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Parents,
Thank you for the opportunity to serve with your children. You should all be very proud of them. There has been very minimal complaining despite heat, humidity, critters that are "sketchy" (to quote them), and working with less than ideal supplies. Several of them have experienced sickness in one form or another, but continued to serve with a smile. They have boldly shared their testimony of how Christ has changed (or is changing) their lives...for many of them, their testimony has changed during this trip.
It has been an honor to serve with your kids. I have learned a ton from them.
Jeff
Hola!
Miss you all! Absolutely love Costa Rica, Costa Rica people and their way of life. Our group has had to overcome many obstacles with language, projects to complete with minimal supplies, living alongside the creepy creatures of the land, extremely hot temperatures to cool weather, exhaustion, COLD showers, sicknesses and emotions that arise when God shows us the areas in our life that need to corrected. It has been amazing. My Costa Rica group has persevered through it all and I am proud to have served God with them. God has been so amazing through it all. He has showed me the areas in my life that I long to change and given me examples to go by through the love that the Costa Rica people show each other. The culture is so different from ours. In the USA we (I) feel as though we have to have stuff, conveniences, money, etc. to feel complete. God has showed me through the Costa Rica people that you do not need all that to be complete. Many of them have so little, but they are more content then I am. I was not sure what to expect going into this trip, but coming out I am a changed person. One who has experienced so much in one week, that words cannot express.
I miss you all back home. Thank you Thane for your love for me and our family. I love you. I love and miss you Branden. Can’t wait to share with both of you what God has done with me this week. Love Orena
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Hola,
Today was an incredible day. We went to a church that Erick works with and were able to perform some much needed projects for them. Pastor Jorge’s house needed some repair after an earthquake damaged some of the foundation in November. (Erick told us that the region also had a 4.0 earthquake today, but we never felt it and are just fine if anyone is worried.) His bedroom suffered some water damage, and the drywall was pretty rotten. We were able to replace all the drywall (it’s actually more like backer board and is no more than ¼ inch thick), and also reinforce the wall to his bedroom and replace support beams. The exterior corregated metal siding was replaced as well. We were able to come alongside the church and assist them with VBS. There were about 40 kids that attended. That’s pretty good for the small coffee plantation community. It’s also more impressive when you see how small the church is. It’s about 10 feet wide by 40 feet and is connected to Pastor Jorge’s house. I was told by Erick that only 5 of the kids were from the church. Along with craft projects, singing, and dancing, the kids were shown the Gospel. “The bridge of faith” was performed with Playdoh. What an amazing outreach to the community.
In addition to rebuilding Pastor Jorge’s bedroom, we were able to paint their main room of the house, and also apply stucco to the sanctuary walls. It looked really nice, and Pastor Jorge appeared very pleased.
On a side note, I brought a baby doll that my 4 year old, Ella wanted me to give to “an orphan” girl that may not have a baby doll. We have not seen any orphans, so I found a little 3 year old that I thought would be the perfect recipient. Her name is Michel, and she is adorable. Through Erick’s translation, and me fighting back tears, I explained that Ella had picked out this baby for a special girl to have. Well, Michel decided that she did not want it because her mom had already bought her a doll. Since she already had one, she didn’t want it. Surprisingly, I wasn’t crushed by it. Surprised, but not crushed. I admired her for her lack of greed and the fact that she was content with having one baby. I thought it was funny because I told all of the group about my mission to find “the perfect little girl” to receive the baby. I told them that I would probably be a blubbering fool when I gave it out. They were all very supportive and encouraging. There are probably 100 pictures taken of the EPIC REJECTION!
I then found Leslie, and although she was very shy, she was a willing recipient of the baby doll. She had connected with Keyelle during VBS. It was nice to see the baby doll go to a loving home. I now feel kind of naked without the baby hanging off the back of my backpack. I’ll miss the strange looks that I would often receive when people saw a 6’3” gringo walking along with a baby doll on his back pack.
