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.