Day 3 from Matthew

Today was the best day so far. It was a hard and tiring day, but one that I will never forget. The day started out with my roommates (Jackson and Jack) and I sleeping in and subsequently missing breakfast. Yes, we all did have alarms set, but for one reason or another they didn’t go off! After all three of us got ready in what I believe is a record breaking time of just fifteen minutes, we left to go back to the church. As soon as we arrived we immediately got back to work clearing the field. Julius Caesar would have been proud because we saw, we came, and we conquered that field. 

We were able to clear the vast majority of it and were able to remove most of the rocks with the help of the truck driver who hauled the rocks off. He was a really nice man and had two little chihuahuas that roamed the field. 

After our conquest of the field we went back to the church where we had lunch. This was of course after we had used all the wet wipes to wipe away all the dirt that seemed to be everywhere. We all wanted to take an afternoon siesta. When the kids arrived at around two Mr. Sugg and Edwin helped organize and lead us in some songs, like the all time favorite The Papaya Song. Paige and Jackson also brought the praise band to Costa Rica and did an awesome job today when they lead us in the Spanish version of "Oceans". We had the lyrics printed out in Spanish so the kids could follow along as well. They truly seemed focused and wanted to hear what we were singing. 

From there Mr. Sugg and Edwind told a story and then I did a brief rundown of the gospel. I have to say that this was out of my comfort zone and I can’t remember a time where I have done that. I prayed before hand that God would just give me the words to speak, and I am continuing to pray and trusting that the seed I helped plant will continue to grow. This was a great experience for me, because stepping out of ones comfort zone is important, but it is so much important when you have an opportunity to tell others about Christ. 

After this we broke up into some games, we also had face paint and arts and crafts going on as well. It was all going great, the kids especially enjoyed freeze tag. I have to say, those kids can be fast and exercise some great teamwork. I got herded straight into another tagger so many times. From freeze tag we played soccer, or really just pass the ball as hard as you can. It was during this time that I cracked my head open on some re-barb that was hanging down from the wall. They don’t necessarily build for six foot three people, but it’s only a flesh wound. 

One of the most heart wrenching things a kid has asked me was when they were going to eat, because a lot of them don’t have lunch or even just a lot to eat. I’m constantly reminded how blessed I am, and that I shouldn’t take those blessing for granted. The problems these kids face don’t seem to drag them down, they are nearly all happy and energetic. They have a joy that is just infectious. This trip so far has been a great reality check for me. I know that there are definitely things that I need to make right in my life, so that I can have as much joy as those kids. I feel incredibly honored and humbled that I was able to share the gospel with them today. I don’t enjoy speaking in front of people, and especially when there is a language barrier, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t. I’m just so blessed to be able to go on this trip and met everyone. They have had such a large impact on my life, and I hope and pray that I have had an equal or greater impact on theirs.

Matthew