The Plunge Down Under

Costa Rica 2023 Day 6

Our sixth and final full day in Costa Rica began with a bus trip to the town and river area in the Heredia Province known as Sarapiquí.  We traveled through a stunningly beautiful protected nature reserve and disembarked at Pozo Azul where 16 zipline tour guides awaited us in the steamy tropical sunshine.  

Ziplining through the forest and over a waterfall was great fun for most of us.  It was followed by a delicious buffet lunch, delicious at any rate for those of us not yet tired of rice and beans. (funny note:  many thought that the fried plantains that you can see in the photo below were General Tso's chicken -- they were disappointed!  I was not as I can never seem to get enough of them).  

The drive after lunch through the mountains was even more beautiful than the morning trip.  I don't have any photos that begin to do it justice, and I wish I could do it all over again (although I did make a note to bring anti-nausea/carsickness pills if there is a future trip).  

Enjoying the views:

Our first stop after lunch was the La Paz waterfall.   The brown water was caused by unusually heavy rainfall.

Our final stop was the Restaurante Freddo Fresas for afternoon coffee and snacks.  Our waiter suggested the "Mediodía" or the "Medianoche" desserts -- the former a coconut flan topped with caramel sauce and the latter a chocolate cake topped with the same. It was quite probably the best thing I ate the entire week.




Some of us made a quick trip to the hummingbird garden across the street, and then it was time for the bus trip back to our hotel for our final dinner and time of worship and debriefing.  We all considered our responses to the question "Now what?" both at the individual and at the communal level.  

Our guides Gherson and Elise got us safely to the airport the next morning, where we promised to let them know if and when we return.

¡Adiós Costa Rica!  Until next time.

Costa Rica 2023 Day 5 (Third House Build Day)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anticipation again ran high on the third day as we prepared to finish and furnish the three houses. Six people from each house build team met the three families and escorted them to our bus for a trip to Walmart. Those who remained behind hammered, finished up electrical work, painted, put together furniture and made up beds. We raced to finish everything before lunch and just about accomplished this goal.

Toval Morales Group ready to head to the bus to go shopping.

Ready to check out at Walmart.

Carrying the appliances into the Aguirre Baltodano house.

Making up beds at the Utrecho Dominguez house (aka the Christmas house!).

Group photo of house build team #2 (Aguirre Baltodano Family).

Heading back from the bus with all of the groceries picked out by each family.  At the Toval Morales house, there was a big scramble to finish up, but eventually everything was ready.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hall's team finished early and had time to learn a song from Carlos ("Te alabaré").

 

It was so rewarding to see everything come together, including all of the household items that had been donated ahead of time.  We only wished that we had brought more with us.

After lunch each house build team gathered with their family for a key ceremony.  The keys to the new houses were passed to each person in the circle and words of encouragement and blessings were given.  After the key ceremony, the families unlocked their front doors and entered their houses.  A few minutes later the teams knocked on the doors and entered as well.  Many tears flowed in the Toval Morales house as we entered and had a time of prayer, and I suspect the same happened in the other houses as well.  

Post ceremony photo for the Utrecho Dominguez Family.

Celebration with the Toval Morales Family. 

Saying our final good-byes was tough, as we realized that most of us were not likely to see our families again.  Our Joshua Expedition guides Gherson and Elise promised to stay in touch and to send letters and photos at some point in the future.

Liliam and Yinissi from the Aguirre Baltodano family.

One final photo, this time with the two ladies who run the shop across the street from the Aguirre Baltodano Family and who keep an eye on the children in the street.  A thunderstorm with heavy rain accompanied us on the bus ride back to the hotel, where we had planned to celebrate with a pizza pool party.  We moved the pizza indoors, but several students still managed to swim.  Once again our evening ended with worship and a debrief session where students and adults shared their experiences and reflected on what they had learned during the week and where they had seen God at work.  

 

Costa Rica 2023 Day 4 (Second House Build Day)

Expectations were high as we arrived in Pavas for our second house build day.  It was hotter and stickier than the previous day (which meant a big storm later), but we could see how much had been accomplished at all three sites in just one day of hard work.  The first task was to carry all the supplies back out of the houses so that the teams could begin working.  We quickly figured out that a human chain was the most efficient method.

Kaiden and Derek working on the roof of house build 3.  The workers knew that a storm was coming, so there was a big push to get all the roof pieces in place as quickly as possible.

Eli and Lila working at house build #1.

Lauren and Emma putting a second coat on the interior walls of house build #2.

Hanging with the local neighborhood kids, the children of the house build families, and the children of the construction workers was a popular way to take a break from the construction work.  Many bonds were made, and I heard lots of laughter as our students tried out their Spanish and figured out how to communicate.

The rain started shortly after lunch was served.  Fortunately all three houses had a roof covering by that time.  We huddled under doorways, borrowed umbrellas, and dashed for cover.  

Our second day's work finished around 4pm, and once again we boarded our bus damp, tired and grimy, but also exhilarated.

Costa Rica 2023 Day 3 (First House Build Day)

Walking down the road ready to see our house build sites and to meet our families.

Unloading materials at house build site 3 (Toval Morales Family).

The concrete pads were poured and ready for us to begin work.

At each site the teams met their families and had a time of prayer before beginning work.

Painting the drywall at House build site 2.  So much painting.  So many colors!

Learning new skills.

 

Walls started to go up.

Lunch was very welcome when it arrived!

At the end of our work day, all the supplies had to be carried inside.  We finished up rather grimier than we began, wet, tired, and thirsty, but thrilled with what had been accomplished.

After swimming and showering we headed to a local restaurant where the kind staff prepared a special dessert to celebrate Matayo's 16th birthday.  

Costa Rica Day 2

Sunday, our first full day, began with a delicious breakfast of gallo pinto, scrambled eggs, chicken fajitas, fried plantains and fresh cut fruit.   

We then headed to the Pavas community to attend and help out with a local church that started as a Bible study to minister to families who have received houses from Joshua Expedition teams over the past few years.  It was an incredible experience to worship with these fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (and for the teacher part of me to witness my students doing the same!). 

During the sermon a few of us headed outdoors (escaping the almost unbearable heat indoors) for story and craft time with the children, followed by singing and games.  Miss Cline read the story of Jonah from the Jesus Storybook Bible and then our students helped them make a craft that involved a great blue fish swallowing up the disobedient preacher.  

The craft/game appeared to be a big hit with all of the kiddos!

 

Our students learned to sing Jesus Loves Me and I’ve Got the Joy in Spanish as well as developing hand motions before we traveled down to Costa Rica.  Accompanied by Lila Cook and Rebecca Arnold on the ukelele, Jessie Nassif, Mira Groetzinger and friends taught the songs and hand motions to the local kids.  I was so proud of all of them!

The games were also popular.  After the service we ate a lunch of grilled hamburgers prepared by the women of the community and then headed out for a cultural afternoon in the colorful town of Sarchí.

We learned a little bit about the history of the production of ox carts, a national symbol of Costa Rica due to their essential historical role in agriculture.  Everyone then had the opportunity to do some souvenir shopping in a store filled with locally made items.  

Costa Rica 2023 Day 1

Group pic in Miami

We finally made it outside of the airport in San Jose!

First stop was the Starbucks coffee farm.  It was absolutely gorgeous, and the coffee was fantastic.

Our junior girls!

Senior girls!

And senior guys.

We finished our first evening with dinner and devotions at the hotel, praising God for safety and a smooth trip.