The Plunge Down Under

Costa Rica 2023 Day 6

Our sixth and final full day in Costa Rica began with a bus trip to the town and river area in the Heredia Province known as Sarapiquí.  We traveled through a stunningly beautiful protected nature reserve and disembarked at Pozo Azul where 16 zipline tour guides awaited us in the steamy tropical sunshine.  

Ziplining through the forest and over a waterfall was great fun for most of us.  It was followed by a delicious buffet lunch, delicious at any rate for those of us not yet tired of rice and beans. (funny note:  many thought that the fried plantains that you can see in the photo below were General Tso's chicken -- they were disappointed!  I was not as I can never seem to get enough of them).  

The drive after lunch through the mountains was even more beautiful than the morning trip.  I don't have any photos that begin to do it justice, and I wish I could do it all over again (although I did make a note to bring anti-nausea/carsickness pills if there is a future trip).  

Enjoying the views:

Our first stop after lunch was the La Paz waterfall.   The brown water was caused by unusually heavy rainfall.

Our final stop was the Restaurante Freddo Fresas for afternoon coffee and snacks.  Our waiter suggested the "Mediodía" or the "Medianoche" desserts -- the former a coconut flan topped with caramel sauce and the latter a chocolate cake topped with the same. It was quite probably the best thing I ate the entire week.




Some of us made a quick trip to the hummingbird garden across the street, and then it was time for the bus trip back to our hotel for our final dinner and time of worship and debriefing.  We all considered our responses to the question "Now what?" both at the individual and at the communal level.  

Our guides Gherson and Elise got us safely to the airport the next morning, where we promised to let them know if and when we return.

¡Adiós Costa Rica!  Until next time.

Costa Rica 2023 Day 5 (Third House Build Day)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anticipation again ran high on the third day as we prepared to finish and furnish the three houses. Six people from each house build team met the three families and escorted them to our bus for a trip to Walmart. Those who remained behind hammered, finished up electrical work, painted, put together furniture and made up beds. We raced to finish everything before lunch and just about accomplished this goal.

Toval Morales Group ready to head to the bus to go shopping.

Ready to check out at Walmart.

Carrying the appliances into the Aguirre Baltodano house.

Making up beds at the Utrecho Dominguez house (aka the Christmas house!).

Group photo of house build team #2 (Aguirre Baltodano Family).

Heading back from the bus with all of the groceries picked out by each family.  At the Toval Morales house, there was a big scramble to finish up, but eventually everything was ready.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hall's team finished early and had time to learn a song from Carlos ("Te alabaré").

 

It was so rewarding to see everything come together, including all of the household items that had been donated ahead of time.  We only wished that we had brought more with us.

After lunch each house build team gathered with their family for a key ceremony.  The keys to the new houses were passed to each person in the circle and words of encouragement and blessings were given.  After the key ceremony, the families unlocked their front doors and entered their houses.  A few minutes later the teams knocked on the doors and entered as well.  Many tears flowed in the Toval Morales house as we entered and had a time of prayer, and I suspect the same happened in the other houses as well.  

Post ceremony photo for the Utrecho Dominguez Family.

Celebration with the Toval Morales Family. 

Saying our final good-byes was tough, as we realized that most of us were not likely to see our families again.  Our Joshua Expedition guides Gherson and Elise promised to stay in touch and to send letters and photos at some point in the future.

Liliam and Yinissi from the Aguirre Baltodano family.

One final photo, this time with the two ladies who run the shop across the street from the Aguirre Baltodano Family and who keep an eye on the children in the street.  A thunderstorm with heavy rain accompanied us on the bus ride back to the hotel, where we had planned to celebrate with a pizza pool party.  We moved the pizza indoors, but several students still managed to swim.  Once again our evening ended with worship and a debrief session where students and adults shared their experiences and reflected on what they had learned during the week and where they had seen God at work.  

 

Costa Rica 2023 Day 4 (Second House Build Day)

Expectations were high as we arrived in Pavas for our second house build day.  It was hotter and stickier than the previous day (which meant a big storm later), but we could see how much had been accomplished at all three sites in just one day of hard work.  The first task was to carry all the supplies back out of the houses so that the teams could begin working.  We quickly figured out that a human chain was the most efficient method.

Kaiden and Derek working on the roof of house build 3.  The workers knew that a storm was coming, so there was a big push to get all the roof pieces in place as quickly as possible.

Eli and Lila working at house build #1.

Lauren and Emma putting a second coat on the interior walls of house build #2.

Hanging with the local neighborhood kids, the children of the house build families, and the children of the construction workers was a popular way to take a break from the construction work.  Many bonds were made, and I heard lots of laughter as our students tried out their Spanish and figured out how to communicate.

The rain started shortly after lunch was served.  Fortunately all three houses had a roof covering by that time.  We huddled under doorways, borrowed umbrellas, and dashed for cover.  

