In Miami

Well, we all made it safe and sound to Miami; just got in a few hours ago and are at an airport hotel right now. Tomorrow we have a beach day and a talent show, and then Thursday is our re-entry workshops and Friday I'm comin home....wow, can't believe it's sooo soon. Guatemala was great, but honestly, I am sooo tired out right now and trying to deal with all of the emotions that are going through my head from the fact that I'm not in Latin America any more and all those transitions. And I'm missing Spanish sooo much already - have already slipped and used it in many sentences lol. So I will add pictures and update about Guatemala and Miami probably after I get home because the next few days I will be busy re-adjusting and saying goodbye to all my friends. Please pray that this very hard emotional transition goes well. God bless and see you all soon. En Cristo, Sarita

Whoa, It's Time for Guatemala Already?!?!

Time has flown by! Tomorrow morning we fly to Guatemala and we will be there until the 24th of April. The really exciting news is that I will be helping out for 5 days at a children's nutritional program - weighing children, feeding them nutrition bars, and teaching mothers how to properly feed their children. I hope to learn a lot from this service opportunity and am so glad that I will be working with children - one of my passions! It will all be so new and exciting but challenging as well. -----------------Now our leaders are ensuring that we will be in a safe position, but this will be the most dangerous country we will visit this semester and we need to take even more precautions. Please pray for the safety of our group; as well, that we would continue to bond --------------Finally, we fly to Miami for a re-entry workshop and then I'll be home by the 27th at night. Although I am excited to come home, I am already going through the thought of major culture shock and have so much in my mind to process and everything, so I could just use prayer about that too. Thank you so much! ------------- Please note that, like my other two-week trips, I probably will not have internet access so I will try to update my blog when I reach Miami. Dios les bendiga!

Feeling God's Love

I would like to share some thoughts and feelings that really hit me last Sunday - Easter Sunday. Here is an excerpt from my journal: "How do you define love? I don't know if you can, but today I was struck with how deeply God loves us. First I have to go backwards a little bit to this evening. My family in Sarapiqui held a goodbye fiesta for me complete with cake, special food, speeches, and a prayer for me. Everyone was crying so much and worked so hard to make me feel special and like a part of the family - my dad there even told me he considered me another one of his daughters. How could they give and love so selflessly when I had only been there for two weeks? How was I such a blessing to them when it felt as if they were always the ones who were abundantly blessing me? I don't deserve all this love and service... Then, my thoughts turned to the cross and how much more I did not deserve forgiveness but out of Christ's great love (thousands of times more than I was shown by my family here) He died for me! Wow, what a grat thing to be reminded of - on Easter, as well as every other day of the year."

Ummm...Yummm...???

Just thought I'd let all of you know that for lunch the last two days I have had the opportunity to try two Costa Rican delicacies, supposedly very very delicious. Here they are: cow's stomach lining, and cooked pig's blood. I'll let all of you decide for yourselves what you think of these meals; just thought it was an interesting tidbit of information to share. I'll write more when my stomach's back to normal and I'm not quite as nauseated (lol).

Life in Sarapiqui

Well, as I already explained a bit, I spent the last two weeks on a community integration project in the Costa Rican countryside and had an absolutely amazing time. At first I felt lonely and confused (couldn't understand the way they spoke Spanish), but as I mentioned before, I prayed about it and waited to see why God wanted me in that specific place. And God answered, and showed me once again that His plan is ultimately best. Where I was placed I would have never imagined myself, but after being there, I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. Once again, since I am constantly coming and going, I do not have time to write and write and describe everything, so I will reveal my experience through pictures.

Victoria, me, and Karol - two of my sisters

The small river near my house.

My niece, Nathalia - how cute!

Rafting on the river with Victoria.

My brother, Josue.

River Sarapiqui - we swam here almost every day.

My mom and dad - Wilberth and MariLu

Vroom, vroom - don't worry, I didn't actually drive it!

