Mission Group

This past week, our church hosted a mission team from the United States. Their projects include serving at the senior center in Paquita, where they were affected by Tropical Storm Alma. They have been reconstructing a fence and remodeling the grounds as well as spending time with the senior citizens there. In Costa Rica, it is customary to care for the elderly in the homes of family members, so the seniors in this center have little or no family, and visitors are few and far between. Something as simple as painting the nails of the elderly women is a huge blessing and encouragement to them. They have also been volunteering at a school for special education students, doing trash pick up on the beach, as well as helping at a local school.

I had the chance to help out on morning when the team was working at the elementary school in Cocal (a small island off of Quepos). There has already been work to remodel their kitchen (new refrigerators and stoves were donated), so the team painted, build a walkway, rerouted electrical wires so that there would be electricity in all of the classrooms, and spent time with the kids who were off of school because of a teachers leave of absence. It was a lot of work, but a great opportunity to serve a part of our community that is in need.

The former kitchen...

painting the walls in the new kitchen area, and working on the electrical wires

mixing cement for the sidewalk, and Cata showing off her skills... shes going to make a toilet paper holder with that...

Some of the local kids who go to the school...

Kids on bikes. Cocal is an Island, so no one gets around in cars... so when someone offers to give you a lift, they are probably referring to their handlebars... naturally, Aleasha and I tested it out...

Julie visits... More pics!

A few more pics from the week...

Julie, and the infamous Soda Sanchez...

Nothing like a good Costa Rican gallo-pinto.

And below, of course, no trip to Manuel Antonio would be complete without a trip to Barba Roja for a sunset and nachos...

and Julie making a pirate face...

and far below, I tricked Julie into teaching English at Monday night class with Debbie (with her harpsichord) and me leading a short devo (who would have thought I would be speaking in front of people on a weekly basis... and in spanish!... God's working on my fears :) ).

Julie Visits... the waterfalls!

While Julie was here, Bill (one of the pastors of our local church and local missionary) blessed us by taking us out to a small mountain town known for its beautiful waterfalls. Though only about 20 min. outside of Quepos, the last six kilometers tack on another 40+ min. onto the trip. It is no easy road, up the mountain, around large holes in the road and through small rivers... but we made it! And it was worth the trip. One of the things this particular finca is known for is the small walking bridge that crosses over the large falls... Check this out!

As noted from the sign below- the bridge was 127 Meters long and 40 Meters high...

The large falls, as you can see on the right, there is a repelling line that you can go down... Cata and I got offered a free tour... I'll make sure to let you know when that goes down...

She small falls was much more optimal for swimming. Cata, Julie and I pose for a picture. (Bill was a a great cameraman!) The people behind us are going to repel the large fall from above. We didn't repel, but we had our own fun...

Scaling...

Climbing...

Waving....

Jumping!

and my splash...

Julie Visits... the beach!

Julie, a close childhood/high school friend came down to visit a few weeks ago! (Yes, I know, I have been slacking on the blog... but I am currently in Panama for three days, with nothing on my schedule, so I am trying to catch up!) Ju came down for a week and it was great to show her around! And of course, one of the most popular stops was.... the beach!

And there were a few first for each of us. We were walking the beach at low tide and decided to climb a rock that is usually surrounded by water. It was covered in blue and grey crabs that kept darting out from under the rocks... probably the most dangerous aspect of the whole excursion...

While I was working, Julie had the chance to hang out with some of my good friends at the beach, and try her hand at surfing! Below, Cata riding a wave, and Julie with Memo- friend turned surf instructor!

Below... one of my favorite beach treats, "frutas mixtas"... mixed fruit juice in a bag! It comes with chunks of pineapple, papaya and mango. Delicious! And the crabs that covers the rock... this was a biggie...

Tropical Storm Alma, and the river running through my House...