The church service at Pastor Jorge’s church service was absolutely amazing. The praise and worship was unlike anything I have ever experienced. I couldn’t understand more than half of the words, but I found myself fighting back tears and having the biggest smile on my face. It really was amazing. Anne, Athena, and Merissa spoke to the church. I was also asked to speak and “give a lesson”. I knew this ahead of time, so it wasn’t a surprise. It was surprisingly a good experience, but speaking is definitely not my calling. The folks of Costa Rica are very gracious. We were all able to pray for each other. It really was an amazing experience for both the LSCC crew and Costa Ricans. Despite the language barrier, different cultures and customs, we serve the same mighty God! It was awesome to see individuals come together with a common love for Jesus Christ. As I said before, really amazing.
I can’t believe that our trip is nearly over. There have been a few issues with tummy problems, but other than that, things have gone smoothly. We have one eye infection, a few cuts and bruises. Mac and I are both very sore from soccer and all the labor that we’re too old to do now. (Well, I’m too old…not sure what Mac’s excuse is). I have incredibly scraped knees from falling down multiple times as the Costa Rican’s dribble the soccer ball around me at will. It was quite a humbling experience to play soccer with them, but extremely fun.
Sarah, I can’t wait to see you and I hope you and the kids had a great week. Please tell Ella and Kenny I can’t wait to tuck them in and read them their bedtime story. I can’t wait to hear about your week and I’m excited to tell you about mine. I miss you all and love you very much. A word of caution…I haven’t shaved all week. I know that isn’t your favorite look for me, so I’ll probably shave just for you before I get home. You’d love Costa Rica. It is so beautiful with lush green everywhere and mountains. Lots of places to hike…and there are monkeys here! There have been numerous times that I’ve said to myself that I’d love to share this experience with you. Thanks for supporting me…I know it was great sacrifice for you to hold down the fort while I’m away. We did sing happy birthday to you, but have been unable to post any of the videos due to lack of internet connectivity.
Love you
Jeff
10:13 Sunday July 10th 2011
Hey everyone its Willow, Kristel and Maddi. We are currently sitting in the back of our bus taking ugly pictures. We’re on our way to the beach today for a little bit of fun, then headed to a church youth group tonight where Shipley’s going to share a message. We’re a little silly and sleep deprived, but, WE LOVE IT!
I miss everyone at home very much, however I don’t think im gonna be able to leave so soon! Our trip is already half over and I can’t believe it. I am very proud of everyone on our team though, and how we have worked together and all the work we have gotten done. It’s so worth it to see the beautiful smiles on the people we helps faces. Hope everything is going good back home for you guys! See you in a few days. Love Willow
Hola everyone!! So I’m very excited about the beach! This trip has been way more than I expected… I figured by this Thursday I would be okay to leave but I love it here….I don’t wanna leave. Our group is amazing and has been doing so incredible things. I have discovered so much about myself and everyone in this group I never expected to find. The flowers, animals, and even bugs are beautiful (I could do without the scorpions and spiders and beetles). The soccer game last night was so fun. We did a girls only game wand even though we didn’t win, we killed it. We were all dripping sweat, we did so well. The people here are so friendly. They smile and wave every time we see them or help them. Tonight we are going to a youth group and Shipley is speaking then we are going to Isabel’s (Eric’s daughters) boyfriend’s house for dinner. Tomorrow, we are taking an all day drive back to San Jose, we will stay in a pastoral center again and holding a VBS and some work at the center. The heat and humidity has been crazy but it’s totally worth it. The lightning and thunder is beautiful as well. I have many stories, pictures, and video to show ya’ll when we get back! I truly miss you all and can’t wait to see you again and I love you! Happy Early Birthday Daddy!! Hope you have an amazing day and sorry I’m not there to celebrate it with you. Love Kristel
p.s…. I literally just saw a monkey in the wild!! It was cute, most defiantly a male. Oh!! And I have seen my first fireflies, three nights ago, new favorite bug.
