Costa Rica: Day 4 {Tuesday}

Tuesday.

We started out bright eyed and brushy tailed this morning.  We moved breakfast to 6:30 instead of 6 and I think we were all happy about the extra sleep.  We headed downstairs at 6:30 for a quick breakfast.  This morning Muraja made us all fried eggs, one plate at a time.  Runny yokes & all!  We also had bacon, egg-o waffles, rice & beans, and fresh fruita with milk or coffee.

Javier, our driver arrived around 7am.  Yesterday, we had a different driver because Javier had to go to a doctor's appointment.  We were happy to see our amigo back :)  He informed us we didn't need to leave until a quarter til 8, instead of 7:15.  So we all enjoyed a little more cafe and helped put away things in the dining hall/kitchen.

During breakfast, we had our morning devotional while we ate.  It was on 1 Peter 2:13-23 on being submissive to your masters and rulers.

After breakfast and cleaning up, we loaded up some of the suitcases we brought FULL of the items that were donated for the children's home.  Everyday we'll slowly take a few suitcases until they are all gone.  Lidia said they will keep the suitcases and in October they have a big garage.  All the funds raised at the garage sale will go towards expenses.  She said luggage is a huge seller because people don't have closets here, so they like to put clothes in them and put them under the bed.  She also told us it cost $18,000 a MONTH to run the children's home.  Wow!

Our our way to Coronado, we picked up Monica, our cook.  We dropped her and Becky off at the store to get food for today's lunch.  Everyday Monica and Becky shop and prepare our lunch meal.  Once we got to the work site, we immediately got to work.  Shifting sand, moving bricks, mixing mud, etc.  We continued doing the same things as yesterday, adding on to the layers we already laid.

We took a break at 10am and then lunch was at noon.  Today we had a soup cooked in the pressure cooker, rice, black beans, salad, fresh fruit, and sweet tea.

After lunch, Lidia took us for a tour of the homes and land.  

There are 2 homes, a girl and a boy home.  House of Faith is the boys' home and House of Hope is the girls.  They are beautiful homes overlooking a creek.

Living room in the girls home.

Laundry room

View from the front door

Below is a bathroom and another room.

House of Hope

View from their backyards.  There are more squatters right over the river that is a concern due to the threat of them crossing over and setting up more shanty homes on the property of the children's home.  In CR, there are laws protecting them and they have stolen things from the children's home in the past.  Please pray they are able to resolve this issue soon.  They will either need to build a fence (which is very expensive!) soon so they can't cross over the property line or they need to hire a night guard, which will be about $1000/month.

Most of the kids were in school, but we did get to meet a few of them.  They melted our hearts!  Please pray these babies find their forever homes.  Lidia said every night they pray for mommies and daddies.  The girls home was quiet and tidy while the boys was loud and chaotic.  Michele was right at home with a bunch of rowdy boys!!  I wanted to squeeze them all!  So precious!!

We worked until about 3:30-4pm and then headed back to the Wesley house.  Beverly wanted to find postcards to send back to her students so Javier took us to a survivor shop.  We all piled out of the van and went shopping!

We got home around 5pm, just enough time to take showers and get ready for dinner at 6.  At 6, we went downstairs for dinner.  We were all moving really slow.  The work site today was a little warmer than yesterday, but really still felt great.  There was no rain today though.

Sunset as I went down for dinner.  Amazing!

At one point, there were about 10-15 huge parrots just hovering over us.  Michele said they were blue and green, but I'm not sure I trust her after she mistaken-ed salt for sugar ;)

While waiting for dinner everyone was moving slowly and our muscles were sore.  So this happened...team work in all aspects!

Dinner tonight was a lasagna type casserole (cheese, melt, & lasagna noodles) with breaded, fried plantains, salad, and papaya.

Once dinner was over we walked a few blocks to the store.  They had coconuts or pipa with straws ready for you to drink.  Instead we bought the agua de pipa in a bottle and it was no bueno.  

Eggs here are stored at room temperature. 

It was an experience and I wasted $20 on junk.  Please see picture below.  Never a dull moment with this bunch!

The flowers here are beautiful!  The hydrangeas are insanely huge!!  On our walk back from the store, I was able to capture a picture of one.

We are definitely feeling the effects of our work, but we are still laughing, enjoying each other, and filling so blessed to have this opportunity here this week.  I know personally, I have am having an amazing, life-changing week.  I am also so much in love with the people of Costa Rica.  I love how everyone is outside, walking, playing, interacting with each other - it's just such a more simple way of life.  But the driving/traffic is a little crazy...I've decided just look out the side windows and not the front and you'll be just fine! :)  

THANK YOU all for the prayers and encouragement.  Please continue to pray for us, the kids at the home, those who we are working with, and for the ministry that Ray & Lidia do here.  We are already talking about when we come back...and praying for when we get back and how it will impact our church.  We are having such an amazing time and while we do  miss our Texas families, we are loving our Costa Rican families!

Be blessed! xoxo from Costa Rica!