Costa Rica: Day 6 {Thursday}

Thursday...we are dragging today!  I am at least.  I know we all look exhausted anyway.

Breakfast this morning was at 7AM.  Most of us wake up around 6:30 to get ready for the day.  This morning for breakfast we had pancakes, bacon,   And of course cafe!!!!!  I had 2 cups this morning instead of my usual one.

We had devotion time during breakfast like we have had all week.  Javier joined in with us for breakfast and devotion. 

After breakfast at 10 til 8, we loaded up in the big bus again.  The same one we took to church on Sunday.  This morning we picked up Monica on the way and headed straight to the work site/children's home.

Today, we only planned to work half a day then the other half we would play with the children and then take a tour of the Methodist school.  Thankfully, that's exactly how our day went - as planned!  Thanks for praying for no rain so we could spend time with the kids.  Today's weather was really cool and overcast.  The weather has actually been perfect, not hot at all!

Our goal today was to do at least 2 rows, which is what we normally do in one full day.  So we had to work efficiently.  We all put our heads down and got to work!!  

Yesterday, Becky and I started sorting and organizing ALL the amazing donated items we brought from back home.  It was a job ALL in itself.  We didn't finish yesterday so Michele and I real quickly put away what we could fit into the rubber bins.  We donated 105 pairs of shoes to the children!  Wow!!  A ton of dresses, socks, undies, shorts, and shirts.  Ray & Lidia were so very grateful for all the donations!  I filled as many bins as possible to the top and the rest of the clothes are waiting for new bins.

We took a break again at 10AM but not a long as the ones we have been taking. 

At noon, we cleaned up the wheelbarrows, shovels, trowels, etc and got ready for lunch.  Monica made us another yummy dish of pork and garbanzo beans, rice, salad, amazing guacamole, fruit, and fresh fruit juice made from yesterday's leftover fruit.  It was DELICIOUS!

Then we had CAFE!  I asked Ray if it was customary for us to have coffee after each meal and he said always for breakfast and after lunch and then normally again around 3:30 in the afternoon.  Lidia was telling us everyone drinks coffee here, including kids.  She said a lot of the parents here give coffee with milk & sugar in their bottles!  Crazy!!

Once lunch was over, we went "shopping" for the kids.  Becky has a ziplock for each of the children with their name & sizes written on them.  We picked out each child an item of clothing to take to them as a gift.

We also have Ricardo, Junior, and Monica their thank you gifts.  Hats, t-shirts, and Monica a pool she had been eyeing at the store.  Becky told us about it and she about cried when we gave it to her.  She told us she couldn't really talk or else she'd start crying.  And I'm not sure who was in charge of these gifts, but somehow Junior got a Longhorn cap and I did NOT approve of that!  I told him next time he is getting an A&M hat! ;)  We all laughed!!

Ricardo

Junior receiving his hat.

Ray and Lidia spent some time with us discussing their foundation and an endowment fund they recently started.  They shared with us ways we can back home stay involved and help the children.  We can't wait to share with you all once we get back!

Once most of the children were home from school, we headed down to the houses for some FUN!!  We took the kids jump ropes, frisbees, crayons & coloring sheets, marbles, and card games (Go Fish & Old Maid).  They were SO excited!

We played soccer, ran around, threw the frisbee, colored, played cards, and just loved on them.  While we thought we'd be blessing them, they are the ones that truly did the blessing!

Coloring on my stomach while I stand.  This little one wants a mama SO bad!!

Once we played for a while, then we went up and got their "gifts."  You would have thought it was CHRISTMAS for them!  Then when they realized the dresses weren't store bought but made - tears welled up in their eyes.  They have no idea how much they are loved!  Each girl gets 3 dresses to wear to church until they grow out of them, then they are rotated around.  So to get a NEW dress was so special!

The rain started to come down and it was time to leave.  Leaving there today was tough!!  This would be the last time we'd see the kids, yet we'd all have their sweet little faces ingrained in our minds.

We taught her how to play frisbee today.  She was really good once she got the hang of it.

While the kids are so lovely, knowing their stories and knowing they may not ever have the experience of a family is so sad.  To know kids are literally thrown away is something our minds almost can't comprehend.

Thankfully, Ray and Lidia do their best to show those kids how loved they are.  They also make sure they know how much their Heavenly Father loves them.  One girl even asked Elias today if he knew God?  A 12 year old.

We all finally made our way to the bus.  

Ray was then going to take us to the Methodist school to give us a tour.  Not all the kids are enrolled at the Methodist school, but the ones that meet requirements and they know will be with them for a long time, go.  It cost about $500/month for the kids to go to school.  The school pays half and the children's home pays half.  They teach 4 languages: Spanish, English, French, and Mandarin.  The school was beautiful!!  I will do a part II post for the school since it's mostly photos and I am ready for a shower AND bed!

We returned to the Wesley House at 5PM, but as soon as we in and put our stuff away, we headed down a few blocks to the ice cream shop.  POPS!  

It was well worth the walk and extra calories!!  Michele, Melissa, Beverly, and I all went.  Elias also went but as our bodyguard.  We are thankful for him and especially for translating for us.  I got a "cano triple" (triple cone)!  Go big or go home, right?  Or when in Rome?!  Either way, it was a good choice!!  I had a scoop of chocolate almond, pistachio, and coconut.  Coconut was definitely the winner, but they were all good.

Dinner tonight was interesting.  Cannoli with tuna inside & a tomato sauce, rice & beans, salad, and squash was on tonight's menu.  We had devotion time while eating dinner.  We found this just works better than waiting until after.

When we started at the work site, there were no bricks on the 2 sides we were working on.  We have seen it literally come up out of the ground!  On one side it is 8 high and the other 7.  They expected we would get 4 layers done this week.  I say we definitely exceeded their expectations!

Heading out...Goodbye children's home!  Until next time...cue the tears.

The dream team! :)

In the morning, we are heading to Cafe Brit for a tour of the coffee& cocoa plantation.  YUM!!!  Then to the La Paz waterfall for lunch and a tour/hike to the waterfall!!  We are excited to rest our bodies for a day before we head back home!  We can't wait to get back home to tell you all about this amazing trip!  I am almost certain we have all been changed in some way or another from this trip!  And we are definitely already discussing our next trip...we hope you can and will join us next time!  THANKS again for all the prayers!  We have been covered with such grace this week.  We can't thank you enough back home for joining us via Facebook and this blog!

Pura vida - as they say in Costa Rica!  Pure life!!