Hola mi familia!! I miss you all so much! But I am having the most amazing time in Costa Rica. We have been doing a lot of really hard work so I’m super tired and sore but I’ve never been happier! God’s creation is so beautiful…I feel like I’m in a whole different world. There’s tons of bugs but I’m barely scared of them at all! (Brandon, I’ve killed at least 7 spiders that are 10x bigger then the one in my room!) All of the people here are so nice. Yesterday, two boys, Marco and Victor came and brought their horses for Athena and I to ride. I rode a horse in Costa Rica!! It was super fun. Marco and Victor are so sweet, and somehow I’m finding that all the Spanish I’ve ever learned is coming back to me!! Its kind of amazing. They try really hard to understand my limited Spanish and speak slowly enough that we can carry on full conversations. I’m having so much fun using my Spanish here! Last night we went and played soccer against 2 teams. Even though I haven’t played soccer since I was like 5, I got really competive…and may or may not have gotten a yellow card…whoops haha. Hallie you would be so proud of me(: And we just saw a monkey in the wild!!! So far I’ve seen a lots of spiders, 6 scorpions, 4 squirrels, 1 monkey, 2 iguanas and 3 lizards! I love it all. Somehow through it all God has given me such peace…exactly what I’ve been praying for! I love you all and I can’t wait to see you guys and tell you all my stories! Xoxoxo Love Maddi
Dear Mom and Dad (and all who are reading),
Well, we made it. The flight was not that bad for me but for the first time flyers (Keyelle and Willow) it was a 300 mile per hour barf bag. We landed when it was dark and drove to get food at a restaurant you may have heard of…Taco Bell. I don’t know, I thought it sounded familiar. After that we went the pastoral center. While we were walking to our rooms we were joined by some bats and barking dogs, needless to say we feared for our lives. This was the first insect zone we entered. In the boys room, there was a large cockroach and spider. Thankfully we didn’t have any mentionable ones.
The next day we drove to a town just outside of Nicoya. This is the first time we experienced Costa Rican Time. Erick said the trip would take about 4 hours and we got there 7 hours later. But we did make some stops. Blanca, Orena, and I got to go shopping for all the food. This was probably my highlight of the trip so far. I got to use my Spanish AND learn new words for the food we were buying. At this point I really wished my mom was here. She would have loved it. I kept wanting to tell Blanca that my mom had cooked with the same oil or vegetable but I didn’t learn how until later. We stopped at fruit stand for lunch and I discovered I don’t like mango or papaya. BUT I found out that I LOVE plantains. I am going to see if I can find some to make for my family. I also want to try making my own tortillas. Blanca is right up there with my mom when it comes to cooking. But in personality, she reminds me of Katie Link. She is a small bundle of spunk and energy. Back to the story, we arrived and immediately
The next day we got up and painted, and painted, and painted. Oh and then we got a schooling in soccer from some Costa Ricans. I shared my faith along with some others, but no fruit was immediately seen, we may have to wait till Heaven to see.
The next day we broke up into three groups. One did VBS with about 10 kids, another poured cement, and I painted. Erick can by and told me he was trying to find a horse for me to ride. I was excited but not expecting anything. On the ride back for lunch we stopped buy this house and Pastor Domingo started yelling across the lawn to a woman in Spanish. We had no idea what was going on. As we drove away Erick turns to me and said, “We found a horse for you Merissa.” I was SSSOOOOO excited. After more painting I came back to camp and saw 2 horses waiting by the tree. It was the first time I have ridden without a helmet and jeans. But it was as sweet as Blanca’s rice pudding. I rode a pinto who was gentle with a little bit of attitude; just like I like them. He was small and well trained, but would not pick up the lope. I wasn’t sure which method of queuing the Costa Ricans use, so I settled for a nice little trot. The horses were well taken care of, save a couple of scratches that needed a cream. The little boys who owned them were Marco and Victor. They were so sweet. At the time of riding there was thunder and it didn’t spook at all. But it happens all the time here.
I am missing my family right now. And I am praying for my brother who is probably just now settling into his hammock in Panama. Erick is going to Panama next week and I think it would be cool if Micah got to meet him. I think Micah would like him.
Hey everyone! I hope that everyone back home or on a mission trip is having an amazing time, we are most definitely praying for you guys!
So much has happened in the past few days, it is amazing to see God working. This post could be super long if I was to say everything that has happened in the past few days so I will do my best to keep it short.
