Costa Rica Missions Trip Day 11

June 30

This morning even Hillary said "I was so happy when I woke up and heard the sound of the ocean!  I was glad it wasn't wind." I think there's a trend here :).

Since our "workday" wasn't starting until 5pm today, we had the day to go explore a bit.  After doing a little "shopping" among the Seeds of Hope jewelry stash, we left to drive up to Manuel Antonio. On the way we stopped for coffee at a fun little place just up the road from our casa, and while we were there the rain started pouring and didn't let up for some time!  It was a great little stop for coffee and breakfast, and we enjoyed watching the rain come down from under our cozy little canopy.

Brenda is back!

After the rain let up enough for us to make a dash for the car, we drove on up to Quepos and Manuel Antonio.  We pulled into a little area to drink in the beauty of the ocean from that area of Costa Rica, and it was just breathtaking once again!  We left there and drove on into Manuel Antonio, and found a place to park down by the public beach.  We jumped into the ocean for a little while, just long enough to get us really fired up about our free day on Sunday when we are going into the national park to experience the beach and the waves there.

While we were waiting on Hillary and Karen to finish up their playtime in the waves, Brenda, Janis and I met an ice cream vendor on the beach.  We didn't have any money with us for ice cream, but because of all the bandages and scratches on Brenda, the guy asked some questions about what happened to her.  Then he asked were we were staying and as it turned out, he lives in Esterillos and he knows our friend Cecilia!  Small world.

After drying off in the sun since we didn't have any towels, we loaded back up and drove to Agua Azul, a restaurant that overlooks the ocean where we had planned to have lunch.  The view was stunning, and the food was great too!  Hillary pounded a 1/2 lb. hand-made burger which she said was much better than the last one, and the rest of us enjoyed a variety of dishes.

As with the Costa Rican "Puta Vida" way, they took their time in preparing our food, and so we were a little rushed to get back, showered and back on the road to Tarcoles for classes.  Four gals in & out of the shower and back in the car in less than 30 minutes was pretty impressive!  We made it to Tarcoles in time for the English class, so Hillary helped Ben teach time in English to the students. They were quite a pair!

Even though we aren't doing a lot of specific things with or for the kids, every minute we spend in a clubhouse with kids is so valuable.  We are learning so much about SOH and what they do, what they need and just how much they are doing for the kids.  Just interacting with them for a few minutes after class playing tic-tac-toe and hanging out with them is really cool.

We drove back to Esterillos Oeste where stopped for supper at a little bar/grill.  Our waitress did not speak any English and even though we got stuck couple of times, I was able to make it through ordering okay & we all had a great meal!  Hillary ordered a 7-Up and the closest thing they had was a Fresca.  No, not the Fresca in a can from the States. This was a bottled drink and it was fantastic!  Her new favorite :)

Costa Rica Missions Trip Day 10

June 29

Since we don't have air conditioning we sleep with the windows open.  And every morning when I wake up I think to myself, "Well shoot. The wind is up today." But then I look outside and realize that it isn't the wind that I am hearing, it is the ocean waves!  That definitely has to be one of the best parts of being here.  It may be a bit sticky with no a/c and the windows open, but going to sleep and waking up to the sound of the ocean is pretty cool.

What isn't so cool is the roosters.  Every morning around 4am the roosters that run around everywhere get rolling and they can be quite loud!  But I am getting to where I can fall back asleep fairly easily, as long as they aren't roosting on our porch :).

After my morning run by the ocean, we headed over the breakfast where we had a great time chatting with Cecilia.  I'm sure she and her sister and mom just laugh at us trying to communicate in Spanish, although she is very patient as we make our attempts.  After finishing off our coffee, Karen, Hillary and I went down to the beach.  Janis wasn't feeling well so she decided to stay close to home and rest. The tide had been way up early in the morning, but by the time we got out there it was down and we could walk along the little pools in the rocks.  We walked a long way, stopping to pick up shells, take pictures and be entertained by hermit crabs.  Those little guys are hilarious!