Home Safe and Sound

Ok this is going to be a quick post before dinner time just to let everyone know that I´m home from my stay in the campo (home in San Jose, that is) and am doing fine. I didn´t get hurt or sick at all - praise God! I had such an amazing time it is going to be so hard to express it all in words, but I will sure try over the next few days as I work to add posts and pictures. I am also working on my group presentation (due Thursday) and packing up everything because I leave Costa Rica for good this Sunday morning - sniff sniff. So keep checking for more updates in the next few days. Love, Sarah

En el Campo

Hello! I can´t write much but just wanted to let you all know I am safe and having a great time in the Costa Rican countryside with my new family - 10 brothers and sisters. My dad drives a bus and my mom works at the local school cafeteria which is so cute and rustic. For the first few days I was really lonely and frustrated because I had a really hard time understanding their Spanish and felt useless. But praise God that things have gotten continually better and I am learning a lot, not only about Costa Rica but about myself and about God´s faithfulness and His plan - He wanted me to be in this exact place and so I´m looking forward to finding out why. I will be here until April 9th, but will probably have another chance to make it to an internet cafe and let you all know how things are going. Next week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) and I hear there are a lot of things planned. Sorry I cannot load any pictures on at this point - you will have to wait till I get back to San Jose. Thank you for your continued prayers - I appreciate them soooo much and will continue needing them and God! Love, Sarah

Cuba Pictures

I have so much to say about Cuba, but to tell you the truth, I am still processing it all and can't begin to shorten the topics down to add to my blog right now. So, I am going to post a few pictures so you can see some of the things we did and the people I met and the landscape, and then I will add the more profound things later after I have thought about them more and wrote more in my study journal and such.

We spent most of our time in Havana, Cuba.

Here is some evidence that I did participate in learning while in Cuba and it wasn't just a vacation. We had reflections due every second day, heard two or three speakers daily, kept a study journal and interviewed many people, and had a secion of articles to read daily as well. So don't worry, I'm still in school!

The city was so unique - check out the old cars and architecture - this is what we saw every day!

Me and Lindsey posing for a picture - notice the Havana skyline in the background.

Sunset on the Havana skyline - breathtaking!

Some of my little friends at the centre where we stayed - so cute!

Veradera - one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. We spent half a day here and then had school for the rest of the day.

On the last night, the youth from the local church held a fiesta and dance party for us so say goodbye. This is me with some of my new Cuban friends as well as some of the other LASP students.

My Birthday

Well, I celebrated my 21st birthday in Cuba and had an amazing time. In the morning, I was presented with a pile of homemade birthday cards from some of my friends in the program. Since Cuba was a study trip and the world didn't revolve around my special day (although I wish it did) we had a few classes and speakers. At dinner, they brought out a HUGE cake for me (I will add the picture later because it is on another person's camera). That night, we attended a cultural African dance presentation. Without my knowledge, the leaders had told the dancers that it was my birthday, and I was brought up to the front 4 different times to do dance demonstrations with the professional dancers - so embarrassing but soooo cool! And, one time the band changed the music and began playing "happy birthday to you." So all in all it was quite an experience and I thank my LASP friends for making it such a special day. ----------- And, on another note, I want to thank my friends from WLAC for the amazing birthday notebook and DVD that I recieved in the mail. I have already lost track of how many times I have watched the DVD, and almost cried at how sweet it was for you guys to think of me! I miss you all so much and can't wait to hang out with you this summer! Thanks everyone!

Back from Cuba

Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you all know I have arrived back in Costa Rica safe and sound, and was welcomed by a mailbox overflowing with letters and packages! yaaaay! Well, today´s been a looong day of travel so I am extremely tired and won´t be able to write all about my trip tonight...sorry. But I will attempt to fill you in this weekend on all I have learned and experienced because early Monday morning I leave again for the campo (countryside) of Costa Rica and will be there for two weeks, probably without internet access again. In a nutshell (even though it is impossible to share in that amount of space), Cuba was honestly one of the greatest weeks of learning of my life - I not only learned about the cuture, people, economics, politics, etc., but I have really come to be confident in who I am in Christ and what He is calling me to do. I have to say that this trip has changed me, but I am changed for the better. Here at LASP, our definition of learning involves a change in behaviour, and I hope that this will be evident in me, and that God will help me to put into words my experiences so I can teach you what I have learned. I am looking forward to adding some pictures and more information, and also talking with all of you more when I get home. Once again, thank you all sooo much for your prayers - no one was seriously sick or injured, our group bonded really well, and we made it through the crazy, busy, exciting week, coming out better people after it.

Off to Cuba...

Well, today is the day I leave for our study trip to Cuba. We fly out of San Jose at 4:20pm today and return at 11:17 on March 23rd. We will be spending most of our time in the city of Havana, but will also travel around to port cities, and even to one of the world's ten most beautiful beaches (to see the difference in the tourist area compared to the local cities). This Saturday is also my birthday (21st) so it will be interesting to spend it in Cuba. During this trip, please pray for:

• Safety as we do a lot of traveling - planes, buses, walking, etc.
• Health - food, from sicknesses and bugs, sunburns (some people are really red)
• Learning - that we will be encouraged to ask questions and work hard to really get the most we can out of this experience
• Community - that our group would really bond and get along with each other

Thank you soooo much for your prayers, encouragement, and support! I do not know if I will have the chance to update until after I get back, so it will be similar to my Nicaragua trip in this way. God bless all of you this week!

