Day 5 (pictures of our last full day)

Headed back to the States...

More pictures to come but until then here is our crew on the Catamaran yesterday. 

Our team is headed home today. We had an early rise at 4am to get to the airport. Our JE guide, Edwin, didn't want us to get caught by any traffic on our travel day. We have our first leg to Houston and then off to San Antonio. We should be arriving around 3:15pm. 

Thank you to all our families and friends who have supported us and prayed for us! We are extremely grateful for you and the opportunity we have had!  We will continue to share pictures and stories over the next few days! 

Day 5 from Jackson

Today was our last day with Gavello. He was our bus driver and he undoubtedly saved our lives on multiple occasions. Despite him only speaking Spanish, he made us laugh and provided some extra joy to the trip. Costa Rica has been one of the best experiences in my life. Both for my faith and as a generally enjoyable experience. It has shown me that even just a smile to a kid can spark a conversation and even brighten up someone's day. While there is a huge language barrier between us all, we have been able to communicate through our limited knowledge of spanish and have taught some kids a few english phrases as well. It has truly been an eye-opening experience as I personally have never seen this kind of poverty before. We went down to a house, or more accurately a metal roof being held up above a dirt flat. Our fearless leader, Edwin, led us down a steep hill being held up by a few planks of wood. We gave them food and Edwin prayed over them in spanish. While I have almost no idea what Edwin said, I could tell that we had provided for her family and showed her God's love. I also brought a soccer ball down and gave it to a young boy who jumped a bit in a fit of excitement. It almost brought me to tears as we left because it was certain a wake up call as to how blessed we are in America. We take so much for granted and we don't realize how little other people have. We could likely provide for an entire family just with the food that we throw out. As a whole, this experience has brought me closer to God and has allowed us to hopefully bring others to Christ as well. Thank you Joshua Expeditions and New Braunfels Christian Academy for allowing us all to go on this eye-opening experience.

Day 5: Story from Brennen (and picture)

Today was the final day of our time here in Costa Rica. We got up very early in order to take a bus to the coast, and from there we went by catamaran to Isla Tortuga. We spent a few hours enjoying ourselves on the sunny beach, getting the opportunity to snorkel and swim before heading back to the mainland. Despite the great experience we had on this island paradise, I think I speak for myself and everybody else in our group when I say that we really received the most joy this week when we were able to interact with the kids at the church, getting to know these children and sharing God with them; these are certainly the memories we will cherish forever and never forget.

Day 4 (Pictures Part 2)

Day 4 from Rachel

Today was the last day working with the church. We started the day off clearing the grass off the lot where there will be an Awanas Club. Then, after eating an absolutely delicious lunch of fried fish, rice, and beans prepared for us by our extremely generous hosts, we spent our last day with the Costa Rican children. Over the last few days we have grown close with some of the kids and saying goodbye to them was hard. Every one of the kids radiates so much joy and love. Their attitude and character impressed me so much. Many of them live in houses composed of mismatched pieces of tin and don’t know when their next meal will be. Despite the uncertainty in their lives, they always showed up happy and ready to play. When it was time for snacks, they would wait patiently in line and offer to share their food even though many of them may not have eaten that day. Their love and acceptance of us “gringos” was something I hadn’t really expected. It sounds silly, but I have always been a little bit wary or anxious around little kids, but these kids completely took away those feelings. Despite the language barrier, we really connected with them. The way they acted towards us would make one think we knew them their entire lives. They have given me a renewed perspective on life. After spending days with them, I realized how blessed I am and how little the “problems” in our lives that I care so much about really are. They have certainly changed us for the better and I pray that our time with them will leave just as much of an impact on their lives. This trip seems way too short and I can only hope some of us can connect with them again. I am so grateful to have gone on this trip and pray the best for these kids that we have come to love.

Day 4 (Pictures Part 1)

Our last full day of work projects and playing with the kids! 

This is the pastor's dog

The man holding the dog is the Pastor of the church that we helped this week. The lady in pink is who prepared lunches for us during the week

We helped Edwin (our JE guide) bring groceries to a family in need.

This is a precious single mom and her five kids we got to meet and delivery groceries to.