Monday

We regret the delay in adding new posts or pictures. The local internet connection has been down lately and it is inconsistent at best when it is working. We will most likely not be able to post any pictures until we return.

Monday morning was beautiful. The sun was shining and it was still too early for the intense Costa Rican heat & humidity. Our day began with breakfast at 7:00 AM. We had a filling breakfast of rice, fried plantains, fresh fruit, along with the standard pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon.

Construction:
The morning was spent with site planning, compiling a list of materials, and manual labor. We were reminded of all the tasks on our to do list, which were: to add an extension to the existing church (slab, support beams, and roofing), relocate an outdoor sink, paint the exterior church, and possibly paint the interior of the church). The construction team consisted of five full time FBA members (Drew, Avery, Ronnie, Kelly, and Ian), two part time helpers from FBA (Kevin and Drew who traded time between the children’s ministry and construction) and three locals. The construction work began with site prep (e.g. building the batter boards, grading & leveling). After adding roughly 10 wheel-barrels of dirt, we tried to tamp (compact) the soil with anything that carried some weight (a 4x4 post, a cinder block, even just walking on it). Unfortunately, the dirt was too wet to compact. Meanwhile, a few people discussed where and how to move the outdoor sink. I use the term sink loosely because this “sink” consisted of concrete block walls and a solid top. All together the unit had to weigh at least 500 pounds. Pictures of the sink will be posted along with the other pictures later. We tried to break the concrete blocks away from the slab sidewalk with no success. By lunch time, we had worked hard but had little to show. After lunch supplies had arrived (including the paint and a masonry blade). The majority of the construction team began painting the exterior of the church. A few people continued to work on relocating the sink. They used a masonry blade to disconnect the sink from the slab (unfortunately we found out it was tied to the slab with rebar too). After cutting the rebar, it took five of us to move the sink three feet and turn it 180 degrees. Thirty minutes later we succeeded, but the sink left us with numerous cuts and abrasions. By the way, did we mention that it is the rainy season? We had been working in the rain the majority of the afternoon! We did cut our afternoon of work short due to the heavy rainfall, but we accomplished moving the sink, painted half the exterior of the church, graded the construction site, and began to break apart the concrete sidewalk to get to at the plumbing for the sink.

Children’s Ministry:
Last night we packed our ministry bags in preparation for our first full day with the children. This is the first mission’s trip for Ugo, Denise and Tonya. Alice and Drew have been on missions trips before. Together, the five of them were working with the children on this particular day. Drew is the interpreter and Ugo has been pinned the “go-to-girl” when Drew is not available. During the first day of class, we were working with the younger age group, around 5 and 6 year olds. There were approximately 30 students on this particular morning and we were glad to see them. There was some reservation because of the communication barrier and we could only say “Hola” and “Como esta” throughout the course of the class. As a Sunday school teacher, personal interaction and communication with the students helps to accomplish the goal for the day; and because we had to rely on Drew to speak for the children and the adults, it was a bit of a challenge for us who were not fluent in speaking Spanish. Okay fast forward, we learned to trust God on a different level by the end of that class. To be totally honest, we lost control of the class a few times. The class room structure is a little different from that in the USA. We had to regroup and we were trying everything we had but it seemed as if our ship was sinking. We questioned our effectiveness, though we tried to encourage one another with sporadic “that was good” and making suggestions along the way. We realized, for us, this group of children was a challenge! By the end of the class we were exhausted and left with mixed emotions on how the class went! We regrouped for the second class, still reeling from the morning; we were skeptical but remembered that God has us here in Costa Rica for such a time as this. There is a purpose and a plan that He wants fulfilled…so it’s full steam ahead. To our surprise, we were with older children this go round. We were not sure of what to expect so we followed our lesson plan from the morning. We were a little beat up from the morning but as a team, we forged ahead and were determined to have an impact on the children. This time around was better for various reasons; one, we had to remember to rely on God, two, we were becoming comfortable with one another, three; we came here to fulfill the great commission and did not want to fail. If we had to sum this day in a few words, we would emphasize keeping God in the forefront at all times. Secondly, share the expected goal of the day, to build communication among team members. Finally, invest in a Spanish/English parallel Bible (Thanks Alice) this was a great resource to learn with!