At 1pm we went over to the staff meeting where we enjoyed a great time of worship, and then shared with them an idea of how we can continue to support them after we return home.  Hillary read them the story of "The Starving Baker" which talks about how leaders are often so busy serving others that they "starve" themselves.  We told them we didn't want that to happen to them, so we are going to focus on how we can support the staff in their roles as leaders of Seeds of Hope.  Our idea involves sending a suitcase full of items for them down here every 6 weeks with the SOH director.  More details to come as to how we are going to accomplish this, and how you can contribute if you so desire!

After quick showers and tidying up, we picked Paula up and headed for the Parrita Clubhouse to help out with Jewelry Day.  Once a week the Parrita clubhouse kids and/or moms come and learn how to make a piece of jewelry.  They take supplies home and make the jewelry, bringing it back the next week to contribute to the supply.  It's kind of a "come and go" or some "come and stay." That jewelry is then sold, and the money is put into a food fund. Those who attend Jewelry Day each week, plus one day of Bible class, receive a food stipend from the food truck that comes on Jewelry Day and they take home a bag of fresh food from a local gentleman. It's a great way for SOH to support the community and to serve these families!   I think it was the most fun watching the ladies interact with each other and with the staff.  It was like a big girls' night! Hillary helped cut bracelet string, and then got to make a bracelet of her own.

Parrita Clubhouse

Parrita clubhouse garden area

Jewelry making

Karen and I planned to make no-bake cookies for the ladies while they were making jewelry.  We had packed up all the supplies but when I unpacked them at the clubhouse I realized I had forgotten the oatmeal - a major ingredient!  A quick trip to the convenience store (if you can call it that) did not yield any oatmeal, so we had to make them when we got back here.  As it turned out, we had to use the stove to make this particular "no-bake" cookie recipe so I guess making them on-site just wasn't meant to be!  We knocked them out in no time and will send them with staff to the clubhouse tomorrow. :)

Heating the water to clean the pot!

After we cleaned up the clubhouse we stopped for supper with the crew at a little roadside restaurant in Parrita. The food was unique to Costa Rica and really, really good!  Hillary pounded a big plate of beef nachos, and I had beef skewers that were cooked just perfectly.  We haven't had the best of luck with beef since we've been here so that was a treat.

Paula's big sandwich!  Dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.

Every day we learn something new about SOH and are amazed at the impact they are making on the communities here.  It's amazing what a little idea in someone's mind can turn into.  Sometimes we think we can't make a difference - that a problem is too big or we are too inadequate.  But God isn't.

Costa Rica Missions Trip Day 9

June 28

After our busy day yesterday we enjoyed a more laid-back morning today.  It started with another beautiful morning run for me - I really cannot get enough of watching the ocean!

After many mornings of eggs for breakfast, Hillary asked Cecilia if she could do pancakes.  She did not disappoint!  Three large panqueques were delivered to our table with real butter and syrup.  Hillary was in heaven!  And of course I was happy with my 2 cups of Cecilia's coffee to go with my shake and that yummy fresh fruit.  I will miss the pineapple that is served almost immediately after being picked!

After breakfast we went to do a load of laundry and spent some time chatting with some of the staff. I have really enjoyed getting to know them better and finding out more about how SOH operates and the roles everyone plays.  It is an awesome organization with so much to offer.

While Janis managed the washing machine, Hillary and I went for a walk down the beach.  We went a different direction than usual and found some beautiful areas to explore.  The tide had been way up early in the morning, but by mid-morning it was down and we could see lots of fish, crabs and tons of unique seashells.

Parting the waters!

We were missing our friends Karen & Brenda who had to spend the night at the hospital in San Jose. After many ups and downs, God prevailed with many little miracles and blessings, and I was able to meet their "Uber" in Tarcoles and bring them home!  It was awesome to see Brenda up and walking, albeit a bit sore and stiff. In her words: "Somehow survived being kicked by an ox and getting stuck, dragged and rolled over by the thousand pound cart full of rocks it was pulling. After 17 hours strapped to a board and 3 hospitals, we've confirmed I only have a twisted vertebrae and quite a bit of surface wounds. Feel so lucky not be paralyzed, to have use of all my organs and to be alive! Thank you so much Seeds of Hope team for all your love and support💕 On the road to recovery now!" Karen was a rock star negotiator with the Costa Rican hospitals and doctors, and after VERY little shut eye over the course of 24 hours, they will be sleeping well tonight.  