In Christ, Sarah <><

MonteVerde!

Last weekend was my Spring Break and I spent it in MonteVerde with 6 of my friends from the LASP program. If you don't know, MonteVerde is situated near the Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the mountains where there are cloud and rain forests. Many of us wanted to be able to see the rainforest at least once since we were already in Costa Rica. Unfortunately, I do not have time to write a detailed description of my weekend, so I have decided to show it in the form of pictures and a few comments below each one. I apologize that I can't write more. In all, it was a very fun and relaxing weekend and I was further amazed at the beauty of God's creation!

Chris, me, and Amy after the Ziplines which we took through the rainforest. We had to learn how to brake with our hands as sometimes we whizzed sooo fast across valleys and trees!

This is one of the Ziplines and you can see through the trees into the valley - breathtaking and sooo much fun! It was definitely a new challenge to get the courage to jump and skim across the rainforest so high up only attached to a few ropes.

We went on a night walk through the rainforest. This is me standing in part of a huge tree - you can only see about one fifth of it in this picture! It was so big we could walk inside it and look up the hollow middle to see the animals living in the top.

On our night walk we saw a tarantula that was about the size of my fist! He was in a hole in the side of a hill, pretty far in, so we were able to safely take pictures of it without worrying about being bitten. Pretty cool.

On Saturday we traveled to the cloud forest and walked through the paths for about two hours in the pouring rain - i guess that's typical for a "rain" forest eh? It was sooo amazing and probably the best part of the weekend.

I was so excited when we rounded the bend of the path and saw a waterfall - out of everything I wanted to see this weekend, a waterfall was at the top of the list so I was pretty excited!

On the bus ride back home, we passed many breathtaking mountain ranges and valleys, which looked like they were covered in an array of green patchwork quilts. This particular valley had a rainbow stretching its length.

"The Piano"

This is a story that one of my profs read to us the other day to introduce our concentrations. I thought it was really relevant to what we will be doing for the rest of the semester - taking what we have learned and all of our questions and trying to answer them and put our learning into practice. So, I have included the story if you would like to read and enjoy it: ----------------Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked “No Admittance.” When the houselights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Don’t quit. Keep playing.” Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. And the audience was mesmerized … Whatever our situation in life and history – however outrageous, however desperate, whatever dry spell of the spirit, what ever dark night of the soul – God is whispering deep within our beings, “Don’t quit. Keep playing. You are not alone. Together we will transform the broken patterns into a masterwork of my creative art. Together, we will mesmerize the world with our song of peace.” - Author Unknown

The Past Week...

Wow, it has been almost a week since I last posted, and I apologize - this has been a week of work and catching up and more work. We're ending off our core seminar this week and beginning preparations for our specific concentrations. This weekend is spring break, and fly out for Cuba next Tuesday morning (the 13th) so we've all been busy. -------------------

Just to update some of the things that happened this week, I finished off my 10-page final paper about relationships between the Latin American Church - Catholics and Evangelicals. We had to arrange interviews with people and encorporate those into our papers as well. Tomorrow we also have our final group presentation which was a little stressful today since a few people in the group didn't really want to be there - but it all worked out ok. -------------------

Last Wednesday we visited an ecologically sustainable farm up in the mountains for our section on environmental sustainability. It was really an eye-opening experience for a lot of us as we were encouraged by what the people were doing there to not only preserve the earth, but encourage a healthier way of living. I also got some cool pictures as well:

View of the mountains from the farm

Mr. Goat :)

Gourds on a string - interesting!

---------------- In terms of health, I have felt pretty good this past week - praise God! I have been struggling a bit with homesickness, but it just comes in stages and I'm really glad to have a loving family here and be able to have contact with people back home, too. For spring break this weekend, 6 of us are traveling to MonteVerde, a site in Costa Rica with rainforest/cloudforest tours as well as a zip line that takes you through the jungle. I'm pretty excited to have a well-deserved break and to be able to finally see a rainforest with my own eyes! We are leaving Thursday afternoon right after class and returning for Saturday, so I may not get another chance to poste before then. But, I promise to come back with lots of beeeeeaaaaautiful pictures to share with all of you! ---------------- Thank you all for your continued prayers and support - it means so much to me! God bless!

