Following a very full day of smooth travel on Saturday, we were all so excited to be in country but exhausted too after our supper and orientation. The 2-hour time difference made for a very long day but we wanted to share our first entire group picture including our AMAZING group leaders – Sara Jean, Gabrielle and Dane!
Sunday was all about getting to now the culture and country of Costa Rica. We started the day with the opportunity to shop with the locals at the farmers market downtown. The streets were filled with local families collecting their weekly supply of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. Our leaders challenged us to break into groups, and they sent us out on a scavenger hunt to find certain local foods. To do so, we had to interact with the merchants and attempt to speak Spanish. Many of us fumbled our way through the challenge and were able to locate our designated foods. Along the way, some people purchased native foods that they brought back to share with the group. The Yuca, plantain chips and the papusa were the big hits, along with drinking coconut water straight from the coconut. A Catholic church nearby was celebrating Sunday Mass, which gave a beautiful backdrop to the entire experience!
Soon it was time for our next stop – OpenHouse, which is North Point Community Church’s extension in Costa Rica. The church has been operational for about six years, and we were extremely blessed to help them celebrate the opening of their first free-standing facility. The incredible environment they have created reminded us all of our North Point experiences at home, and the hundreds of volunteers who were there made us feel right at home. We were given the choice which service we wanted to attend, so some parents went to the adult service and some went to Transit with our students. As we watched our kids sing and jump around and praise God side-by-side with the local kids, it was almost overwhelming. Similarly, the big church experience was equally energetic and Julio was so engaging too. He did a fantastic job with a completely full church - What an amazing opportunity!
As the service came to a close, we headed back to the bus as it was time for lunch. After lunch, we rolled our full bellies back on to the bus to head downtown for a walking tour of the city. As we made our way through the busy streets of San Jose, we all stayed together and listened to our translators tell us about the history of the many different parks and monuments we passed. Our tour ended at a local souvenir market that was bustling with merchants trying to convince us to purchase their goods. Everyone bought a little something special to help them remember our trip or to take home to family members. The bus ride back to the hotel was buzzing with kids and parents talking about their favorite experiences of the day.
We wrapped up our day with a group dinner at the hotel and a craft lesson with our fearless leader Sara Jean as she prepared us for our first full day of service! Everyone is eager to get to work at the Children’s Centers and start showing the beautiful little children how much God loves them!
Sunday was all about getting to now the culture and country of Costa Rica. We started the day with the opportunity to shop with the locals at the farmers market downtown. The streets were filled with local families collecting their weekly supply of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats. Our leaders challenged us to break into groups, and they sent us out on a scavenger hunt to find certain local foods. To do so, we had to interact with the merchants and attempt to speak Spanish. Many of us fumbled our way through the challenge and were able to locate our designated foods. Along the way, some people purchased native foods that they brought back to share with the group. The Yuca, plantain chips and the papusa were the big hits, along with drinking coconut water straight from the coconut. A Catholic church nearby was celebrating Sunday Mass, which gave a beautiful backdrop to the entire experience!
Soon it was time for our next stop – OpenHouse, which is North Point Community Church’s extension in Costa Rica. The church has been operational for about six years, and we were extremely blessed to help them celebrate the opening of their first free-standing facility. The incredible environment they have created reminded us all of our North Point experiences at home, and the hundreds of volunteers who were there made us feel right at home. We were given the choice which service we wanted to attend, so some parents went to the adult service and some went to Transit with our students. As we watched our kids sing and jump around and praise God side-by-side with the local kids, it was almost overwhelming. Similarly, the big church experience was equally energetic and Julio was so engaging too. He did a fantastic job with a completely full church - What an amazing opportunity!
As the service came to a close, we headed back to the bus as it was time for lunch. After lunch, we rolled our full bellies back on to the bus to head downtown for a walking tour of the city. As we made our way through the busy streets of San Jose, we all stayed together and listened to our translators tell us about the history of the many different parks and monuments we passed. Our tour ended at a local souvenir market that was bustling with merchants trying to convince us to purchase their goods. Everyone bought a little something special to help them remember our trip or to take home to family members. The bus ride back to the hotel was buzzing with kids and parents talking about their favorite experiences of the day.
We wrapped up our day with a group dinner at the hotel and a craft lesson with our fearless leader Sara Jean as she prepared us for our first full day of service! Everyone is eager to get to work at the Children’s Centers and start showing the beautiful little children how much God loves them!
Yay! So glad you made it safely! So excited there's a blog! xoxo Julie
love this post!!