So after delivering Brenda to her casa, we headed back to Tarcoles where the 8-12 year old kids were having their weekly gathering.  We joined Ricardo and Diana in time for Hillary to lead the craft.  She had gathered a variety of leaves, paper and crayons and taught the kids to color "leaves" on their papers.  We had a great time with these kids, and none of them had done this craft before.  It was so fun to watch their faces light up when they colored hard enough for the leaf to show through on the paper.  We made some friends and they seemed to enjoy the craft, and loved showing off their tumbling skills after we were done!

Hillary & Ricardo explaining the craft.

They gave us their pictures!

On the way back to Esterillos Oeste we stopped in Jaco to eat supper.  We found a great little restaurant where we enjoyed a nice meal, although as we were waiting for our check Karen started falling asleep :).  Good thing I was driving!

It was great to help out at the clubhouse tonight and meet some of the kids who will be using the facility that we painted. We get to go back and work with the big kids at Tarcoles on Friday!

Costa Rica Missions Trip Day 8

June 27

Today started out a little earlier than most of the others since we were meeting over at the staff's house at 8:45 to leave for the Crocodile Tour!  The staff has been off for their vacation week, and today was meant for everyone to spend some time together, regroup and have a fun day together.  We rode in the staff van which just got out of the shop so we prayed before we left that it would make it to Tarcoles with no trouble. Due to the size of the van and the size of the hills on the road to Tarcoles, we did not turn on the A/C...and as long as we were moving the open windows worked pretty well!

We arrived at the Crocodile Tour place, loaded up on the boat and headed out to find some crocs.  Our tour guide was quite funny, and he kept us entertained for the next 2 hours. It wasn't long before we saw a number of crocs, as well as a variety of birds, lizards and other wildlife.  The scenery was beautiful!  A couple of times during the tour one of the guides got out of the boat and enticed a croc onto the shore with some chicken that he proceeded to hand feed.  Oh my it was crazy!  At one point we saw a baby croc in the water so the guide jumped out onto a low-lying spot, reached into the water and grabbed it so we could all take a turn holding the cute little thing.  It was a really fun tour!

Jen & Big Ben 

Penny sporting her new shirt!

At this point our day took a not so fun turn.  A freak accident occurred as we were coming up the road after unloading from the tour boat, and one of our team members was injured.  She is okay, but ended up having to spend the day in Jaco at the MMI clinic and later was taken to San Jose to the hospital for further examination.  God is good and although she does have some injuries, He is already showing up in many ways.  She had purchased travel insurance for the first time ever, and one of our team members is a nurse and is with her at the hospital.  We hope to have them both back here tomorrow.

Although that obviously put a damper on our day, we proceeded with our next stop, which was at Glenn's Tarcoles home for lunch, a swim and a time of appreciation for the staff.  Even though we were all concerned for our fallen teammate, we did our best to enjoy Glenn's hospitality at his lovely home. The vegetation is just amazing around here!

We returned to Oeste Esterillos late afternoon.  Hillary and I took some time to walk down to the beach and do our bible study.  Later we walked over to a little restaurant down the road to have supper & look at all our photos from the crocodile tour.  Hillary was thrilled to see a burger on the menu, although after she dug into it she said "mom, this definitely isn't a Cargill burger" :).  As we were paying the check it started to sprinkle, so we began quickly walking back to our place.  After a couple of minutes Penny & Amy, who were returning from Jaco, drove up and asked if we wanted a ride. For some reason we said "no, we're almost there!" forgetting how quickly the rain goes from a sprinkle to a downpour!  Within 30 seconds of them driving on, it started pouring & yes, we got soaked.  But I suppose it was a great way to cool off!

It was another fun, yet odd day with the accident.  But God is good and He is already healing our friend!