Our second day's work finished around 4pm, and once again we boarded our bus damp, tired and grimy, but also exhilarated.

Costa Rica 2023 Day 3 (First House Build Day)

Walking down the road ready to see our house build sites and to meet our families.

Unloading materials at house build site 3 (Toval Morales Family).

The concrete pads were poured and ready for us to begin work.

At each site the teams met their families and had a time of prayer before beginning work.

Painting the drywall at House build site 2.  So much painting.  So many colors!

Learning new skills.

 

Walls started to go up.

Lunch was very welcome when it arrived!

At the end of our work day, all the supplies had to be carried inside.  We finished up rather grimier than we began, wet, tired, and thirsty, but thrilled with what had been accomplished.

After swimming and showering we headed to a local restaurant where the kind staff prepared a special dessert to celebrate Matayo's 16th birthday.  

Costa Rica Day 2

Sunday, our first full day, began with a delicious breakfast of gallo pinto, scrambled eggs, chicken fajitas, fried plantains and fresh cut fruit.   

We then headed to the Pavas community to attend and help out with a local church that started as a Bible study to minister to families who have received houses from Joshua Expedition teams over the past few years.  It was an incredible experience to worship with these fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (and for the teacher part of me to witness my students doing the same!). 

During the sermon a few of us headed outdoors (escaping the almost unbearable heat indoors) for story and craft time with the children, followed by singing and games.  Miss Cline read the story of Jonah from the Jesus Storybook Bible and then our students helped them make a craft that involved a great blue fish swallowing up the disobedient preacher.  

The craft/game appeared to be a big hit with all of the kiddos!

 

Our students learned to sing Jesus Loves Me and I’ve Got the Joy in Spanish as well as developing hand motions before we traveled down to Costa Rica.  Accompanied by Lila Cook and Rebecca Arnold on the ukelele, Jessie Nassif, Mira Groetzinger and friends taught the songs and hand motions to the local kids.  I was so proud of all of them!

The games were also popular.  After the service we ate a lunch of grilled hamburgers prepared by the women of the community and then headed out for a cultural afternoon in the colorful town of Sarchí.

We learned a little bit about the history of the production of ox carts, a national symbol of Costa Rica due to their essential historical role in agriculture.  Everyone then had the opportunity to do some souvenir shopping in a store filled with locally made items.  

Costa Rica 2023 Day 1

Group pic in Miami

We finally made it outside of the airport in San Jose!

First stop was the Starbucks coffee farm.  It was absolutely gorgeous, and the coffee was fantastic.

Our junior girls!

Senior girls!

And senior guys.

We finished our first evening with dinner and devotions at the hotel, praising God for safety and a smooth trip.  

Costa Rica, Day 5

Our last full day in Costa Rica began with a stop at a coffee farm en route to the Poas Volcano.  I remembered seeing photos of this beautiful spot from the trip taken two years ago, and it did not disappoint.  Before we arrived, Sr. Huggins read Psalm 104 to us and encouraged us to praise God throughout the coming day for the beauty we would enjoy in His creation.  This was not difficult to do.

Our entire group in front of the coffee fields:

View from the bus as we climbed into the hills:

A man with a traditional oxcart made sure that we did not miss the turn in to the coffee farm:

This tree, with the beautiful hydrangeas in front, reminded me of some of my favorite scenery in the Dandenongs in Australia:

Next we drove further up into the mountains for our canopy tour at Colinas de Poas. As the guides strapped us into our gear, the excitement levels grew, and at least one of our students was visibly shaking.  However we were very well taken care of throughout the twelve runs.  In between platforms we hiked through the forest enjoying the greenery and sounds.   The last run was a length of one quarter of a mile, and we reached speeds high enough to get the adrenalin flowing.  It was a great way to end our tour.

Our last stop for the day was the town of Sarchi, known for its wood products, and most particularly, the wooden oxcart used to transport coffee and sugarcane through the steep and narrow mountain trails.  We walked around the town square, admired the world's largest oxcart, and finished up at the official oxcart factory where we were able to purchase souvenirs.  

We ended our day with praise and worship, followed by a time of sharing, and then, as has become tradition, a short walk to the local fresh market.  

 

 

 

Costa Rica, Ciudad de Fe

On our fourth full day in Costa Rica, we spent several hours helping out at a day care run by the church pictured below, Ciudad de Fe (City of Faith).  The church is located close to a poverty-stricken area, and most of the 148 children that are registered at this day care come from home situations that place them at risk.  They range in age from a few months old to 12 years or so.  As soon as we arrived, we split up into pairs and spread out amongst different age groups.  I don't have photos to share from most of our time at Ciudad de Fe, but I can tell you that Sr. Huggins, with the help of a couple of students, played his heart out on the soccer pitch.  Unfortunately for him, this involved vaulting over the fence and back again every couple of minutes to retrieve the ball.  Mainly our job was to provide a little extra love and attention for lots of kiddos whose parents struggle to feed them and are often unable to give them the time and love that little ones are thirsty for.  I think the hearts of all of our students were drawn toward these kids who responded so warmly to us.  It made us all long to be able to do more for them, and also reminded us of how much we take for granted.