More Favourite Pics from Nicaragua

Well, a lot of the pics from Nicaragua that I have already posted have been my favourite. However, I have some more that I would just LOVE to share with all of you (they are kids cuz I just love kids), so here I go:

My little friend at the church worksite - He was shy at first but I got him to smile a few times!

Cristian, one of the poor kids I wrote about in an earlier post.

My sister, Karina, and little baby Ronald - So cute!

My little brother Joel being a dinosaur - Roaaaaar!

The Faces of Poverty

The following is an excerpt from my journal: “Today I had my first encounter with the poorest people I have ever met. My little brother, Joel, wanted me to go and take a picture of a little baby he knows. We walked over to the mom’s house and found her down the hill working in the mud on digging a new well. When Joel explained what he wanted, the mom led me up to the one-room house made of sheets of rusted metal. When we reached the door she paused and said, “My humble home” as if she was embarrassed for us to see it. When she unlocked the door, the little baby Ronald was sleeping alone in the hammock. I met her other children – Jose (10), Ericksa (8), and Cristian (7) who ran around barefoot with threadbare and very dirty clothes hanging off their thin bodies. The shoes they owned, if they can be called shoes, were falling apart to the point that they were almost unable to be worn. The little baby didn’t even have a diaper as he sat on the dirty table, and I shuddered to think of what germs he may be picking up. The thing that hit me the most, however, was the size of the two little boys. Christian was 7 years old but he looked about 4 and was the same size as my 4-year-old brother, Joel. Jose was 10, but was smaller than a 7-year-old and his head appeared too big for his body because his body had not been able to properly develop for lack of proper food and nutrients.” “This whole situation just struck me because I have seen Compassion videos and pictures of poor, starving children, but I had never had the experience of coming into real contact. My heart immediately went out to them and I wanted to give them everything they were lacking. But then I realized that these kids were not lacking in love and happiness. I was amazed that they were so content even though they were going through so much physical suffering. And it is the same way with my Nicaraguan family and the church members as well. So, who is really the one who is poor? If we are talking about material possessions, then, of course, it is the Nicaraguans. However, they were so much richer in joy for life. This has caused me to re-evaluate my definition of poverty because it encompasses so much more than I had originally thought.”

The Nicaraguan Way of Christianity

The people of Nicaragua amaze me! Even though many Christians live in the poorest of circumstances, they are hospitible, kind, joyful, and have a strong faith in God. What I learned from them this week I will try to exhibit in my life in the future so I can be more Christ-like.

-----Christian Love:

--- My brothers and sister and some neighbourhood children hanging out together in our house ---

Almost immediately after meeting my family, I was included and treated like a daughter. All my brothers and sisters called me "hermana" (sister) and my mom called me "amor" (love). Whenever we walked to church or somewhere with slippery mud hills, whoever was near me would take my hand or my arm and carefully help me over the rough ground. Sometimes, my brothers would even come running up from the house just to help me down the hill. ------One time when I was completely blown away when my mom handed me a ring and said "this is to remember us by." Now, you have to understand that this wasn't an expensive gold or silver ring, but a cheap metal one with a fake blue stone in the middle. However, to me it meant the world because it was given in love and I knew it was probably one of the nicest things they had to give to me. As well, my little sister, Karina, came up and gave me her favourite white dress for me to keep. Wow! Here I was, the one who did not need any more material possessions, and yet they were giving to me from the little that they had, and gladly, lovingly! ---------Also, my family reached out to the others in the community who were even poorer than themselves, and offered help. When a single mother couldn't watch her children, my family offered to take them in for the day, and even fed them meals. Or, when our church walked to the river to spend the day, whoever joined our group was included. The teenagers made sandwiches for everyone. I remember a teenage boy with Down Syndrome who joined our group as we passed by the dump. He was dressed in rags and had dirty bare feet. No one singled him out, however. They began to talk and joke with him as if he had always been a part of our group. And, when food was handed out, he recieved some as well.

-----Hospitality:

--- My Sister, Dora, doing laundry ---

---My mom cooking in the kitchen---

For the 6 days that I spent with my family, I was treated as a guest and as one of the family. Whatever they had was mine to use as well. I was given a bed while some of my brothers and sister slept on mattresses on the wooden floor. Every day they would make me food and even do my laundry for me, even though I offered many times. At night after dark, if I needed to go to the outhouse, one of them would get up and guide me there to make sure I was safe. I was just blown away at how everything was shared, even with someone like me who, in their eyes, already has everything I need.