Our first real day in Costa Rica had a super long bus drive in it, but it was so amazing to see God’s amazing creation on the way to the camp it made it oh so worth it. We got there in the evening, and that night there we an amazing lightning storm and the rain was warm and (I know it sounds strange) peaceful. A group of up went out into the field and we just started singing worship songs. It was so amazing we didn’t need a band or music it was just our voices singing every single worship song we knew in total awe of God’s power as we saw the storm go on above us. We all agreed it was the closest we had felt to God in a while. God is so amazing!
We have been doing some painting projects at the local school, and it is so cool to see how the community just shares all they have with each other, all you have to do is ask. I had the coolest experience I got to go on a motor cycle ride with the principal of the school to go get some wood. I didn’t know where I was going, I didn’t know the principal and I was in a foreign country having a motor cycle ride down the dirt road but it was so much fun! We also got to some VBS and that was amazing, the kids here are so adorable. We thought up a way to give the bridge of faith using play dough, and it was very encouraging to see the kids understand and be able to repeat it back when I asked them questions about what God did for us. The second night…I think….anyway we went to our first soccer tournament and some of us were randomly called upon by Mac to share our story. I got to do it and it was quite honestly a little bit hard at first cause I had never spoken with a translator before but Eric knew what was up and I know that God has a plan and a purpose for everything and He can do anything. We got to play in a soccer tournament twice and the second night of soccer was even more amazing. After we had finished playing most everyone there made a decision for Christ it was so ….well, words cannot describe but it is evident that God is alive and active here. There was also THE most ADORABLE little boy EVER who played soccer against us and his name was Joshua and he was just all full of smiles and so sweet and I just wanted to take him home with me, it broke my heart to leave him. Joshua also reminded me of my little brother and made me miss him.
Athena and I keep wanting to resort to speaking to people in sign language sense that is our second language and we don’t know Spanish, but of course that doesn’t do us mush good. Haha.
Anyway I have so much more to say, but I have to go cause we arer on our way to the beach and more people need to use the computer.
Love and Miss you all!!
Anne
Hey!
Matt here. We have been having a blast this week. There have been so many awesome things happening including us all getting closer to each other as well as God. The people here are AMAZING! They are the nicest people we’ve ever met and they are sacrificing so much for us and preparing amazing food despite Blanca getting sick.
We have had a great time with each other and the community as well. We have played soccer for two nights (Thursday and Friday) and that was awesome to play a game that everyone understands, at least partially, and to share that culture.
Right now I am drained because we had an awesome day at the beach today (Sunday) and the salt water and the sunburn has sapped my energy. I am so thankful though that God is working through all of us despite our hardships. This trip has really been life-changing and I cannot wait to share it with you all when we get back.
On a side note, being in Costa Rica, they aren’t always connected to the internet so we apologize for not uploading/posting/videoing very often.
Goodnight all!
And to you who know who you are…. J J J J
-Matt Taylor
Here is a link to us talking:
Hey everyone! Lance here. Taking a quick break from laying and mixing concrete to type up a blog. Going great here! Between soccer, scorpions, and large spiders we have been kept on our toes! :D Had the opportunity to do some community service around town to help out including helping around the camp that we are staying at. God is doing amazing things and we are glad to be a part of what He is doing! Love you momdadlogan and devon! Prayers for strength are greatly appreciated! Lack of sleep and lots of hard work wears on you! J -Lance
Hey mom and Dad, I miss you guys so much and I’m sorry that there has not been a whole lot of communication on my part we have no internet or that much service! I hope you all are doing well. This trip has been amazing so far we have done so much there are so videos about what we have been up too. Lots of community service and playing soccer with the local’sJ. I cannot wait to get home and tell you all the wonderful things I have done since I have been here and share all the things that are so wonderful. I’m sweating like a pig and it is too warm sometimes but we love it!!! Thank you to everyone who has looked here and supported us through this adventure!! I miss and love you all!!! I’m going to ride a horse now I will see you at the airport on the 14th!! Wuv you Mom, Dad, Lillie, Jessica, James, Jesse, Jaylin, Jasa, Freckles, Courtney and Skylie!!!