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.
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