-----Joy and Contentment:

--- My 4-year-old brother, Joel, helping to build the new church ---

Even though my family didn't have very much, they seemed to be content with what they did have. Don't get me wrong, they still dreamed of being able to provide more for their children, but my mom said to me that having God is the most important thing. Even though there was not a lot of activites to do, we always had fun spending time together doing whatever needed to be done (including laundry or collecting wood). When we gathered to help with church construction, everyone came and the children even helped with moving rocks and trying to lift the wheelbarrows. A lot of their day was spent doing "work," but I never heard anyone grumbling or complaining. Usually, it was the opposite as they had smiles on their faces. The children helped out with all the chores and were the same way - wow! I wish the children of our culture could learn this kind of respect and obedience!

----------This week was one of the most challenging and uncomfortable weeks of my life, but also one of the most rewarding. Every day I dealt with itchy bites and rashes, walking to a very primitive outhouse, washing my hair while sitting on a rock, sweating and covered in dirt while working at the church, never feeling completely clean, and eating new foods - some of which were very interesting (and didn't taste all that good). However, I also learned valuable lessons: I learned to live in the moment and just "be" with people and enjoy whatever was going on. I learned to truly love people, no matter what they looked like or what status they held. I also was encouraged to look for the joy in everyday circumstances and learned the true importance of relationships and investing time in people.

Back In Costa Rica

Well, we can all thank God that we all arrived safely back in Costa Rica yesterday night after an 11 hour bus ride! This weekend I am spending getting caught up on my sleep and finishing my journal and essay from Nicaragua. This week, we are finishing up our Core Seminar so that we can start our Concentrations next week. I will also be working on writing my final paper. For now, I'm adding some pictures about my trip because I know you are all dying to find out what I did, how God worked, and how I am changed because of it. I promise to add more specifics over the course of this week.

One of the volcanoes in Nicaragua (how beautiful!)

We took a 2-hour boat ride down river to reach Bluefields, the city on the Carribean coast where we stayed with families. The view was so beautiful and, at times, it felt like we were cruising down the Amazon!

We worked hard digging and moving dirt and rocks

to help build the new church.

Taking a break with some of the kids on the steps of the little, one-room church. My one-room house (with a kitchen attached)

My Nicaraguan family (L-R) Dora, Karina, Me, Mami, Joel, Daniel, Alexandra, Pablo, and Jose.

Enjoying icecream in Grenada (Coconut is my new favourite flavour!)

Safe In God´s Hands

Wow! I really don´t know where to start this time, but I definitely cannot get down everything that has happened to me in the last week. Right now I am at a hostel in Granada, Nicaragua, one of the main cities. Today we had a 8.5 hour bus ride from a small town near the cost, arrived here, and have been taking showers (soooo nice!) and just resting and getting cleaned up from our week of adventures. There are computers here, but I cannot be on for too long because there are so many of us that need to share them... so, when I get back to Costa Rica on Saturday, I will work that week to upload pictures and share specific stories about Nicaragua. -------------------------- For now, a summary will have to do. Well, the first few days were spent in the capital city, Managua, listening to speakers and touring historical sites. On Thursday, we left our camp at 5 am and were on buses for 8.5 hours. Then, we got into a little boat and travelled down the river for two hours - it felt like we were cruising down the amazon! When we arrived in Bluefields, we took a taxi to Loma Fresca, the barrio we stayed in, and arrived at the little church where we had a service and then were assigned our families. My family was AMAZING and such an answer to prayer. But, I have never experienced being so poor in my life. You will have to wait for pictures to really see, but we lived in a one-room shack with a little outhouse bathroom. I had a mom, who had two daughters ages 22 and 35. Dora, the 22 year old, had a 4 year old son and Alexandra, the 35 year old had four kids - ages 10, 12, 13, and 15. I have never seen such love in a family before or such serving hearts or such obedient children! It was like I was living in a different world, and, in a way, I was. The church was just up the hill from our house and we worked to help build their new building. Every night we had service and I got to know many of the members and got to play with lots of kids and hold a few babies too!! --------------------- Thank you all for your prayers for health and safety. For the first three days I felt so good, healthier than I had been in Costa Rica. However, on Monday, we were visiting the city and I started to get a bad cramp in my side and it got progressively worse until I was screaming and couldn´t even move because of the pain. One of my leaders was there and she thought it was probably extreme gas, but because it was in the exact location of my appendix, it could be that too. So, we got a taxi to the hospital, and I started to feel a little bit better on the way. I was still checked out and the doctor said it probably wasn´t appendicitis and to rest and come back if the pain started again. Praise God that it wasn´t appendicitis and that I didn´t have to have an operation or remain in the hospital! Now, I am feeling all better and have no other symptoms. ------------------------------- Well, I wish I could write more but people want the computer now. I will make sure to fill you in in the next week about all my experiences...I certainly won´t ever forget them! Thank you so much for your prayers and all your comments and emails - it was so special to log on and be able to read all of them tonight! May God bless you all and hopefully you´ll hear from me soon (after Saturday, probably, because we are travelling for the next couple of days and won´t have internet access). ------------------------------ God bless, Sarah

