After 4 hours of sleep, the alarm clock rings at 12:30. That is only 30 minutes after midnight. I think
this is the earliest Ive gotten up for a trip. The luggage is loaded and Bethany drives us to the church. A
little earlier I would have seen the police. They were checking for suspicious activity in the parking lot
around 1 a.m. We gather in a circle for prayer. I think back to my first missions trip to Costa Rica.
Blvd. Three girls got out of their car next to us and began twerking. Funny, but not expecting that! We
we saw that it did not open until 3:30. Well, lets make a quick trip to Waffle House. There were several
was hello Miami time. We taxied by a few planes that I was not familiar with: Kalitta and Estafeta. Ill
waiting area, two other small groups, with matching shirts, walked past us. That was exciting to see.
just seemed to hit it off. There was instant rapport . We talked for almost 3 hours until landing. Daniel
was taking his 2nd trip to Costa Rica. This was the first time for Sophia and she was so excited. It was
passport stamped was an easy process. And all 10 on our team got their luggage! It is the first visit here
added an extra hour to our drive. Pedestrians and bikers really slowed down vehicles on these winding
Rica could easily change its name from Rich Coast to Rich Soil! We arrive in Guapiles, a city of about
36,000. It is 5:30 as we check into Hotel Suerre. This is by far, the nicest hotel Ive slept in on my
previous nine missions trips. Pastor Bradley will be my roommate this week. And I get WiFi set up. At
6:30 we visit the hotel restaurant. We will have tables for 11 reserved for us for breakfast and supper
Our first devotional is set for 7:30. From Isaiah 6:8 Pastor Tara reads then I heard the voice of the
each of our group of 10 spoke about the day. We are all thankful for the opportunity to be here. After a
Up at 6:30 and it seems like it rained most of the night. We will meet in the hotel lobby twice a day
go over for breakfast. We are served the typical black beans and rice, scrambled eggs, sausage links,
plantains, cheese, watermelon, papaya, banana and fruit juice. I took photos of this lovely landscaped
be singing a song this morning. It is a song we sang (and danced to) twice a day during VBS activities.
(Mediator) and Defensor (Defender). This is an open air worship center. A new worship center is in the
early stages of construction. There are lots of children... with smiling faces! I count 75 people at church
today. Three years ago, there were 20 locals on a trip here. That is so good to see the church growing.
Spanish. When it was my time, I said that this was my 6th missions trip to Costa Rica. I listed the 5
was a small plant that he used as a visual lesson. The pastors daughter turned 8 years old today. She
This has been a delightful morning. There were plenty of handshakes... and a few hugs... as we left. We
could feel the love. Our team decided to walk just a little ways to the spot we will work at tomorrow.
We had dinner at 6:30. There was fish, french fries and a salad. We hear fireworks going off and also
a band. Their drum line is quite talented. Television screens are showing a live soccer match. Close to
the 90 minute mark, Cartago scores a goal to take a 1 – 0 lead over Alajuela. And that is how it ended.
feet high. I wonder how many tons of rocks we will move this week. There is also a very large pile of
it is time for a break. Wheel barrows will be loaded... one rock at a time. These are then dumped in the
vicinity of the parsonage. We are told that the cement mixer needs to be moved again. There are three
5 gallon buckets are next filled with gravel. When 20 are loaded into the mixer, water is then added.
corrugated steel is used to dump the concrete mix into a trench. It needs to be shoveled to smooth it out.
there under a lush, green canopy. The last job before lunch break is to form an assembly line. About 9
dry clothes. We did sit on garbage bags in our bus.