Last week Thursday, I had slept in. It had rained all night, my house was cool, and my room was dark. I was loving it. I woke up around ten and made a pot of coffee. As I was walking back to the sofa, I stepped into a large puddle. The puddle became a stream, and soon the living room, dining area, and my entire bedroom was full of water. The water level outside of my house had risen significantly, and the water was coming in through a closet (which used to be a bathroom). In some places I had over an inch of water in on my floor!

After fruitless efforts of mopping up water with towels and ringing it out into the shower, I had a better idea... I constructed a canal out of towels so that I could sweep the water from the closet, out the front door! Analu (my roommate) and Suzie (a friend of hers) helped me with damage control. Here is a pic of my waterway, after the room was pretty much dry.

It wasn't until after I had cleaned up all the water that I heard that we were in the middle of a Tropical storm. We had three days of straight rain. Four boats sank in the Quepos harbor, trying to come in for shelter. Roads were flooded. Electricity went out. Schools were closed. And the bridges in and out of Quepos were shut down. Tourists couldn't get out to catch flights in San Jose and no one was leaving their homes.

Parrita, a town about 30 min. outside of Quepos and much lower, took the biggest hit. Homes were feet deep in water. Families had to evacuate. And the small town made international news (CNN), and helicopters dropped food and supplies in Quepos to be distributed to the towns with the most needs. Members from my church solicited food donations from local supermarkets and restaurants and brought meals to families in need, and the local fire department continues to hold food and clothing drives for the people still affected by the storm.

It is a reminder that rainy season is coming, and that the weather is forever unpredictable. And and puts a lot of perspective on a little but of water in my living room.

A few odds and ends

I am now the proud owner of a Liga mug, and I can't tell you how much joy it gives me! Let me explain. The two best soccer teams in the Costa Rican national league are Saprissa and the Liga. Everyone chooses a side. You are either die hard Ligista, or die hard Saprissista. It is like Michigan or Michigan State. There is no middle ground. It divides families and neighbors. And one the day of the big game, NO ONE is one the street, and if you are, you will hear everyone cheering when when a goal is scored. So, you might ask, what side am I on? Seeing as Saprissa has won 14 consecutive match ups against the Liga, I have decided to go with the underdogs, and cheer for the Red and White.

I have a neighbor who is ALWAYS (i mean always, ask Jonathan, Elliot or Zach) on the front porch watching TV. He always says hello. And one day after work I noticed that he was in a Purple jersey, watching a Saprissa match. I asked if he was Saprissista (obviously) and told him that I was Ligista. He looked at with me disgust and when Saprissa beat the Liga in their first match up last season, he would shout Saprissa chants as I walked by, asking when I was going to convert. Not only did I have to put up with the parade of cars that wound its way through Quepos waving Saprissa flags, honking their horns, and singing the Saprissa victory chant (yes, this really happens), I had to deal with days of embarrassment every time I walked in and out of my neighborhood. It has been a blast.

Well, a few weeks ago, Roberto (my neighbor) finally introduced himself and told me he was going to make me something. And that something was a chocolate arrangement inside of my new Liga cup. Nothing like a little team rivalry. We have a lot of fun talking smack... and one day... maybe next season, I have faith that the Liga will represent... Now all I need is to buy a Uni...

One of my favorite fruits is the papya... a fruit I started out hating, but have leanred to love. This is the Hawiian papya, a little smaller and sweeter than a normal papya, and great when blended with milk. And to the left are a few of the "typical" Costa Rican pasteries that are served with the afternoon cup of coffee. Besides plain bread, you may be served a sweet pastery with a butter filling, palitos (sticks that come in a plain or cheese flavor) or a meat pastery filled with beef, chicken, jam and cheese, or maybe even some sort of potatoe or vegetable mix. Not quite a sweet roll or muffin...

Last month, I did some house/dog sitting... these are the dogs (Millie and Taco) that became my best friends for the month. Taco, the bigger dog, followed my every move. I had to "lock him" in the reception desk so that he wouldn't follow me when I left to go on a run. I can't tell you how many times I hit him with the bathroom door... not my fault seeing as he would sneak in behind me and plop himself down until I came out! And as you can see... they weren't big fans of the camera...