Adios Por Dos Semanas (Goodbye For Two Weeks)

Well, I'm off tomorrow for my next big adventure and I'm hoping to get to bed early tonight since I have to get up reaaaaaalllllly early tomorrow. As for my health, I was sick all week and so I went to the doctor again this morning and he said that I'm just at the end of the infection and my throat isn't red anymore so that's good news. I was worried that the antibiotics hadn't worked and I had strep again. But, all is well and, although I don't feel quite myself yet, I'm all set for Nicaragua - Praise God! Thank you again for your prayers and God bless all of you!

~ Sarah (Sarita) <><

A Note About Nicaragua

Well, early on Monday morning we will all be boarding a bus for Nicaragua for our 11 hour ride. We are spending about a week and a half there travelling all around, having some classes and lectures, and living with a Nicaraguan family for about 5 or 6 days. I have been placed in a semi-rural city near the Carribean coast, but that is all I will know till I get there and meet my family. Nicaragua is generally a very, very poor country so it will be an eye-opening experience to travel and live with people who spend their lives in poverty. Please pray for the safety of the students, that we won't get sick (from the water or mosquitoes) and that we will be able to integrate into our new situations. Thank you sooo much for your prayers! We appreciate them so much! *******The important note is that I will pretty much be out-of-contact for the next two weeks until we get back on Friday, February 23rd. I can't promise that I will have any contact with the internet, so please don't worry if I don't post for a while. I will make sure to update completely once I get back with lots of stories and pictures and everything! So, have a great couple of weeks and Happy Valentine's Day on the 14th!

This Week...

Well, a lot has happened this week and I have quite a few pictures to share with all of you... so here I go...

----------This picture is of me and some friends with Otton Solis (the man in the middle), the leader of the opposing political party to the one that is running Costa Rica right now. Acually, last year the vote between him and the president, Oscar Arias, was so close that there was a re-count. We had a lecture with him and he spoke about where he stood on the issue of CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) and other political changes he would like to make. Normally, politics is not my first choice to learn about, but here in Costa Rica I have been enjoying all the lessons on politics and economics!

--------- Later that day (Wednesday), we had our cultural fiesta at ILE (the language school) and we made 7 different types of Costa Rican dishes, learned some traditional dances, and sang some songs as well. For most of us, it was one of our favourite classes of the month!! This picture is of me and Kristy pretending to eat, um, I think they are lemons or limes or something, but I'm not exactly sure.

--------- Today was also the first day of school for my little sisters and they were sooo cute decked out in their uniforms and everything! awww! Victoria is in grade 1 and Andrea is in grade 6. The night before, I helped them decorate their notebooks with stickers which was a pretty fun time. And, by the end, we called the table we had been working on the "disaster area" lol!

--------- Friday was our last day of classes at ILE, and, although I will miss my conversation class, it will be nice to not have language homework every day. But don't worry - I will still work on improving my Spanish every day! So on Friday we had shorter classes and then a small graduation ceremony. This first picture is of the view of San Jose from ILE and the second is of my conversation class, with whom I spent a lot of time with this month.

--------- Afterwards, we all went back to the LASP office and had an activity called our "Spiritual Journey" where we all spoke a bit about what God has been doing in our lives. It was a really great time to get to know everyone in the group a little bit better. And, I'm sure that the 11 hour bus ride to Nicaragua on Monday will also help with that!

------------ Today, Chris, his Tica sister, Besim, and I went to the Museo Para Ninos (similar to a Children's Museum or the Science Center) and it was so fun to just act like a kid again and enjoy all of the displays! This picture is of me with some kind of electrical ball and I just thought it would make a cool picture.

--------- So, all in all it's been a pretty busy week and this weekend I am working on getting ready for Nicaragua. God bless!