Costa Rica: Day 2 - Las Tablas

We spent today working hard in Las Tablas, an extremely poor community about 30 minutes from the YWAM base here in San Jose. Here are some reflections from the students...

Today was an amazing day. when i say amazing it is because there is no other way to describe how great it really was. we went to Las Tablas to a place where a woman was taking care of kids who were not being taken care of by their parents. Most of their parents were either dead or on drugs. even as we were there we saw a man walking down the road sniffing glue trying to get high. this was really sad to see. some of the people went into the church where the children eat and fed them. others of us, which was where i was at, went to work on a house that was very beaten down. we worked there for most of the day. we got dirty to say the least. it was all mud and dirt every where. today at the church we met a lot of amazing kids. its amazing how the littlest things make their day. i gave a little boy a high five and his smile was from ear to ear. i cant explain how life changing this trip really is. i am honestly in amazement at what God is doing through me and through all of us. when we got here you could really feel the presence of God. so i will just leave you with saying that if you have never been on a missions trip it is honestly a life changing experience.
pray for us,
love ~ Josh

Hola! Today was such a great day. We went to work for a lady who ran a feeding/community center for the kids who live around the Las Tablas area. I spent half of my time there cleaning mud and debris out of a house and then I headed over with Mrs. Meade to help out with the kids at the feeding center. I love these kids! They are so sweet and their huge smiles just melt your heart. Mrs. Meade and I used what little Spanish we knew to get the kids sitting in a circle and then we started throwing the ball around with them. It was so much fun and the kids are so forgiving when it comes to our Spanish speaking mistakes :0) They just laugh and try their best to communicate with you. They were definitely the best part of the day.
I also spent this afternoon in the kitchen with Meredith and Jacob Fox. We were helping the cook, Juan Carlos, make dinner. I really enjoyed that. I have never peeled and cut up so many potatoes in my life! My hand started to cramp but it was so worth it. It was neat trying to interact with Juan Carlos and communicate with him. Jacob got his hands on a big butcher knife and that was a little scary. Meredith and I persuaded him to use something smaller to cut the tomatoes so don't worry Mrs. Fox :0)
I can't even explain to you how amazing this trip has been. I am in such awe of what God is already doing in my life....it's amazing. I'm so glad I came and am so excited about what God has in store for me. Amo Costa Rica!!!!!
~ Kelly

Costa Rica: Day 1

After breakfast and orientation we broke into three teams. I've asked a student from each group to write a little about their experience today...

Casa #1:
We did a lot of stuff today at the main YWAM house today. A bunch of us were going through a bunch of pieces of wood that the people here use to build their furniture, and we had to sort out useful pieces from scrap pieces, that we had to carry out and put on a trailor for them to get rid of. A couple other people were sanding down the rough pieces of wood and we just had to stack those together. It was really cool working with all the staff here. And today was a awesome first day! :]
-Kristin & Brandi

Casa #2: Operation Chipmunk Umbrella
We did a lot of stuff today. I found out that I was pretty much useless for constructing a wall, so I decided to paint a wall. I still don't have all of the paint off of me! The team includes Mr. Neill, Amanda, Deena, Kyle, Me/the most beautiful person/Squirrel/Mr. Humility, and a 19 year old from Texas named Michael. We were painting the outside of a house and were adding a wall for more sleeping dorms. Fun Facts: Did you know that the rain water is warmer than the shower water here? Also Kyle, Michael, and I went running through the rain without our shirts!!!:)
- By Jacob Fox

Casa #3:
Today we worked in a preschool. It was a lot of fun, we helped with construction. We took out some walls, moved a lot of stuff, and took a lot of pictures! us girls couldnt do all the work, cause its pretty hard for girls to take out a wall, but me kristin, mrs. meade, brandi, and shanel did A LOT of cleaning! Today was a very productive day! We cant wait to start working again tomorrow!
--Kasey Espinoza

So... There you have it. Day 1 is nearly done now. We are just about to have our evening group gathering. We will do our best to keep you posted on what we are up to. Keep praying!

In Costa Rica

We arrived on schedule last night at 8:35pm (Mountain Time). The only bump in our trip was that one of Shanel's small bag's didn't make it on the plane in Atlanta, but the airline knew already when we reported it and so they were already working on getting it to us.

Met our correspondant, Brian Wolfe, and some others who had two 15 passenger vans waiting for us. It was about a 30 minute ride to where we are staying. Beds were comfy, especially since it was 12:30 Michigan time by the time we got in them.

We had to be up and ready at 6:45am to head over for breakfast (a 5 block walk). This wasn't as bad as it sounds because of the 2 hour time difference. And there wasn't a long line for the showers since there is no hot water. : )

We're getting ready now to participate in a worship service which will include students who are studying here at the YWAM base and other staffers. Following that we'll have some orientation time and get to work!

Thanks for all of your prayers on our travel day. I really can't tell you how smooth it went. It was a great start to our trip. Please continue to pray for us as we serve here and as God shapes each of us through this experience.

More later...

Here in Atlanta

We are now here in Atlanta and about to depart for Costa Rica. Everything is going smoothly!

and we're off...

We have arrived at the terminal and everything is going great. We have had no hassels or delays. We will soon be in the air!

What to Bring: Additions

I forgot to mention a few things on the what to bring list, so here's an addendum.

1. refillable water bottle. (this should be empty and packed in your checked luggage)
2. pillow case.
3. towel.
4. personal bottle of hand sanitizer. (sometimes it's good to have this when adequate hand washing facilities are not readily available.)
5. international calling card (this wasn't on the list but I know we had talked about them at one point. These will be available for purchase at the YWAM base as well.)

Hopefully that's everything. And if it's not... well, I'm pretty sure we'll get by without the things we forget.

see you all on Saturday.

Recap: Team Meeting #4 - "What should we do?"

Thanks to everyone for making last night another great team meeting. Here's a short recap of what we covered.

1. Each of you received a detail sheet to give to your parents. This paper contains important info like Costa Rica contact info, updated flight info, details about our final team meeting on the 9th, our departure plan, health info reminder, luggage guidelines, and a what to bring list. Make sure you give this list to your parents!!!

2. We read the following verses from Luke, and were reminded that an encounter of faith in God's truth always leads to action in our lives. I posed the question, "What should we do?" as we have all been given this great opportunity to show the love of Christ to the people of Costa Rica. Time was spent journaling (in your new super cool - and free - journals) about what that might look like and about what we expect to see God do on this trip.

Luke 3:7-15 (NLT)
Here is a sample of John's preaching to the crowds that came for baptism: "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God's coming judgment? [8] Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. Don't just say, 'We're safe—we're the descendants of Abraham.' That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham. [9] Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire."
[10] The crowd asked, "What should we do?"
[11] John replied, "If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry."
[12] Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?"
[13] "Show your honesty," he replied. "Make sure you collect no more taxes than the Roman government requires you to."
[14] "What should we do?" asked some soldiers.
John replied, "Don't extort money, and don't accuse people of things you know they didn't do. And be content with your pay."
[15] Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah.

3. We finished off with some small group prayer circles. I want to encourage all of you to keep praying for this trip and keep asking God to move you. Keep asking Him "what should we do?" and then watch for how He may answer us on this journey.

A final word... Keep journaling about your expectations and thoughts. It will be cool to see how God shapes all of us on this trip.