youth pastor) laughing at a rather high volume and singing. At 5:30 you would think this would not be happening. All of us youth (there were 6 of us) trudged into the kitchen and complained about this ruckus. At 8 we ate an amazing breakfast and got ready for church. What's really cool is that they included both english and spanish into their service. So we sang half the song in english and half in spanish. After church we packe d a sandwich and split into two teams. One team was all the youth, Ronny Joe, and his wife, Diann which would head to Olla Cero. The other team was all the other adults which headed to Vanegas. Both towns are 5+ hour drives. On these bus rides I have learned that motion sickness medicine is a really good investment and once I take one, I am out for the whole ride. We also had the same bus driver the whole week, he stayed with us the whole time too. We stopped for a bathroom break about halfway through and walked a bridge to see the crocodiles. Kathy and John also came with us; they help mission groups who come down there all the time. We finally got to the Olla Cero church around 6. We unpacked and sat up our tents. Now, most people in Costa Rica don't use air conditioning. They're also use to the heat so they don't sweat. The church we stayed in just had bars on the windows, so we had to put all of our stuff in the middle so no one could steal it. We also stayed in tents to bugs wouldn't eat us up. For dinner we had rice and chicken which Kathy made. We then hit the sack so we could start fresh the next day.
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| Crocodiles |
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| The church in Olla Cero we stayed in. |
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| Fruit on a tree. Need I say more? |
DAY 3: June 4
On this day, it was my 16th birthday. Although it didn't feel like my birthday. We woke up at six and started our day off with pancakes. After breakfast, we started working on the building at the back of the church which is where the preacher sleeps on Sundays and Wednesdays. We put up some walls in the kitchen and a ceiling. We also put a ceiling up in the bedroom. For lunch we had hot dogs. After that we went to the hardware store and then got cokes. We got back and took showers. Now, the showers there are ridiculously cold but feel amazing after being drenched in sweat all day. For dinner we had pasta with chicken sauce. We then headed off to bed to start fresh tomorrow.
DAY 4: June 5
We started our day with french toast, eggs, and of course fruit. We then immediately began painting the kitchen. We finished it by 10:30 that morning and started on the bedroom. For lunch we had a combo of potatoes, carrots, and sausage. The pastor and some friendly old folks stopped by to check out the church. I forgot to mention it rains the same time everyday. But after its over, its cooled off. We also put up some screens on the window so the bugs couldn't get through. For dinner we had fried rice and pork. I got to say the blessing :)
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| The bedroom before |
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| The bedroom after |
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| The after results of the kitchen |
DAY 5: June 6
We basically finished up a few extra projects and loaded up. We had rice and beans for breakfast. We then head for Vanegas to join the rest of our group. We left at 9:40 and got there around 2. I slept the whole way (go figure). On the way we stopped and ate at a little restaurant which had an amazing view! I just order french fries as did a lot of other people. We also had to wait a little bit so the cop could make sure we were valid to drive and blah blah blah. When we got to Vanegas we headed to the foot bridge which was about a foot wide and 8 feet long. They have the cutest kids! so far we've met Jasmine, who was 8, Juacin who was 4, and his sister. We headed off to a beach at 3. The bus drivers left to go get gas and didn't come back for like an hour so by the time we were ready to leave, we then had to wait a long time. On a positive note, I had my first coconut. They finally showed back up and we headed back to the Vanegas church. For dinner we had beef stew which was made by the ladies at the church. We then set up our tents again and went to bed.
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| The cop doing his thing. |
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| The view at the restaurant |
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| Sign at the restaurant. |
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| Iguana |
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La Playa
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DAY 6: June 7
We woke up and had french toast. All the church members and Pastor Daniel held a special service for us that morning. Afterwards we packed up and headed for Manuel Antonio. we left at 11:50 and got there at 5. Guess who slept the whole way? :) We got to the hotel and ate at the restaurant there. Luckily, the hotel room had a/c and boy, did we take advantage of it. The showers were also lukewarm!
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| Juacin being ornery while his sister and father sing. |
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| Juacin and I. |
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| The church at Vanegas. |
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| Children in Vanegas. |
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Saying Bye :(
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DAY 7: June 8
Today was our "fun day" on our trip. We had snacks for breakfast which included gummies, granola bar, and crackers. We then headed off to the national park. We saw monkeys, sloths, and butterflies. The national park lead to the beach where we swam in the Pacific Ocean and collected shells and coral. There were also raccoons and crabs there. The water was so clear and blue. It was the best view ever. We then headed back to the hotel to pack up and head back to the church we stayed at the first night. On our way there we stopped to eat and souvenir shop. I bought a purse and bracelet :) We got back to the church and hit the sack.
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| National Park. |
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| Monkeys. |
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| Sloth! |
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| Pacific Ocean :) |
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| the spaghetti I had for lunch |
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| Virgin pina colada |
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| Ronny Joe with the youth. |
DAY 8: June 9
We had pancakes for breakfast then headed off to a church in Paraiso. We handed out tracks while the men worked on his church. The neighborhood we handed them out in was pretty sketchy but I'm glad we did it! When we got done we headed back and had sandwiches and tres leche` which was like a soggy cake with rum. When we finished up there, we headed to the children's home in Tres Rios. We were greeted by so many smiling faces. There were 20 kids who ranged from the ages 3-20. One of them was Kevin which has had many operations on his leg to be able to walk. Our church has taken money down there to make this possible for him. He has came along way and has began walking. It's amazing what God can do. A lot of us brought toys, old clothes, and crafts for them to do which they loved. There was also a girl named Iris there who was adorable! She was three and loved the outdoors. She saw my painted toe nails and wanted hers done too. We had so much fun there, I didn't want to leave. When we got back to the church we headed to a restaurant called the Rosti Pollo. We ate SO MUCH. The sweet tea also tasted like Vicks vapor rub. It was interesting. After that, we went to Wal-Mart and bought coffee and headed home to sleep to prepare for the next day.
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| Kevin. |
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| Paqui |
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| Brummy |
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| Kevin and I |
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| Brummy and I |
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| Iris and I |
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| Ashlyn and I modeling the Tea. |
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| desert is served. |
DAY 9: June 10
We had breakfast casserole for breakfast then went to church. Ashlyn and I got to sing. it was really neat. For lunch we had spaghetti, and then we went shopping. We then had another service, which was in english, and then another service that night.For dinner we had rice and chicken and se` viche ( that's probably spelt wrong) but its fish in lime and lemon juice. We also had cake for Andie, Stephanie, and my birthday which all landed on this trip. We then packed up to leave for the airport at 4 the next morning.
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| Ashlyn and I singing. |
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| The group! |
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| Yay for Costa Rican Coffee! |
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| Cake :) |
DAY 10: June 11
We woke up and heade for the airport. We arrived in Houston at 12. We went through customs and security. We then ate in the airport and waited for our next flight. Which got delayed AND overbooked. It was horrible. We got back home by 5:30 though. I was so glad to be home. It was fun though :)
A few things I have learned are:
1. That I hate flying. It makes me nauseated.
2. Drink TONS of water in ridiculously high temperatures (which I did)
3. Dramamine is totally necessary for long travels.
And that concludes my trip to Costa Rica. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to go and I can't believe it already came and went. As I said before, I couldn't have asked for a better group to go with. There weren't too many injuries, sicknesses, and we didn't run out of supplies. Our God is pretty awesome :)
I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
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