I enjoyed watching our students playing with little ones, running around on the playground, and lifting children up to swing and hang from the outdoor equipment.  I loved hearing their interactions as they used a combination of the Spanish they have learned plus hand motions to communicate.  Eventually I ended up in the baby room where several babies were unhappy as they were hungry and ready for a nap.  It felt so satisfying to rock a couple of them and calm them down, and I was amazed at how efficiently the workers fed, changed and put to sleep all seven infants.  One of the workers expertly rocked three baby chairs at one time until each baby fell asleep one by one.  As the babies lay peacefully dozing, I chatted with the workers about their work at this daycare and how important it is to provide love for all of these little guys.

Success:  all seven babies sound asleep:

After a delicious lunch of roasted chicken, rice and potatoes provided by the daycare, we split up among the older children to tell the story of Jonah, sing songs and make a craft.  

Our day ended with a praise, worship and sharing time, plus a lesson about the power of the tongue from the book of James.  Now we are looking forward to our last full day, and the opportunity to learn a little more about the history and the beauty of this Central American nation. 

 

Costa Rica House Build, Third Day

Our clothes may be dirty and our bodies weary, but our hearts are full after returning from our third day of work in San Jose. It is not that often that the opportunity comes along to participate in a project with such a satisfying sense of completion in such a short period of time.  We had that opportunity this week, and we are so grateful for it.  The words running through my mind all day come from a prayer offered by King David when he dedicated the materials he had collected for building the temple: "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly?" (1 Chronicles 29:14).  We may be nothing special, but we serve a God who is. 

There are so many photos to share, that I will jump right in. Here is the house, la casita, when we arrived this morning.  The primary thing left to do was put on a second coat of paint inside and out:

Midway through the morning, a few of us went on a shopping expedition with the family who will be living in the house.  Enough money was provided with the funds raised for this house to purchase the basic necessities for the inside of the home.  Shopping is not on my list of favorite things to do, but this was a fun expedition.  We went to the superstore Maxi Palí and helped to fill up two carts with supplies.

View from the bus window on the return trip:

While we were away, furniture was assembled for the two bedrooms and living room.

Nearly there!

Children came in and out to check on the progress, and to ask questions about the sorpresa that had been promised to them the day before.

While we waited, Sr. Huggins decided to climb a tree.

Finally it was time to hold the house dedication ceremony.  We gathered in a circle with Pedro and Stefanie and their small daughter to pray and to share our wishes and prayers with them one by one as the house keys were handed from person to person.

 

After Pedro and Stephanie unlocked the door and entered as a family, we gave them a few moments before knocking and asking if we could enter:

The moment that the children had been waiting for also finally arrived.  We taught them a few songs, and then gathered to listen to the story of Jonah.

One of our students explained (in Spanish!) how the story of Jonah connects to Jesus and God's plan for salvation: 

Storytime was followed by craft time:  Jonah (a bag of sand) inside the big fish (the cup):

Next we had just a few minutes to play a hilarious game:

Then it was time for a good-bye photo and hugs:

We left with promises to write letters, and hopefully, God willing, for some of us to return.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Costa Rica House Build, Day 2

Today began much like yesterday, with breakfast in the open air restaurant in our hotel before piling on the bus to head back to the build site.  During our sharing time last night we agreed that it had been wonderful to see a community of people come together to put up this house.  Workers included neighbors, others for whom a similar house had been built, members of our leader's church, and of course, the various children who came and left and then returned throughout the day.  We had a similar experience today, and by the time we left in the late afternoon, our house was almost finished.

I can think of at least five things that were accomplished today,  I will include photos of all five.

1.  The roof
2. The interior drywall
3. Interior and exterior trim
4. Electrical wiring
5. Lots of conversation and laughter with the local kids, many of whom skipped school today to hang out with us

 Morning prep before arriving from Miss Cline (a reminder that when things don't go our way, to be patient and remember that God is at work).

Instructions from Mario, our House Build leader.  Pedro, who will be the recipient of the house, is on his left:

Sr. Huggins led us in prayer before we began work:

Trying out a new fruit: Jocote.  We were told it is eaten with salt.

Jocote tree:

View from where we have been working:

At the end of our work day, we carried the tools and leftover materials to the site of the next house build site.  It gave us the opportunity to see where our school team worked two years ago.  That team included the four students pictured below:

Tomorrow we look forward to finishing up the painting, participating in a house dedication ceremony and spending some more time interacting with the children.