8-14-08

hey guys. this is me and the kids at vbs doing a fun craft, about to give one of the little boy a highfive. in this pic we were making wind socks. the kids loved these crafts so much they came back the next day with them around their necks!

8-14-08

Hola!  This was our final mission day.  We worked with the kids for the last time and chipped--very slowly!--away at the diocesan house's plaster wall.  While we had all gotten more comfortable with our "adopted" kids, this was the day we all noticed their life was a lot less comfortable than ours.  At our devotion this afternoon, we discussed the need for toothbrushes and toothpaste in Guarari, because many of the kids had rotten or silver teeth.  Of course, that didn't stop them from giving us "Caio"s and "Adios"s with kisses on the cheek as they left.

Last night, we met with the older youth of Guarari in the church in Heredia.  While many of the kids at dropped out of school, they were willing to admit the issues in their area as the North Carolinians talked about our own problems.  The bus ride back didn't require any talking, though; our bus driver, Fernando, put on Daddy Yankee (a Spanish hip-hop artist), and both cultures were more than familiar with him!

Tomorrow, after a bbq tonight with church members from Heredia, we're going to a volcano!  The time has just flown by!

Cameron

8-13-08

Day three of vbs was the smoothest yet.  Our skits went well and the children are getting a hang of the music and games.  However, Meg did find it necessary to put me in charge of a craft requiring the kids to place their hands in paint and them put them on a banner.  It was stressful and messy to say the least.  Unfortunately, we only have one more day and I wish we could forgo our trip to the volcano to spend more time with the children.

Avery

8-12-08

Martes

Vacation Bible School, visitting Hogar Escuela, Movies with Spanish subtitles, & Basketball with el Obispo (the Bishop) went incredibly smooth today. As random as the activites may seem, we were able to fluidly transition between each with the help of each other & God's love.
Vacation Bible School was such a blast as we witnessed the children of Costa Rica's hope & laughter in singing, arts & crafts, & skits. Even through language barriers (and some awful pronounciation :), we connected through love & knowing that we all cared for one another.
Hogar escuela is absolutely beautiful, and many of the children were very outgoing in welcoming us into their classrooms & sharing their desks. My favorite part was visiting the daycare center and being able to hold the beautiful babies. Each could really bond with the young children through that universal language of smiling.

The movies are so different in CR from those back home. Waiters let you order crepes & cappuccions from your assigned seat (an incredibly soft recliner)as you enjoy the film (Mummy 3). Costa Rican theatres really spoil moviegoers!

Some of us were very nervous about playing basketball when we thought we had very little natural sports skill (this would definitely not include the Bishop, Michael, Avery, Meg, & a few more!!!) But once we got started playing, just about everyone made a basket & had soo much fun (even through a couple intense tumbles & the sweat).

We can{t wait for whatever tomorrow will bring!!!! :D

written by - Lauren

8-11-08

today we had the opportunity to go and work with the kids in Guadari... unless you are here, I don't think you could get the picture of what it's like to live in poverty. the families live in places that are hard to call houses - like what our children would build a fort with. and there is trash all over. but the kids today were so happy to just sit down and be able to draw and build things and sing. it's something that you can't really put into words. and it makes me appreciate everything i have in my life. i think the people who are down here deserve better, and i believe that what we are doing is making a difference.

on that note, we were able to also help with the re-creation of the diocesan house. it was fun working together as a team. truthfully, i would never want to do this, but being with the whole youth group and doing it as a team made it so much fun that i can't wait to do it again. we chipped paint off of cement walls - we turned it into a fun project where we drew hearts and crosses and butterflies and then chipped them out. and michael worked extra time sanding the hard wood ceiling.

tonight, we had informal salsa lessons from Obispo Monterossa and his wife, Sandra. i have to say, that was the most interesting experience that has ever happened to me! i didn't want to stop dancing, but everyone else quit - they were too tired. i can't wait for the upcoming days, if they are as great as this one, i am definitely not coming home! :)

sincerely,Jenny (and Meg)

08-10-08

Hola! We arrived safely and took a walk around the block with our intern/leader, Paul. We had fun estimating the exchange rates in a Costa Rican mall (500 to $1). Currently, we're having fun with the new keyboard, which is just different enough to be completely confusing--note: the @ sign is nearly impossible to find. After breakfast, we'll attend Heredia's (all Spanish!) church service. Paul said it runs over two hours sometimes! Later, we'll go to the market, then check out the community center, which is one of the sites where we will be having Vacation Bible School. We also might have to go buy more craft supplies for VBS, since we are now expecting more children to attend than our original estimates.
Hope to talk soon!

08-09-08

It's Saturday morning, and we are about to leave - we had a very productive night - making some last minute changes. I think we are all sleepy and excited... x